Part 3 (1/2)

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 ofthe Israelites wereto leave the land of their sojourn and seek the land of prolet was co of Moses= (Born B C 1571) There was another elereat 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 accoe Moses made _choice of his people_, because they were the people of God (Heb 11 24-26) 4) Then ca hie of the land, experience of hardshi+ps, and ht 5) Lastly, there was the _call of God_ (Exod 3 2), with its revelation of God's nath for his work

3 =The Ten Plagues= There was a special significance in these plagues, for each was a blow at soyptians

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 a 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 Passover= (Exod 12 21-28) This service represented three ideas 1) It was the spring-tide festival 2) It coypt, when there was not even ti (Exod 12 34-39) 3) It was an impressive prophecy of Christ, the slain Lamb of God (Exod 12 21, 22)

[Illustration: JOURNEYS OF THE ISRAELITES]

5 =The Exodus= (B C 1491) (Exod 12 40, 41) The wordout” This was the birthday of a nation, the hour when the Israelites rose fro merely a mass of men to become a people

II =THE WILDERNESS OF THE WANDERING= Let the student note carefully upon a goodthem:

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 es, 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 (Nuht of the forty years were passed (Deut 1 19) 3) The _Desert of E'ham_ (Num 33 8), on the shore 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 (Nuion 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 laas given (Exod 19 20) 2) _Mount Hor_, where Aaron died (Nuah), where Moses died (Deut 34

1)

5 Notice also =seven Places=, some of which are clearly, others not so definitely, identified 1) _Ra-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 theed 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_

[Illustration: VICINITY OF MT SINAI]

2 From the Red Sea to Mount Sinai Events: 2) _The Waters of Marah_ 3) _The repulse of the A of the law_ 5) _The worshi+p of the golden calf_ At Mount Sinai the caanization 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 Froh the desert of Paran and return This was the long wandering of thirty-eight years We trace the route froeber 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 atteain 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 Edo the Jordan (Num 20 14) But the Edoh their land (Nuo down the desert of Zin, past Edo 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 Aave to the Israelites control of the country fron 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 reat changes in their character