The people of Israel continued their journey, grumbling against Moses and Aaron as they went through the wilderness. They just assumed to stay in Egypt if they were going to starve in the wilderness.
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.'”
-Exodus 16:4
Moses and Aaron told the people that the Lord had heard their grumbling, and He would provide for them; bread in the morning and meat in the evening. When they looked toward the wilderness, the entire congregation saw the glory of the Lord appear in a cloud.
“And the Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am Lord your God.”
-Exodus 16:11-12
That evening, quail came and covered their camp and in the morning bread was there. They were told to take what they could eat each day, but to not keep any leftover for the next day. If they did, it would get worms and stink. On the sixth day, they were allowed to take extra that would not go bad, because the seventh day was the Sabbath and they were to rest. There would be no new bread on the seventh day.
On the seventh day some people still went out to collect bread, and Moses asked them, “How long will refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?”
I don’t understand why the people of Israel are not thankful. They were just saved from the Egyptians and slavery, and all they seem to do is complain and have a problem with everything that Moses says to them. God has proven his miracles time and time again so far in this story, and yet they act like they still don’t believe. Just follow the rules!
When the congregation of people continued on their journey, they started complaining and quarreling with Moses again, because they needed water to drink. Moses asked them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?”
The Lord told Moses to go before them with the elders, and take the staff he used at the Nile.
“Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.”
-Exodus 17:6
Then Amalek came and fought with Israel. Moses told Joshua to choose men, and go out and fight. Moses would stand on top of the hill with his staff in hand. “Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.”
As he was doing this, his hands grew weary. They took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it while Aaron and Hur held his hands for him. Joshua overwhelmed Amalek with the sword.
If Moses was able to determine who won anyway, why didn’t he just have Joshua defeat Amalek right away? Why was there a battle, if he was on the side of Israel anyway?
I am also forgetting who Amalek is. Why did he/they show back up?
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
-Exodus 17:14-16
So, is this where people found out that Moses was the author of this book?
Also, how are they having war generation to generation if the memory of Amalek is erased? Ugh, this part got a little confusing, mainly because it just popped up out of nowhere it seems.
Jethro, the priest of Midian and Moses’ father-in-law came to see him in the wilderness, and brought Moses’ wife and sons back. Moses told him of all the things that had been happening and Jethro saw that “the Lord is greater than all gods.”
Jethro saw that Moses was the judge of the people and was responsible for solving any issues that came up. He asked him why all the people came to him.
“And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statues of God and his laws.”
-Exodus 18:15-16
Jethro gave Moses advice saying that it would be too much for one person to take on, and he should appoint others to help share the burden. Moses chose men out of all of Israel, and each person would be heads/chiefs over a group of thousands, hundreds, fifties, or tens. They would judge the people, but hard cases were brought to Moses and small matters were dealt with on their own.
Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone would “just follow the rules!”