Timeline - Israel In The Wilderness

Israel's journey from their exodus from Egypt to entering the Promised Land.

The timeline of Israel's journey in the wilderness covers a span of 40 years, traditionally dated from approximately 1446–1406 BC is found in the Bible from Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. 

The timeline features the seven major complaints that the people had against God and Moses along with God's response.

This timeline was created using Grok.com

Timeline of Israel in the Wilderness

Year 1 (c. 1446 BC): Exodus from Egypt and Early Wanderings

Month 1–2: Israel departs Egypt after the Passover (Exodus 12). God leads them through the Red Sea, which parts to allow their escape from Pharaoh’s army (Exodus 14).

Complaint 1: Bitter Water at Marah (Exodus 15:22–25)

• Location: Marah, shortly after crossing the Red Sea.
• God's Response: God instructs Moses to throw a piece of wood into the water, making it sweet. God promises to protect them from diseases if they obey.

Complaint 2: Lack of Food in the Wilderness of Sin (Exodus 16:1–3)

• Location: Wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Sinai (15th day, 2nd month after leaving Egypt).
• God's Response: God provides manna from heaven and quail in the evening, establishing daily provision and Sabbath rest.

Month 3: Israel arrives at the Desert of Sinai and camps at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1). God gives the Ten Commandments and the Law through Moses (Exodus 20–24).

Months 4–12: Israel constructs the Tabernacle, receives further laws, and organizes as a nation under God’s covenant (Exodus 25–40; Leviticus).

Year 2 (c. 1445 BC): Departure from Sinai and Rebellion

Month 1: The Tabernacle is set up, and priestly duties begin (Exodus 40:17; Leviticus 8–9).

Month 2: First census of Israel’s fighting men (Numbers 1). Israel departs Mount Sinai, led by the cloud of God’s presence (Numbers 10:11–13).

Mid-Year: Israel complains about hardships and food (Numbers 11). God provides quail but sends a plague for their grumbling.

Complaint 3: General Grumbling at Taberah (Numbers 11:1–3)

• Location: Taberah, shortly after leaving Sinai.
• God's Response: God sends fire to consume some outlying parts of the camp. Moses prays, and the fire stops.

Complaint 4: Craving Meat at Kibroth Hattaavah (Numbers 11:4–35)

• Location: Kibroth Hattaavah, near Taberah.
• God's Response: God sends quail in abundance, but in anger, strikes the people with a plague for their greed, and many die.

Complaint 5: Miriam and Aaron’s Rebellion (Numbers 12:1–16)

• Location: Hazeroth, after Kibroth Hattaavah.
• God's Response: God defends Moses, strikes Miriam with leprosy, and she is healed after seven days outside the camp following Moses’ intercession.

Complaint 6: Refusal to Enter Canaan (Numbers 13–14)

• Location: Kadesh-Barnea
• God's Response: God decrees 40 years of wandering as punishment—one year for each day the spies scouted (Numbers 14:34).

Total Time Summary So Far:

• From Egypt to Mount Sinai: 2 months.
• Stay at Mount Sinai: 11 months.
• Sinai to Kadesh-Barnea: 1–2 months.
• Total: Approximately 13–15 months (from spring of Year 1 to summer of Year 2).

Years 3–39 (c. 1444–1407 BC): Wilderness Wanderings

The Bible provides fewer details for this period, as it focuses on Israel’s disobedience and wandering in the Desert of Paran and surrounding regions.

Key Events

Korah’s rebellion against Moses’ leadership; God judges the rebels (Numbers 16).

Complaint 7: Lack of Water at Kadesh (Numbers 20:1–13)

• Location: Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.
• God's Response: God instructs Moses to speak to a rock to bring water, but Moses strikes it twice in anger. Water flows, but Moses and Aaron are barred from entering Canaan for disobedience.

Aaron dies on Mount Hor (Numbers 20:22–29).

Israel defeats early Canaanite and Amorite kings, including Sihon and Og, east of the Jordan (Numbers 21:21–35).

The generation that rebelled at Kadesh-Barnea gradually dies out, fulfilling God’s judgment (Numbers 14:29–30).

Year 40 (c. 1406 BC): Preparation to Enter Canaan

Month 1: Israel camps on the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River, opposite Jericho (Numbers 22:1).

Balaam’s Oracles: King Balak of Moab hires Balaam to curse Israel, but God turns the curses into blessings (Numbers 22–24).

Second Census: A new generation is counted, preparing to enter Canaan (Numbers 26).

Moses’ Final Instructions: Moses delivers the book of Deuteronomy, summarizing the Law and renewing the covenant. He appoints Joshua as his successor (Deuteronomy 31).

Moses’ Death: Moses views the Promised Land from Mount Nebo and dies at age 120 (Deuteronomy 34).

Entry into Canaan: Under Joshua’s leadership, Israel crosses the Jordan River into the Promised Land, beginning the conquest (Joshua 3–4).

Redeemed To Be God's People

God's people are at God's mountain to begin a new relationship with him.

Exodus 19:3-5,8 Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel: 

4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. 6 And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”

8 And all the people responded together, “We will do everything the LORD has commanded.” So Moses brought the people’s answer back to the LORD.

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So far the theme of Exodus has been the salvation of God's people, the first eighteen chapters shows us how God redeemed his people from the kingdom of darkness, and now it is time for his redeemed people to learn how to live for him.

God wants to transform his people from a bunch of beaten down former slaves into a Godly nation that will appreciate his blessings enough to worship him and show his goodness to the rest of the world.

Instead of the forced obedience at the hands of their harsh taskmasters in Egypt they needed to learn how to please their redeemer voluntarily. At Mount Sinai, God will make a new covenant that will replace the covenant made to Abraham.

You have seen and you know (Exodus 19:4)

God has done some amazing things to fulfill the promises that he made and to show his people that he loves them. 

They know that the promises made hundreds of years ago to Abraham came true. They know that he just released them from bondage and wiped out their enemy when they crossed the sea on dry ground and they know that God has provided for their physical needs out in the wilderness when there wasn't any natural resources.

God brought them to the place where he predicted, before they left Egypt, that they would come to worship him. (Exodus 3:12) God was true to his word every step of the way despite the attitude of his people.

If you will obey me (Exodus 19:5)

They have an amazing future ahead of them if they get it right, God's people will be here at the mountain for the next eleven months learning about him and how to please him, but with all of this close contact with God they will still struggle to trust and obey.

God's people will act like they are not, they will rebel against all that they have learned about him and behave just like the rest of the world, even with the huge miracles that God performed on their behalf.

You will be my special treasure (Exodus 19:5)

God reminds his people of how special they are, the whole earth belongs to him and he could have chosen anything, any place or anybody to be his most prized treasure. But you don't get to be God's people without having a relationship with him and you can't have a relationship with him if you are not pleasing to him.

As God promised Abraham, they have been blessed to be a blessing, their experience with God will be the main revelation of God to the world at that time. If they live by God's rules they will be a holy nation of priest that will be a testimony to the nations of God's goodness and his desire to redeem the entire world just as he redeemed Israel.

We will do everything the LORD has commanded

God's people agree to his covenant, they are officially God's children, as a nation anyway but individually they would each have to put it into practice daily, this is a personal decision they all had to decide for themselves.

We usually look at God's law as a burden but it is celebrated in the Bible, obeying God's law was seen as a source of delight and a blessing, (Psalm 19 and 119) the people enthusiastically committed to obey without complaining. But Moses knew that as good as it seemed at the moment they would fail to keep the the law just like all of us. (Deuteronomy 28:47-48, 31:29)

Moses was the mediator between God and his people, a mediator with many flaws, but thankfully Moses was a type for the perfect mediator that will came. 

1 Peter 2:5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 

1 Peter 2:9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

The ultimate redeemer and mediator has brought us into a place of great privilege, we are called to be holy priest that display God's goodness, but too many of us are living as disobedient children. 

We can be so far short of God's standards that the world has a warped view of God and how to spend eternity with him. If God is truly good then it should be easy to show it so that others will agree upon his goodness and want to get in on what you have. We must remember that we have not been blessed so that we can hide the blessings. 

God's blessings to me are to be used to glorify him and to bless the world around me. I need to live to please him so that the world can see how satisfying life is when it is lived according to God's rules. My life should be as a priest that shows God to the world and lets them know how to live with him for eternity.

Redeemed And Learning To Trust God

The wilderness will teach us to trust God on the way to our promised land.

Exodus 15:13 “With your unfailing love you lead the people you have redeemed. In your might, you guide them to your sacred home."

Exodus 16:7-10 In the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us. What have we done that you should complain about us?” 8 Then Moses added, “The LORD will give you meat to eat in the evening and bread to satisfy you in the morning, for he has heard all your complaints against him. What have we done? Yes, your complaints are against the LORD, not against us.”

9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Announce this to the entire community of Israel: ‘Present yourselves before the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.’” 10 And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the LORD in the cloud.

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We recently learned that God's people went from the highest most joyful situation to the most extreme low. One moment the redeemed were rejoicing that they were out of Egypt and the next moment they are regretting that they left. It didn't take long for their memories of the past to look good compared to what they were dealing with at the moment.

God's main goal and purpose for our life is not what we focus on, he doesn't worry about how to provide for our physical necessities, we have the worst time trying to see that God is working and he usually has a good purpose behind our trials.

God was not surprised by any of these circumstances that his people encountered in the wilderness, he showed his power through the plagues and the release of his people from Egypt, he brought thousands of people across the sea on dry ground and had the sea swallow their enemy. 

Despite all of this, there are still questions about God's faithfulness, he should be trusted to continue to help them in the place that he has brought them, but his people have a long way to go in their spiritual journey. This section of the book of Exodus shows us five things that God does to teach us to trust him more. 

How does God provide for our journey home?

1. God test us

God will put you through test to show you what he already knows about you. He already knows what the spiritual MRI is going to show about your heart, he knows about the attitudes, the unbelief and the lack of faith, the test results are for your benefit.

Don't waste the opportunities when you are in the school of faith. It is important that you learn from your test so that you may avoid a retake. When his people grumbled for water the second time they didn't realize that it was a retake and they had failed the test again. (Exodus 15:22-27, 17:1-7)

2. God gives us daily bread 

The sweet bread from Heaven was a foretaste of what they could have when they get to the land of milk and honey. You would think that the promised future that they were reminded of would help them get through the wilderness experience with more finesse.

Having enough to eat today should have helped them trust God with their empty pantries every night. God's rule's stated that they were only allowed to have food in the pantry on the night before the Sabbath, on this one night the food would be preserved for the next day instead of spoiling. (Exodus 16:1-36)

3. God treats us better than we deserve

Praise God that we get what we don't deserve and we don't get what we do deserve! God's goodness to lowly, self righteous, prideful humans is extremely way beyond what we deserve!

The lack of trust started way back in the Garden of Eden and it hasn't gotten any better. It goes against our nature to trust God so each generation has to learn the same lessons that the previous struggled with.

4. God fights for us

The force that God used against their enemies was a foretaste of what he will do when they get to the Promised Land. God will give them victories against mighty forces that they shouldn't to able to defeat without his power. (Exodus 17:8-16, Exodus 14:13)

Anything or any person that weakens your trust in God is your enemy. If it fights against your ability to trust in God and find satisfaction in him then it is pulling you away from him toward something inferior. 

5. God gives wisdom 

An entire nation of selfish people were going to have their share of problems as they make their way to the Promised Land. A multitude of wise counselors would need to help them get along with each other along the way.

Without the wise advise of Jethro, Moses would have burned out and wouldn't have been able to minister to God's people. God's leader was taking on more things, even good things, than he could deal with on a long term basis. (Exodus 18:13-27)

We are too prone to engrave our trials in marble and write our blessings in sand.

-Charles Spurgeon

God knows that his people need to learn to trust him on their way to the Promised Land so that they will trust him in the Promised Land for the new challenges they will face there. They would be so much better off when they arrive at the Jordan River if they would have learned to trust God before they got there.

Looking ahead in the story we know that God's people suffered extreme consequences because they didn't trust him to help them take possession of the land. It's a lesson that God's people still have difficulty with today.

Psalm 95:8-9 The LORD says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness. For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did.

Since God has redeemed us and brought us out of slavery to sin we should know that he will provide for us completely until he takes us home. We are concerned more about our daily bread but God wants to focus on growing our trust in him.

Help me Lord to focus on the awesome things that you have done for me and your promises for my future. You gave me an abundant amount of evidence in my past to prove that I should trust you completely until I am home in eternity with you.

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Redeemed And Regretting

It must confuse the world when God's people lose their joy.

Exodus 15:22-24 Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water. 23 When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”). 24 Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded.

Exodus 16:1-3 Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt. 2 There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron. 3 “If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

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In the previous post we saw that God's people were redeemed and rejoicing as they stood on the banks of the sea that had just swallowed up their enemies. After hundreds of years living in bondage they were redeemed from the kingdom of darkness! 

God's people just got out of church, it was the best worship service ever, they sang the first praise and worship songs ever and nobody complained that they didn't know the song or that the music was too loud. (Exodus 15:1-21) 

But the best worship service ever wasn't enough to stop them from complaining right after church was over. The amazing things that God did for his people were quickly put aside as they left the worship service. 

The people looked at their situation and quickly turned the amazing things that God did for them around so that it was a curse instead of a blessing. They failed to acknowledge that God's goodness is the reason they are out in the wilderness on their way to his next promise. 

The redeemed and rejoicing so quickly became the redeemed and regretting!

Exodus 16:3 “If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned.

Instead of continuing to praising him they turned into complainers that didn't appreciate what God did for them. They looked back and decided it would be better to be dead back in Egypt than to be dead in the wilderness. 

Say what!?! Either way they would be dead! The fact that they are in the wilderness meant they had experienced God in a bold new way and they should expect that they will see him work for them again. 

Our unmet physical needs are the quickest way to get distracted from what really matters. It is difficult to trust God spiritually when you are doubting that he will provide for you physically. It is easy to see that we need to grow up when our first thought is "What do I get out of this?" rather than "How can I please God in this?"

God Is Sufficient For Our Needs

1. God leads you into places of need so that you will look to Him to meet those needs. 2. When you look to the Lord, you’ll see His grace and glory to be your sufficiency. 3. The manna points to Jesus Christ, the true bread of life that comes down out of heaven to satisfy your soul. 4. You must daily make the effort to lay hold of Christ as bread for your soul. -From "Raining Bread From Heaven" (bible.org)

God allows us to have unmet needs so that we will learn about him and so we can learn something about ourselves as well. God already knows our heart, so when the ultimate heart doctor gives us a test, it is for our benefit. The test result show us things about ourselves that can be shocking to learn.

The worship service shouldn't be an event that is done for a set amount of time, it should be a lifestyle that continues all week long, but God's people lose their joy so quickly that the rest of the world must get really confused. They can't see God's glory in us and long for what we have because most of the time we don't seem to have much that they should desire to have.

God's people often feel that if they just grumble to a close friend that will be discrete with the information then it's okay but they fail to acknowledge that God hears it all. The Bible tells us four times that while the children of God were whining in the wilderness God was listening to their ungrateful attitude and he wasn't pleased. (Exodus 16:7-12)

Exodus 16:7  In the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us. What have we done that you should complain about us?”

Exodus 16:10 And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the LORD in the cloud.

God used the wilderness experience of Moses to prepare him to lead his people and now the entire nation was going to be in God's wilderness classroom. They would see God's glory just as vividly as Moses did in the burning bush and they would also doubt God just as Moses did. They could see the awesome glory of God but they still couldn't take their eyes off of themselves. 

The people that met Jesus when he came to our world failed just the same. The true daily bread from Heaven miraculously fed thousands from a boy's lunch box and the same people respond to Jesus the next day by focusing on themselves so much that they missed the long awaited Messiah. (John 6:1-71)

We need to appreciate God's goodness toward us even after the emotional high of a big event begins to wear off. We have "crossing the Red Sea" moments in our lives that should change our relationship with God but too often we miss out on truly seeing him, experiencing him and learning from him.

Thank you Lord for your presence in my life! Help me to see your glory in the big moments so that I can learn that you are sufficient for all of my needs. I need to acknowledge that your goodness brought me to this place in life and my wilderness experience is a classroom that I shouldn't complain about.

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Saved And Sent

We are sent out to show the world how awesome our God is.

Exodus 12:31-33 Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron during the night. “Get out!” he ordered. “Leave my people— and take the rest of the Israelites with you! Go and worship the LORD as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you said, and be gone. Go, but bless me as you leave.” 33 All the Egyptians urged the people of Israel to get out of the land as quickly as possible, for they thought, “We will all die!”

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We have seen God's glory and power on display as he sent the plagues to Egypt, we saw that sometimes he exempted his people from the devastation, but for the final plague we saw that God required his people to do something in order to receive his protection.

God offered his chosen people a way to be saved from the destroying angels if they obeyed him and followed his plan of salvation. God's people were saved by the Passover Lamb and released from their bondage but they still had a long way to go to get to the Promised Land.

God's people were ordered to leave by Pharaoh and the rest of the people of Egypt also urged them to go and willingly gave them their stuff. The great number of people and the amount of livestock and riches that they have are all according to God's promises. It is very clear at this point who is in control and we know that it isn't the earthly kingdom. (Genesis 26:3-4)

God's promise to his people came to pass in God's timing, we cannot comprehend why God allowed thousands of his people to live and die in Egypt before he took them out but when it was time they left in the manner that he said it would happen. It's been a long wait and surely God's people are ready to get to the Promised Land right away but God has other plans that haven't been revealed to them yet.

Exodus 13:17 When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”

God is in control and he shows it again by directing his people to take the scenic route to their destination rather than taking them straight there. God's route to the new home that he has prepared for his people will force his people to wait on him.

Even with the explanation that scripture gives it is still difficult to understand why God didn't send his people on the short route to their land. He could have intervened and caused their enemies to be afraid of them so that they would not change their minds and return to Egypt. 

God's people want to see results and when it doesn't appear that God is at work we get discouraged. A lot of the time we fail to realize that God's timeline is much bigger than the span of our lifetime. Generations of God's people have lived and died crying out to God to see his plan come to pass without any indication that he had listened to their prayers.

Trust Isn't Easy
A. Trusting in the Lord requires seeing your weakness and need, but His power and provision. B. Trusting in the Lord requires remembering that He always keeps His promises. C. When we trust in the Lord, He gets the glory and we get the blessings. - God’s Means of Salvation (Steven J Cole on Bible.org)

Trusting God isn't easy so we try to make things happen that God isn't ready to do even if he has promised to do it someday. Between the book of Genesis and the first thirteen chapters of Exodus we have seen God work slow and steady in the lives of his people. 

Because God saved his people from the sting of death, the world reacted by sending them away, instead of realizing that God is for real and they should submit to his authority. They chose to ignore all of the evidence and continue to live their lives embracing the powerless gods that they had created.

God's people have been sent out to show the world how amazing God is. Israel was saved from and sent out of bondage to Egypt and likewise we are saved to be sent. They were sent to judge the inhabitants of the Promised Land but we are saved and sent to show the world God's perfect love, mercy and forgiveness on our way to our Promised Land.

The same amazing God that led his children to Canaan will also lead us safely home. The route to get there is long and hard, just like it was for Israel, so that we will learn to trust and glorify our gracious Lord as we get closer to home.

A Heart Of Thanks: Even When Life Is Difficult

The wilderness is for my own good so I should be thankful for it.

 

Psalms 95:1-11 Come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come to Him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to Him.

3 For the LORD is a great God, a great King above all gods. 4 He holds in His hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. 5 The sea belongs to Him, for He made it. His hands formed the dry land, too.

6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker, 7 for He is our God. We are the people He watches over, the flock under His care. If only you would listen to His voice today!

8 The LORD says, "Don't harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness. 9 For there your ancestors tested and tried My patience, even though they saw everything I did.

10 For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, 'They are a people whose hearts turn away from Me. They refuse to do what I tell them.' 11 So in My anger I took an oath: 'They will never enter My place of rest.'"

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When we think about all of the reasons we have to be thankful, we should go to God and give him praise and worship, if we consider just a fraction of what he has done the praise and worship should be unrestrained.

Maybe that isn't your experience right now, you know he deserves it but you are wondering around in the desert and your feelings are just not there. You are in a situation that you don't want to be thankful for.

Our number one desire here in the United States is to be comfortable, more money, better health, a house full of stuff and we are happy. The only problem with that way of thinking is that it isn't God's number one desire for you.

We like to pray for him to close doors that we shouldn't go through but what if he closed that door to test your faith? Do we really believe that God is in control when things happen?

God's number one desire for you is to make you holy, he is the master gardener that prunes his vine to make it more productive, pruning doesn't feel good but growth usually comes in the most difficult moments.

We are just like God's children in the wilderness, we have been brought out of slavery, we have witnessed unexplained miracles but at the moment we are out in a desert and the last thing we want to do is thank God for this situation.

We need to see God's presence in even the most difficult times and realize that sometimes he strategically puts us where we would never choose to go. 

Have you considered the reality that Jesus knew the weather forecast and he still put his disciples in a boat on two different occasions? 

Why would God ask Jonah to go start a revival in enemy territory? 

Why would faithful men have to make a stand for their beliefs and get thrown into a furnace?

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

When everything is going our way we take prosperity and comfort for granted but when things get tough we realize that we are powerless to control our circumstances. If you begin to see that everything you have and everything you have counted on can disappear in a second then it becomes much harder to take it for granted.

A heart of thanks can help you persevere when stress and heartache come upon us. You can focus on the current situation and forget about the past experiences that we have already come through. God brought you through yesterday, last month and last year when you thought things were so bad so why won't he do it again?

Lord help me to remember that you are in control and that I should not look at the people and circumstances around me and blame them for interrupting my plans to be comfortable. Thank you for loving me enough to die for me and for using any means necessary to help me grow.

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The Unqualified Get Called

Moses had to become an ordinary man before God called him to the extraordinary.

Exodus 3:9-10 Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”

11 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

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What a huge disappointment Moses parents must have felt as they heard the news that their son was a fugitive. Moses life had such a miraculous start and his parents must have been so hopeful that God was going to use Moses to do something great for their people. But all of those expectations have faded away since Moses was forced to flee to the wilderness to get away from Pharaoh.

Moses was trying to do God's will but he was trying to do it in his own strength and his own timetable. Moses learned the hard way that our skills and talents won't help us do God's will before God is ready. Moses found out that our strengths can be our greatest weakness when we use them outside of God's will.

If Moses had an thoughts earlier in life that he was saved from being killed by the Egyptians so that he could accomplish something great for God then he has probably given up on those great ideas. God hasn't done anything with him for 80 years, the strength of his youth is gone as well as his status and position in Pharaoh's government, and now it seems like God isn't even talking to him. Everything was going his way but now it is all gone until God is ready.

The Great "I Am" Calls The Great "I Am Not"

God Says: 

1. Go. The waiting is about to end, it is now time to act on the injustice that was bothering you before when you killed the Egyptian.

2. "I Am" is sending you. No more acting out of his own strength and wisdom.

3. You must lead. The called have a difficult time resisting the call, the urgency will overwhelm them.

4. My people. God loves the people more than Moses and he could have saved his people without using Moses.

Moses Says:

1. I am unworthy, but God already knew that, none of us are. (Genesis 3:11-12)

2. I don't have enough knowledge, but you don't need to be when God knows everything. (Genesis 3:13-22) 

3. I am not powerful, but you don't need to be when the power of God is your strength. (Genesis 4:1-9) 

4. I am not an eloquent speaker, but you haven't had any problem talking to God, so why can't you speak to Pharaoh? (Genesis 4:10-17) 

Moses was ready to do something dangerous before he had God on his side working for him but now that he has God on his side he is concerned about his safety and the success of his mission. He is so stubborn about not serving God that he begins to lie about himself in order to get God to leave him alone. (Compare Exodus 4:10 with Acts 7:22)

Exodus 4:13-14 But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.” 14 Then the LORD became angry with Moses.

Moses wisdom and his feelings told him the opposite of what God was saying, the outcome of God's plans did not depend on Moses abilities but on God's willingness to operate through him, he wasn't operating like someone whose success was guaranteed by almighty God.

Moses became an ordinary man with nothing to offer before he was called by God to lead his people. God doesn't care about my trophies or my list of credentials, he may allow me to be successful in ministry without his power but how much more could be done with it?

Thank you Lord for being faithful to your promises even when it seems like you allow me to live in the wilderness. Remind me that you care for me even when it seems like your silence is a sign that you doesn't care. Remind me that all things are possible when I rely on your power to accomplish your will through me.

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Doing God's Will God's Way

Our skills and talents won't help us do God's will before God is ready.

Exodus 2:11-12 Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. 

During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. 12 After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand.

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The comfortable life that God's children had when they first arrived in Egypt is just a distant memory at this point. God preserved their lives during the famine by sending them to Egypt but he also allowed them to be persecuted for hundreds of years before they were released. Being in the center of God's will does not guarantee that you will live on easy street.

God sent a rescuer in the form of a defenseless baby that would have to be protected from the evil dictator that wanted him dead, instead of killing Moses, God would see to it that Moses would grow up in Pharaoh's own family. Moses would get the best education and military training that the government could provide. But as much like an Egyptian as they tried to make him Moses still knew that he wasn't one of them.

Moses could have stayed in his comfortable life but the day came when he couldn't stand the unjust treatment of his people any longer. Seeing the oppression and injustice day after day finally pushed him over the edge but the problem was that he hadn't talked to God about his decision.

Moses Thinks He Is Ready, God Knows Better

Moses thinks that he is ready to make a difference in the life of his people but he doesn't realize that he doesn't have God's blessing yet. Moses proves by his actions that he has a heart for his people, and that he has leadership skills but he was wrong to assume that it was time for him to take action. 

Seeing a need that your training and skills can handle and having the courage to solve a problem doesn't mean it is time to get to work. Sometimes God isn't ready for you even if you think you are ready to serve him. It is easy to take action in the areas that God has gifted us before God is ready for us to use those gifts. 

How God Uses Failure
1. God uses imperfect instruments who fail in their attempts to serve Him.  2. God shapes and prepares imperfect instruments before He uses them. 3. God’s gracious covenant faithfulness prepares His servants for His people and His people for His servants. Learn more>

It seems like God's people would be anxious for a deliverer but the response to Moses after he killed the Egyptian made it clear that they were not ready yet. We will see later that their opposition to Moses leadership will never go away completely, they will stand up against him over and over again and they will even beg to return to these miserable conditions.

The future leader of God's people had to be prepared for God's work by stepping into the classroom that God uses quite often. Many times the wilderness is the place that God takes his people so that they can spend time alone with him free of distractions.

Back in the book of Genesis we saw that Jacob ran to the wilderness to get away from his brother and he ran into God. The wilderness is the place where God shaped Jacob's character and brought him into a closer relationship with him. (Genesis 28:12-13, 32:22-32)

Now it is Moses turn in the wilderness classroom, as soon as he gets to the wilderness we can see his desire for justice in his successful rescue of some shepherd girls, consequently Moses gets married to one of these ladies. Moses has gone from riches and luxury to one of God's preferred occupations as a poor shepherd with a family to feed. (Exodus 2:15-22)

At the beginning of Exodus chapter two, Moses was know as a Hebrew by Pharaoh's daughter and now at the end of the chapter he is known as an Egyptian by the daughters of Reuel, that's how quickly Moses became alienated from both worlds. (compare Exodus 2:6,19)

Moses spent his first forty years thinking he was somebody. He spent his second forty years learning he was a nobody. He spent his third forty years discovering what God can do with a nobody.

-D. L. Moody

Imagine having a God given desire to rescue people but God doesn't allow you to use your gifts and training to help. Moses will be 80 years old before God lets him begin his ministry of leading his people back to their promised land. 

Moses must have spent a lot of time alone with the sheep thinking that he had ruined his life with that one impulsive decision but God will show up in a big way that should have given him a lot of courage.

God Is Ready, Moses Thinks He Knows Better

Exodus 3:1-3 One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush.

Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. 3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”

When God is ready he comes in a big way to make it clear, but the burning bush that wasn't being burned up and the voice of God wasn't enough to convince Moses that God had the right man. Moses should have already realized that his own wisdom failed him when he killed the Egyptian but here he is standing on holy ground before God using his own wisdom again. This time he is making excuses about why God's wisdom is wrong.

Man's wisdom says that Moses has missed the opportunity to use his talents and influence forty years ago before he ran to the desert but God's wisdom says that this is exactly when he is ready to use us. Moses doesn't realize that the only strength that be needs is strong faith that the same powerful God of his ancestors was on his side.

Sometimes the most difficult times in ministry is in the waiting, we may feel like God is wrong for not using our ability and passion to serve. Most of the time we can't understand why he gives us a passion to serve and the ability but he doesn't give us the opportunity. 

When Moses was perfect for the job by the world's standards, God wasn't ready to use him, sometimes God's delay is being used to help us realize that we need to rely on him for his strength and his timing.

Thank you Lord for giving me a passion to serve you. Help me to wait for your blessing and your timing so that I will be in your will.

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The God Who Sees Me

Blessings aren't reserved for people that work hard and think they deserve them!

Genesis 16:8-9,13 The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied. 9 The angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.”

13 Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?”

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Everything is going really good for Hagar ever since she met Abram, she met him while he was visiting Egypt because of the famine in Canaan, what a joy it must have been to live in the household of a man that God has chosen to bless, a lowly slave girl couldn't ask for a better household to work for.

Hagar may have felt that she was blessed even more when she was chosen as the surrogate mother for Abram's child. Maybe she thought that Sarai would be cast aside like so many other barren women were so that she could be the wife. How delighted she must have been to be chosen, she knew all of the stories about the promised child, all of the great wealth, the real estate and the blessing that he would be to the whole world.

Hagar's stinking thinking led to a stinking attitude, she become arrogant and proud, Sarai responded by becoming defensive and passed the blame to Abram who in turn reminded Sarai that Hagar was just a slave girl and she could treat her any way she wanted and so she did. (Genesis 16:4-6, Proverbs 30:21-23)

The results of Abram and Sarai's sins against Hagar became so bad that she runs away in desperation. At first she thought that she was receiving a blessing but now it seems more like a curse. Hagar knew that Abram’s God loved him but did he love a lowly Gentile slave girl? How could her future look so bright and now she is unmarried pregnant, all alone and without a home?

Psalms 34:18  The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

God comes to Hagar to answer her questions but first he has some questions for her. It may seem strange that God would ever ask anybody a question, but he isn't trying to get information about Hagar's situation, God uses questions as a friendly way to start a conversation.

Doing anything without God's approval always complicates things, Sarai and Abram were out of God's will when they took this crazy plan to Hagar and then when their plan gets messy Hagar makes a bad choice and runs away.

It reminds me of the time that Abram ran to Egypt because of the famine in Canaan, God never told him to go, maybe he was supposed to stay in Canaan and allow God to provide for him there. If he had not gone to Egypt then he wouldn't have Hagar in his household and maybe this situation would have never happened. (The School of Faith)

God wanted Hagar to go back to the situation that she was running from with a new attitude, instead of being arrogant she needs to go back to the way it used to be. Hagar must return to her role as a servant and be submissive even if Sarai's attitude isn't any better.

Psalms 147:3  He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

God promised Hagar that she would be blessed, her son would not be a slave, he will be prosperous and he would also be the father of a great nation. I think that it's interesting that Ishmael eventually had twelve sons but his brother Isaac only had two, it would be Jacob that would have the twelve sons that comprise the tribes of Israel. (Genesis 25:13-15)

Hagar wouldn’t have seen the Lord if it hadn’t been for her trial and she wouldn't know that he sees her. Many people believe that God is watching what they do but they don't understand that he is seeing them through the eyes of love even when we are disobedient.

God saw the bad things that happened to her and her inappropriate response, he also saw the hurt and loneliness that caused her to run in despair and he saw her tears. Despite all of this sin she was seen by God with love and he promised grace, mercy and blessings.

Isaiah 66:2  My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are mine. I, the LORD, have spoken! “I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.

What a message of hope for all of God's children! We won't be perfect until that day when he takes us away from here but we don't have to be! God's blessings aren't reserved for the ones that work real hard and think they deserve them!

Sometimes our circumstances are our own fault, sometimes they are a result of somebody else, but God can take our messy circumstances and use them for his glory and for our blessing. I need to be a humble servant and be submissive in my circumstances no matter how hard it seems.

I need to see myself the way that God sees me
You cannot celebrate your rescue if you don't see you as God sees you. When you truly realize who you are in Christ you will resist the lies that Satan wants to plant in your head.

I need to see others the way God sees me
You cannot help others find their rescue if you don't see them with the way that God sees you. They will be amazed when you love them the way that you have experienced God's love to you.

Thank you God for seeing me with love and compassion despite my mistakes. Thank you for loving me so much that you were willing to give your son so that I will receive eternal blessings! Help me to remember that you don't need my help to accomplish your promises and your plans.

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The School Of Faith

God's test are for your own good and he offers retakes.

Genesis 12:7  Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

Genesis 12:10-13 At that time a severe famine struck the land of Canaan, forcing Abram to go down to Egypt, where he lived as a foreigner. 11 As he was approaching the border of Egypt, Abram said to his wife, Sarai, "Look, you are a very beautiful woman. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife. Let's kill him; then we can have her!' 13 So please tell them you are my sister. Then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you."

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Abram obeyed God and left home because he believed that God would give him a better place to live even though he did not know where he was going. He didn't have any of the navigation tools that God chooses to use sometimes, no pillar of fire or a star to follow, so I don't know how he knew which direction to go when he left the family property but he did it. If Abram needed the level of proof that we require he would not have left the driveway.

When God said "this is the place" Abram stopped to build the first altar to the one true God in the Promised Land. The land had plenty of altars but all of them were used to worship the gods that man had made out of rebellion.

This altar was an open confession of his religion that must have been an irritation to the people around him. Building the altar and using it to worship God confirms that Abram left his fake gods and truly believed the promise.

But this is not a story where they lived happily ever after in the new land, there are new faith lessons coming up, the life of faith isn't easy street, Abram would have to prove that his faith in God is real despite it's imperfections.

Three ways our faith will be tested:

Circumstances

Genesis 12:10

We all like to help God fix our problems so it is easy to understand why Abram left town when the famine came, he was responsible for the welfare of a lot of people and animals, but I have to wonder if maybe he wasn't supposed to move. Instead of going to Egypt, without a word from God telling him to do so, maybe he was supposed to stay in Canaan and allow God to provide for him there. (Compare what God told Isaac about staying put during a different famine in Genesis 26:1-3)

If he would have stayed in Canaan it would have been a great story about God's love and care during difficult times but Abram changes his circumstances and goes down to Egypt. A move that would prove to be the wrong choice more than once in Israel's history. (Numbers 11, 14, Isaiah 30:1-2)

“God doesn't always change the circumstances, but He can change us to meet the circumstances. That's what it means to live by faith.”

- Warren W. Wiersbe

The protection and promises of God are more important than the circumstances that we face. Abram didn't trust God in Canaan and soon we will see that he didn't trust God in Egypt either.

People

Genesis 12:11-13:4

Abram begins to think about the new circumstances that he would encounter in Egypt and the people that would be there. Abram proves that when we are out of God's will we tend to become self centered, our faith and trust in God gives way to scheming. He began to think about his own safety and thought nothing of the dangerous situation that his wife could be in.

This lack of faith looks like a minor issue of little importance but it jeopardized the promise made to Abram as well as the promise made to Eve back in the garden. (Genesis 3:15) How could the promised Messiah come from Sarai if she stayed in Pharaoh's harem?

Now it is Pharaoh’s turn to tell Abram to go. God said go with a promise of blessing but Pharaoh's demand to go away from Egypt was one of shame and disgrace. What a pitiful sight it is when we see the people of the world behaving better than God's children.

Things

Genesis 13:5-18

The carnal man would be pleased with the results of Abram's choice to go to Egypt, surviving the famine was a good thing but the bonus of getting more stuff makes it even better. (Genesis 13:1-5, Proverbs 10:2)

Problem is what looks like a blessing is about to make more trouble than Abram could have ever imagined:

• Disputes arose because of the wealth that caused the two men to separate. (Genesis 13:6-7)
• A handmaid enters the household that would make trouble later when pregnancy issues plague the marriage. (Genesis 16:4)
• The worldliness of Egypt would have a detrimental effect on Lot as he chose his direction in life. (Genesis 13:12-12)

When circumstances and people challenged Abram he was a troublemaker but in the third test he gets it right. When things caused family problems he made the right decision and became a peacemaker.

In contrast, Lot chose to let things get in the way of making good decisions, the appeal of Sodom probably reminded Lot of the good life that he experienced back in Egypt. Lot must have missed that lifestyle and was anxious to go back.

Abram caused trouble in Egypt because he was out of place, Lot caused trouble in Canaan because he was out of place

-Warren Wiersbe Bible Commentary

After their separation, God renews his promise to give Abram the land, even after all of his mistakes in Egypt, God reaffirms his promise that all of the land would still belong to Abram and his descendants even after Abram gave away some of the land to Lot. (Genesis 13:14-18)

Abram pitches his tent and built another altar to the LORD, another place to worship, another place of testimony to the one true God. These altars are a picture of the church today as a place of worship for pilgrims on their way to a better country.

Abram's journey of faith reminds us that Satan wants to:

• Satan wants to use circumstances, people and things against you but God uses them to test and grow your faith.
• Satan wants to define you by your failures but God want to show his grace and mercy through those failures.
• Satan wants to keep you away from your altar so that he can keep you defeated but God wants to meet you there to let you know how much you are loved.

Abram's imperfect journey of faith and obedience should be encouraging to all of us as we struggle with the reality of God's promises. We may not pass God's test on the first try but God is faithful to allow us as many retakes as we need. We need to resist the temptation to change our circumstances because these circumstances are a tool that God uses to grow big faith.

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