Part 1 of Timeline - Part 2 of Timeline
Part 1 of this timeline series covers the life of Moses from his birth to the Exodus. Part 2 picks up with the Israelites leaving Egypt to their foolishly setting up, at the foot of Mount Sinai, a golden cafe to worship as they wait for the return of Moses.
Mid-June to July 1445
Israel Punished, a Second Law
Israel's idolatrous sin of creating a golden calf to worship was worthy of the death penalty (see Exodus 32). Moses' intervention, however, saves the people from destruction. They are still punished, however, for their disobedience.
God has Moses hew two more tables of stone for his commandments since the first pair was destroyed in anger (Exodus 32:19). Moses spends forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai, neither eating nor drinking, in order to receive God's law a second time (Exodus 34:1 - 28).
[Questions and Answers on Exodus]
Reflecting God's Glory
Moses' interactions with the Lord for forty days causes his face to brightly shine from being in the personal presence of God's righteous glory!
And it came to pass as Moses was going down from the mountain of Sinai . . . (he) did not know that the skin of his face had become luminous through His speaking with him.
And Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face had become luminous. And they were afraid to come near him (Exodus 34:29 - 30).
This radiating of glory is sometimes referred to as the "horns of Moses" after an errorneous translation of Exodus 34:30 found in Jerome's Latin Vulgate (also known as the Douay-Rheims Bible). This translation error caused many artists, including Michelangelo, to wrongfully depict Moses with horns!
July 1445 to March 1444
Tabernacle in the Wilderness
Moses, shortly after the above events, begins to accept offerings of gold, silver, cloth and so on for the building of the tabernacle in the wilderness (Exodus 35:4 - 19). The tabernacle is a temporary structure whose purpose is to facilitate the worship of God (Exodus 25:8).
Work for the tabernacle, and all its furniture and implements, takes place under the supervision of a man named Bezaleel (Exodus 35:30 - 35).
[Why Was Acacia Wood Used for Tabernacle?]
March 18, 1444
Tabernacle Anointed
The tabernacle is anointed by Moses, in service to the Eternal, on the first day of the first month of the second year after leaving Egypt (Exodus 40:1 - 2, 17). This date, Nisan 1 in Hebrew civil year 2317, corresponds to Saturday (the Sabbath) on March 18.
April 1444
Taking a Census
Moses is commanded, "on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt," or Iyar 1 (April 17) to take a census of Israel (Numbers 1).
[What Do the Numbers of Numbers Mean?]
May 1444
Leaving Sinai
On Iyar 20 (May 6), the cloud over the Ark of the Covenant that symbolized God's presence lifted high above it (Numbers 10:11). This signaled that Moses, and the Israelites, were to move from the wilderness of Sinai to the wilderness of Paran (verses 12 - 13).
[Does the Ark of the Covenant Still Exist?]
More Whining
After traveling for three days (Numbers 10:33) the Israelites begin, again, to complain about their situation. The Lord's response was swift.
And the people complained about their distress, speaking evil in the ears of the Lord. And the Lord heard it, and His anger was kindled. And the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some in the outermost parts of the camp (Numbers 11:1).
Some of the Israelites, even after the above incident, begin to whine that they want more than manna to eat.
Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic (Numbers 11:4 - 5).
Moses Wants to Die!
Moses then complains to God about his workload and the constant complaining from his brethren he has to endure. The burden of leading the people is so great that he wishes he were dead (Numbers 11:11 - 17). God decides to alleviate some of Moses' burden by placing his spirit in seventy elders to help him govern.
The Lord, in order to teach his people a lesson, provides them with a month's worth of meat at one time (Numbers 11:18 - 23)! Their lusting after flesh to eat so angers God that when they begin to consume it, he unleashes a great plague upon the people that kills many (verses 33 - 34). The Israelites then travel to Hazeroth (verse 35).
[Picture of Israel's Wilderness Camp]
May to August 1444
Disrespecting Moses
Aaron and Miriam, after the Israelites settle in Hazeroth, begin to criticize their brother Moses for a woman he married. Their real disagreement, however, was based on their envy of his authority.
"Has the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Has He not also spoken by us?" (Numbers 12:2).
Their disagreement with Moses seems even more bizarre when one realizes he was about 81 at the time with Aaron being 84 and Miriam being between 91 and 93 years old!
God's solution to the criticism was to confront Aaron and Miriam and then turn Miriam white with leprosy! Moses quickly intervenes for his sister and has her healed, but she is confined to live outside the camp for seven days (Numbers 12:4 - 15). After she comes back to the camp the Israelites leave for the wilderness of Paran.
[What Was the Race of Moses' Wife?]
[Does the Bible Condemn Interracial Marriage?]
August 1444
Spies Sent to Promised Land
Moses, in August (when the first ripe grapes appear on vines, Numbers 13:20), sends twelve spies into the Promised Land. He sends the men on their special expedition to get answers to the following questions.
And see the land, what it is, and the people that live in it, whether it is strong or weak, few or many. And see what the land is that they live in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they dwell in, whether in tents or in strongholds; And what the land is, whether fat or lean, whether there is wood in it or not . . . (Numbers 13:18 - 20).
[Did Israel Rule All the Promised Land?]
September 1444
The Faithless Report
The twelve spies spend forty days spying out the Promised Land (Numbers 13:25). On their return they give Moses, Aaron and all Israel a report of what they found.
The spies relay that the Promised Land is indeed flowing with milk and honey (Numbers 13:27). Ten of the spies, however, focus the majority of their report on why the Israelites (from a human standpoint) would be incapable of taking possession of their inheritance.
The land, according to the ten spies, has large and fortified cities populated by powerful people whose men are huge in stature such as the Amalekites, Hittites and Amorites. Even bigger people, giants known as the Anak, also dwell in Canaan (Numbers 13:28 - 29, 32 - 33). Their conclusion is the following.
We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we (Numbers 13:31).
In spite of the efforts of Caleb and Joshua who also are spies (Numbers 13:30, 14:6 - 9), the Israelites believe in the faithless (and somewhat exaggerated) report they hear from ten of the spies. The people then begin to whine against Moses and even discuss stoning him to death (Numbers 14:2 - 4, 10)!
Punished to Wander
The Lord's initial response to Israel's rejection is to destroy his people with pestilence (Numbers 14:12). Moses intervenes for the people, however, and has their lives spared (verses 13 - 20).
[Symbolism of the Number Forty]
God's punishment on his people for refusing to enter that land he swore he would give them is that all those 20 years old or older will not enter the Promised Land (except Joshua and Caleb). The Israelites, he declares, will wander in the wilderness a total of 40 years until a new generation can enter Canaan.
And your children shall feed in the wilderness forty years and bear your whoredoms until your dead carcasses have been consumed in the wilderness (Numbers 14:33, HBFV).
God also causes a plague that kills the ten faithless spies sent by Moses (Numbers 14:36 - 37).
Israel, rather surprisingly, is shocked by the punishment they received and the judgment against the ten spies. Their hard hearts foolishly attempt, in spite of being warned not to do so, to take the land of Canaan on their own. They are, as predicted, beaten back by those in the land (Numbers 14:40 - 45).
[Map of Division of Promised Land]
October 1444 to March 1406
Korah's Rebellion
A Levite named Korah and several other prominent Israelite leaders question the authority of Moses and Aaron over the people (Numbers 16). God's judgment of this unrighteous group is in two parts. Korah, as well as three Reubenites and their families, are swallowed up when the earth under their feet splits in two!
And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who were for Korah, and all their goods (Numbers 16:32).
250 other Israelite leaders who supported Korah's rebellion are burned alive with fire that proceeded from the Lord (Numbers 16:35).
March to April 1406
The Death of Miriam
The children of Israel travel to the desert of Zin and camp at Kadesh in the first month (Nisan) of their 40th year of wandering (Numbers 20:1). This month corresponds to the period between March 20 and April 18. Miriam, Moses' older sister, dies during the month and is buried.
Forfeiting the Promised Land
In Kadesh the people discover there is no water available (Numbers 20). They, as they have done in the past, complain and argue with both Moses and Aaron about their situation.
[Picture of Israel's Wilderness Camp]
And why have you made us to come up out of Egypt to bring us into this evil place? It is not a place of seed or of figs or of vines or of pomegranates. And there is no water to drink (Numbers 20:5).
The Lord instructs Moses and Aaron to take Moses' staff and speak to a certain rock which will then produce water. Moses tells the Israelites at the rock, "Hear now, you rebels. Must we bring water for you out of this rock?" (Numbers 20:10). He then, no doubt out of frustration with the people, hastily uses his staff to strike the rock twice (Numbers 20:7 - 11). His error of drawing attention to himself and Aaron, and away from God, brings a penalty.
And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them" (Numbers 20:12).
[Why Couldn't Moses Enter the Promised Land?]
June to July 1406
Rejected by Edom, Aaron's Death
Moses requests, from Edom's king, permission to travel through his land. He promises the Israelites will stick to the King's Highway and will not take anything in his territory. The king flatly refuses the request and backs up his answer by amassing a large and powerful army. The Israelites then decide to take another route (Numbers 20:14 - 21).
Israel leaves Kadesh and camps near Mount Hor. It is at the mount that Aaron dies and is buried at the age of 123 (Numbers 20:22 - 29, 33:38 - 39). He dies on Ab 1 (July 16), a few months after his sister Miriam perished. The children of Israel mourn his death for 30 days.
Autumn 1406 B.C.
At War with the Canaanites
King Arad the Canaanite, in the autumn of 1406, decides to go to war with Moses and the Israelites near Hormah. Arad strikes first and takes some of the people as prisoners (Numbers 21:1). The Israelites then vow that if they are given victory over Arad, they will destroy his Canaanite cities. God grants them the victory they request which leads to the destruction of his cities (Numbers 21:1 - 3).
Fiery Serpents!
From Mount Hor the Israelites travel around Edomite territory. The people not only begin to complain that they have no bread or water, they also let it be known that they detest the miraculously manna they have been receiving! God responds by sending fiery serpents among his people which kill many.
Moses, after praying for the people, is instructed to make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole. Anyone who is then bitten by a serpent, if they look at the one placed on the pole, will live (Numbers 21:6 - 9).
Jesus will, years later, use the serpent on the pole to symbolize that he must also be lifted up off the ground (crucified). His "lifting" will make it possible for those who recognize his sacrifice and believe in him to receive eternal life (John 3:14 - 15).
Late 1406 B.C.
Two Major Conflicts
The Israelites then travel and camp at several places (Numbers 21:10 - 20) until they pass through Moabite territory to its border with the Amorites. As they are camping near the Arnon River Moses asks Amorite King Sihon if he can pass through his land.
Sihon not only refuses to allow safe passage, he also initiates a war with Israel at Jahaz (Numbers 21:23)! The Israelites, with God's blessing, decimate the Amorites and take control of their land and possessions (Numbers 21:24 - 31, Deuteronomy 2:30 - 36). Moses then has Israel drive out the Amorites from their last remaining stronghold in Jaazer (Numbers 21:32).
The Israelites travel north after their victory. They journey to the land of Bashan and are attacked, at Edrei, by King Og and his army (Numbers 21:33 - 35, Deuteronomy 3:1 - 7, 11). God's people, however, soundly defeat him and claim his territory as their own.
[What Land Did the King of Bashan Control?]
Sex Sins and Idolatry
The Israelites travel to the plains of Moab and camp on the eastern side of the Jordan River across from Jericho (Numbers 22:1). While the people are camping some of Israel's men are enticed by Moabite women to not only commit sexual sins but also to indulge in open idolatry.
God's wrath is kindled against these sinful men, leading him to command those who are guilty be put to death. God then causes a plague (sickness) to spread among the people. The plague is stopped only when Aaron's grandson kills a man and woman who sinned but not before 24,000 Israelites had perished (Numbers 25:1 - 9).
[The Death Penalty and the Bible]
End of 1406
The Last Battle
The last war God wants Moses to execute, before his death, is against the Midianites.
Attack the Midianites and strike them. For they trouble you with their lies, with which they have deceived you in the matter of Peor . . . (Numbers 25:17 - 18).
This battle is meant to punish Midian for its role in leading the Israelites astray by encouraging them to have relationships with pagan women (Numbers 25:1 - 9). The Midianite who spearheaded this campaign to tempt Israel was the prophet Balaam.
Moses gathers 12,000 fighting men and sends them against Midian. The Israelites proceed to completely destroy the enemy. They kill all the men of war, put to death all five Midianite rulers, take all the women and children captive, and burn their cities to the ground. They also kill Balaam who was willing to curse God's people for a fee (Numbers 31:1 - 10). Amazingly, not one Israelite soldier is lost during the battle!
God then commands Moses to take a census and count all the men 20 years old or older (Numbers 26).
January to February 1405 B.C.
Moses' Final Message, Death
Deuteronomy 1:3 begins Moses' final recorded teachings to Israel before his death. His teachings begin on the first day of the 11th Hebrew month (Shebat 1 or January 8, 1405 B.C.).
Moses dies on Mount Nebo, at the age of 120, around February 5 (Deuteronomy 34:1 - 8). He loses his life by God's hand and is buried in an undisclosed location. The Israelites mourn for him for one month before making their preparations to enter the Promised Land.
[Where Are Old Testament People Buried?]
Final Notes
Moses writes the first five books of the Bible during Israel's forty years of wandering the desert (1445 to 1405 B.C.).
Although the Israelites did not know where Moses was buried after his death, the Lord's enemy, Satan the devil, certainly did! Sometime after he lost his life, in what seems to be a rather macabre and weird event, the devil sought to get his body. It took the intervention of an archangel to stop the evil thief!
[Why Did the Devil Want Moses' Body?]
But Michael the archangel, when he was personally taking issue with the devil, disputing about the body of Moses, did not presume to pronounce a reviling judgment against him, but said, "The Lord Himself rebuke you!" (Jude 1:9).