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From Egypt to Canaan

#2b Numbers to Judges
Part of the series on the Flow of OT History
  1. WILDERNESS WANDERING - After about one year, the Israelites set off on their journey from Mt Sinai. When they reached the borders of the Promised Land at Kadesh-Barnea, Moses sent 12 spies to scout out the land (Num. 13:1-20). After 40 days, the spies returned. 10 of the spies reported “There are giants in the land and their cities are fortified. No Go!” wishing that they had died in Egypt or in the wilderness (Num 13:23-31). The remaining 2 (Joshua and Caleb) said, “Let’s Go!” believing that God could give them victory to take possession of the land (Num. 13:30). Sadly, the people accepted the majority report (Num. 14:1-4).

    This lack of faith at Kadesh-Barnea was their tenth act of rebellion and was the last straw so far as God was concerned. God sentenced them one year of wandering for each day of spying out the land until the entire adult population (20 years and upward) had died off with the exception of Joshua and Caleb (Num. 14:28-31). This means 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
  2. JORDAN CROSSING - After the death of Moses, Joshua was chosen to be the new leader. He led the people to cross the River Jordan into the Promised Land. When the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stepped into the waters, the water piled up some distance upstream and stopped flowing. The priests with the Ark stood in the middle of the river while all the people crossed on dry ground, until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan (Josh. 3:1-17).

    Note the picture of “Jordan Crossing” with waters piled up on only one side (upstream) and with the letter “A” for the Ark of the Covenant in the middle. Compare this picture with that for the Exodus with waters piled up on both sides.
  3. VICTORY AND DIVISION OF LAND - After several victorious campaigns over the Amorites and the Canaanites, Joshua divided the land among the tribes of Israel to occupy and control (Josh. 14:1-5). God kept His promise to Abraham that his descendants would return to the Promised Land after their enslavement in a foreign land (Gen. 12:15-16 cf. Exo. 12:40-41).

    Note the picture formed with the letter “V” for victory and the division sign (÷). 
  4. SIN CYCLE - There arose another generation, probably born in the Promised Land who did not know the LORD, nor see the work which He had done for Israel. They did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served other gods so the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He gave them over to plunderers (Judg. 2:10-15).

    They were in terrible distress and cried out to God for help. Then the Lord would raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies. Yet the people continued to worship other gods (Judg. 2:17). God would give them over to their surrounding nations who would afflict and oppress them. Then they would cry out to God once again and the cycle (of sin-suffer-sorry-saved) repeats (Judg. 2:15-23).
Judah had more territory than needed and the tribe of Simeon was given territory within Judah (Josh. 19:1-9); this was in fulfilment of Jacob’s prophecy that Simeon would be scattered within Israel (Gen. 49:5-7). Later, part of Simeon moved north (2 Chron. 15:9; 34:6).
The territory allotted to the tribe of Dan extended from the west of that of Ephraim and Benjamin to the sea. It was a small territory and being pressed by the Amorites and the Philistines, whom they were unable to conquer, the tribe migrated north to a region close to the sources of the Jordan River and established the city of Dan (Josh. 19:47). The city was spoken of as the northern limit of Palestine, the length of which came to be denoted by the expression "from Dan to Beersheba" (in the south) – a length of about 144 miles.

© April 2018 by Alan S.L. WONG