WBC-06-Israel in the Days of Moses

Israel in the Days of Moses The chronology of the fathers of Israel comes to a full stop at the death of Joseph. There is no record of his age at the birth of either Manasseh or Ephraim. This, however, need not be wondered at, seeing that the line of Christ does not run through Joseph but through Judah. The closing chapters of Genesis are occupied with Joseph because, in the first place, he obtained the birthright after the deposition of Reuben for his crime against his father (1 Chronicles 5:1); and in the second place, Joseph shines forth as a most conspicuous type of Christ; for the Scripture exhibits him as one who, through hatred and betrayal by his brethren, was delivered to the Gentiles, was cast into prison by false accusa­tion, was associated in his punishment with two malefactors (of whom one was saved and the other lost) and who, after three years, was exalted to be a prince and a saviour, to work "a great deliver­ance" (Genesis 45:7) for his own brethren and for the world. It is most fitting that Genesis, which contains in condensed form the entire truth and doctrine of the Bible, should thus conclude with a~ wonderfully bright and clear type of the Saviour of men. But the genealogy (with which runs the chronology) did not pass to Joseph with the birthright. Let us carefully note the language" of 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 :

"Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but forasmuch as he defiled his father’s bed his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel; and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright; for Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph’s)."

Thus, although Joseph, the firstborn of Rachel, received the double portion (two tribes in Israel) in place of Reuben, the firstborn of Leah, "the genealogy" did not pass to Joseph along with "the birthright," but passed to Judah according to Jacob’s dying prophecy (Genesis 49:10).

Hence, in accordance with the scheme of the Bible as a whole, the chronology must be brought to, and must follow thenceforth, the line of Judah. From subsequent books of the Bible we learn that from David to Jehoiachin it does follow that line; but in the intermediate period of Moses, Joshua, and the Judges, it pursues a somewhat devious course. Nevertheless, as will be seen, the count of the years is never lost. The line of dated events in Exodus begins with Moses. But there is no direct statement of the length of the time between the death of Joseph and the birth of Moses. This necessary information, however, can be derived from the 430-year and 400-year periods, to which reference has been already made. For since those periods both end with the Exodus, and since the age of Moses at the date of the Exodus is given (80 years, see Exodus 7:7), we have in those facts all the information that is required to connect the chronology of Exodus with that of Genesis. For since the Exodus and the giving of the law took place 430 years after the call of Abram, we have 2083+430, giving 2513 (An. Hom.) as the year of the Exodus. And since Moses was then 80 years old we have 2513-80=2433 as the year of the birth of Moses. And since Joseph died in the year 2369, the interval between the death of Joseph and the birth of Moses was 64 years.

Tabulating these results, we obtain the following:

Israel in the Wilderness The journeyings of the Israelites in the wilderness occupied a period of forty years. For some of the important events of that period the inspired record gives not only the years, but the months and days as well. Thus, the sacrifice of the paschal lamb was on the 14th day of what became, from that time onward, the first month of the year (see Exodus 12:2); and that night, which would be the 15th, "all the hosts of the Lord went out of the land of Egypt. It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt; this is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations" (Exodus 12:41-42). This is confirmed by Numbers 33:3, where it is recorded that, "They departed from Rameses (in Egypt) in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians." From the Exodus to the wilderness of Sin occupied just one month; for "the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Eliin and Sinai on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt." Hence the experiences at Marah and Elm (Exodus 15:23-27) occurred in the first month of their journeying in the wilderness. The second month was also eventful; for in it occurred the first giving of the manna (Exodus 16) and the smiting of the rock to bring forth water (Exodus 17); and also the refusal of Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, to accompany the Israelites, and his return to his own land (Exodus 18). That these incidents took place in the second month of the first year of the Exodus appears from the statement of Exodus 19:1, "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." The Giving of the Law In this third month of the Exodus occurred the most momen­tous event in the history of the earthly people of Israel prior to the crucifixion of their Messiah.

John Lightfoot notes the interesting and instructive fact that the giving of the law is a foreshadowing of Pentecost, just as the Passover is a foreshadowing of Calvary. The interval of time was about the same; but the correspondence lies in the fact that although the law came down from heaven it could not make men submissive and obedient to God, and hence the Holy Ghost came down from heaven to write the law in the hearts of God’s new covenant people, so that "the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit" (Romans 5:5; Romans 8:4). The correspondence then is between the law coming down from heaven at the beginning of the dispensation of law, and the Holy Spirit coming down from heaven at the beginning of the dispensation of grace. The law of God was the equipment of His people of old for their service and testimony; the Spirit of God is the equipment of His people now.

We have noted that the giving of the law, the Ten Command­ments, which was on the third day after Moses went up unto God the first time (Exodus 19:3; Exodus 19:11), occurred in the third month after the Exodus. The Israelites remained at the foot of Mount Sinai 9~ months, that is, to the 1st day of the 1st month of the second year (see Exodus 40:17). The principal events of those 9 months were the giving of the "statutes" and "judgments" to Moses, together with the tables of stone, during the first period of 40 days he spent up the Mount (Exodus 21-31); the making of the golden calf by the people (Exodus 31 :l-6); the breaking of the tables of stone by Moses (Exodus 32:19); the execution of judgment upon Israel by the children of Levi, as a reward for which the Levites afterwards obtained the priesthood (Exodus 32:26-28); the second 40 days spent by Moses upon the Mount, when he received the second tables of stone (Exodus 34); and the building of the Tabernacle (Ex. 3540). Thus it will be seen that some of the most significant events in the history of the people of Israel, events which are rich in spiritual lessons, occurred in the year of the Exodus. The whole period covered by the Book of Exodus was 144 years, 111 months, a very short period as compared with the 2369 years of the Book of Genesis. Of the nearly 145 years embraced by the Book of Exodus, about 144 years are covered in chapters 1 and 2, the events of the remaining year filling the rest of the Book.

Dates in Leviticus The chronology of Leviticus is very brief indeed, covering only one month; for the events it describes occurred between the first day of the first month of the second year (Exodus 40:17) and the first day of the second month of that same year (Numb. 1:1). The historical events of the Book of Leviticus are the consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood (ch. 8); and the offering by Nadab and Abihu of strange fire, and their death by fire from the Lord (ch. 10).

Dates in Numbers The Book of Numbers begins with a date, the 1st day of the 2nd month of the 2nd year of the era of the Exodus. On that day the Lord commanded the taking of the number of the children of Israel by their tribes (Numb. 1:1, 2). This enumeration was finished in 20 days; for it is recorded that "it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony, and the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai" (Numb. 10:11, 12).

Thus the measure of the stay of the Israelites at Sinai was very nearly one year. The verse last quoted (Numb. 10:12) goes on to say," And the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran." Between Sinai and Paran occurred the complaints of the Israelites because of dissatisfaction with the manna (ch. 11), and the leprosy of Miriam (ch. 12). From the wilderness of Paran, whereof Kadesh Barnea is on the north-east border, not far from Palestine, Moses sent forth the twelve spies to view the land (Numb. 13:3). It is recorded in Deuteronomy 1:3 that it is but "eleven days’ journey from Horeb, by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea." Hence God was ready, as well as able, to bring His people into their promised inheritance without delay after He had given them the law, statutes and judgments they were to obey in the land. It was "because of unbelief" (Hebrews 3:19) that they " could not enter in." They were in the wilderness only one year by God’s appointment, and by their own choice. For, upon hearing the evil report of the spies, they said, "Would God we had died in this wilderness" (Numb. 14:2); and God took them at their word, saying, "As ye have spoken in My ears, so will I do unto you; your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness" (Numb. 14:28, 29).

We now have a comparatively long interval, 37 years 11 months, without a single dated event. It would seem as if, in this way, God emphasized His disapproval of that evil generation who "provoked" Him, and who "despised the pleasant land." For He has practically ignored the history of those years. The next date is in Numbers 20:1 : "Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin, in the first month; and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there." From chap. 33:36-38 we learn that this "first month" was the first month of the 40th year of the era of the Exodus. So 38 years have passed since the last dated event. The only recorded events of those 38 years, which the Israelites spent in the wilderness by their own choice, are the stoning of the Sabbath-breaker (Numb. 15:32-36) and the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram (Numb. 16). These are very significant incidents in that they serve to reveal the character of that generation. They serve also to illustrate the words of Paul in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia, "And about the time of forty years suffered He their manners in the wilderness" (Acts 13:18). On the first day of the fifth month of that 40th year of the Exodus, Aaron died on the top of Mount Hor (Numb. 20:23-29; 33:38). The Last Year of the Forty in the Wilderness From the death of Aaron on the first day of the fifth month, to the beginning of Moses’ last address to the children of Israel, was just six months; for we read in Deuteronomy 1:3, "And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according to all that the Lord had given him in commandment unto them." The last year of the forty in the wilderness was, like the first year thereof, a time of important events. These have been recorded for our admonition, and they are full of instruction for the household, of faith. In Numbers 20, between the death of Miriam and that of Aaron, three months later, we have the incident of the striking of the rock (in this case the Hebrew word means an exalted or uplifted rock, not a sunken rock as in Exodus 17:6) when God had bidden Moses and Aaron to speak to the rock (Numb. 20: 8). It would seem that Aaron was jointly at fault with Moses in this act of in subjection, and in applying to the Lord’s people the opprobrious term "ye rebels" (see Matthew 5:22), for the Lord said to them both, "Because ye believed Me not to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore, ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them" (Numb. 20:12).

Following the death of Aaron is the deeply instructive incident of the lifting up of the brazen serpent in the presence of those who were bitten by the fiery serpents, which the Lord sent among the people as a judgment for speaking against God and against Moses (Numb. 21: 5-9). Upon this incident the Lord Jesus based His instruction to Nicodemus, concerning the Kingdom of God, in answer to his question, "How can a man be born when he is old?" (John 3:1-18). In the same period (between the death of Aaron and the final address of Moses on the plains of Moab) occurred also the defeat of Sihon, King of the Amorites (Numb. 21: 21-25), and Og the King of Bashan (Numb. 21: 33-35); also the interesting incident of Balaam and Balak (Numb. 22, 23, 24); the apostasy of Baal-peor, and the plague brought thereby upon the people (Numb. 25); the second numbering of the people, the new generation, concerning which it is written, "But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai, …save Caleb the son of Jephunneb, and Joshua the son of Nun " (Numb. 26:64,65); the appeal of the daughters of Zelophehad for a part in the inheri­tance (Numb. 27); and the war of vengeance upon the Midianites (Numb. 31).

Tabulating the information we have gathered concerning the 40 years in the wilderness, we obtain the following:

Moses must have died early in the 12th month of the year 2552, for there were 30 days’ mourning for him on the plains of Moab (Deuteronomy 34:8); and then followed the crossing of the Jordan "after three days " (Joshua 3:2, during which time the spies entered Jericho); "and the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month" (Joshua 5:10). This would be year 2553, month 1, day 14. The statement of Deuteronomy 34:7 that Moses was 120 years old when he died (which means in his 120th year) enables us to check our results. For Moses was born in 2433 (see Table 5). Consequently in the last month of 2552, he would be in his 120th year.