The Israelites Wander in the Desert for Forty Years

Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness so that they lacked nothing; their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. Nehemiah 9: 21

It took forty years for the Israelites to make the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, somewhere in the land of Canaan, but walking directly on foot, with their flocks and families, it could have taken about six weeks.

The Israelites needed this time in the desert: they left a culture of slavery for a culture of self-determination. They made codes of behavior and ways of worship that are still followed today. And ultimately they raised a new generation, who had no direct knowledge of slavery and life under Egyptian rule.

God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, which are followed by all Jewish and Christian believers.

Psalm 78 is a lovely retelling of the whole story of the emergence of the people of God.

 

Exodus 16 The Lord Sends Bread Like Rain

Exodus 17 Moses Strikes Water from the Rock for the Thirsty People

Exodus 20 God Gives Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai

Exodus 28 Aaron Wears Priestly Garments to Sacrifice to God

Exodus 32 The Israelites Lose Faith in God and Worship a Golden Calf

Exodus 34 God Gives Moses New Tablets of Stone

 

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