Page 46 - Pentateuch

not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians (15:26).”

Not long after this incident, Israel complained again. This time, the problem is food. “If only we had died by
the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have
brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death” (16:3). God’s answer is manna from
heaven. Every day, they could go out and find this type of bread just lying on the ground. Every day, they
were to pick up just enough for the day, or the extra would spoil overnight. On the sixth day of the week,
they were to gather enough for the Sabbath day also. God guarantees the extra would not spoil overnight
for this purpose. In all this, God is testing them, refining them, teaching them to obey him. The lesson
continues for all forty years Israel spent in the wilderness. (Chapter 16)

Not long after this incident, the people were again thirsty with no water to drink. They grumble to Moses
with what is becoming a familiar chorus, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children
and livestock die of thirst (17:3)?” Moses again cries out to God, and he answers marvelously. He instructs
Moses to go to Mount Sinai and strike a certain rock, promising to stand before Moses Himself. Moses
strikes the rock, and water comes out of it. We must remember the number of people involved in these
incidents. Exodus (12:37) gives the number as 600,000 men on foot, “besides women and children.”
Estimates for the total number of people usually come to 2,500,000. The amount of water needed for so
many people and their animals is no small trickle. Thousands of gallons per minute came pouring over the
desert floor.

The next recorded events are not complaints but involve problems nevertheless. The Amalekites attack
Israel. Moses stations himself at the top of a hill with his hands raised. Joshua fights with the troops. As long
as Mose’s hands are up, Israel is winning. Eventually, two men, Aaron and Hur, help Moses keep his hands
upward, and the battle is finished. The event is purposely written down to remind future leaders to destroy
Amalek and to teach them, “The LORD is my Banner (17:15).”

With all these weighty decisions on his shoulders, Moses is getting weary. His father-in-law visits him and is
delighted to hear all that God is doing. “Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods (18:11).”
When he saw how hard Moses worked to judge the people’s disputes, he warned, “The work is too heavy
for you; you cannot handle it alone (18:18).” He advised Moses to appoint representatives to help him.
They would handle the simple cases and only refer the harder ones to him. The suggestion is implemented,
and Jethro heads back home.

Finally, Israel arrives at Sinai after three months, their first
destination on the way to Palestine (19:1-2). They have learned a
lot about God through events and through Passover instructions.
Moses may have written Genesis by this time, perhaps during his
years in Midian before returning to Egypt, but this is speculation.
Israel is about to get its first thorough teaching from God as they
camp around Mount Sinai for most of the year. Moses will be
their teacher. God speaks to him. He speaks to Israel. Moses
climbs up and down Mount Sinai several times (19:3 and 7, 9 and
53
14, 20 and 25), a round trip of more than 7,000 feet.
Fig. 30: Mount Sinai
In preparing Israel to receive God’s instructions, three principles,
important in themselves, are given. In later chapters, God
outlines his requirements for the people through the Ten Commandments and other specific laws

53 Hamilton, Handbook, p. 184.
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