John Calvin Commentary Exodus 5:20

"And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:" — Exodus 5:20 (ASV)

And they met Moses.⁷¹ Some translate this as “they met together with Moses,” taking the particle את, eth, for “together with.” However, it is more in accordance with the context that the officers and some of the elders or people encountered Moses and Aaron as they returned from Pharaoh. An accidental meeting is indicated, from where it arose that their minds were still more exasperated against the Lord’s servants.

That blind grief is described here which, with a fury akin to madness, aroused the Israelites to unfounded anger against the innocent, who had deserved nothing of the kind. Indeed, it is not wonderful that they were so brutalized by the weight of their sorrows as to lose all sense of justice, and were even so completely driven out of their minds as to unreasonably vent their indignation against the ministers of their deliverance, for this not infrequently happens. But although this may be a very common fault, they are not free from the accusation of ingratitude who are carried away so inconsiderately by the force of their passions. Indeed, we should learn from this example how carefully we should restrain our grief, which, if indulged, parts company with both reason and kindness.

For what could be more unjust than to lay the blame on Moses and Aaron because Pharaoh is tyrannical and cruel? But this outbreak arose from a lack of faith, because they measured the favor of God by their immediate success. They had recently thanked God for their promised redemption; now, as if they had been deceived, they accuse Moses and Aaron. From this we gather how wavering their faith was, which vanished at once over such a slight cause.

If the calling of Moses had not been ratified by miracles, they might have had reason to be angry from their lack of success. But now, when they had known from experience that God was the author of the whole proceeding, it was an act of perversity and falsehood to accuse Moses of rashness. And thus they did injustice not only to a mortal man but also to God their deliverer—an injustice doubled by the blasphemous abuse of His name when they spoke of Him as the promoter of a bad cause. For the expression, “the Lord—judge,” is, as it were, to impose upon Him the law by which He must condemn Himself. For this reason, intemperate grief is still more to be guarded against, which, while it bursts out immoderately against men, does not even spare God. Indeed, they did not think that they were reproaching God and rejecting His loving-kindness, for the excess of their passion had transported them out of themselves.

Meanwhile, we must note the source of the evil: namely, that they were impatient because God did not immediately complete what He had promised but deferred it for a time, and again, because they sought to be exempted from every evil. Thus they preferred rotting, as it were, in their miseries, to suffering some little inconvenience for the hope of God’s favor. And this cowardice is natural to almost all of us: we prefer to be without God’s help rather than to suffer under the cross, while He leads us to salvation gradually, and sometimes by a circuitous path.

Indeed, nothing is sweeter than to hear that our afflictions are regarded by God and that He will come to our relief in tribulation. But if God’s favor awakens the wrath of the ungodly against us, we will be prepared to abandon all His promises rather than purchase the hopes they afford at such a great price. In the meantime, we see how kindly God contended with the intemperate and corrupt conduct of His people. For certainly, by reproaching Moses and Aaron so rudely, the Israelites rejected (as far as was in their power) that message respecting their deliverance which they had at first greedily received; and yet He did not cease to carry on His work even to the end.

⁷¹ In saying “some translate,” C. is again adverting to . is again adverting to S..M., but has rather chosen, with our ., but has rather chosen, with our A..V., to follow the LXX. and Vulgate. — ., to follow the LXX. and Vulgate. — W..