The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-08-25
EsssntI Series fnr 1883.
THIRD QUARTER.
STUDIES In THE OLD TESTAMENT.
September 2, 1883.
LESSON XXXV.-THE SPIES SENT
INTO CANAAN.
BY REV. ROBERT T. POLK.
THIRD QUARTER.
STUDIES In THE OLD TESTAMENT.
Numbers xiii. 1881
FROM SINAI TO KADESH.

nation whose King was JEHOVAH their tOD,
and the army had been mustered and in
structed in the conduct of the march, 1.-THE
commandment of the LORD by the hand of
Moses" was declared that they go forward in
their journey to possess the Promised Land.
The journey from Horeb to Canaan was
through the ''great and terrible wilderness"
of Poran which may have included the entire
region north of the peninsula of Sinai, be-
tween Egypt and the Valley of the Arabah.
The route of the Israelites' journey from ST.
mai is not certainly known. 1t may have
been directly northeast from the mountains
of Sinai toward the southern boundary of
Palestine, or by the way of the eastern arm
of the Red Sea and the Valley of Arahah.
But two encampments, possibly three, are
noted in the account of the journey which is
contained'in Chapters xxi. The cloud was
taken up from over the Tabernacle and
moved forward to direct the line of march,
the signal of departure having been commu-
nicated to all parts of the camp by the sound
of trumpets *. I'D. The cloud which abode
upon tire Tabernacle may have been from
the smoke of burning incense and sacrifices;
and the cloud that was taken up and moved
forward to guide the marching host may have
been from fire, probably taken from the
altar of sacrifice and carried as a flame
bearer at the head of the marching army of
Israel 1t was EN- ployed as the signal of
Divine guidance. When it moved forward
the people journeyed; when it abode upon
the Tabernacle they encamped (see last Les
SOM.
2. The journey to the first encampment
was three days. A brother-in-l law of Moses
who may have been familiar with the wilder
ness country, was probably employed as
guide to direct the way to to suitable places
of encampment *. 29-34). At, or on the
way to the first encampment, :" the fire of
JEHOVAH" probably lightning, wrought de-
struction at the end or rear of the camp, but
was speedily extinguished by the interces-
sion of Moses. The incident is described as
manifestation of the anger of JEHOVAH
kiudled into flame because of the murmur-
ing of His people xxi. u. The journey was
difficult and distressing, and the people Bit
terly complained of the hardships they were
obliged to endure. The best of people are
hardly willing to pay the price of liberty and
prosperity. As during their privations in
the journey through the wilderness toward
Sinai, they again bewailed their hard lot, re-
Numbering the better and abundant food
which they had in Egypt. Moses was driven
almost to despair by the clamors of his die
satisfied people, which begun, it is said, by
''the mixed multitude" the riffraff who had
followed the host from Egypt. Prayerfully
he wrestled with the distressing problem:
"What must be donef" Should the fiocks
and herds be slaughtered, or should fish be
gathered from the sea to satisfy the LISTING
multitudes? GoD answered his prayer in
marvellous way. The spirit or power of
prophecy was communicated to the seventy
elders, qualifying them to aid him in the Di-
vine administration of the government; and
an abundant supply of quails came into the
place of encampment in the same way as
upon the former occasion when the people
demanded flesh to eat xxi. 31-35; Exodus
xvii. ID; see Lesson and Study of June 5,
1887. But the people ate SO greedily that
they were smitten with dreadful disease;
and 30 many died and were buried without
the camp as to be commemorated in the
name of the place which signifies q The
Graves of Lust" Prof. Palmer, in s'The
Desert of the Exodus" describes the ruins
of an encampment with many graves. which
he identifies as this place, about thirty-fve
miles northeast of Horeb
3. The second encampment of the Israel
ties is called Hazeroth, and is identified by
Palmer and others at a distance of about
forty-five miles northeast of Sinai. Here
Miriam the prophecies, and Aaron the high
priest, the sister and brother of Moses,
claimed equality with him in their power and
authority to declare the Divine will, declar-
ing that COP had indeed spoken by them
also. 1t appears that this opposition to
Moses was occasioned by their dislike of his
wife, who was Cushite. His Midianite wife
may have died, and Miriam, as his sister,
have become the first lady of the land" ina
tion), who was displaced by a second mar
rage, on account of which she became envi-
GUS and denounced her eminent brother be-
cause of his marriage with an alien and not
an Israelite, and disputed his supreme au-
thority to declare the will of COP. Mos es
was meek, and did nothing to vindicate his
supremacy, and Con is represented as vindi-
eating his servant and Furnishing Miriam
with leprosy, which was cured by the inter-
cession of Aaron and Moses, but who was
excluded from the camp for seven days as
provided in the laws, for ceremonial puriica-
tiOn xii; Leviticus xiii. xiv.). The host re-
manned encamped at Hszeroth till Miriam
returned to the camp.
4. From Hazeroth the Israelites journeyed
to Kadesh, where they encamped in the will
derness of Paran. Kadesh was in the north
ern region of the wilderness, near the south
ern border of Palestine, fifty miles from
Beersheba, and 100 from Sinai. That they
encamped between Hazeroth and Kadesh is
not clearly stated. They ''iourneyed from Hs-
zeroth, end pitched in the wilderness of Paran
xii. 16). The spies were sent from the wilder
ness of Paren (3), and returned to the wilder
ness of Paran to Kadesh( 26). The" journeyed
from Horeb, and went through all that great
and terrible wilderness, and came to Kadesh-
barnea" tDeut. i. 19). The record of en-
campment contained in chapter xxxiii., prob
ably enumerates all places during the forty
years. sojourn in the wilderness, including
two arrivals at Kadesh, the first of which
may have been omitted, or is designated by
"Rethmah" Tvs. IS, 49, as Ksil and others
think.
TIME.-Just how long the Israelites were
on the journey from Sinai to Kadesh we have
no means of knowing. 1t is declared to be
'eleven days journey from Horeb unto Ka.