Day 34

V From the Exodus to the Crossing into Canaan - 1462-1422 B.C. ~ cont.

(1462 - 982 480 years of 1 Kings 6:1)

B. Time spent at Sinai (sometimes called Horeb)

(5th Dispensation - Law)

1. Giving of the Law (Trip 1)

a. Covenant reviewed and preliminary instructions - Exodus 19:3-8

b. Moses to prepare Israel for meeting with God (Trip 2) - Exodus 19:9-15

c. Moses refrains Israel from Mount (Trip 3) - Exodus 19:16-25

d. Ten commandments given - Exodus 20:1-20

e. Instructions for altar (Trip 4) - Exodus 20-21-26

f. Various laws given

(1) Master and servants - Exodus 21:1-11

(2) Injuries to persons - Exodus 21:12-32

(3) Rights of property and possessions - Exodus 21:33-36; 22:1-15

{pages 146-151}

And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever.  And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord.  (Exodus 19:9)

I always marvel when I read this portion of Scripture...the people heard what God said to Moses (and them, Exodus 20).  His written Word is for us to 'hear' and 'listen,' yet how often do we read, reflect and then walk away and do contrary to what is pleasing to Him?

James 1:23-24  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

Oh Lord, help us to NOT look into the perfectness of Your Word, and then forget, or act like we have forgotten, what manner of people we ought to be.

Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine. (Exodus 19:5)

peculiar treasure - H5459 - Feminine passive participle of an unused root meaning to shut up; wealth (as closely shut up).

people - H5971 - From H6004; a people (as a congregated unit); specifically a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively a flock.

I was pondering upon the word peculiar, after having read it in the passage above...the word (in KJV) as peculiar is used 7 times in 7 verses (OT and NT). I was thinking of the NT verses which state:

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

and

Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

However, as I browsed the search list, thought it interesting that the Israelites were encouraged several times with the fact that they were to be a set apart people.

Deu 14:2  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

Psa 135:4  For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

Injuries to persons - I was reflecting upon this portion of Scripture and the prevalence of people to sue for injuries and to want an award above and beyond that which they have endured, or will endure.  It would appear that most who sue want a free ride for life.  It is understandable if someone has been incapacitated to the point that they can no longer function and provide for themselves to have an amount that adequately compensates them.  However, millions of dollars would seem to be extreme.  By allowing above and beyond what Father dictated as just recourse we are setting ourselves up for disaster.  Insurances, premiums, etc. all converge to make our society ill functioning.

If those who caused harm or distress to someone had to endure Father's standard of redress, people might think more prudently about how their actions impact others.

Day 33

V From the Exodus to the Crossing into Canaan - 1462-1422 B.C.
(1462 - 982 480 years of 1 Kings 6:1)
A. From the Red Sea to Sinai
1. Song of Victory - Exodus 15:1-21
2. Through the wilderness of Shur - Exodus 15:22
3. To Marah - Numbers 33:8; Exodus 15:23-26
4. From Marah to Elim - Exodus 15:27; Numbers 33:9
5. From Elim to Wilderness of Sin - Numbers 33:10-11; Exodus 16:1
a. Murmuring about lack of food - Exodus 16:2-3
b. Manna promised - Exodus 16:4-13
c. Manna provided - Exodus 16:14-36
d. Law of the Sabbath - Exodus 16:23-30
6. From Wilderness of Sin to Rephidim - Exodus 17:1; Numbers 33:12-14
a. Murmuring about lack of water - Exodus 17:2-4
b. Water from Rock Horeb - Exodus 17:5-7
c. Conflict with Amalek - Exodus 17:8-16
d. Relatives visit Moses - Exodus 18:1-12
e. Jethro's wise counsel - Exodus 18:13-27
7. From Rephidim to Sinai - Exodus 19:1-2; Numbers 33:15

Someone had requested that I include the page numbers ~ please note I am using the Reese Chronological Bible ~ this section covered pages 140-146

Exodus 15:24 - And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

Father just delivered them in an astounding fashion and they are WHINING?

murmured - H3885 - A primitive root; to stop (usually over night); by implication to stay permanently; hence (in a bad sense) to be obstinate (especially in words, to complain).

The word murmured is used 19 times in 19 verses.  Murmur, 7 times in 6 verses.  Murmurings, 8 times in 7 verses.

The Hebrew word represented by 3885 is used 84 times in 79 verses.  I'd like to deceive myself and think, no way would I have been discontented after having just been miraculously delivered from the Egyptian army, watching them drown and their bodies washing up on the seashore.

But really, how often does Father deliver me from temptation, sin, wickedness, death and I treat it contemptuously, desiring even more?  How often do I have a God you owe me attitude?  Far too often.  What a humbling thought.

The first usage of the word H3885 is in Genesis 19:2 - I had to stop and ponder upon this one:

And he (Lot) said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways.  And they said, Nay, but we will abide in the street all night.

After browsing the OT for murmur, murmurings, murmured...checked the NT.

Php 2:14  Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

Think I have just been 'schooled'  :-D and as a follow up reminder to NOT be like the Israelites:

1Co 10:10  Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

Wilderness of Sin...gotta love it.  Where I end up because of murmuring...the wilderness of sin.

wilderness - H4057 - From H1696 in the sense of driving; a pasture (that is, open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication a desert; also speech (including its organs).

sin - H5512 - Of uncertain derivation; Sin, the name of an Egyptian town and (probably) desert adjoining.

I realize this 'sin' is not the same as sin (H2398 or H264), it did however, seem an appropriate location (whether physical, mental, emotional) for those who are in rebellion and 'murmuring' against the Lord.

Gill:

and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which still bears the same name, as a late traveller (a) informs us, who passed through it, and says, we traversed these plains in nine hours, being all the way diverted with the sight of a variety of lizards and vipers, that are here in great numbers; and elsewhere (b) he says, that vipers, especially in the wilderness of Sin which might very properly be called "the inheritance of dragons", were very dangerous and troublesome, not only our camels, but the Arabs who attended them, running every moment the risk of being bitten. The Red sea, or the bay of it, they came to from Elim, according to Bunting (c) was six miles, and from thence to the wilderness of Sin, sixteen more. This is a different wilderness from that of Zin, which is written with a different letter, Num_20:1 and was on the other side of Mount Sinai, as this was the way to it.

H2398 - A primitive root; properly to miss; hence (figuratively and generally) to sin; by inference to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, (causatively) lead astray, condemn.

G264 - Perhaps from G1 (as a negative particle) and the base of G3313; properly to miss the mark (and so not share in the prize), that is, (figuratively) to err, especially (morally) to sin.

Lest we be discouraged:

1Jn 2:1  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Thank you Lord!

Day 32

IV From the Patriarchs to the Exodus - 1606 - 1462 B.C. ~ cont.

F. Moses, the deliverer ~ cont.

5. From Goshen to the Red Sea ~ cont.

e. Passover instructions - Exodus 13:1-19
f. From Succoth to Etham - Exodus 13:20; Numbers 33:6
g. At Etham, pillar of fire and cloud given - Exodus 13:21-22; 14:1-2
h. From Etham to Pihahiroth - Numbers 33:7
i. Pursuit of Pharaoh - Exodus 14:3-20
j. Crossing of the Red Sea - Exodus 14:21-31
~ (Possible location of Psalm 46) ~

And he (Pharaoh) took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.  (Exodus 14:7)

How many chariots? Gill:

and all the chariots of Egypt: as many as could in so short a time be got together: for the words are not to be taken in the utmost latitude, but to signify a great number, and all that could be conveniently come at: the Greek version is, "all the horse", the cavalry, which better distinguishes them from the former:

and captains over everyone of them: over everyone of the chariots, so that they must each of them have many in them, to have captains over them: and perhaps the infantry, or foot soldiers, for, quickness of expedition, were put into them; for, besides these, there were horsemen: Josephus (p) makes the whole number of his army to be 50,000 horse, and 200,000 foot, and the same number is given by a Jewish chronologer (q): but Patricides, an Arabic writer, says (r) it consisted of 600,000, and Ezekiel (s), the tragic poet, has made it amount to a million of horse and foot: should it be asked where horses could be had to draw the chariots, and horses for the horsemen after mentioned, when all were destroyed by the hail, Exo_9:25 it may be replied, that only those in the field were killed, not such as were in stables, where chariot horses and horses for war may be supposed to be: besides, as the Targum of Jonathan intimates, these might belong to these servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord, and took their cattle home, Exo_9:20.

Even if the low number is taken, that is still a lot of people!  There are numerous articles out there about the Red Sea Crossing.  I liked this graphic:

A few sites I found and have perused in the past:  The Red Sea Crossing and another one.  This is a dated article from World Net Daily.  An interesting topic to explore further!

Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.  (Exodus 14:12)

I made a note on this verse, like bondage, comfortable.  Wondering how comfortable I am with sin in my life. Bondages that I am not addressing.  Issues, items, attitudes that I am holding on to that I need to let go.  Being discontent with where or what Father is allowing in my life.  All to refine me and remove the dross from my life.  I was blessed to view this testimony and prayerfully hope it will do the same for you.

Lord, we are all in an ongoing state of sanctification, help us to see ourselves as You do, to repent where necessary, to desire to be conformed more and more into Your image.