Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-12-06
The Wilderness Of Sinai.

When the camels reached us, we turned
to the new region on which we were enter
ing, which was none other than the great
and terrible wilderness in which the Israel
ties wandered nearly forty years. 1t is the
opinion of the latest investigators that the
march from Egypt and the encampment
about Sinai altogether occupied not very
much over year, when the host of Israel
moved northward, and in a succession of
marches, which consumed nearly another
year, left the mountains and entered more
open region, which was one of extreme DESC
lation. Here they did not intend to remain,
but only to pass through it on their way to
the land promised to their fathers, from which
they advanced toward Canaan, but were
driven back by the fierce tribes which in
habited the country. Thus repulsed they
withdrew, and pitched their tents in the
wilderness, moving from place to place, but
never passing its boundary, till the forty
years were nearly completed, when the y
moved south to the Gulf of Akaba, and
passing round the mountains, came up
through Moab, by the east side of the Dead
Sea, to Pisgah, where Moses died, and from
which Joshua led the tribes across the Jor-
dan. Between the leaving Sinai and the
entering Canaan there elapsed period of
some thirty-eight years, during which they
wandered in this great and terrible wilder
ness, the tradition of which is found in the
name, which it bears to this day, of the
desert of the wandering. Here then we are
on the very scene of the camp of the Israel.
ties. Here the tabernacle was set up, and
here God went before his people, as pillar
of cloud by day and pillar OF fire by night
As to the character of this region, we had
formed partial idea of it, as its outer wall
had been long in view. When we stood on
the top of Serbal or Sinai, and looked over
and beyond the mountains, we saw away 10
the north broad belt of sandy plain, which
divided the mountain region from what lay
beyond-a belt bounded on the other side by
range of hills which could not but attract
the eye, as they were of limestone, in SHARP
contrast with the red granite of the Sinai
group. Looking from distance had snp
posed this upland region to be vast pla
teau. Now that we are on it we find it to
be indeed a plateau, but not unbroken, but
crossed by ranges, not as grand as the noun
tains of Sinai, but still of considerable
height, between which are broad spaces OF
desert, furrowed by water courses. Scarcely
had we left the edge of the cliff before we
dropped down into one of the gullies by
which this vast tract is scanned and SCARED
and kept moving on from one to another, as
we had traversed a succession of wady5 il
going to Sinai. These smaller hollows worI
by streams, like the aifiuents of river
finally merge into the Wady Ell Artist
(which we entered in the afternoon), which
is to the desert of the wandering what th'
Wady es Scheikh is among the mountains
of granite and sandstone, and which bear
the great name of the River of Egypt
term which as used in the Bible, does no
designate the Nile, but this mighty wady
which keeps its course to the sea, cominl
out near GAIA, and forming the boundar,
between Egypt and Palestine. Now tina
we were in the region of pure limestone
which reflected the rays of the sun, we fel
again the glare and the heat Of our frs
days on the desert. But after all, to what
ever devices one may resort to protect him
| self from blindness or sunstroke he canno
wholly escape the dazzling glare Of the burn
| ing heat, and has need daily 10 offer tn
| PRAYER that the sun may not smite him b.
day nor the moon by night. Taking thi
intense glare and heat with the utter desols
tion of the country, we can understand no,
the Israeites should have regarded it as in
deed great and terrible wilderness. N
wonder that they tainted, and that thei
hearts died within them. The period 0
wandering was nearly forty years. That
more than the lifetime of a generation. II
that time old men died, and young me
grew old wives and children were burie
in the sands of the desert. What trial 70
the wisdom and the firmness of their grea
leader to keep any control of two, or PEI
haps three, millions OF people, who wer
sometimes almost starving, and often in
state of mutinyl Moses himself was som'
times ready to despair, but he Withdrew
into the wilderness, and alone he knelt upo
the rocks or sands, and cried to heaven fc
help; and then returned, with new courag
in his heart, to inspire the faint an
strengthen the weak, and to lead them OIL
until at last he brought them to the promise
land. Had not reason to say, when lool
ing down upon the field of Rephidim, ths
d" the more see of the desert the more tn
miracle of the Exodus grows upon me
And as we advance still further in our jou
ney it will grow upon us to the end,-D
II. NJ Field, in Evangelist.