Covenant Testimony (Part II)

How do children learn about the lives of their parents or grandparents? Usually, this is passed down by word of mouth. Children generally do not have reason to doubt what their parents tell them about their lives or their grandparents' lives. Parents' stories become that of their children and are held trustworthy without need for secondary affirmation. This is oral tradition, and is one of the means by which the stories of the Old Testament were handed down for generations to come that they might know the works of the Lord:

Psalm 78:1-8, "A Maskil of Asaph. 

        Listen, O my people, to my instruction;
            Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

      I will open my mouth in a parable;
            I will utter dark sayings of old,

      Which we have heard and known,
            And our fathers have told us.

      We will not conceal them from their children,
            But tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD,
            And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.

      For He established a testimony in Jacob
            And appointed a law in Israel,
            Which He commanded our fathers
            That they should teach them to their children,

      That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born,
            That they may arise and tell them to their children,

      That they should put their confidence in God
            And not forget the works of God,
            But keep His commandments,

      And not be like their fathers,
            A stubborn and rebellious generation,
            A generation that did not prepare its heart
            And whose spirit was not faithful to God
            [continues on with the works of God toward early Israel]."

Facts, customs, and widespread beliefs regarding the Ark of the Covenant and thereby Israel's wilderness wandering:

• Wikipedia - general description of the ark of the covenant
• National Geographic - overview of history and theorized discoveries
• Jewish Encyclopedia - overview, biblical references, and non-biblical references

• Jordan River Crossing with Ark
• Joshua 4:1-9, "Now when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying, 'Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, and command them, saying, "Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight."' So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; and Joshua said to them, 'Cross again to the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel . . . Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing, and they are there to this day . . . Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern edge of Jericho. Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. He said to the sons of Israel, 'When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, "What are these stones?" then you shall inform your children, saying, "Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground." For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the LORD your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, so that you may fear the LORD your God forever.'"
• Gilgal Education Center - References the above Joshua passage where God tells Joshua that He dried up the Jordan so that "all the peoples of the earth" might know the power of the Lord.
• Jewish Virtual Library - Notes various Scripture references to this Gilgal camp of Joshua and the twelve tribes.
• Science Daily - Five stone-ringed camp-sites in the Jordan river valley have been identified by Prof. Adam Zertal, which he identifies with various references to Gilgal in Scripture. According to Prof. Zertal, "Gilgal" was a type of foot-shaped (symbolic of possession of the land on which they treaded) campsite for the early Israelites.
• General Source - Description of the mosaic Madaba map and its proven accuracy.
• Madaba Map, and Galgala or the Twelve Stones - Shows the label and symbol for Galgala from the Madaba Map and ties in the Old Testament account of the tribes crossing the Jordan and camping at Gilgal for circumcision and Passover, as their first campsite across the Jordan and thereby where they would have placed the twelve stones. An image of the corresponding map Section 2 is linked here, showing Galgala.
• Science Daily - Notes that the Madaba Map portrays a site labeled Dodekaliton, meaning "twelve stones", lying adjacent to Galgala outside of Jericho in the Jordan River valley. This is significant. But the accompanying reinterpretation of Galgala/Gilgal with a quarry cave and the stones with excavated rock do not agree with the Scripture narrative of the Jordan River crossing.

• Philistine Capture of the Ark and its Return to Israel
• I Samuel 5:1-11, "So they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them and said, 'What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?' And they said, 'Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.' And they brought the ark of the God of Israel around. After they had brought it around, the hand of the LORD was against the city with very great confusion; and He smote the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them. So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And as the ark of God came to Ekron the Ekronites cried out, saying, 'They have brought the ark of the God of Israel around to us, to kill us and our people.' They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines and said, 'Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, so that it will not kill us and our people.' For there was a deadly confusion throughout the city; the hand of God was very heavy there." 
  
• I Samuel 6:13-19, "Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they raised their eyes and saw the ark and were glad to see it . . . The Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the box that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone; and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices that day to the LORD. When the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned to Ekron that day.       These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a guilt offering to the LORD: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron; and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fortified cities and of country villages. The large stone on which they set the ark of the LORD is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.
        He struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck down of all the people, 50,070 men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter."
• Times of Israel - Jewish people yet remember Tel Beit Shemesh as the Biblical Beth-shemesh to which the Ark of the Covenant was returned by the Philistines. The site today has sculptured iron and rock memorials which tell the story. 
• Archaeological Institute of America - Tel Beth Shemesh is a site of current archaeological excavation and is considered a geological intersection point for the Israelite, Philistine, and Canaanite civilizations during the Late Bronze and Iron ages (1550-540 B.C.).
• Some archaeology - Tel Beth-Shemesh is a 7-acre mound that overlooks the Sorek Valley. The mound has been identified based on the preserved Arab name of a nearby town, Byzantine sources, and the Biblical text's description of the mound's geography. Archaeology dating to the period of the Judges reveals influence of Israelite presence, as pig bones are entirely absent among the animal remains unearthed.
• I Samuel 7:1-2, "And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took the ark of the LORD and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. From the day that the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim, the time was long, for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD."
• Shmunis Family Excavations - Archeologists identify a mound 12 km west of Jerusalem, named Deir el-Azar in Arabic, with ancient Kiriath-jearim. The Arabic name appears to derive from the name of Eleazar, son of Abinadab, who kept watch over the ark when it rested at Kiriath-jearim (I Samuel 7:1). The monastery of the Ark of the Covenant is found at Kiriath-jearim, along with remains of a Byzantine-era church, uncovered in the early 20th century, which likely commemorates the ark tradition.
• Times of Israel - Modern Jewish news site also identifies Old Testament Kiriath-jearim with the hill of the monestary Deir el-Azar, named in English "Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant", resting atop a prior Byzantine structure located 7 miles west of Jerusalem. According to Jewish interpretation of Scripture, the Ark of the Covenant was portrayed to have been located at Kiriath Jearim for 20 years following its return from Philistine capture.
• Find a Dig - The site of Kiriath-jearim offers a expansive view of the Jerusalem skyline in the east and the Mediterranean in the west. The site houses the Monastery of the Ark of the Covenant, which is also known as Notre Dame de l’Ache d’Alliance.

• Modern Tradition on the Ark Outside of Israel
• II Chronicles 35:1-3, "Then Josiah celebrated the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month. He set the priests in their offices and encouraged them in the service of the house of the LORD. He also said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the LORD, 'Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; it will be a burden on your shoulders no longer. Now serve the LORD your God and His people Israel.'"
• Jeremiah 3:14-18, "'Return, O faithless sons,' declares the LORD;
              'For I am a master to you,
              And I will take you one from a city and two from a family,
              And I will bring you to Zion.'
'Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land,' declares the LORD, 'they will no longer say, "The ark of the covenant of the LORD." And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again. At that time they will call Jerusalem "The Throne of the LORD," and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the LORD; nor will they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart. In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.'"
• Josephus' War of the Jews, Book 5, Chap. 5, Par. 5, " . . . [description of the Temple at the time of Roman conquest of Jerusalem] Now the seven lamps signified the seven planets; for so many there were springing out of the candlestick. Now the twelve loaves that were upon the table signified the circle of the zodiac and the year; but the altar of incense, by its thirteen kinds of sweet-smelling spices with which the sea replenished it, signified that God is the possessor of all things that are both in the uninhabitable and habitable parts of the earth, and that they are all to be dedicated to his use. But the inmost part of the temple of all was of twenty cubits. This was also separated from the outer part by a veil. In this there was nothing at all. It was inaccessible and inviolable, and not to be seen by any; and was called the Holy of Holies. Now, about the sides of the lower part of the temple . . . "
• CNN - The Ethiopian Orthodox Christians yearly celebrate a festival called Timket, in which models of the Ark of the Covenant, called a Tabot, are brought out of the churches and carried through their towns. Ethiopia is considered to be the Old Testament kingdom of Sheba, and is held by some to hide the Ark of the Covenant.
• General Source - The Ethiopian tabots which are brought out from the churches on the day of the Feast of Timket, corresponding to Epiphany, are always hidden from public view by ornate coverings. The sides of the tabot are square, generally 6 in. x 6 in. During Timket, a priest carries the covered tabot on his head while the worshipers and procession accompany with cries of joy and liturgical dancing. This procession appears similar to the bringing of the Ark into Jerusalem during the time of King David (II Samuel 6:12-19).
• Ethiopian Tourist Site - Affirms the festival of Timket, and notes that the procession with the tabot replicas of the Ark ends with baptism by the priests sprinkling blessed water on the worshipers. This is done to remember Christ's baptism by John the Baptist. The festival of Timket with the carrying of the tabot dates back to the time of Ethiopian Emperor Gebre Meskel, who ruled in Ethiopian calandar years from 515 to 529 (or AD ~530)
• Sacred Sites - St. Mary of Zion Church in Ethiopia claims to house the Ark of the Covenant.Ethiopia, also named Abyssinia, is rooted in the kingdom of Axum which existed from ~150 B.C. to ~600 A.D. The Axumite rulers had commercial and diplomatic contact with Persians, Byzantines, Greeks, and Egyptians. The Axumite kingdom archeology boasts the worlds tallest obelisks or stelae, cut from single blocks of black granite. The tallest obelisk weighed 5 tons and was 33.3 m tall. Ethiopian legend says that the Queen of Sheba from Ethiopia [see II Chronicles 9:1-12 for reference to Solomon and the Queen of Sheba] bore a son to King Solomon of Israel. This son, named Menelik, later came to visit Israel and return after a time back to Ethiopia after facing jealousy from the Israelite elders. The legend says that Solomon commanded the elders first-born sons to journey back to Ethiopia with Menelik. One of these was the son of Zadok the High Priest, Azarius, who is said to have secretly taken the Ark with him [note that tradition of a removal of the Ark from Israel during the days of Solomon is not in agreement is the II Chronicles 35:1-3 passage above, but the story does affirm a physical Ark], revealing the theft to Menelik only once distant from Jerusalem. Since the theft had succeeded without harm befalling the departing group, Menelik judged they must have God's blessing.
• Ethiopian Jews - Known as Beta Israel, the Ethiopian Jews hold to traditions saying that their ancestors came to Ethiopia in company with Menelik, considered the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, when he returned to Ethiopia from Israel. Tens of thousands of Ethiopian Jews were brought to modern-day Israel during Operation Moses and Operation Solomon.

In the camp of Yahweh. (Part II)

Transition to the time of Christ. What mention was made of the tabernacle of testimony and Israel's wandering in the wilderness? If the wilderness narrative was simply a theological portrait, then surely this should be clear in the writings of the New Testament authors. Where the Pharisees and scribes had been blind, the New Testament authors expounded under Divine inspiration.

"Before the Throne of God" by Glad

New Testament References to the Tabernacle:

• Mark 2:23-26, "And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain. The Pharisees were saying to Him, 'Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?' And He said to them, 'Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry; how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?'"
• Tabernacle of Testimony - portrayed as a historical tent of worship
• How were the Pharisees so confident that the disciples were doing that which was "not lawful on the Sabbath" if the Sabbath law(s) were mentioned alongside an imaginary tent of testimony (i.e. the tabernacle) in the Pentateuch?
• Why would Jesus, the Son of God, recognize a pretend legal system which gave instruction on an imaginary tent of testimony?
• According to Jesus, King David entered a real place called the "house of God". What physical house of God (recognized by God Himself) was there before the temple, other than the tent of testimony?
• How could a known ancestral high priest serve in an imaginary house of God?
• How could bread be consecrated bread outside of being prepared for service in a real Tent of Testimony or Temple?
• Why would God ordain a mere tent of testimony, rather than a more enduring structure, if the nation of Israel never migrated?
• Acts 7:44-50, "'[Stephen speaking before the Jewish Council] Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen. And having received it in their turn, our fathers brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David. David found favor in God’s sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for Him. However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:      
        "HEAVEN IS MY THRONE,
              AND EARTH IS THE FOOTSTOOL OF MY FEET;
              WHAT KIND OF HOUSE WILL YOU BUILD FOR ME?" says the Lord,
              "OR WHAT PLACE IS THERE FOR MY REPOSE?                                           
        WAS IT NOT MY HAND WHICH MADE ALL THESE THINGS?"'"
• Tabernacle of Testimony - portrayed as a historical tent of worship
• Stephen was on trial before the Jewish Council. Why would he offer the defense that real Jewish forefathers had worshiped God at an imaginary tabernacle of testimony? How would fiction justify him?
• How could an imaginary tent of testimony endure until the time of the real King Solomon?
• Why follow up a story about a merely imaginary house of God by stating that God "does not dwell in houses made by human hands"?
• Why would God ordain a mere tent of testimony, rather than a more enduring structure, if the nation of Israel never migrated?
• How could Stephen defend himself before the Jewish Council with an imaginative tale of Jewish forefathers wandering in the wilderness and dispossessing the nations of Canaan? Would the Jewish Council really consider this an irrefutable argument?
• Hebrews 8:1-5, "Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, 'SEE,' He says, 'THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN.'"
• Tabernacle of Testimony - portrayed as a historical tent of worship
• Why would the author of Hebrews write that the "true tabernacle" was pitched by the Lord and not man? If the tabernacle of testimony was immaterial, how can you contrast it with an immaterial true tabernacle?
• How could earthly high priests serve a "copy and shadow of the heavenly things" if they were serving in an immaterial tabernacle of testimony?
• How could a real ancestor Moses erect an immaterial tabernacle?
• Why would God provide a pattern for the crafting of an immaterial tabernacle?
• Why would God strictly command Moses about the crafting of that which was not meant to be crafted?
• Why would God ordain a mere tent of testimony, rather than a more enduring structure, if the nation of Israel never migrated?
• Hebrews 9:1-12, "Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place. 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, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.      
        . . . the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship, but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance . . .
        But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood . . ."
• Tabernacle of Testimony - portrayed as a historical tent of worship
• If the "first covenant" ordained an immaterial tabernacle, how could that tabernacle be an "earthly sanctuary"?
• Why say that "we cannot now speak in detail" of the character of the earthly tabernacle if it was merely imaginative?
• How could a merely imaginary tabernacle be holy?
• How could the high priests offer sacrificial blood in an imaginary taberacle?
• Why write that Christ entered a "more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands" if the earthly tabernacle was also immaterial?
• Why write that the ark, manna, "Aaron's rod which budded", and the stone tablets were kept in the tabernacle if the story of Israel wandering in the wilderness was imaginary?
• Why would God ordain a mere tent of testimony, rather than a more enduring structure, if the nation of Israel never migrated?

In the camp of Yahweh.

What would happen if over one million people set out together for a new land? Further, imagine that this people had not made any provisions of food for the journey except what they could prepare a few hours before departure.

This was the people of Israel in their Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 12:29-39). The children who exited Egypt then saw their parents deny, at Mt. Sinai, the very God who redeemed them. They saw their parents continue to rebel against God and suffer just punishment during forty years' wandering in the wilderness. The generation that grew up in the wilderness . . . learned to fear the one true God. Their worship was centralized at the tabernacle (i.e. the tent of testimony), over which the glory of the Lord rested in a piller of cloud and fire (Numbers 9:15-23). Joshua led this Exodus generation into Canaan. This story is woven with the themes of redemption, rebellion, discipline, and spiritual renewal. But are these themes just themes? What does the larger context of Scripture say about the tabernacle of the Lord?

"Be Thou My Vision" by Selah

Old Testament References to the Tabernacle:

• Numbers 1:48-51, "For the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying, 'Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, nor shall you take their census among the sons of Israel. But you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings and over all that belongs to it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it; they shall also camp around the tabernacle. So when the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle encamps, the Levites shall set it up. But the layman who comes near shall be put to death.'"
• Tabernacle - portrayed as a historical tent of worship (contrast with building/house of worship).
• How could the real tribe of Levi take charge of, carry, and set up an imaginary tent?
• Why would an imaginary tabernacle be holy?
• How could the congregation of Israel know how to avoid coming near an imaginary tabernacle?
• Why would the tribe of Levi get special exemption from the national census if all they did was pretend to serve in an imaginary tabernacle?
• Why have a frail tent of worship (instead of a building) if the Israelites never migrated as a people?
• Joshua 22:13-19, "Then the sons of Israel sent to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and with him ten chiefs, one chief for each father’s household from each of the tribes of Israel . . . They came to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them saying . . . 'If you rebel against the LORD today, He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel tomorrow. If, however, the land of your possession is unclean, then cross into the land of the possession of the LORD, where the LORD’S tabernacle stands, and take possession among us. Only do not rebel against the LORD, or rebel against us by building an altar for yourselves, besides the altar of the LORD our God.'"
• Tabernacle - portrayed as a historical tent of worship.
• Why would an imaginary alter in an imaginary tabernacle hold presidence over a real altar built by the sons of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh?
• How could an imaginary tabernacle "stand" in a real land among ten real tribes of Israel?
• Why would ten chiefs of Israel get into a heated argument with their relatives about an imaginary tabernacle?
• Why have a frail tent of worship (instead of a building) if the Israelites never migrated as a people?
• I Chronicles 6:16, 31-49, "The sons of Levi were Gershom, Kohath and Merari . . . Now these are those whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after the ark rested there. They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem; and they served in their office according to their order. These are those who served with their sons: From the sons of the Kohathites were . . . Heman’s brother Asaph stood at his right hand, even Asaph . . . the son of Levi. On the left hand were their kinsmen the sons of Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi . . . Their kinsmen the Levites were appointed for all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God. But Aaron and his sons offered on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense, for all the work of the most holy place, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded."
• Tabernacle - portrayed as a historical tent of worship.
• Why would the real descendents of Levi still choose to minister before an imaginary tabernacle in the time of King David?
• Why would the sons of Aaron offer real burnt offerings if Moses only commanded them about imaginary worship at an imaginary tabernacle?
• Why structure real, complex, religious activities, including song and burnt offerings, around an imaginary tabernacle?
• Why would the people of Israel keep a frail tent of worship (instead of a building) until the time of Solomon, unless that tabernacle had been ordained by God?
• Why ordain a frail tent of worship if the Israelites never migrated as a people?
• I Chronicles 21:1-7, 26-30, "Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel. So David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, 'Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, and bring me word that I may know their number.' Joab said, 'May the LORD add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?' Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore, Joab departed and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. Joab gave the number of the census of all the people to David. And all Israel were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword; and Judah was 470,000 men who drew the sword. But he did not number Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s command was abhorrent to Joab.
        God was displeased with this thing, so He struck Israel . . . Then David built an altar to the LORD there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And he called to the LORD and He answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. The LORD commanded the angel, and he put his sword back in its sheath.
        At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he offered sacrifice there. For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were in the high place at Gibeon at that time. But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was terrified by the sword of the angel of the LORD."
• Tabernacle - portrayed as a historical tent of worship.
• How could an imaginary tabernacle be located at the real physical place of Gibeon?
• How could the real man Moses "make" an imaginary tabernacle?
• Why write that a real tabernacle (seen in the time of David) was made during an imaginary time of Israel wandering in the wilderness? How would that lend credibility to the whole system of worship?
• Why would a census of all Israel be cause for guilt if Israel hadn't received any real instruction about how-to/how-not-to take a census?
• If Israel had received real instruction about how-to/how-not-to take a census based in part on the special status of the Levites (seen in Numbers 1:48-51 above), how could the tabernacle so central to the Levites' status be imaginary?
• I Chronicles 23:24-28, "These were the sons of Levi according to their fathers’ households, even the heads of the fathers’ households of those of them who were counted, in the number of names by their census, doing the work for the service of the house of the LORD, from twenty years old and upward. For David said, 'The LORD God of Israel has given rest to His people, and He dwells in Jerusalem forever. Also, the Levites will no longer need to carry the tabernacle and all its utensils for its service.' For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered from twenty years old and upward. For their office is to assist the sons of Aaron with the service of the house of the LORD, in the courts and in the chambers and in the purifying of all holy things, even the work of the service of the house of God . . ."
• Tabernacle - portrayed as a historical tent of worship.
• Why would the Levites ever have the task of carrying the tabernacle if the tabernacle was never moved?
• Why ever move a central place of worship (the tabernacle) for a settled people? Wouldn't that just cause confusion for worshipers?
• Why would the people of Israel keep a frail tent of worship (instead of a building) until the time of Solomon, unless that tabernacle had been ordained by God?
• Why ordain a frail tent of worship if the Israelites never migrated as a people?
• II Chronicles 1:1-7, "Now Solomon the son of David established himself securely over his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and exalted him greatly.
        Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and to the judges and to every leader in all Israel, the heads of the fathers’ households. Then Solomon and all the assembly with him went to the high place which was at Gibeon, for God’s tent of meeting was there, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. However, David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place he had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. Now the bronze altar, which Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of the LORD, and Solomon and the assembly sought it out. Solomon went up there before the LORD to the bronze altar which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it."
• Tabernacle - portrayed as a historical tent of worship.
• Why would the people of Israel consider Gibeon a special place of worship if there was really nothing special there?
• How could an imaginary tabernacle be located at the real physical place of Gibeon?
• How could the real man Moses "make" an imaginary tabernacle?
• Why write that a real tabernacle (seen during the time of Solomon) was made during an imaginary time of Israel wandering in the wilderness? How would that lend credibility to the whole system of worship?
• Why remember the chief craftsman, Bezalel (Exodus 31:1-11), of the tabernacle and its bronze altar up to the time of Solomon if Bezalel never really made anything?

Nice to be at Thanksgiving Break--school slows down a little.

Two brothers. One people. One God.

Exodus 1:1-12, "Now these are the names of the sons of Israel [Jacob] who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. All the persons who came from the loins of Jacob were seventy in number, but Joseph was already in Egypt. Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them. Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. He said to his people, 'Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we. Come, let us deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land.' So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel."

According to Exodus, after Joseph and the Pharaoh he ruled alongside died, things changed for the sons of Israel. They first surpassed the Egyptians in either population, possessions, or both. Then, in fear of their power, the current Egyptian Pharaoh enslaved the descendents of Jacob. Yet, in the midst of this narrative, two names stand out--Moses and Aaron.

Exodus 2:1-10, "Now a man from the house of Levi [descendents of Levi] went and married a daughter of Levi. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months [since the Pharaoh had ordered that newborn Israelite sons be put to death]. But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him.

      The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, 'This is one of the Hebrews’ children.' . . . and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, 'Because I drew him out of the water.'"

Exodus 3:4-4:16, "When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am.' . . . He said also, 'I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. The LORD said, 'I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings . . . Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt' . . . Then Moses said to God, 'Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, "The God of your fathers has sent me to you." Now they may say to me, "What is His name?" What shall I say to them?' God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM'; and He said, 'Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you."' . . . Then Moses said to the LORD, 'Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.' The LORD said to him, 'Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.' But he said, 'Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.' Then the anger of the LORD burned against Moses, and He said, 'Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do. Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you . . ."

What is the siginificance of Moses and Aaron in Scripture outside of the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), also called the "Law of Moses" with authorship at least traditionally attributed to Moses?


Moses & Aaron in the context of the Old Testament:

• Joshua 1:1-7, "Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, 'Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.'"
• Moses - portrayed as a historical man.
• Why add the descriptor "servant of the Lord" following the name of an imaginary character? How could an imaginary person serve the Lord?
• Why would God directly say that an imaginary person had died?
• Why would a real, all-powerful God speak to an imaginary person?
• What encouragement is there for God to say "Just as I have been with" [an imaginary person] "I will be with you"?
• What reason would there be for Joshua to heed the law commanded by an imaginary person? How could an imaginary person even entrust this law to Joshua?
• Why juxtapose reference to an imaginary man with reference to the real Jordan River, the real land of Lebanon, the real Euphrates, and the real Hittite people?
• How could settlement of real land be promised through an imaginary man?
• I Samuel 12:6-9, "Then Samuel said to all Israel, 'Behold, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me and I have appointed a king over you. Now, here is the king walking before you, but I am old and gray, and behold my sons are with you' . . . Then Samuel said to the people, 'It is the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. So now, take your stand, that I may plead with you before the LORD concerning all the righteous acts of the LORD which He did for you and your fathers. When Jacob went into Egypt and your fathers cried out to the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. But they forgot the LORD their God, so He sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.'"
• Moses and Aaron - portrayed as historical men.
• Why would an old man tell a fictitious story about imaginary characters named Moses and Aaron to the Israelite people he has led and judged? He would have little personal benefit in old age.
• Why would Samuel "plead"/argue with the people by talking about imaginary characters? How would such an argument be convincing?
• Why would it be said that the ompnipotent God sent imaginary men to bring Israel up from Egypt?
• Why would Samuel, who received direct word from God as a prophet his whole life, indoctrinate Israel with an imaginary story about imaginary characters? Would God blind the eyes of His own people?
• How could the Israelites forget the Lord their God if the tale of their forefathers witnessing God's wonders was merely imaginary?
• I Chronicles 1:1-15, "The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath and Merari. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses and Miriam. And the sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Eleazar became the father of Phinehas, and Phinehas became the father of Abishua, and Abishua became the father of Bukki, and Bukki became the father of Uzzi . . . and Ahitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok became the father of Ahimaaz . . . and Johanan became the father of Azariah (it was he who served as the priest in the house which Solomon built in Jerusalem), and Azariah became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Ahitub . . . and Seraiah became the father of Jehozadak; and Jehozadak went along when the LORD carried Judah and Jerusalem away into exile by Nebuchadnezzar."
• Moses and Aaron - portrayed as historical men.
• Why trace a current priestly line father-to-son from an imaginary character Aaron, brother of an imaginary Moses? One simply cannot justify authority [priestly here] based on an imaginary ancestor, no matter how detailed you are.
• Why reference the real Temple of Solomon in a fictitious genealogy?
• Why reference the real captivity of Judah and Jerusalem under the real Bablyonian King Nebuchadnezzar in a fictitious genealogy?
• I Chronicles 23:1-17, "Now when David reached old age, he made his son Solomon king over Israel. And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel with the priests and the Levites. The Levites were numbered from thirty years old and upward, and their number by census of men was 38,000. Of these, 24,000 were to oversee the work of the house of the LORD; and 6,000 were officers and judges, and 4,000 were gatekeepers, and 4,000 were praising the LORD with the instruments which David made for giving praise. David divided them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Of the Gershonites were Ladan and Shimei . . . The sons of Kohath were four: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. The sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses. And Aaron was set apart to sanctify him as most holy, he and his sons forever, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister to Him and to bless in His name forever. But as for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi. The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer. The son of Gershom was Shebuel the chief. The son of Eliezer was Rehabiah the chief; and Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many."
• Moses and Aaron - portrayed as historical men.
• How could the real King David place the an imaginary man Aaron among the descendents of real Levi, son of real Jacob?
• Why would David divide up the sacred Temple duties of the Levites in part according to the imaginary setting apart of an imaginary Aaron for priesthood?
• How could Aaron and his sons be "forever" set apart for priesthood, if Aaron had never lived?
• How could the sons of an imaginary man Moses be "named" among the real tribe of Levi?
• Why would descendents of an imaginary man be real chiefs?
• Why go into the detail of noting the relative number of grandsons (sons of Eliezer) and greatgrandsons (sons of Rehabiah) of an imaginary man Moses?
• Why take a lengthy real census of the Levites during the beginning of Solomon's reign based on their imagined ancestry from Aaron?
• I Chronicles 24:1-6, "Now the divisions of the descendants of Aaron were these: the sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests. David, with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar [descendents of Eleazar] and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their offices for their ministry. Since more chief men were found from the descendants of Eleazar than the descendants of Ithamar, they divided them thus: there were sixteen heads of fathers’ households of the descendants of Eleazar and eight of the descendants of Ithamar, according to their fathers’ households. Thus they were divided by lot, the one as the other; for they were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God, both from the descendants of Eleazar and the descendants of Ithamar. Shemaiah, the son of Nethanel the scribe, from the Levites, recorded them in the presence of the king, the princes, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the priests and of the Levites; one father’s household taken for Eleazar and one taken for Ithamar."
• Aaron - portrayed as a historical man.
• Why note the deaths of two sons of an imaginary Aaron when simply explaining priestly divisions?
• Why link real priests (Zadok and Ahimelech) living during the time of David to the sons of an imaginary man Aaron?
• Why select certain men who simply claimed descent from an imaginary Aaron to hold the privilege of "officers of the sanctuary and officers of God"?
• Why so seriously draw lots for men claiming to be descendents of Aaron in the presence of the king, the princes, the priest, and the heads of the priests and Levites, unless Aaron was their real ancestor?