Title: Ancient Hebrews in the Wilderness
Do Now
On this day in history in 2003,
the most distant object ever
found in our solar system,
named Sedna, was discovered
by astronomers at the Mount
Palomar Observatory.
If you could spend a month in
space, where would you visit?
What would you do there?
Agenda
Do Now
Moses/Abraham thinking map
Israelites in the Desert Lesson
Cause and Effect Thinking Map
Israelites In Canaan
Moses vs. Abraham
Moses
Abraham
Vocabulary Builder
Manna: a grain given to the Israelites by god to
help them survive while wandering in the
desert
Canaan: The Land promised to Israel by God
which they searched in the desert for 40 years
to reach
Tabernacle: A tent used as a sanctuary or
temple for the Ark of the Covenant by the
Israelites to worship God.
The Exodus
The exodus probably occurred about 1250 B.C.
According to the Torah, after the descendants
of Jacob left Egypt, they lived in the desert for
40 years while God prepared the people for
migration into the Promised Land
Critical thinking: On the left side of your
notebook:
How would you feel having to wander in the
desert for so many years. How do you think
the Israelites felt?
The Exodus
 During this time, the Israelites went
into battle with other people
 Gradually, the Israelites began to
reach Canaan
 Eventually, the began a war of
conquest against several kingdoms
near Canaan.
 Some Israelites liked areas they had
conquered so some settled outside
of the promised land
 They were able to do this only if
they agreed to help fight for the
Promised land first
Israelites Complain
 The Israelites had a bad habit…
 They constantly complained
 They complained about:

Not having food

Not having water

Having to always walk

Anything and Everything
 This was very frustrating for Moses and Aaron, Moses
was constantly asking God to please the people of
Israel
Israelites Complain
 "Why didn't God let us die in comfort in Egypt where
we had lamb stew and all the bread we could eat?
You've brought us out into this wilderness to starve
us to death, the whole company of Israel!”

How could they so quickly forget how horrible it
was to live as slaves in Egypt?
 God told Moses, "I'm going to rain bread down from
the skies for you. The people will go out and gather
each day's ration. I'm going to test them to see if
they'll live according to my Teaching or not. On the
sixth day, when they prepare what they have
gathered, it will turn out to be twice as much as their
daily ration."
Israelites Complain
 This bread like food was called
“manna”
 It was a grain that tasted like
crackers with honey
 Every day the Israelites would gather
the manna but were instructed to
only gather enough for that day
 The Israelites ate the manna for forty
years until they arrived at the land
where they would settle down. They
ate manna until they reached the
border into Canaan.
Israelites
Disobey
 As the Bible records the tragic happening, the
Israelites once again find themselves in the desert
without water and complain bitterly to Moses and
Aaron.
 God instructs Moses and Aaron to "take the rod ...
and before their very eyes order the rock to yield its
water. ... And Moses raised his hand and struck the
rock twice with his rod. Out came copious water, and
the community and their beasts drank.
Did Moses do what God told him to?
Israelites Disobey
 NO HE DIDN’T
 First, Moses disobeyed a direct command from God:
God had commanded Moses to speak to the rock.
Instead, Moses struck the rock with his staff.
 Second, Moses took the credit for bringing forth the
water. In verse 10 Moses said, "Must we (referring to
Moses and Aaron) bring you water out of this rock?"
 Third, Moses did this in front of all the Israelites.
 God punishes Moses by not allowing him to enter the
Promised Land
 “But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you
did not trust Me enough to affirm my power in front of
the Israelite people, you will not lead this congregation
into the land that I have given them."
Cause and Effect Thinking Map
 The Israelites constantly complain, each time
they do God responds with some sort of solution
 They never seem to remember how God provides
for them causing them to seem constantly
unhappy
 It probably would have been helpful for them to
realize how often they complained and a solution
was provided

In order to remember this, we will create our
own thinking map to demonstrate the cause and
effect relationship between the Israelites
complaining and God’s provision
Israel Complains
God Responds
The Tabernacle
Again, the Israelites complain that
they have no place to worship God
So, on Mt. Sinai, God gives Moses
very detailed directions on how to
build a place of worship
This place is called the tabernacle
The Tabernacle
 At Mount Sinai, God
commanded Moses to come
up the mountain and gave
him the law and commands
and detail instructions to
build the Tabernacle.
 The Tabernacle was a
portable structure for the
Israelites to worship God:
think of it like a portable
temple
Most people were not
allowed to go into the
tabernacle because they
were unclean or not holy
enough
We will talk more later
about the priests, but they
were the only ones who
were holy enough to enter
and even they had to go
through detailed cleansing
ceremonies to be able to
enter
The Tabernacle
The Holy of Holies
 “And behind the second veil, there was a
tabernacle, which is called the Holy of
Holies, having a golden altar of incense
and the ark of the covenant covered on all
sides with gold…And above it were the
cherubim (angels) of glory overshadowing
the mercy seat; but of these things we
cannot speak now in detail
 No one can enter this area except for the
high priest and he can only go in once a
year.
 http://www3.telus.net/public/kstam/en/tabern
acle/details/setup_tabernacle.htm
The Tabernacle
 Solomon builds and consecrates the first temple.
This temple is eventually destroyed and the ark is
lost
 Other older texts say it was possibly hidden by
Jeremiah so that others could not steal it “ It shall
not come to mind or be remembered, or missed
nor shall another be made
Canaan: The Promise Land
The Israelites entered Canaan from the east
under Joshua’s leadership
One of the first cities they conquered in
Canaan was the high-walled city of Jericho
Canaan: The Promise Land
 How could Joshua and the Israelites get into the
city?
 God told Joshua Here's what you are to do:
March around the city, all your soldiers. Circle the
city once. Repeat this for six days. Have seven
priests carry seven ram's horn trumpets in front
of the Chest. On the seventh day march around
the city seven times, the priests blowing away on
the trumpets. And then, a long blast on the ram's
horn—when you hear that, all the people are to
shout at the top of their lungs. The city wall will
collapse at once.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOKfhCfS6R8
Canaan: The Promise Land
After they defeated Jericho, the Israelites
went on to conquer other small kingdoms.
The Israelites did not all settle in the same
area: the 12 tribes were spread out all over
what we now call Israel.
The descendants of Judah, Simeon and
Benjamin settled in the south near the Dead
Sea
The other tribes settled to the north and
east
Exit Slip
1.What do the Israelites do constantly as they
are wandering in the desert?
2.What was the name of the tent the
Isrealites constructed as a place of worship?
3.What was the significance of the Arc of the
Covenant
4.Why did God not allow Moses to enter the
Promised Land?
5.What is Manna?