Category Archives: Out of Egypt

Timeline for the First Two Years of the Exodus

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This is the first two years of the Exodus journey; the actual time frame for this journey should have been two to three weeks for the journey to Jordan River. The next 38 years timeline is coming. (Please see Ten Times Testing God)

 Time Where Scripture What Happened
D1 m1 y1 Rameses Ex. 12:1 Started Calendar
D 10 Choose Lamb
D 14 Slaughtered Lamb – Passover
D 15 Ex. 12:33,Num. 33:3 Marched out boldly, plundered Egypt
Succoth
Etham, the edge of the desert
I can’t prove it but I will call it day 21 –the end of Unleavened Bread By the sea Num. 7:7Ex. 14:2 Camped by Migdol/PiHahiroth to the east/opposite of Baal Zephon
3 days to Desert of Shur(Etham)Marah Ex. 15:22Num. 33:8 What they originally asked for in Ex. 3:18, Second testing of God – bitter waters
Elim Ex 15:27 (Num.33:9) 12 springs and 70 palm trees
Red Sea Num. 33:10
D15 m2 (y1) Desert of SinBetween Elim and Sinai Ex 16:1Num. 33:10 Third testing by complaining about meat and bread. Got manna and stored some for a witness.
Dophkah Num. 33:12
Alush Num. 33:13
Rephidium Num. 33:14, Ex. 17:1 Amalekites attacked, water at Massah and Meribah in 17:6 it says this was at Horeb/Sinai, Jethro visits,
D1 m3 (y1) Desert of Sinai Num. 33:15, Ex. 19:1 It sounds like they went around to the other side of the mountain, got the LAW, leaders ate with God, the golden calf
D1 m1 y2 Ex. 40:2+17,Nu.9:15 Tabernacle finished, glory cloud covered it
M1 y2 Nu. 9:1 God spoke again to celebrate Passover
D8 m1 y2 Lev. 9:1 Priest start their duties
D1 m2 y2 Desert of Sinai Nu.1: 1+18 Census was ordered
D20 m2 y2 Nu.10: 11 Lord command to break camp – cloud lifted
D23 m2 (y2) Taberah, Kibroth Hattaavah no movement is recorded, possibly the same place Nu.10: 33Nu. 11:34 People complained about hardships (outskirts of camped burned) and quail fell and plague occurred
Hazeroth/Desert of Paran/Kadesh Nu. 33:17Nu. 13:26 Miriam leprous, spies sent out, people rebel

My Start to Out of Egypt

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Moses_Pleading_with_Israel

I guess I am marking this as the beginning of writing Out of Egypt. I have been tagging things for a while “Out of Egypt” especially the Tribes of Israel study. My thought there was if you are getting out of Egypt, a look at how you got in may not hurt.

As I have been collecting thoughts on this I realized that there are a lot of movies and TV shows on Moses and the Exodus. To go with all of the shows there is no end of opinions and arguments about how it happened or could not have happened. Even TV shows that seems like they are documentaries supporting the Exodus always have at least one area where they can’t go with the Biblical account. This is still possibly one of the more supportive; The Exodus Decoded by Simcha Jacobovici but even this one tries to relegate some of the miracles to natural events. These websites take the show to task on various subjects.

1. http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2006/09/debunking-the-exodus-decoded.aspx 2.  http://www.catholic.org/ae/tv/review.php?id=20866  I like what this site says,” In trying to find a “plausible scientific explanation” for Biblical events, the film misses a very important point: The Bible is a testament of faith, not a history or science book, written by authors who, inspired by the Holy Spirit, were trying to discern and understand God’s hand in the drama of salvation.”

Lately the focus has shifted to Moses; one recently talks about him as a military leader. I did not get the name, but I hope to see it replayed again. Its focus was on Moses as leader and offered what he did as natural, and took the miraculous out of the Exodus story. It tried to paint the picture that Israel were not just slaves before the Exodus. These websites do deal with some of these possibilities: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0009_0_09361.html and http://www.northforest.org/BiblicalArchaeology/moses.html . It should be clear that if Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s house he would have had military training and the Camp Order is supposedly an Egyptian battle formation. My thoughts about Israel in Egypt were changed when I read about Ephraim’s sons being killed in a raid in 1 Chronicles 7:21; maybe they were not just quite shepherds.

One website that is Christian based and deals with the Red Sea crossing site is http://www.wyattmuseum.com/red-sea-crossing-02.htm but it definitely does not go along with many current avenues of thought.

I am going to agree with the Catholic website; I am not looking for a “plausible scientific explanation.” He is a miraculous God and we, as His children need to celebrate that fact. I feel we have made many of His miracles into “common kid stories” and not taught them as fact like they really are. I am glad when there is an explanation for how God has used His creation to bless His children, but God is still God and if He wants to do an extraordinary act outside of His laws of nature that is fine with me.

Moses picture: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Moses_Pleading_with_Israel_(crop).

Out of Egypt – Testing God 10 Times

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Not to confuse this testing with the promise in Malachi 3:10 these are the testings that the children of Jacob did to anger God. In Numbers 14:22 God has forgiven the people again but He has had enough, yet even here we see God’s mercy. Moses’ spies have returned and pushed the people into the 10th testing of God. He sentences them to 40 years of wandering in the desert until the adults have died off. His mercy is that He credits them for the two years they have already been in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 2:14 clarifies this, they were at Kadesh when the spies were sent out and after 38 years of wandering, they have returned to Kadesh to enter into the Promised Land. (see First Two Year’s Timeline) These “10 tests” are also shadows of things we should avoid in our Christian walk.

  1. Exodus 14:11 – Wanted to be left in Egypt – at the Red Sea
  2. Exodus 15:22 – Grumbled about no water – Marah
  3. Exodus 16:3 – Grumbling about food
  4. Exodus 17:2 – Again grumbling about no water – Massah/Meribah
  5. Exodus 32:1 – Golden Calf – Mount Sinaiworshipping the calf
  6. Leviticus 10:1 – Nadab and Abihu – Mount Sinai
  7. Numbers 11: 1 – Complained about hardships – Taberah
  8. Numbers 11: 4 – Complained about the food – Kibroth Hattaavah
  9. Numbers 12: 1 – Miriam and Aaron talked against Moses’ marriage
  10.  Numbers 13 + 14 – The story of the spies – Kadesh Barnea

These were the 10 tests I found. There are other rebellions after the “10”, for example, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram in Numbers 16 rebel against Moses’ leadership; probably in reaction to going back into the wilderness. All of these testings took place in a two-year journey that should have taken about three weeks. I feel that part of the reason for the extended time was that the Lord had to train people who would trust in Him, establish His worship, establish a corporate identity and train an army who would/could fight. Remember they had been in Egypt for *430 years and had been reduced to slaves and indoctrinated into an Egyptian mindset.

The examples of what these “tests” represent/foreshadow will be matched to the numbers above. (I am sure there are other things that you can see in these tests. Please comment on what you see these tests represent.)

  1. This is “looking back” and not wanting to leave “Egypt.”
  2. Numbers 2 and 4 need to go together both are not trusting God for your needs but # 2 is a teaching that is a set-up for God “testing” them in #4.
  3. Believing and asking God for provisions
  4.  A test to see what they learned in 2 & 3.
  5. Making something else God.
  6. Doing things your way even when you know better; probably being drunk did not help.
  7. Not getting things right away, remember it was 2 years and no “milk and honey.”
  8. They got bored with God’s provision and wanted something else and listened to wrong influences.
  9. Talking against God’s leaders and racism to justify your actions.
  10.  Friends talking against God’s plan for your life.

Side Notes: (see Test, Attacks and Storms and Test, Test, Test)

  1. The number thirty-eight appears twice in connection with waiting and being put in a state of freedom. Deuteronomy 2:14 and the invalid in John 5:5
  2. The number forty deals with testing.
  3. The number 10 deals with Commands and Rulers (see Number 10)
  4. The Hebrew word “test” in Malachi 3:10 and 15 are the same words used in Psalms 81:7 when describing the waters of Meribah. It will depend on the translation you use.
  5. See Psalms 95:8, 106:32 for comments about Meribah.
  6. *Josephus in 2.15.2 states a different idea about the 430 years and splits it in half then there is a footnote confirming that as correct? I am looking into this idea, it is the only place I have ever seen this commented on. (see comment about Josephus)

http://clipart.christiansunite.com/1352029261/Old_Testament_Clipart/Old_Testament009.jpg

Bible Study 2013

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Number 13

Before I think about 2013 I will look back at my 2012 Bible Study and say that I did a lot of my goals but not all of them.

Darlene Zschech said when she was at Lakewood Church in 2012,

“If your Bible is falling apart your probably not.”

That is my pray for everyone, read your Bible enough that it has to be taped together to keep from losing pages. That the side of your Bible is so stained that you can tell what part you read the most. That the marker you use in your Bible runs out of ink and that it’s pages have a rainbow appearance from constantly marking it. Now to be fair I have found that the fewer pieces of paper you stuff in your Bible the longer the covering will stay in one piece.

My Bible study goals for the New Year are wrapped up in my writing goals.

  • Science and the Bible
  • Out of Egypt
  • The Gospel in the Old Testament

If I can get these three things started/done this year it will be a lot.

My challenge/hope is that you will write down a plan and read and write your way through 2013. May it be the start of something new for you! (see study on 13)

May your wisdom and understanding increase in 2013,

Mark

graphic by Ryan Johanningmeier  http://about.me/ryanjo

Tribes of Israel – Thoughts on the Family

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Thoughts on the Family

Jacob – Just when you think you “know it all” you actually study someone and there is more (see What Was His Name). First thing I found was he was a lot older than I thought when he got married (see Timeline). He, like his dad, certainly played favorites with his children. It is easy to understand him being mad at Rueben, Levi and Simeon but he seemed determined to elevate Rachel’s children in the inheritance area thus cutting out Leah’s children. I guess we can always wonder if some of the contention in the family wasn’t his fault. But getting a wife you did not want and then two concubines so you can appease two warring sisters really does not add up to a blissful home life. But through all of the trials in his life I think he found God in a deep way and profound way that amplifies the blessings in Genesis 49.

Leah – When you look at her over the years she really was a faithful wife who watched out for her husband and the family. She probably did not get the respect she deserved until after Rachel died. You get the idea that she had a crush on Jacob when he was working for Rachel because she definitely claims him as HER husband. I guess I now think that Jacob loved the wrong one because Leah is the one who seemed to have really wanted to Leah_w_Rachel_67-63be his wife.

Rachel – The “beloved” wife that was Jacob’s dream girl/trophy wife that he favored above all else. She was real-handful and pretty self-centered the classic example is her stealing the family “gods” and hiding them. Image Jacob’s blood pressure when he finds them and has them buried under a tree. But in her defense I might be a little miffed about my father and sister messing up my wedding and my life.

* I think both Rachel and Leah at the end of their time in Paddan Aram realized that daddy was just out for a buck and that they were better off with each other and Jacob. I wonder how these things affected their relationship as sisters it is definitely competitive after they are married.

The Concubines – Bilhah and Zilpah are the two slave girls who were used to increase the number of children in the family. I have no doubt that they remained just that slave girls. Jacob did not ask them about leaving Paddan Aram and they were put in front when Esau was about to show up. And was Bilhah just trying to up her status when she slept with Rueben?

The Boys – They have provided a lot to think about and some really good lessons.

Rueben is the picture of someone who messed but still part of the family. All of the sons took part in selling Joseph and the years of covering up the deed; can you image how Jacob felt about them when the wagons rolled up to take him to Egypt. I said it before but big or little, leader or not being part of the family is important.  It seems like Jacob even with four women each wanting their children to be the standouts managed to raise a group of children who could work together. But the stress and contention in the camp must have been thick enough to cut with a knife or everyone knew their status in the family and that was enough.

The composition of the family provides some interesting comparisons for the Body of Christ.

All are true sons but some are:

  • Sons of a loved wife
  • Sons of an unloved wife
  • Children of free, true wives
  • Children of slaves
  • Some were born in Egypt (Joseph’s boys)

The picture is Leah with Rachel from: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bibleencyclopedia.com/picturesjpeg/Leah_w_Rachel_67-63.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bibleencyclopedia.com/pictures/Genesis_29_Leah_with_Rachel.htm&h=614&w=400&sz=110&tbnid=Vci4cXEClxoKoM:&tbnh=99&tbnw=64&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpictures%2Bof%2BLeah%2Band%2BRachel%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=pictures+of+Leah+and+Rachel&usg=__KbmFiyhA-FIhWlDZFpBEJ8kzp40=&docid=d0RrbP5CPUreIM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=qUJyUNnONJKDqgGvwoG4Bw&sqi=2&ved=0CDIQ9QEwBQ&dur=673