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40.How often did they provoke him in the desert? Here the preceding sentence is confirmed, it being declared that, as they had in so many instances provoked God in the wilderness, by the vast accumulation of their sins, (342) they must of necessity have perished a thousand times, had not God as often shown himself favorable and merciful towards them. The interrogatory form of the sentence expresses more significantly that they continued sinning without intermission. The word wilderness includes in it the circumstance both of place and of time. By this it is intended, first, to reprove their ingratitude, in that the memory of God’ benefits, while still so fresh in their minds, and even the sight of them daily before their eyes, were not at least able to check them in their wickedness; and, secondly, to condemn their impetuous and infatuated recklessness, in heaping up such a multitude of sins within so short a period.
In the same sense it is added immediately after, (verse 41,) that they returned to their former ways, and tempted God. The word return does not here signify change, but a continued course of sinning. The heinous indignity which is done to God when men tempt him, is expressed by a beautiful metaphor. The Hebrew word תוה tavah, signifies to mark out or describe. It is intimated, that when the people dared to limit the operations of God, according to their own pleasure, he was, as it were, shut up within bars of wood or iron, and his infinite power circumscribed within the narrow boundaries to which unbelief would confine it. And assuredly, whenever men do not go beyond their own understandings, it is as if they would measure God by their own small capacity, which is nothing else than to pull him down from his throne; for his Majesty must be brought into subjection to us, if we would have him to be regulated according to our own fancy.
(342) “ provoked God at least ten times, (Num_14:22,) during the first two years of their journey through the wilderness. 1. at the Red Sea, (Exo_14:11;) 2. at the waters of Marah, (Exo_15:24;) 3. in the wilderness of Sin, (Exo_15:2;) 4. when they kept the manna until the following day, (Exo_16:10;) 5, when the manna was collected on the Sabbath, (Exo_16:27;) 6. in Rephidim, where there was no water, (Num_20:2;) 7. at Horeb, when a molten calf was made, (Exo_32:1, etc.;) 8. at Taberah, (Num_11:1;) 9. when they lusted for flesh, (Num_11:4;) 10. when they murmured at the news brought by the men, who had been sent to search the land, (Num_14:1, etc.” — Cresswell.