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Bible History of the Old Testament |
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No. 43 The Camps of Israel
The first camping place of Israel was most probably Ayun Musa (Wells of Moses). It was about a half an hour from the sea shore. Even to this day, the care that is given to it makes it a very pleasant green summer retreat. At latest count, there are 19 wells there, and many clumps of palm trees that provide delightful shade. There is also evidence that at the time of Moses the area was even more cultivated than it is now, with its water supply being much better attended to. There is also not much doubt as to the next state in Israel's journey.
On to Marah The accounts of travelers through the years totally agree with the Biblical narrative. Marah was three days' journey over pebbly ground through desert wadies, and then lastly among bare white and black limestone hills. There was nothing to relieve the eye except the wall of a rocky mountain in the distance. It was this same scenery that the Israelites saw and depression now engulfed them, for they began to suffer from lack of water. They had not come upon a spring for three days, and their supplies must have been pretty much exhausted. When they finally arrived at Marah, they did find a pool, but the whole soil is impregnated with nitrogen there which makes the water bitter and unfit for use. They Israelites probably knew this area and already knew that the water would be bitter and unfit for use. Even to this day, nobody has ever found a way to make the bitter waters be fit for drinking by humans. God stilled the murmuring of the people, though, and met their need by miraculous intervention. He showed Moses a certain tree and told him to cut it down and cast it into the water. The water became instantly sweet and refreshing. The important thing is that the help came directly from Heaven, and the lesson was twofold. "There He made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them" (Exodus 15:15). The statute was a principle from God, and the ordinance was their right to receive divine intervention from Him. Their right was this: that in all seasons of need and seeming impossibility, the Lord would send deliverance straight from above, and that Israel might expect this during their wilderness journey. This statute is for all times, the principle of God's guidance, and this ordinance is the right of privilege of our heavenly citizenship. God proves us by this in that the enjoyment of our right and privilege is made to depend upon a constant exercise of faith.
From Marah to Elim It was only a short march further to a sweet and fertile spot called Elim. Today this place is called Waddy Gharandel. Here there were 12 wells of water and 70 palm trees where they could camp and have plenty of water for them and their flocks. This spot was much more suitable than Marah had been, and they stayed there a month before they started their journey into the Wilderness of Sin (Exodus 16:1). Even today this valley is watered by a perennial stream, and has much rich pasturage for cattle, with many trees and shrubs dotting the landscape. At this place, the flocks could find plenty to eat, and the people could rest for their long journey into the wilderness.
Leaving Elim As they left this beautiful place, the scenery started to change drastically. Instead of dreary level plains of sand, they now entered into the mountains, and the bright green of the caper-plants formed a striking contrast to the red sandstone of the rocks. Up until now, their route had been directly southward. In pursuing this, they had successfully skirted the Tih, and near Elim a belt of deep sand. Now they were ready to enter into the Sinaitic range itself. According to Numbers 33:10, their journey brought them again to the shore of the "Sea of Weeds." They followed the wadies, or valleys, in a southwesterly direction. Here the sandstone again gave place to chalk hills and rocks. The road descended into the sea at Ras Abu Zenimeh, and here it would touch the most dreary, flat and desolate place in the whole wilderness. It was here that would be their next camp. Then from the shore of the Red Sea, the next camping place would be the Wilderness of Sin itself. That name applies to the whole extensive sandy plain that runs along the shore of the Red Sea. It goes from the camping-place of Israel to the southern end of the Sinaitic Peninsula. As they were going through the wilderness, then they stopped at Dophkah and Alush, before they finally reached Rephidim. Even today, the Wilderness of Sin is a dreary, desolate tract. It obtains its name from a long ridge of white chalk hills. In this inhospitable desert, the provisions which Israel had brought from Egypt began to run out. By this time, they had been gone a little over a month. It was now in what they thought was their most desperate situation, that they saw in the distance the purple streaks of the granite mountains which formed the proper Sinai group. To the west lay the sea, and across it in the dim mist, they could just see the outline of the rich and fertile Egypt that they had forever left behind. When they realized this, once more their unbelief broke forth. They directed it towards Moses, but in reality their unbelief was against God. This will be continued in the next text. For more information from this book, go to the Archives Page at my site www.cathydeaton.com There are other articles of interest there also. This text has been taken from the book Bible History Old Testament written by Alfred Edersheim. Permission has been given to use this book.
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