1. The Desert Wanderings In the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Numbers (Hebrew - Bəmidbar) is appropriately called “In the Wilderness” but is based primarily on the numbering or census of the people. (603,550 in Num. 1:46 not including the Levites) Much of the forty years are situated in the oasis known as Kadesh-barnea where they arrived after the march from Mt. Sinai. The Book of Numbers falls into two main divisions: Chs. 1-25 relate how the entire first Exodus generation, which murmured against God in the wilderness and refused to take the land, died off except for Moses and the two faithful spies, Joshua and Caleb. Chs. 26-36 beginning with another census deal with anew generation that God led towards the Promised Land under Moses’ leadership. Lessons of the wilderness experience: The Israelites experience in the wilderness would illustrate the personal struggles of a people who wrestled with the relative security of slavery in Egypt and the precarious insecurity of freedom in the wilderness. Such struggles would include: Power struggles amongst the leaders as to who speaks for God Crises of faith and trust in this God, YAHWEH Yet, these narratives from the Book of Numbers are also infused with the Israelite’s conviction and remembrance that, despite their blindness and rebelliousness, YAHWEH was faithful to promises made to their ancestors. The wilderness experience would also discipline them so as to render them totally dependent upon their God who both liberated them from bondage and thus strengthened them for the challenges of a life in the Promised Land. It would also rekindle in them their identity as Israelites – the chosen people of God. Session 8

2. The Wilderness Journey

3. The Shema Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad. Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. Barukh sheim k'vod malkhuto l'olam va'ed. Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever. V'ahav'ta eit Adonai Elohekha b'khol l'vav'kha uv'khol naf'sh'kha uv'khol m'odekha. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. V'hayu had'varim ha'eileh asher anokhi m'tzav'kha hayom al l'vavekha. And these words that I command you today shall be in your heart. V'shinan'tam l'vanekha v'dibar'ta bam And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall speak of them b'shiv't'kha b'veitekha uv'lekh't'kha vaderekh uv'shakh'b'kha uv'kumekha when you sit at home, and when you walk along the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up. Uk'shar'tam l'ot al yadekha v'hayu l'totafot bein einekha. And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. Ukh'tav'tam al m'zuzot beitekha uvish'arekha. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates Session 8

4. The Books of the Pentateuch (The Five Books of Moses) The Pentateuch or Torah conveys a history, inspired by the Spirit of God, of a people with their God spanning from the creation of the universe to the eve of Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land. Genesis narrates the creation of the world from chaos, to the first couple, and the earliest ancestors of the Israelites (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph). Exodus is the heart of the Pentateuch for Jewish people dealing with the exodus out of Egypt and the sojourn at Mt. Sinai. All Jewish tradition reaches back to these “root experiences” which constitute a basic understanding for the Jewish people in our times of their identity and the identity and character of their GOD YAHWEH. Leviticus is pre-eminently a book of worship and refers to the Levitical priests (of the Levi tribe) providing the laws dealing with sacrifice, the consecration of priests to office, purity laws, atonement ceremonies, laws governing daily life, and an appendix for religious vows. Numbers chronicles the wanderings of the first Exodus generation and the subsequent generation that would be led into the Promised Land. Deuteronomy (the Second Law) reaffirms the covenant between YAHWEH and the people of Israel. It is purported to be Moses’ farewell address to the people in which he recounts the mighty acts of the Lord, solemnly warns of the temptation of the news ways of Canaan, and pleads for loyalty to and love of God as the condition for life in the Promised Land. A distinctive teaching of Deuteronomy is that the worship of the Lord was to be centralized in one place and when this book was written the Jerusalem temple was regarded as the central sanctuary. Deuteronomy concludes with the death of Moses. In summary, the Torah comprises 3 covenants : the first made with Noah (Gen. 9:1-17) concerning all humanity, the non-human creatures and the earth itself; the second with Abraham and Sarah guaranteeing Israel the promise of land, posterity, and relationship with God (Gen. 17: 1-21); and the third mediated with Moses at Mount Sinai (Ex. 19-24) which is regarded as a ratification and extension of the covenant with the ancestors. Session 8

5. Bible Timeline Study Sessions Week 1Sep 24 th Finding the Story in Scripture Week 2Oct 1 st The Early World – Part1 Week 3Oct 8 th The Early World – Part 2 Week 4Oct 15 th The Patriarchs – Part 1 Week 5Oct 22 nd The Patriarchs – Part 2 Oct 29thBreak Week 6Nov 5 th Egypt & Exodus – Part 1 Week 7Nov 12 th Egypt & Exodus – Part 2 Week 8Nov 19 th Desert Wanderings Nov 26 th Break Week 9Dec 3 rd Conquest & Judges – Part 1 Week 10Dec 10 th Conquest & Judges – Part 2 Week 11Dec 17 th Royal Kingdom – Part 1 Dec 24 th Break Dec 31 st Break

6. Conquest &Judges –The Book of Joshua The Book of Joshua simplifies the long and complex process by which the tribes of Israel settle in Canaan. It intends to describe Israel, past and future, its relationship with God, and the kind of society it wished to be. Canaan was in a state of great social and political turmoil with power concentrated in the upper classes at the detriment of the peasants. The socio-economic system eventually disintegrates under the pressure of the new Israelite immigrants The Book of Joshua is the story of how an obedient Israel under God’s chosen leader can bring into existence a society based on justice and freedom. The book is comprised of three parts: 1.Chs. 1-12 describe the settlement of the tribes in Canaan as a result of the successful military campaigns led by Joshua against the Canaanites. 2.Chs. 13-21 will describe the distribution of the lands amongst the 12 tribes. 3.Chs. 22-24 focuses on the loyalty that the Israelite tribes owe to their God who has given them the land to occupy and fulfills one aspect of the covenant made previously with Abraham and reaffirmed with Moses. 24:1-28 – Joshua gathers all the tribes, recalls the history of God’s relationship with the Israelites, and the people reaffirm their covenant with Yahweh. 24:29 – Joshua dies at the age of 110 years old and is buried in the hill country of Ephraim. 24:32 – the bones of Joseph brought out of Egypt are buried at Schechem. 24:33 – Eleazor, son of Aaron, dies and is buried at Gibeah also in the hill country of Ephraim. The stories in this book are very harsh and the Israelites do acquire the land through violent means. Yet, the aim of the Book of Joshua is not meant to edify but to move its readers to obedience in their God. For ancient Israel, this obedience was seen as an act of faith in the God who ultimately brings good out of evil. Session 9

7. 12 Tribes in the Land of Canaan