Let My Poeple Go Part 3 - Crossing Jordan

This slide deck study on the Old Testament books of Numbers and Deuteronomy is one of a series to help leaders of a Bible study or Sunday School class who are too busy to research and prepare as well as they would like for the task. The entire series is engaging, colorful and challenging and is ready to go even at the last moment. More are in the works. Search using keyword "lessonstogo".

1. Let My People Go Exodus and the Birth of Israel Part Three Over Jordan A “Lessons-To-Go” Bible Study By Mark S. Pavlin

2. Let My People Go Lesson 7 To the Jordan (finally)

3. Not all those who wander are lost The last lesson ended with the latest rebellion of the Hebrew people against Moses, Aaron, and Yahweh. Moses persuades God to not annihilate them all (just the revolt leaders) and condemn the people to 40 years of nomadic desert life before He will allow them to enter the land He has promised them. Moses sums this up later as follows: ....they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them. The Lord ’s anger was aroused and He swore : ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of those who were 20 years old or more (when they came up out of Egypt) will see the land I promised... except Caleb and Joshua (for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly .) ’   The Lord ’s anger burned against Israel; He made them wander in the wilderness 40 years, until {all} those who had done evil... were gone . - Num. 32: 9-13

4. {At one point} there was no water for the people and they assembled {to protest} against Moses and Aaron . “ Would that we had per- ished with our brothers before the Lord! Why have you brought us into this wilderness to die, and our cattle also? Why have you made us come out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place that is no place for {the growing of} of grain, figs, Nor are the wanderers happy campers g rapes, or pomegranates ?” And there is no water to drink .” Num. 20:2-5

5. “There is no water to drink.” Then Moses and Aaron went... to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. The Lord appeared to them... saying , “ Take your staff, as- semble the people. Then tell (or speak to ) the rock before their eyes to yield water . Bring water out of the rock for them and their cattle to drink.” And Moses took the staff from before the Lord as He commanded him . - Num. 20:6-9

6. “Moses and the Striking Rock”, Marc Chagall (1931) Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock ?” Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock also.

7. Water and punishment The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me * , to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this people into the land that I have given them .” - Nu. 20:10-13  Say what? What did Moses do to so offend God that this great leader, the only one in all Israel who found favor in God’s sight, who talked to God face-to-face, etc. would receive what amounted to a death penalty. * The usual explanation: Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it as God so order, thus signaling a lack of faith. What do you think?

8. The death of Aaron The people journeyed...and came to Mount Hor on the border of Edom. There the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,   “Aaron shall not enter the land I have given to the Israelites because you {NB: not Aaron} rebelled against my command at Meribah . Let him now be gathered to his ancestors. Take Aaron and his son Eleazar . Bring them up to Mount Hor. Strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar . Aaron shall then die there .” And so died Aaron, there on... Mt. Hor. As Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain the assembled people saw that Aaron had perished and all wept for him 30 days . - Num. 2 0:22-29

9. Aaron’s Tomb A mosque was built on its summit in the 14th century . Mount Hor is usually associated with the mountain near Jordan , known in Arabic as Jabal Hārūn (Aaron's Mountain). Josephus and Eusebius both describe its location above the city of Petra.

10. More of the same (grumbling) From Mount Hor they set out along the route to the Red Sea... The people became impatient and spoke against God and Moses , “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread and no water. And we loathe this worthless food (referring to manna?) .” Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among them {which} bit the people so that many Israelites died. - Num. 21:4-6 So we would slide quickly passed this puzzling incident if it were not for what Moses does to (again) mitigate the harm and for a New Testament verse that refers to his action..... This passage reads like old news, a reprise of the theme repeated for emphasis. Again our modern eyes read an account of the cruelty of this Yahweh not His justice. Given that we all grumble (a lot), do we really want God to be so touchy?

11. {Jesus said to Nicodemus} Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilder-ness , so the Son of Man must be lifted up that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him .” - Jn. 3:14-15   People came to Moses... “We have sinned, for we spoke against the Lord...Pray to the Lord... take away the serpents... So Moses prayed... And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. Anyone bitten... who looked at the bronze serpent lived. - Num. 21:6-9

12. The God of fierce anger While Israel was staying in Shittim , the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before - Num. 25:1-9 It may not seem so but this study skips many of the accounts of slaughter committed on command of God by the Hebrews against their own people and against other Semitic tribes. But we “get it.” God of the OT is jealous, angered by faithlessness, vengeful and powerful. Don’t mess with Him! these gods.... And so the anger of the Lord burned against them. He said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in the light of day... so that {My} fierce anger may turn away from Israel .” ...Those who died numbered 24,000.

13. Leadership transition The Lord said to Moses, “Go up this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to Israel . When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your ancestors, as your brother Aaron was, because you re-belled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, because you failed to uphold me as holy... before the people.”   - Num. 27:12-14

14. Leadership transition Moses spoke to the Lord, “Let the Lord appoint a man over the assembly... who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the people of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd .” The Lord replied, “Take Joshua the son of Nun , a man in whom is the Spirit, lay your hand on him .   Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation; there you shall commission him in their sight. - Num. 27:12-22

15. Leadership transition Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the people, and he laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the Lord directed . - Num. 27:12-22 “Encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see .” - Deu . 3:26-28

16. Sanctuary cities {Designate six of them: three beyond the Jordan and three in Canaan ) . These cities of refuge are for the people of Israel , for the stranger and for the sojourner among you. - Num. 35:9-15 The Lord said to Moses, “ Speak to the people of Israel and say to them , ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you. Anyone who kills a person without intent may flee there. The cities shall then be for you a refuge from an avenger, so that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment .’

17. Sanctuary cities may return to the land of his possession. - Num. 35:26-28 Provision of sanctuary “cities” was an intermediate stage between tribal vigilantly justice of the blood feud, and the trial / judge / jury system of a settled community. More details are in Josh. 20:1-9 . But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the boundaries of his city of refuge to which he fled, and the avenger of blood finds him outside the boundaries of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood. For he {the manslayer} must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest, but after the death of the high priest the manslayer

18. Deuteronomy (“second law”) is written from the point of view and in the voice (first person) of Moses and consists of three speeches (chap. 1:1–4:43, 4:44–29:1, & 29:2–30:20) he delivers to the Hebrew people just before they invade Canaan. Moving on to the Book of Deuteronomy

19. Chap. 1–4: The journey through the wilderness from Sinai to Kadesh and then to Moab Chap. 4–11: The events at Mt. Sinai including the giving of the Ten Commandments, warnings against serving other gods, praise of the land promised to Israel, and urging the people to obedience. Chap. 12–26, the Deuteronomic code: laws governing worship, the appointment and regulation of community and religious leaders, social regulation, and confession of identity and loyalty. Chap. 27–28: Blessings and curses for those who keep/break the law. Chap. 29–30: Concluding discourse on the covenant in the land of Moab; Israel is again exhorted to obedience. Chap. 31–34: Joshua is installed as Moses's successor, Moses delivers the law to the Levites (priestly caste), and ascends Mount Nebo (or Pisgah) where he dies and is buried by God. The narrative of these events is interrupted by two poems, the Song of Moses and the Blessing of Moses . Structure of Deuteronomy

20. Chap. 1–4: The journey through the wilderness from Sinai to Kadesh and then to Moab Chap. 4–11: The events at Mt. Sinai including the giving of the Ten Commandments, warnings against serving other gods, praise of the land promised to Israel, and urging the people to obedience. Chap. 12–26, the Deuteronomic code: laws governing worship, the appointment and regulation of community and religious leaders, social regulation, and confession of identity and loyalty. Chap. 27–28: Blessings and curses for those who keep/break the law. Chap. 29–30: Concluding discourse on the covenant in the land of Moab; Israel is again exhorted to obedience. Chap. 31–34: Joshua is installed as Moses's successor, Moses delivers the law to the Levites (priestly caste), and ascends Mount Nebo ( or Pisgah) where he dies and is buried by God. The narrative of these events is interrupted by two poems, the Song of Moses and the Blessing of Moses . Origin of Deuteronomy A broad scholarly consensus today holds that the book has its origin in traditions brought to the Southern Kingdom of Judah from Israel (the Northern King- dom ) in the wake of the Assyrian conquest of the 8 th century. The text was subsequently adapted to a program of nationalist reform in the time of Josiah in the late 7 th century. It received its final form after the traumatic events of the destruction of the Temple and the Babyl-onian captivity in the 6 th century.

21. The Lord said to me {Moses}, “You made your way around this country long enough. Now turn north ....Cross the Zered Valley.” So we crossed the valley, 38 years after the time we left Kadesh Barnea .... By then, that gener-ation of men had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them.” - Deu . 2:3-13

22. Let the gruesome conquest begin “See... This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you .” Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the Lord made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done. The Lord said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.” When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle the Lord delivered him to us and we struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army . At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed them— men, women and children . We left no survivors. – Deut. 2:24-34

23. Bashan is next Sihon king of the Amorites.” Thus the Lord also gave into our hands Og , king of Bashan. We struck them down and left no survivors ... There was not one of their cities that we did not take from them. We com- pletely destroyed them, every man , woman, and child. The livestock and plunder we car- ried off for ourselves. Next we went up along the road toward Bashan. Og , king of Bashan, with his whole army marched out to meet us in battle. The Lord said, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to – Deut. 3:1-7

24. The conquest of the Promised Land begins to the east of the Jordan River and is por-trayed as a march of triumph. Opposition is strong but futile. All of the inhabi-tants are slain. We should read this as the com- plete fulfillment of God’s promise, not as the murder of multitudes of helpless people.

25.  At that time I commanded Joshua: “You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you .” - Deut. 3:21-22

26. Moses finished writing in a book the words of the law ... {repeat of Ex. 24?} he commanded the Levites who carried the Ark of the covenant of the Lord: “Take this Book of Torah and place it beside the ark of the co- venant of the Lord to remain as a witness against you . - Deut. 31:24-26 The Ark of the Covenant is described in Exodus 25:10-22 as a gold-covered acacia wood chest with a lid cover bearing a “mercy seat” bracketed by two figures (cherubim) whose wings stretched over the top. The Ark served as Moses writes the law the repository for the stone tablets of the Commandments, Aaron's rod, and a pot of manna. When the Israelites set up camp, they raised the Taber- nacle and placed the Ark inside it.

27. For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the Lord while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die.  Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that I can speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to testify against them. For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster will fall on you because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord and arouse his anger by what your hands have made.” - Deu . 31:27-29 Moses writes a song The Lord said to Moses, “Write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel .”... Moses then recited this song... in the hearing of the whole assembly. - Deut. 31:19, 30

28. They abandoned the God who made them, rejected the Rock their Savior. They made him jealous with foreign gods, angry with detestable idols . God saw and rejected them; he was angered by his daughters and sons. “I will hide my face from them,” he said, “and see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children who are unfaithful. “ It is mine to avenge; I will repay .  In due time their foot will slip; Their day of disaster is near  and their doom rushes upon them .” The Song of Moses They are a nation with no sense , there is no discernment in them. Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom, from the fields of Gomorrah . The Lord will vindicate his people and relent concerning his servants When he sees their strength is gone and no one is left, slave or free.” - Deut. 32:1-43

29. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. ..... Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible... live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “ It is mine to avenge; I will repay ,” says the Lord. - Ro. 12:15-19 Vengence against...who? We have a tradition of siding with (and wanting to assist) God in this vengeance-against-evildoers business. But the context of the Song here makes clear that God has turned H is face away from- and intends to annihilate- His own people for their faithlessness. Perhaps we are thinking of Paul’s gloss on this passage? Even there he makes it quite clear how we Christians are to act...

30. Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, etc. when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it... but you will not cross over into it .” Moses climbed Mount Nebo... across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan... all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea,   the Negev and the whole region... - Deu . 34:1-4

31. The death of Moses Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. He buried him... but to this day no one knows where. Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. No prophet has since risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt... For no one has... performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel . - Deut. 34:10-12 The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab 30 days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over . - Deut. 34:5-8

32. Moses in Islamic tradition Moses is mentioned often in the Koran . Many of the episodes of his life are related in detail. These include his birth and the ruse through which he was brought up at Pharaoh’s court, his dispute with the Egyptian whom he killed with a blow, his escape to Median, his marriage to Jethro's daughter, his and Aaron's mission to Pharaoh, the miracles they were granted, his escape with the children of Israel from Egypt, his speaking to Allah, his striking the rock, his anger at his people's relapsing into worshiping the golden calf, and many of the episodes that happened to him and his people while they wandered in the desert before his death.

33. Leadership transition The Lord said to Moses, “Go up this mountain and see the land that I have given to Israel . When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your ancestors... Take Joshua the son of Nun ...  Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation; there you shall commission him in their sight . And Moses did as the Lord commanded him . - Num. 27:12-22 “Encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.” - Deut. 3:26-28

34. The Promise from God, now to Joshua After the death of Moses... the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, “ Moses my servant is dead. Now, get ready, you and these people, to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them, the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Y our territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.” - Josh. 1:1-6  

35. Let My People Go End of Lesson 7 “Moses Shown The Promised Land” Benjamin West (1801)

36. Let My People Go! Lesson 8 Over the Jordan And now the exciting conclusion of... This is the   Jordan River today

37. From the last lesson: Joshua takes charge After the death of Moses... the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, “... get ready, you and these people, to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give {you}. I will give you every place where you set foot , as I promised Moses. Y our territory will ex-tend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous ....” No one will be able to stand against you.... - Josh. 1:1-6 

38. And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, "Prepare your provisions, for in three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the LORD is giving you to possess..... Remember the words of Moses... 'The LORD your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land .‘ Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain {here} but all the men of valor among you shall pass over ....“ - Josh. 1:10-14 Passover # 2

39. And {the people} answered Joshua, "All that you have com- manded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. May the LORD your God be with you, as he was with Moses! Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you com- mand him, shall be put to death." - Josh. 1:14-18 With M oses # 2

40. The Jordan River

41. Length of 156   miles * , much of it well below sea level Flow is N  S into the Sea of Galilee then out to the Dead Sea The West Bank (Israel) lies west; the Golan Heights & Jordan, east * compare: TN’s Cumberland (688), Tennessee (652) and Clinch (300) rivers

42. And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho . - Josh. 2:1 Instead of getting on with the invasion, Joshua orders a reconnaissance mission. In secret. He tells the men to especially assess the strength of the walled city of Jericho immediately opposite where they are camped. The story that follows is odd since (1) God is going to do the fighting so why spy out the ground? (2) The spies don’t speak the local language so they are sure to be captured; (3) their secret mission is hardly a secret. But, hey, the story isn’t really about the spies anyway. Preparation for the invasion All the people in the region doubtless know the Israelites are just across the river and that they are a serious threat (they just slaughtered two entire tribes) and are preparing to invade.

43. Joshua sent two men... as spies... They went and came to the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and they took lodgings there . {But someone betrayed them} to the king of Jericho , saying “Behold, men of Israel have come here to search out the land .” The king {of Jericho} sent {this urgent demand} to Rahab: - Josh. 2:1-2

44. {The king ordered} “Bring out the men who came to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out our land.” {Rahab} rep lied , “It is true that men came to me but I did not know where they were from . The city gate was about to close, so the men left in haste. I don’t know where they went. But if you pursue them quickly, you will surely overtake them.” - Josh. 2:2-3

45. {In defiance of her own king’s orders} Rahab had taken them up to the roof and hidden them in stalks of flax.... Before the men lay down {to sleep}, she came to them and said, “I know that the Lord has given you the land. The fear of you has fallen upon us.... For we heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the kings beyond the Jordan...   Our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. - Josh. 2:4-11

46. She instructed them, “Go into the hills or you will encounter your pursuers. Hide there three days until they return to the city. Then you can find your way {back to your encampment} .” T he men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you .... Tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down and gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your household { and you will be spared } – Josh. 2:17-19

47. “But if you tell anyone what we are doing here... {then the deal is off!} Rahab agreed, saying, “Let it be as you say.” With that, she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall . And {right away} she tied the scarlet cord in the window. - Josh. 2:20-21

48. Then the two came down from the hills, passed over {the Jordan} and came to Joshua. They told him all that had happened to them. “ Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands . All the people there are melting in fear because of us .” (not because of God?) They departed and went into the hills... - Josh. 2:22-24 Their pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing.

49. Yet Rahab is seen as a heroine in the OT and in some books about women in the Bible. Why? To the two men who had been spies Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute's house and {save} the woman and all {her household}, as you swore to her.” So the men went in {to Jericho} and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all her household... and put them outside the camp of Israel . - Josh. 6:22-23 The conclusion of the affair Jewish tradition raised Rahab in honor so much so that some said she married Joshua. What do you think? Why does the OT feature a story in which the main character is immoral, a liar, and a traitor who explicitly says she is out to save her own skin? But another tradition led to the genealogy recorded in the Gospel of Matthew...

50. Judah the father of Perez ......  and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab , and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David..... - Mt. 1:5-6 To the two men who had been spies Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute's house and {save} the woman and all {her household}, as you swore to her.” So the men went in {to Jericho} and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all her household... and put them outside the camp of Israel . - Josh. 6:22-23 The conclusion of the affair Since both Rahab and Ruth are non-Israelites, King David was born with a genetic make-up that was at least 14% non-Israelite.

51. What saved her? “Faith”? “Works”? (or street smarts?) You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead . - Jam. 2:24-25 By faith the prostitute Rahab , because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient . - Heb. 11:31

52. Aside: not the same Rahab Awake, awake, put on strength, arm of the Lord ; awake , as in days of old, the generations of long ago . Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces ,  who pierced the dragon ? - Is. 51:9 O Lord God of hosts, who is as mighty as you...? You rule the raging of the sea ;  when its waves rise, you still them . You crushed Rahab like a carcass ;   you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm . - Ps. 89:8-10

53. Ready, set , go Officers went through the camp and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. - Josh. 3:2-3 The Lord said to Joshua, “ Command the priests who bear the ark, ‘When you come to the brink of the Jordan, stand still.’” - Josh. 3:7-8 As soon as... the feet of the priests bearing the ark {touched} the brink of the river, waters coming down{stream} rose in a heap...{and} those flowing down toward the Salt Sea were completely cut off. - Josh. 3:14-16

54. The Exodus adventure ends as it began with a miraculous parting of waters. This dramatic device emphasizes that the entire journey, start to finish is a Divine enterprise. There is, however, a profoundly unsettling asymmetry in the two crossings. “Joshua Passing the River Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant” Benjamin West (1800)

55. ... in the second, Israel is the army intending to annihilate the peoples of Canaan in front of them, who cannot flee to safety. In the first instance, the people who are forged into the nation of Israel in the desert are fleeing an army intending to destroy them... Reading theologically, however, we see that just as God “cleansed” the earth of evil with the waters of the Flood in Noah’s time, He is now to cleanse the Land of Promise. What was pagan Canaan can now become holy Israel, a new creation under a new Covenant and governed by a new Law.

56. Pass over (with emphasis) And the people passed over {the river} opposite Jericho. Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan.... ...while all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan . - Josh. 3:16-17 The people passed over in haste. And when all the people had finished passing over , the ark of the Lord and the priests passed over (within sight of) the people . - Josh. 4:11

57. Stones..... When all the nation finished passing over, the Lord said to Joshua, “ Take 12 men from the people, one from each tribe, and command them... ... to take 12 stones from the middle of the river, from the very place where the priests' feet stood. B ring them over and lay them down in the place where you camp tonight .” -Josh. 4:1-3

58. Stones are.... Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe, and he gave them this order: “ Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder... that this may be a sign among you. - Josh. 4:4-6

59. Stones are the sign When your children ask in times to come , ‘ What do those stones mean?’, then you shall tell them how the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the Lord. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a mem- orial forever . - Josh. 4:6-7

60. What is your sign ? When your children ask... What in your “camp” (i.e. your house) is a sign of God’s faithfulness? A photo? A painting? A plaque? A figurine? A keepsake? A Bible? A ring? A scarf? A necklace? A prayer? A song? A poem? Of what event does it remind you?

61. And so the Exodus ends and the history of Israel in the land of promise begins The account examined in this set of lessons is a memorable story of the origins of the Jewish people in which Yahweh/God is the major and power- ful actor but Moses, His faithful, long-suffering servant, is the real focus of the stories. He is the visible, cool-under-pressure leader of the Hebrew people, the “Father” of the nation of Israel.

62. The introduction of Moses in the first chapters of Exodus marks a new beginning in the Bible’s account of the history of Israel The 1 st (with Abraham, Isaac, etc. is extended through Moses to a loosely-knit group of 12 tribes with a strong sense of kinship The emphasis is on the development of a common administration, a solemn covenant with Yahweh, and a code of law (Torah) that gives the nation its structure, without which it cannot survive Moses dominates the narrative through the remainder of the Pentateuch (along with a God portrayed as often angry and vengeful) His portrait is nothing like a stereotypical ancient warrior/leader He is separated at birth from the community he is to lead, raised Egyptian then lives for 40 years as a Midianite: he never quite belongs; He is not a warrior (as is Joshua), does not speak well (as does Aaron) and does not receive “visions” in a trance (as does a shaman) Receives his mission by Yahweh Himself, witnessed by no one, to which he only reluctantly agrees, and for which he has few qualifications. Moses is the focus

63. Stranger to all, to the end The death of Moses ( Deut. 34) illustrates how “apart” he was even from Israel: He is not allowed to enter, live, die or be buried in the land first promised to Israel already back in patriarchal days, Which contradicts the expectations, that as God’s great promise would be fulfilled for His people, Moses would lead and participate; Moses is buried (apparently, by God) outside of the land, in secret, across the Jordan River in Moab, a region often at odds with Israel ; Scripture tries to explain this by a series of incomplete and obscure reasons (recall the incident of the water from the rock in Num. 20 ) .

64. In Jewish tradition, Moses is accorded what amounts to veneration, as Christians might accord a saint. Was Moses, then, a god or a son of God? After all, in Greece, the great heroes of the past were held to be biological children either of a human woman and a male god or of a goddess and a man. And, as mentioned in this class, the Pharaoh of Egypt and, later, the Emperor of Rome were worshipped as divine .

65. No! Jews never confused the messenger (Moses) with the Author of the message (God ). Despite even the OT declaring that "there has not arisen a prophet since like Moses" ( Deu . 34:10), no Jewish thinker ever held that he was anything other than a man . Christians, however, see in him a “type” (a foreshad-ower ) of Christ. How might that be?

66. Sign ificance Moses, often representing Torah, was indeed a “sign” and a witness to the people of God then and in Jesus’ day. Consider... “ M oses” occurs 110 times in the OT outside the Pentateuch... ...and 80 times in the New Testament (10 x in one Gospel, Luke) He stands with Jesus and Elijah on the mountain of Transfiguration “Behold there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him .” – Lk . 9:30 He was referred to by Abraham in the parable Jesus told of Lazarus and the Rich Man. “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them .” - Lk.16:29 He figures in Jesus’ thoughts as he walks to Emmaus the day of his Resurrection. “Beginning with Moses and all the prophets , {Jesus} interpreted in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself .” - Lk. 24:27

67. Sign ificance “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man . And as Moses lifted up the ser -pent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life .” - Jn. 3:14-15 Recall that he is featured in the verse introducing John 3:16 Moses, as Abraham before him and Jesus after him, has a unique relationship with God, an uncomplicated and unshakable faith, and a wonderful ease in conversation with the Divine.

68. And {God} said, “Hear me! If there is a prophet among you, I make myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream . Not so with my servant Moses . He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord . - Num. 12:1-8

69. Much of the Pentateuch records the laws that governed secular and religious life of Judah after the fall of Israel and, in particular after the Babylonian Captivity during which (likely) the stories about Moses received final (canonical) shape . Exodus: one last thought The account is curiously unflatter- ing to the Israelites, perhaps be-cause the writers were all too familiar with Israel’s woeful history and wanted to make clear to their contemporaries that being in Covenant was a gift of God, not a birthright. It required serious dedication and conscious effort to understand, love, and follow His commands. Hard work! Was then; still is today.

70. Let My People Go End of Lesson 8

71. Let My People Go The end of PART THREE This concludes the study of the Exodus and the birth of the nation of Israel but many other challenging “Lessons-To-Go ” Scripture studies are a vailable on SlideShare Direct comments and questions to me (Mark Pavlin) at [email protected]