Exodus 12:35-36

Exo. 12:35, 36. "And they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and the Lord gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required, and they spoiled the Egyptians." The treasures that the children of Israel by this means carried forth out of Egypt were very great, even so as in a great measure to leave Egypt empty of its wealth, and so as to enrich the Israelites. Psalms 105:37. "He brought them forth also with silver and with gold." Genesis 15:14. "They shall come out with great substance." When a person is redeemed by Christ out of spiritual bondage, at the same time they are set at liberty they are also enriched, they have great substance given, as it were gold tried in the fire, and those riches are the spoils of their enemies, all that spiritual wealth, glory, and blessedness, and even heaven itself, is in some sort the spoils of Satan; that which God has deprived him of to give to the saints, as the earthly Canaan was taken away from the Canaanites and giants of the land, the enemies of the Israelites, and given to them. So heaven was taken from the fallen angels; they were driven out thence by the spiritual Joshua, to make room for the saints. The devils left heaven, in all probability, by their opposition and envy towards the saints, and rising up in open hostility against Christ as their head, revealed to be such in God's decrees; and so their hostility against the spiritual Moses, and Joshua, and their seed, and seeking to keep them down: these spiritual Egyptians and Canaanites left their spiritual and heavenly possessions, riches, and honors, and inheritance, and God took it from them and gave it to them that they opposed and sought to impoverish and destroy, and impoverished them to make those they hated rich with their riches. Yea, they themselves, though their enemies, are made in some sense to give them their own riches to enrich them and impoverish themselves, for they are made by Divine Providence the occasions of their being brought to their spiritual and eternal riches and glory. Satan has been the occasion of the saints' heavenly riches and glory in tempting man to fall, and so giving occasion for the work of redemption, and then in procuring the death of Christ, and oftentimes is made the occasion of particular advantages that the church obtains at one age and another, and his opposition to the nature of particular elect souls, is always turned to be an occasion of their riches and fullness; so that all the wealth and glory that the church has, is in a sense, and indeed in many ways, from Satan, though he seeks nothing but her destruction.

Another thing signified, is that the church of Christ, when redeemed from her enemies and oppressors, especially from Rome, heathen and antichristian, that is spiritually called Egypt, should have their wealth and glory given into their hands, as is foretold by the prophets, Psalms 68:30. "Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submits himself with pieces of silver." Zechariah 14:14. "And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem, and the wealth of the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel in great abundance." Isaiah 60:5; Isaiah 60:6; Isaiah 60:9; Isaiah 60:10; Isaiah 60:13; Isaiah 60:16; Isaiah 60:17 and chap. 61:6, which was fulfilled in the days of Constantine the Great, and will be more gloriously fulfilled at the fall of antichrist. Thus the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just, and Christ shall have a portion divided to him with the great, and shall divide the spoil with the strong.

It is to be noted that the tabernacle in the wilderness was made of these spoils the children of Israel took from the Egyptians. It was made of those jewels of silver, and gold, and raiment; so all the utensils and holy vessels of the tabernacle, the ark, and the mercy-seat, and the cherubim, and the candlestick, and table of shew-bread, and altar of incense and laver, and his seat, and also the priests' vestments, the twelve precious stones of the breastplate, as afterwards the temple, was built chiefly of these vast treasures that David took from his enemies; whereby is signified several things.

1. That God's church, that in Scripture is represented as Christ's house or temple, and as his raiment and ornament, and as a golden candlestick, etc. is wholly constituted of those saints that are his jewels, that are the spoils of his enemies, that were once his enemies' possession, but that he has redeemed out of their hands. Those precious gems that are near his heart, and are as it were his breastplate.

2. That Christ himself, that is the antitype of the tabernacle and temple, and especially of the ark and the altar, is one that has been rescued out of Satan's hands, and comes to be an ark and altar, no other ways than by his resurrection and ascension, whereby he was delivered from captivity to Satan.

3. Hereby is signified that the church of Christ, when it shall be fully redeemed from the tyranny of Rome, that is spiritually called Egypt, shall be adorned and beautified with the wealth of her enemies; that vast wealth that has hitherto been improved to gratify the avarice and pride of the church's enemies, shall then be improved to holy purposes, to build up the church of Christ, to beautify the place of God's sanctuary, and to make the place of his feet glorious, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor into the church. Thus Satan shall be spoiled of his wealth and glory, and that which used to be improved in his service, shall be taken from him, and shall be improved in the service of Christ; so that what he hath swallowed down he shall vomit up again.

Exodus 12:35; Exodus 12:36. The Hebrew word which our translators have rendered "borrow" is shaal, which does not signify to "borrow," but to "ask one to give." It is the very word used: Psalms 2:8 - "Ask of me, and I will give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance," etc. [Shuckford's Connection," vol. 2. p. 340.] The same word is used in Exodus 3:22; Exodus 11:2. That to "ask to give," or to "beg," and not to "borrow," is the proper English of the word according to the sense in which it is commonly used in scripture, is abundantly evident by Buxtorf (Lexicon, sub voce). To lend is to "give" in 1 Samuel 2:28. It is probable that when the Egyptians urged the people to be gone, they mentioned to them their poverty, and the difficulty of undertaking such a journey without such and such supplies, particularly that they should need many things to offer to God and serve Him with. The Egyptians were not unacquainted with costliness in worship, and therefore would not think it strange that the great God that had wrought such wonders among them required a lasting service. The Egyptians were now made sensible how much it concerned them to reconcile themselves to this God, and so to obtain the favor of this people who were such peculiar favorites of His, and whom they had heretofore so greatly injured, and thereby so much provoked their God; even Pharaoh himself is now brought to desire their prayers. The wills of the king and people were now broke, and their frame now was to be kind to them, as heretofore it had been to afflict and destroy them. They were now engaged with vehemence of spirit to counteract their former ill-treatment of the people. They were brought to be willing, as it were, without hesitation or delay, to yield and resign up anything to save their lives, fearing they should very speedily be all destroyed. They were in a great terror and great conviction of mind, and like the sea, which after a very high and strong flood, when it comes to ebb, returns with the greater impetuosity. Mr. Henry observes, "The Egyptians by their gifts probably intended to make atonement that the plagues might be stayed, as the Philistines when they returned to the ark sent a present with it for a trespass-offering, having an eye to this precedent," (1 Samuel 6:6, taken with the context).