Studies in Old Testament History Part 3

SECOND STUDY.

THE WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS.

I. Let us notice briefly the =EVENTS LEADING TO THE WANDERING.=

1. =The Oppression of the Israelites.= (B. C. 1635.) (Exod. 1. 8-13.) This was an important link in the chain of events. If the Israelites had been prosperous and happy in Egypt they would have remained there, and the destiny of the chosen people would have been forgotten. Therefore, when Egypt had given to Israel all that it could, the wrath of man was made to praise G.o.d; and by suffering the Israelites were made willing to leave the land of their sojourn and seek the land of promise. The nest was stirred up, and the young eaglet was compelled to fly (Deut. 32. 11, 12).

2. =The Training of Moses.= (Born B. C. 1571.) There was another element of preparation. No common man could have wrought the great work of liberation, of legislation, and of training which Israel needed. Notice, 1.) Moses was an _Israelite in birth_, of the consecrated tribe of Levi (Exod. 2. 1, 2). 2.) But he was _educated in the palace_, and in the highest culture, as a prince in Egypt (Exod. 2. 10). If he had been doomed to a slave's life he could never have accomplished his mission.

3.) At full age Moses made _choice of his people_, because they were the people of G.o.d (Heb. 11. 24-26). 4.) Then came the _training of forty years_ in the desert, giving him knowledge of the land, experience of hards.h.i.+ps, and maturity of thought. 5.) Lastly, there was the _call of G.o.d_ (Exod. 3. 2), with its revelation of G.o.d's name and power, imparting strength for his work.

3. =The Ten Plagues.= There was a special significance in these plagues, for each was a blow at some form of idol-wors.h.i.+p among the Egyptians.

They were: 1.) The river turned to blood (Exod. 7. 20, 21). 2.) Frogs (Exod. 8. 6). 3.) Lice (Exod. 8. 17). 4.) Flies, probably including beetles and other winged pests (Exod. 8. 24). 5.) Murrain, or pestilence among domestic animals (Exod. 9. 3, 4). 6.) Boils (Exod. 9. 10). 7.) Hail (Exod. 9. 23). 8.) Locusts (Exod. 10. 14, 15). 9.) Darkness (Exod.

10. 22, 23). 10.) Death of the first-born (Exod. 12. 29).

4. =The Pa.s.sover.= (Exod. 12. 21-28.) This service represented three ideas. 1.) It was the spring-tide festival. 2.) It commemorated the sudden departure from Egypt, when there was not even time to "raise the bread" before leaving (Exod. 12. 34-39). 3.) It was an impressive prophecy of Christ, the slain Lamb of G.o.d (Exod. 12. 21, 22).

[Ill.u.s.tration: JOURNEYS OF THE ISRAELITES]

5. =The Exodus.= (B. C. 1491.) (Exod. 12. 40, 41.) The word means "going out." This was the birthday of a nation, the hour when the Israelites rose from being merely a ma.s.s of men to become a people.

II. =THE WILDERNESS OF THE WANDERING.= Let the student note carefully upon a good map the following locations, and then draw a map containing them:

1. Draw the coast-lines and note =three Seas=. 1.) The "great sea," or _Mediterranean_ (Josh. 1. 4). 2.) The _Red Sea_ (Exod. 13. 18), (Gulfs of Suez and Akaba). 3.) The _Dead Sea_.

2. Draw the mountain ranges, and note =five Deserts=. 1.) The _Desert of Shur_ (Exod. 15. 22), between Goshen and Canaan. 2.) The _Desert of Paran_, in the center of the Sinaitic triangle (Num. 10. 12). This is the wilderness in which thirty-eight of the forty years were pa.s.sed (Deut. 1. 19). 3.) The _Desert of E'ham_ (Num. 33. 8), on the sh.o.r.e of the Gulf of Suez. 4.) The _Desert of Sin_, near Mount Sinai (Exod. 16.

1). 5.) The _Desert of Zin_, the desolate valley between the Gulf of Akaba and the Dead Sea, now called the Arabah (Num. 13. 21).

3. Locate also the =five Lands= of this region. 1.) _Goshen_, the land of the sojourn (Exod. 9. 26). 2.) _Midian_, the land of Moses's shepherd life (Exod. 2. 15), on both sides of the Gulf of Akaba. 3.) _Edom_, the land of Esau's descendants, south of the Dead Sea (Num. 21. 4). 4.) _Moab_, the land of Lot's descendants, east of the Dead Sea (Num. 21.

13). 5.) _Canaan_, the land of promise (Gen. 12. 7).

4. Fix also the location of =three Mountains=. 1.) _Mount Sinai_, where the law was given (Exod. 19. 20). 2.) _Mount Hor_, where Aaron died (Num. 20. 23-28). 3.) _Mount Nebo_ (Pisgah), where Moses died (Deut. 34.

1).

5. Notice also =seven Places=, some of which are clearly, others not so definitely, identified. 1.) _Rameses_, the starting-point of the Israelites (Exod. 12. 37). 2.) _Baal-zephon_, the place of crossing the Red Sea (Exod. 14. 2). 3.) _Marah_, where the bitter waters were sweetened (Exod. 15. 22-25). 4.) _Elim_, the place of rest (Exod. 15.

27). 5.) _Rephidim_, the place of the first battle, near Mount Sinai (Exod. 17. 8-16). 6.) _Kadesh-barnea_,[C] whence the spies were sent forth (Num. 13. 26). 7.) _Jahaz_, in the land of Moab, south of the brook Arnon, the place of a victory over the Amorites (Num. 21. 23, 24).

III. =THE JOURNEYS OF THE WANDERING.= These, with the =EVENTS= connected with them, may be arranged in order as follows:

1. From Rameses to the Red Sea (Exod. 12. 37; 14. 9). With this note: 1.) _The crossing of the Red Sea._

[Ill.u.s.tration: VICINITY OF MT. SINAI]

2. From the Red Sea to Mount Sinai. Events: 2.) _The Waters of Marah._ 3.) _The repulse of the Amalekites._ 4.) _The giving of the law._ 5.) _The wors.h.i.+p of the golden calf._ At Mount Sinai the camp was kept for nearly a year, and the organization of the people was effected.

3. From Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea (B. C. 1490). At the latter place occurred, 6.) _The sending out of the spies_ (Num. 13. 1-26). 7.) _The defeat at Hormah_ (Num. 14. 40-45). It was the purpose of Moses to lead the people at once from Kadesh up to Canaan. But their fear of the Canaanite and Amorite inhabitants made them weak; they were defeated and driven back into the desert of Paran, where they wandered thirty-eight years, until the generation of slavish souls should die off, and a new Israel, the young people, trained in the spirit of Moses and Aaron, and fitted for conquest, should arise in their places.

4. From Kadesh-barnea through the desert of Paran and return. This was the long wandering of thirty-eight years. We trace the route from Kadesh, around the desert of Paran, to Mount Hor, to Ezion-geber at the head of the Gulf of Akaba, and at last to Kadesh once more (Num. 20. 1).

There occurred, 8.) _The water from the rock at Kadesh_, and Moses's disobedience (Num. 20. 10-12). 9.) _The repulse of Arad_ (Num. 21. 1).

It would seem that the Israelites made a second attempt to enter Canaan on the south, and were again defeated, though not so severely as before.

5. From Kadesh-barnea around Edom to the river Jordan. After this second defeat Moses desired to lead the people through the land of the Edomites, and to enter Canaan by crossing the Jordan (Num. 20. 14). But the Edomites refused to permit such an army to pa.s.s through their land (Num. 20. 18-21). Hence the Israelites were compelled to go down the desert of Zin, past Edom, as far as the Red Sea, then east of Edom, a very long and toilsome journey (Num. 21. 4). Note with this journey: 10.) _The brazen serpent_ (Num. 21. 6-9; John 3. 14, 15). 11.) _The victory over the Amorites_ (Num. 21. 23, 24). This victory gave to the Israelites control of the country from Amon to Jabbok, and was the first campaign of the conquest. The long journey was now ended in the encampment of the Israelites at the foot of Mount Nebo, on the eastern bank of the Jordan, near the head of the Dead Sea. 12.) The last event of the period was _the death of Moses_ (Deut. 34. 5-8) (B. C. 1451).

IV. =THE RESULTS OF THE WANDERING.= These forty years of wilderness life made a deep impress upon the Israelite people, and wrought great changes in their character.

1. It gave them certain =Inst.i.tutions=. From the wilderness they brought their tabernacle and all its rites and services, out of which grew the magnificent ritual of the temple. The Feast of Pa.s.sover commemorated the Exodus, the Feast of Pentecost, the giving of the law; the Feast of Tabernacles (during which for a week the people lived in huts and booths), the outdoor life in the desert.

2. Another result was =National Unity=. When the Israelites left Egypt they were twelve unorganized tribes, without a distinct national life.

Forty years in the wilderness, meeting adversities together, fighting enemies, marching as one host, made them a nation. They emerged from the wilderness a distinct people, with one hope and aim, with patriotic self-respect, ready to take their place among the nations of the earth.

3. =Individual Liberty.= They had just been set free from the tyranny of the most complete governmental machine on the face of the earth. In Egypt the man was nothing, the state was every thing. The Israelite system was an absolute contrast to the Egyptian. For four centuries after the Exodus the Israelites lived with almost no government, each man doing what was right in his own eyes. They were the freest people on earth, far more so than the Greeks or the Romans during their republican epochs. Moses trained them not to look to the government for their care, but to be a self-reliant people, able to take care of themselves. If they had pa.s.sed this initial stage of their history surrounded by kingdoms they would have become a kingdom. But they learned their first lessons of national life in the wilderness, untrammeled by environment and under a wise leader, who sought to train up a nation of kings instead of a kingdom.

4. =Military Training.= We trace in the history of those forty years a great advance in military discipline. After crossing the Red Sea Moses did not care to lead them by the direct route to Canaan, lest they should "see war" (Exod. 13. 17, 18). Attacked by the Amalekites soon after the Exodus, the Israelites were almost helpless (Exod. 17. 8-16; Deut. 25. 17-19). A year later they were the easy prey of the Canaanites at Hormah (Num. 14. 40-45). Forty years after they crossed the Jordan and entered Canaan, a drilled and trained host, a conquering army. This discipline and spirit of conquest they gained under Moses and Joshua in the wilderness.

5. =Religious Education.= This was the greatest of all the benefits gained in the wilderness. They were brought back from the idolatries of Egypt to the faith of their fathers. They received G.o.d's law, the system of wors.h.i.+p, and the ritual which brought them by its services into a knowledge of G.o.d. Moreover, their experience of G.o.d's care taught them to trust in Jehovah, who had chosen them for his own people. Even though the ma.s.s of the people might wors.h.i.+p idols, there was always from this time an Israel of the heart that sought and obeyed G.o.d.

Blackboard Outline.

=I. Eve. le. Wan.= 1. Opp. Isr.

2. Tra. Mos. 1.) Bir. 2.) Edu. 3.) Cho. 4.) Tra. 5.) Cal.

3. Ten Pla. 1.) Bl. 2.) Fr. 3.) Li. 4.) Fl. 5.) Mur. 6.) Boi.

7.) Hai. 8.) Loc. 9.) Dar. 10.) Dea. fir. bo.

4. Pa.s.s.

5. Exod.

=II. Wil. Wan.= 1. Seas. 1.) M. S. 2.) R. S. [G, S., G. A.]

3.) D. S.

2. Des. 1.) D. Sh. 2.) D. Par. 3.) D. Eth. 4.) D. Si. 5.) D. Zi.

3. Lan. 1.) Gos. 2.) Mid. 3.) Ed. 4.) Mo. 5.) Can.

4. Mts. 1.) Mt. Sin. 2.) Mt. H. 3.) Mt. Neb.

5. Pla. 1.) Ram. 2.) B.-zep. 3.) Mar. 4.) El. 5.) Rep. 6.) Kad.-bar 7.) Jah.

=III. Jour. and Even.= Jour. 1. Ram.--R. S., Ev. 1.) Cr. R. S.

Jour. 2. R. S.--Mt. Sin. 2.) Wat. Mar. 3.) Rep. Am. 4.) Giv. L. 5.) Wor. gol. cal.

Jour. 3. Mt. Sin.--Kad.-bar. 6.) Sen. Sp. 7.) Del. Hor.

Jour. 4. Kad.-bar.--Des. Par.--Ret. 8.) Wat. roc. Kad. 9.) Rep. Ar.

Jour. 5. Kad.-bar.--Ed.--Riv. Jor. 10.) Bra. Ser. 11.) Vic. ov. Amo.

12.) Dea. Mos.

=IV. Res. Wan.= 1. Ins. 2. Nat. Un. 3. Ind. Lib. 4. Mil. Tra. 5. Rel.

Ed.

QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW.

Name five events which were preparatory to the wandering.