Talking about the Story

7 The Wilderness Journey

Warm-Up Question

Name one person you trust. Think about why you trust him or her.

This week, we wind up our discussion of the first five books of the Bible, known by several names: the Hebrew name Torah (meaning Teachings, often translated as “the Law”), the Pentateuch (from the Greek for “five books”), and by tradition, the books of Moses. If you have seen scrolls kept in Jewish synagogues, those contain the words of the Torah, which are the readings used in weekly services.

Genesis / The word genesis refers to birth or origins. / Stories of the origins of the world and of God’s chosen people
Exodus / The word exodus literally means emigration or a mass departure. / Stories of the calling of Moses and of how God used Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, gave them laws, and fed them in the wilderness; the Ten Commandments and other laws
Leviticus / The name is based on Greek and Latin words saying the book pertains to the Levites, the priestly tribe of Israelites. / Laws related to priests, sacrifices, and other matters of holiness and purity
Numbers / The name refers to the book’s census lists numbering the people in Israel’s 12 tribes (chaps. 12, 26). / Stories related to the Hebrew Bible’s title, which translates to “In the Wilderness”; also contains census data, laws for worship, and travel itineraries
Deuteronomy / The name is based on Latin words for “second” and “law.” / Moses’ final address to Israel, including a review of history, laws, warnings, and blessings

God in the Lead

1.  Read Exodus 10:34-38 (a more detailed version is in Numbers 9:15-23). Why do you think this sign from God would have been significant to the Israelites as they followed Moses—and God—through the wilderness?

2.  What does this detail about their journey say to you about God? How might we apply this to our own (spiritual) journey through life?

Learning to Follow God

The wilderness stories of Exodus and Numbers contain a recurring theme of fear and trust. Over and over, the anxious Israelites complain, and God responds. Sometimes God gets impatient and even angry, but never does God end their relationship. (In a parallel set of examples, people question the authority of Moses and Aaron, and God acts to reaffirm that the men are God’s chosen leaders.) As you read passages listed in the table, think about the following questions:

3.  Why are the people complaining? What does that say about their progress in learning to trust God and follow faithfully?

4.  What is God’s reaction? How does the description match what we know of the God revealed in Jesus Christ?

5.  How well would you say the Israelites are able to perceive and interpret what God feels and how God acts? What else would you say they might still need to learn?

6.  Do you expect that the Israelites will have fully learned these lessons when God finally calls on them to enter the Promised Land? What does that say about God?

Exodus 15:22-25 / The water is bitter, and God uses a piece of wood to make it sweet.
Exodus 16:1-14, 31 / The people worry about hunger, and God rains down bread (manna) from heaven six days a week.
Exodus 17:1-7 / There is no water, Moses strikes a rock, and water flows out of it.
Numbers 11:4-34 / The people crave the food of Egypt, and God provides quail along with the manna—and also divinely inspires the elders to help Moses field complaints.
Numbers 13–14 / Israelite spies find a good land in Canaan but also provoke fear in the people; God remains steadfast, and future leaders emerge.
Numbers 20:1-13 / There is no water, and Moses angrily strikes a rock to provide some.
Numbers 21:4-9 / When Moses leads the people south to take the long way around, they complain vigorously; God responds with/to a plague of serpents.

Readings

·  For this week: To get today’s stories in full, read Numbers 10–14; 20–21; 25–27; Deuteronomy 1–9; 29–34 (or Chapter 6 of The Story).

·  For next week: To prepare for next week, read Joshua 1–3; 6–11; 23–24 (or Chapter 7 of The Story).

Closing Blessing

Hear this blessing, which God directed Aaron to use (Numbers 6:24-26):

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Journey of the Israelites

·  From Egypt, the Israelites headed to Mount Sinai to claim God’s promise to Moses that God would meet them there.

·  When the law was received and the tabernacle built, they headed north toward Canaan.

·  When they neared this Promised Land, their spies found a fertile land but brought back fear-inducing stories about the current residents. The people panicked, so God added to their time in the wilderness, and Moses led them the long way around (shown here as the path toward the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba).

·  On their way back north, they would encounter Midianites, Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites. Find the labels in the eastern areas.

·  They eventually entered the Promised Land by crossing the Jordan River, which flows into the north end of the Salt Sea (blue sea at upper right).