The Wisdom of Gathering the Few
Exodus 3:16
Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac…


I. THIS WOULD BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE METHOD OF ENLIGHTENING THE MIND OF THE NATION IN REFERENCE TO THE DIVINE INTENTION.

1. This afforded Moses a good opportunity for personal explanations.

2. It was a good precaution against the ignorance and fanaticism of the common people. The more agencies a man can bring into his life-work the better.

II. IT WOULD BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE METHOD OF GAINING THE SYMPATHY OF THE NATION. All great workers should be judicious in their movement.

III. IT WOULD THUS BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE METHOD OF WORKING OUT THE DIVINE PROJECT IN REFERENCE TO THE NATION.

1. How considerate of the Divine Being to give Moses this idea of working! Many men will not listen to the Divine instructions. This is the occasion of the great failure of so much religious energy.

2. How numerous are the agencies put in motion for the performance of Divine projects. God is the source of all commissions for the moral good of man.

3. All great workers may find a pattern here. Not to trust their new and Divine enterprises to the tide of popular opinion — storms may gather — may be wrecked. Launch them first on the more tranquil waters of the few — afterwards they will be more likely to weather the national gale.

(J. S. Exell, M. A.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

WEB: Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and tell them, 'Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, "I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt;




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