Chapter VIII: Part TWO

III. On our map we indicate the =Journeys of the Is'ra-el-ites=, and at the same time note the principal 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 pass 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 _Institutions_. 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 Passover 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 passed 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 God's law, the system of worship, and the ritual which brought them by its services into a knowledge of God. Moreover, their experience of God's care taught them to trust in Je-ho'vah, who had chosen them for his own people. Even though the mass of the people might worship idols, there was always from this time an Is'ra-el of the heart that sought and obeyed God.

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.
Jour. 4. Kad.-bar.--Des. Par.--Ret. 7.) Wat. roc. Kad. 8.) Rep. Ar.
Jour. 5. Kad.-bar.--Ed.--Riv. Jor. 9.) Bra. ser. 10.) Vic. ov. Amo.
11.) Dea. Mos.
IV. =Res. Wan.= 1. Ins. 2. Nat. Un. 3. Ind. Lib. 4. Mil. Tra.
5. Rel. Ed.

Review Questions

State the route of the first journey. What was the
great event of this journey? What was the second
journey? What events are named with this journey? What
was the third journey? What two events took place with
this journey? What was the longest journey? Name four
places of this journey? Name two events near its
close. What was the last journey? What events took
place at this time? Where was the last encampment of
the Is'ra-el-ites? What institutions originated during
this period? What was the political effect of this
epoch upon the people? How did it give them liberty?
What was the influence in military affairs? What were
its results upon the religion of the people?

FIFTH STUDY

Institutions of Israelite Worship