Grace Bible Church Staff

Lesson 36, Geography Study Concerning the Scriptures, Patriarchal Migrations and Wanderings, The Route of the Exodus, Continued

Exodus 19:1,2, In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.

Mount Sinai (or Horeb [desolate places]), its alternate name) is sacred to Israel as the place where God gave his law to Moses and entered into covenant with his people.

While Israel was encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai, Moses ascended into the mountain to receive the Law.

This encampment was the location where the people made a golden calf as an object of worship and where Moses cast the tablets of the Law to the ground, breaking them.

The Law was again given to Moses who communicated it to the people and directed the building of the Tabernacle as the meeting place between God and Israel.

Before leaving Sinai the people were numbered and organized according to their tribal responsibilities.

Numbers 1 – all males, able to go forth, 20 years old and upward but not including the Levites

Numbers 1:2,3, Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls; From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.

Levi was not numbered, probably old men were not numbered because of the requirement of numbering only men that were able to go to war

After spending about a year (the twentieth day of the second year, Numbers 10) at Sinai the camp of Israel was directed to march north eastward toward the land of Canaan. At Taberah (burning) some who murmured against the Lord were consumed by “the fire of the Lord”.

Numbers 11:1-3, And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched. And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the LORD burnt among them.

Kibroth-hattaavah (graves of lust) was the place of burial of the Israelites who had met divine judgment as a result of lusting after the delicacies of Egypt.

Numbers 11:4-6, ⁴And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? ⁵We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic: ⁶But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.

10, Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.

18-20, And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. ¹⁹Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; ²⁰But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?

33- 35, And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague. And he called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted. And the people journeyed from Kibrothhattaavah unto Hazeroth; and abode at Hazeroth.

Hazeroth (enclosures probably for flocks) is possibly the modern Ain (fountain) Khudra.

At Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses for his marriage to an Ethiopian (Cushite) woman.

Numbers 12:1-3, And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. ²And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. ³(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

Miriam was stricken with a form of leprosy which lasted for one week, during which time she was isolated from the camp of Israel.

Numbers 12:10-16, And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. ¹¹And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. ¹²Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb. ¹³And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee. ¹⁴And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again. ¹⁵And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again. ¹⁶And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.