Psalms 105:37

THIS verse has been making music in my heart for several days and, at times, it has even claimed utterance from my tongue. I have caught myself singing a solo, with myself as the only hearer, and this has been the theme, "He brought them forth, also, with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes." I love texts which sing to me and make me join in! If this verse should get into your hearts and set you singing in a similar way, you will be entertaining a very pleasant visitor—and it will brighten a dark day for you! Egypt may very fairly represent those states of sorrow and sadness, depression and oppression, into which God's people come far too frequently. Specially is the house of bondage a true picture of our condition when we are convicted of sin, but are ignorant of the way to escape from its guilt and power! Then, sin, which was once our Goshen of pleasure, becomes our iron furnace of fear. Though we yield to sin when under conviction, yet we are no longer its willing subjects—we feel that we are slaves and we sigh by reason of sore bondage. Glory be to God, He has now brought us out from that state of slavery, and we can sing of freedom given by His own right hand! Since then we have been permitted, in the order of God's Providence, to live among evil persons who have had power over us and have used it maliciously. They have hated our God and, therefore, they have hated us, and shown their dislike of us in many harsh and exacting ways. We find no rest with them, but our soul is among lions. They seem as though they would devour us, or else frighten us from following the road to Heaven.

He brought them forth also with silver and gold. This they asked of the Egyptians, perhaps even demanded, and well they might, for they had been robbed and spoiled for many a day, and it was not meet that they should go forth empty handed. Glad were the Egyptians to hand over their jewels to propitiate a people who had such a terrible friend above; they needed no undue pressure, they feared them too much to deny them their requests.

He brought them forth also with silver and gold - Which they had begged of the Egyptians. In Exo 12:35, it is said, in our translation, that they had “borrowed” this gold and silver, together with raiment, of the Egyptians. This is an unhappy translation, as our word “borrow” means to ask anything of another for the purpose of using it for a time, with an implied understanding that it shall be returned, if an article to be used - or that as much money shall be repaid, if it is money that is borrowed - and according to this there would have been dishonesty and fraud on the part of the Israelites in “borrowing” these things of the Egyptians, when not intending (as they evidently did not) to return them. The Hebrew word, however, in Exo 12:35 - שׁאל shâ'al - means merely to ask, “to demand, to require, to request, to perition, to beg.” The idea of an obligation to “return” the things, as in our word “borrow,” is not attached to the Hebrew word. And there was not one feeble person ... - literally, Not one who was lame; or, who halted, or staggered. This, of course, is not necessarily to be understood literally. It is a general description of the capability of the people for traveling, or for war.