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 God; 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 God (Heb. 11. 24-26). 4.) Then came the _training of forty
years_ in the desert, giving him knowledge of the land, experience of
hardships, and maturity of thought. 5.) Lastly, there was the _call of
God_ (Exod. 3. 2), with its revelation of God'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-worship 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 Passover.= (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 God (Exod. 12. 21, 22).
[Illustration: 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 mass 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 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 (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._
[Illustration: 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 worship 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 pass 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 =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 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 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 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 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 Jehovah, 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 Israel of the heart that sought and obeyed God.
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. Pass.
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.