FOURTH STUDY

The Wandering in the Wilderness

PART ONE

I. =Preliminary Events.= As preparatory to the wilderness stage in the history of Is'ra-el certain events and processes are to be noted.

1. =The Oppression of the Is'ra-el-ites= (Exod. I. 8-13). If the Is'ra-el-ites had been prosperous and happy in E'gypt they would have remained there, and the destiny of the chosen people would have been forgotten. Therefore, when E'gypt had given to Is'ra-el all that it could the wrath of man was made to praise G.o.d; and by suffering the Is'ra-el-ites 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). The Pha'raoh of the oppression is generally identified with Ram'e-ses II, who was reigning about B. C.

1320.

2. =The Training of Mo'ses.= Therein was another element of preparation.

No common man could have wrought the great work of liberation, of legislation, and of training which Is'ra-el needed.

3. =The Ten Plagues.= But if it was needful to make the Is'ra-el-ites willing to depart it was also needful to make the E-gyp'tian king and his people willing to let them depart; and this was accomplished by the plagues which fell upon E'gypt, showing Is'ra-el as under G.o.d's peculiar care and the G.o.ds of E'gypt powerless to protect their people.

4. =The Pa.s.sover= (Exod. 12. 21-28). This service represented three ideas: 1.) It was the springtide festival. 2.) It commemorated the sudden departure from E'gypt, 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).

5. =The Exodus= (Exod. 12. 40, 41). The word means "going out." This was the birthday of a nation, the hour when the Is'ra-el-ites rose from being merely a ma.s.s of men to become a people. The date of the exodus is uncertain, but the best scholars have concluded that it took place in the reign of the King Me-neph'thah (or Me-re-neph'thah), who may have reigned about B. C. 1270.

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

II. In order to follow the journeys of the Is'ra-el-ites we must draw a map of the =Wilderness of the Wandering=.

1. Draw the coast lines, and note =three Seas=. 1.) The "great sea," or _Med-i-ter-ra'ne-an_ (Josh. 1. 4). 2.) The _Red Sea_ (Exod. 13. 18), (Gulfs of Su-ez' and Ak'a-ba). 3.) The _Dead Sea_.

2. Draw the mountain ranges, and note =five Deserts=. 1.) The _Desert of Shur_ (Exod. 15. 22), between Go'shen and Ca'naan. 2.) The _Desert of Pa'ran_, in the center of the Si-na-it'ic 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'tham_ (Num. 33. 8), on the sh.o.r.e of the Gulf of Su-ez'. 4.) The _Desert of Sin_, near Mount Si'nai (Exod.

16. 1). 5.) The _Desert of Zin_, the desolate valley between the Gulf of Ak'a-ba and the Dead Sea, now called the Ar'a-bah (Num. 13. 21).

3. Locate also the =five Lands= of this region. 1.) _Go'shen_, the land of the sojourn (Exod. 9. 26). 2.) _Mid'i-an_, the land of Mo'ses'

shepherd life (Exod. 2. 15), on both sides of the Gulf of Ak'a-ba. 3.) _E'dom_, the land of E'sau's descendants, south of the Dead Sea (Num.

21. 4). 4.) _Mo'ab_, the land of Lot's descendants, east of the Dead Sea (Num. 21. 13). 5.) _Ca'naan_, the land of promise (Gen. 12. 7).

4. Fix also the location of =three Mountains=. 1.) _Mount Si'nai_, where the law was given (Exod. 19. 20). 2.) _Mount Hor_,[3] where Aar'on died (Num. 20. 23-28). 3.) _Mount Ne'bo_ (Pis'gah), where Mo'ses died (Deut.

34. 1).

5. Notice also =seven Places=, some of which are clearly, others not so definitely, identified. 1.) _Ram'e-ses_, the starting point of the Is'ra-el-ites (Exod. 12. 37). 2.) _Ba'al-ze'phon_, the place of crossing the Red Sea (Exod. 14. 2). 3.) _Ma'rah_, where the bitter waters were sweetened (Exod. 15. 22-25). 4.) _E'lim_, the place of rest (Exod. 15.

27). 5.) _Reph'i-dim_, the place of the first battle, near Mount Si'nai (Exod. 17. 8-16). 6.) _Ka'desh-bar'ne-a_, whence the spies were sent forth (Num. 13. 26). 7.) _Ja'haz_, in the land of Mo'ab, south of the brook Ar'non, where a victory was won over the Am'or-ites (Num. 21. 23, 24).

Blackboard Outline

I. =Pre. Even.= 1. Opp. Isr. 2. Tra. Mos. 3. Ten Pla. 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.

Review Questions

Name five events which were preparatory to the wandering. What made the Is'ra-el-ites willing to leave E'gypt? What three ideas were connected with the pa.s.sover? What is meant by the exodus? What are the three seas of the map ill.u.s.trating the wandering? Name five deserts of this region? In which desert were the most years pa.s.sed? What were the two deserts on the sh.o.r.e of the Red Sea? Where was the Desert of Zin?

Which desert was between E'gypt and Pal'es-tine? Name and locate five lands of this region. Which land was nearest to E'gypt? Which land was on the eastern arm of the Red Sea? Which land lay east of the Dead Sea?

Which land was south of the Dead Sea? Name three mountains in this region. What event took place on each of these mountains? Name two places between E'gypt and the Red Sea. Name three places on the route between the Red Sea, and an event at each place. What place was south of Ca'naan and near it? What events occurred at this place? What two places were battlefields?

PART TWO

III. On our map we indicate the =Journeys of the Is'ra-el-ites=, and at the same time note the princ.i.p.al events of the wandering.

1. _From Ram'e-ses to the Red Sea_ (Exod. 12. 37; 14. 9). With this note: 1.) The crossing of the Red Sea.

2. _From the Red Sea to Mount Si'nai._ Events: 2.) The waters of Ma'rah (Exod. 15. 23-26). 3.) The repulse of the Am'a-lek-ites (Exod. 17.

8-16). 4.) The giving of the law at Mount Si'nai. Here the camp was kept for a year, and the organization of the people was effected.

3. _From Mount Si'nai to Ka'desh-bar'ne-a._ At the latter place occurred: 5.) The sending out of the spies and their return (Num. 13.

1-26). 6.) The defeat at Hor'mah, north of Ka'desh-bar'ne-a (Num. 14.

40-45). It was the purpose of Mo'ses to lead the people at once from Ka'desh up to Ca'naan. But their fear of the Ca'naan-ite and Am'or-ite inhabitants made them weak; they were defeated and driven back into the Desert of Pa'ran, where they wandered thirty-eight years, until the generation of slavish souls should die off, and a new Is'ra-el, the young people, trained in the spirit of Mo'ses and Josh'u-a and fitted for conquest, should arise in their places.

4. _From Ka'desh-bar'ne-a through the Desert of Pa'ran and Return._ This was the long wandering of thirty-eight years. We trace the route from Ka'desh, around the Desert of Pa'ran, to Mount Hor, to E'zi-on-ge'ber at the head of the Gulf of Ak'a-ba, and at last to Ka'desh once more (Num.

20. 1). There occurred: 7.) The water from the rock at Ka'desh and Mo'ses's disobedience (Num. 20. 10-12). 8.) The repulse by A'rad (Num.

21. 1). It would seem that the Is'ra-el-ites made a second attempt to enter Ca'naan on the south, and were again defeated, though not so severely as before.

5. _From Ka'desh-bar'ne-a around E'dom to the River Jor'dan._ After this second defeat Mo'ses desired to lead the people through the land of the E'dom-ites, and to enter Ca'naan by crossing the Jor'dan (Num. 20. 14).

But the E'dom-ites refused to permit such an army to pa.s.s through their land (Num. 20. 18-21). Hence the Is'ra-el-ites were compelled to go down the Desert of Zin, past E'dom, as far as the Red Sea, then east of E'dom--a very long and toilsome journey (Num. 21. 4). Note with this journey: 9.) The brazen serpent (Num. 21. 6-9; John 3. 14, 15). 10.) The victory over the Am'or-ites (Num. 21. 23,24). This victory gave to the Is'ra-el-ites control of the country from Ar'non to Jab'bok, and was the first campaign of the conquest. The long journey was now ended in the encampment of the Is'ra-el-ites at the foot of Mount Ne'bo, on the eastern bank of the Jor'dan, near the head of the Dead Sea. 11.) The last event of the period was the death of Mo'ses, B. C. 1451 (Deut. 34.

5-8).

IV. =The Results of the Wandering.= These forty years of wilderness life made a deep impress upon the Is'ra-el-ite 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 Is'ra-el-ites left E'gypt 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 E'gypt the man was nothing; the state was everything. The Is'ra-el-ite system was an absolute contrast to the E-gyp'tian. For centuries after the exodus the Is'ra-el-ites 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 Ro'mans during their republican epochs. Mo'ses 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, Mo'ses did not wish to lead them by the direct route to Ca'naan lest they should "see war" (Exod. 13. 17, 18). Attacked by the Am'a-lek-ites soon after the exodus, the Is'ra-el-ites were almost helpless (Exod. 17.

8-16; Deut. 25. 17-19). A year later they were the easy prey of the Ca'naan-ites at Hor'mah (Num. 14. 40-45). Forty years after they crossed the Jor'dan, and entered Ca'naan a drilled and trained host, a conquering army. This discipline and spirit of conquest they gained under Mo'ses and Josh'u-a 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 E'gypt to the faith of their fathers. They received G.o.d's law, the system of worship, 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 Je-ho'vah, who had chosen them for his own people. Even though the ma.s.s of the people might worship idols, there was always from this time an Is'ra-el of the heart that sought and obeyed G.o.d.

Blackboard Outline

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

Jour. 2. R. S.--Mt. Sin. 2.) Wat. Mar. 3.) Rep. Am. 4.) Giv. 1.

Jour. 3. Mt. Sin.--Kad.-bar. 5.) Sen. sp. 6.) Def. Hor.