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Lesson #8“ On the Road to Mt. Sinai”  

(Exodus 15: 22 – 18: 27)

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In Lesson #7 the Israelites left Egypt, avoiding the Via Maris, the

obvious escape route that parallels the Mediterranean Sea; instead,

they headed southeast toward the Red Sea, a rouse intended to draw

the Egyptians after them. And it worked.

Arriving near the northern tip of the Gulf of Suez, the Israelites

looked up and saw the Egyptians in hot pursuit. With their backs tothe sea and the Egyptians bearing down upon them, God sprang the

trap! Just as the last of the Israelites scrambled onto dry ground on

the shore of the Sinai Peninsula, the Red Sea’s towering walls of

water collapsed, drowning the entire Egyptian army.

As Pharaoh planned to drown all the infant Israelite boys in the NileRiver, lest they grow to become warriors and fight against him, so

God drowns in the depths of the Red Sea all the male Egyptian

warriors who fight against him.

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It is one thing to escape from Egypt; it is quite another to survive

the aftermath. In Lesson #8 Moses and the Israelites confront the

stark reality of finding enough food and water in the wilderness to

survive. In Exodus 12: 37 we read that “The Israelites set out from

Rameses for Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, not

counting the children,” and in the opening chapters of Numbers the

Israelites take a census by tribe, clan and family totaling 603,550men, plus women and children—roughly 2 million people. It is

impossible to support that many people in the Sinai wilderness.

Survival calls for a miracle, and God provides it: he makes bitter

water sweet, brings water from the rocks and provides daily manna

to eat, nurturing and sustaining his people through their wilderness

 journey.

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•No water

•No food

•No water again

•Attacked by the Amalekites

•Crushing workload

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•No water (15: 22-27)

•No food

•No water again

•Attacked by the Amalekites

•Crushing workload

Aaaaargh!

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Land of Goshen

RamesesSuccoth

Marah

Elim

Mt. Sinai

Rephidim

Bitter Lakes

Via Maris

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Gérard Jollain. “The Water of Marah” (engraving) in La Saincte Bible . . . enrichie de

 plusieurs belle figures, 1670.

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Dr. Creasy teaching at the well at Marah, Egypt. 

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

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Now that the water is sweet, “every backbone takes on laughter . . .

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

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. . . and every tooth is exposed!” (ANET, “Hymn to the Nile,” p. 372) 

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

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“Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and

seventy palm trees . . .” (Exodus 15: 27) 

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

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Land of Goshen

RamesesSuccoth

Marah

Elim

Mt. Sinai

Bitter Lakes

Via Maris

Wilderness of Sin

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•No water

•No food (16: 1-35)

•No water again

•Attacked by the Amalekites

•Crushing workload

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Ercole de’ Roberti. “The Israelites Gathering Manna” (originally a predella panel,now transferred to canvas), c. 1490. The National Gallery, London. 

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The wilderness between Elim and Sinai, where God provided the manna. 

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

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•Bake it!

•Fry it!

•

Grill it!•Poach it!

•Steam it!

•Fricassee it!

Ummm, ummm good, heavenly!

Only $29.95

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Ercole de’ Roberti. “The Institution of the Eucharist” (This panel is paired with “The

Israelites Gathering Manna,” a predella panel, now transferred to canvas), c. 1490.

The National Gallery, London. 

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•No water

•No food

•No water again (17: 1-7)

•Attacked by the Amalekites

•

Crushing workload

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Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. Moses Striking the Roc k (oil on canvas), c. 1666.

Private collection, anonymous (sold at auction at Christie’s, London, August 2, 1968, Lot 36). 

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Land of Goshen

Rameses

Succoth

Marah

Elim

Mt. Sinai

Rephidim

Bitter Lakes

Via Maris

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Rephidim, where Moses struck the rock and water flowed forth. 

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

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  Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

Dr. Creasy and his

friend search forwater at Rephidim!

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•No water

•No food

•No water again 

•Attacked by the Amalekites

(17: 8-16)•Crushing workload

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John Everett Millais. Victory, O Lord! (oil on canvas), 1871.

Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester. 

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•No water

•No food

•No water again 

•Attacked by the Amalekites

•

Crushing workload

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1. After traveling only three days in the wilderness theIsraelites confront the stark reality that they need water,a lot of water. How does God respond to their need?

2. The Israelites also need food. God provides manna, but itcannot be kept overnight, nor does it appear on the

Sabbath. Why does God do this?3. What does the manna in Exodus foreshadow in the New

Testament? 

4. What does manna taste like?

5. The Amalekites attack the Israelites in the wilderness,

and the Israelites defeat them. The Amalekites will be anongoing problem, however. Where do they resurfacelater in Scripture?

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Copyright © 2014 by William C. Creasy

All rights reserved. No part of this course—audio, video,

photography, maps, timelines or other media—may be

reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic

or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any

information storage or retrieval devices without permission in

writing or a licensing agreement from the copyright holder.