The Everlasting Covenant - 10.7 Step by Step

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10.7 Step by Step at Sinai
by Hubert F. Sturges, www.everlastingcovenant.com, March 2009
 
Topics:
    The Journey to Sinai
    The Covenant Given
    The Covenant Broken
    Moses Intercedes for the People
    The Covenant Restored
    Comment:
BC 1921 Abram called into Canaan
BC 1706 Jacob and his family go into Egypt
BC 1491 Passover. Israel begin exodus from Egypt (Exodus 12:50-51).
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The journey to Sinai

First month, 10th day  Passover in Egypt. Exodus 12:2, 41
    Pursued by the Egyptians
    Cross Red Sea on dry land. Egyptians drowned
    3 days march to Marah. Water bitter. Tree cast in to make it sweet.
    Elim, with twelve wells and 70 palm trees. Camped and rested.
 
Second mo., 15th day  Left Elim. Exodus 16:1
    7 days? Manna given, and quails
    Pitched camp in Rephidim. Moses strikes rock with staff. Massah and Meribah
    Amalek fights with Israel. Aaron and Hur hold up Moses’ hands
    Visit of Jethro

Third month    Arrive at Sinai. Exodus 19:1. 6-8 weeks later
                  7 days ?    Camp is set up. Exodus 19:2
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The Covenant given:

  1 day       Moses is called up into the Mount. The everlasting covenant is
        restated. Exodus 19:3-6
           1 day       Elders are called. People answer: “All that the Lord hath spoken we
                 will do” Exodus 19:7-9
  1 day       Moses speaks again with God in the mount.
        The people must be sanctified for two days, and wash their clothes.
        Moses comes down out of the mount.
  3 days     People prepare; Moses goes up into the mount, God is revealed in
        smoke and fire. He speaks with Moses. Exodus 19:10-25.
        God speaks the ten commandments. Exodus 20:1-17. Deuteronomy 5:2-4, 22
        _____________________________________________

  1 day ?    Moses speaks to God in thick darkness. Civil law is given. “An
        Angel” is to accompany them. Land to be cleared of heathen tribes.
        Exodus 20:21 to 23:33
        _____________________________________________
  1 day       An altar is built and the covenant ratified by blood. Exodus
        24:3-11. Book of the Covenant/civil law given. “All that the Lord hath
        said will we do.”
        _____________________________________________
  7 days     Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 elders “went up” and “saw
        God” His glory. Exodus 24:9-11. Elders returned to camp, Aaron and
        Hur appointed to govern Israel while Moses was in the mount,  Exodus
        24:14. Then, Moses was called into the mount and waited six days.
        Exodus 24:15-17
        _____________________________________________
40 days      Moses called into the thick cloud to commune with God.
                  Exodus 24:18.
                         * Plans for the sanctuary. Exodus chapters 25-27
                         * The Priesthood. Exodus chapters 28-29
                         * “And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their
                            God.
                            “And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that
                   brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among
                   them: I am the LORD their God”  Exodus 29:45-46.

                         * Altar of incense and special perfume described. Exodus 30
                         * The Sabbath a sign, Moses given two tables of stone.
                   Exodus 31:13-18
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The covenant broken

                         * The golden calf. Exodus chapter 32
        _____________________________________________
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Moses intercedes for the people

                  Moses’ first intercession, on the mountain. God’s wrath
        assuaged. Exodus 32:7-14.
        _____________________________________________
  3 days ?   Moses’ 2nd intercession, in the camp. Angel to go with them.
        The people are plagued. Exodus 32:30-35.
        _____________________________________________
  3 days ?   Moses’ 3rd intercession, in the camp. More about the angel.
        Exodus 33:2. God will not go with them. Exodus 33:3. Tabernacle moved
        far off. Exodus 33:7-10. Moses goes into pillar of cloud and pleads with
        God. Exodus 33:12-17.

        “And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest”
        Exodus 33:7-14.
        _____________________________________________
40 days      Moses’ 4th intercession, in the mount. Exodus 34:8-10. Moses
        prepares tables of stone. Exodus 34:1-4, 28.

                   * God passes by in Moses’ sight. Exodus 34:6,7.
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The covenant restored

        Moses has seen God in the Mount. He desires that the people also share
        in this experience. God graciously fully restores the covenant.

    “And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.
    “And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.
    “Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.” Exodus 34:9-11
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Comment:

This is an attempt to show the flow of events at Sinai. It is only an estimate. The Bible record is not always chronological. Sometimes the same event is described in different ways, and it may be difficult to determine if it is a second description of the same event, or two separate events. Events are examined to identify enough unique features to separate the events from each other. There is still the problem of timing. The time span of this effort reflects how long we, in this age, might go through these events. Quite likely, the time spans were much longer than are represented here.
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