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? Title: Ancient Hebrews in the Wilderness

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. order the rock to yield its waterraised his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod.  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.  acle/details/setup_tabernacle.htm 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. 

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?