Exodus 23:13

Be circumspect.

Circumspection

I. In general. “In all things.” Moses is drawing to the close of these precepts, and looking back upon them, he says--“Be circumspect.” The original suggests--

1. That we should be fully awake to the importance of the Divine commands.

(1) Give them intelligent and reverent examination.

(2) Store them up in the memory.

(3) Study them in their beneficent operation.

2. That we should be on our guard against temptations to break the Divine commands. Temptations are

(1) sudden;

(2) insidious;

(3) deceiving.

3. That we should be careful “to remember His commandments to do them.”

(1) There is a danger lest an exaggerated estimate of human weakness should lead to despair on the one hand, and recklessness on the other.

(2) God would not command the impossible.

(3) There is “grace to help in time of need.”

II. In particular, “make no mention,” etc. Because--

1. That would be uncircumspect in the first and greatest commandment.

2. That would be to forfeit the help promised to the circumspect.

3. That would be to yield to a tendency to be uncircumspect in everything. Christians--

1. “Watch and pray, lest ye enter rote, temptation.”

2. Live so as “to adorn the doctrine of God your Saviour m all things. (J. W. Burn.)

Circumspection needed

The mysterious perturbation of a ship’s compass is reported in a scientific journal. It appears that the compass of the ship Penguin, recently anchored off Australia, was deflected fifty-five degrees, and had a dip of eighty-three degrees. After the ship left the anchorage and proceeded on her voyage the disturbance ceased. At two miles from the point the variation was quite normal. The captain spent a day in investigating the phenomenon. He passed two or three times over the point where he had anchored, and found that whenever the ship crossed it, the compass was disturbed as before, and recovered when at a distance of two miles in any direction. This satisfied him that the centre of the submarine disturbance was limited to a circle of less than two miles magnetic minerals at the sea bottom. The journal reporting his observation says: “Great as is the gain to the navigator to be thus warned of a formidable danger in certain places, it lays upon him the imperative duty of being always on his guard against such sources of disaster elsewhere, and of promptly reporting any new magnetic disturbance, as he would a rock or shoal.!” Similar vigilance is necessary on the part of every voyager through life.