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Introduction
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Having been redeemed, the children of Israel left Egypt and
began the journey to their inheritance, to a land their eyes had
never seen. On that journey, at particular junctions,
observations are made as God guided them along by three methods: |
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1) |
At the beginning God communicated where they were to go through
Moses. (Ex. 14:1) |
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2) |
Then, at the Red Sea, there is the first mention of the Angel of
the Lord going before them (Ex. 14:19). (Although by the use of
the word “which”, it indicates that He had possibly been going
before them in a fire and cloud). |
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3) |
On that journey, and including Egypt, there are 42 encampments,
but the Tabernacle was not with them throughout all the journey
or encampments. It was when they came to Sinai the Tabernacle
was built and first set up, and only from that point on was it
with them on their journey. Therefore, the Tabernacle was not a
totally stationary object, and being the dwelling place of God,
He journeyed with them as they crossed the wilderness. There
was times when they stopped and times when they were moving, but
the Tabernacle was always with them. |
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Before the Tabernacle moved with them across the desert sands,
God was gracious and gave them two guarantee's.
These were: |
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1) |
The promise of the Lord: “God will surely visit you, and bring
you out of this land unto the land which He sware to Abraham
(Gen. 15:14-18);
to Isaac (Gen. 26:3) and to Jacob” (Gen. 35:12) (Ex. 3:17). |
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2) |
The bones of Joseph. (Gen. 50:24-25; Ex. 13:19; Josh. 24:32).
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The Tabernacle became the third pledge that God would bring them to
their inheritance. Just as when He was in the boat, His presence should
have been sufficient of an assurance, but the storm blinded their eyes
to the reality that the Lord being
with them, failure was not an option (Mk. 4:36-38). For the Children of
Israel, no matter how severe the journey was, they could recall the
promise of God and look at the bones knowing that
they as a nation would enter their inheritance. Today as we journey to
our inheritance, we also have the promise of the Lord and the Lord’s
Supper. Each time we look at those emblems, we are to be reminded of
His words: “This do till I come” (1 Cor. 11:26), and “I will come again,
and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (Jn.
14:3).
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Several truths here are
to be considered: |
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1) |
Why forty-two, for when they went 3 days journey (Ex. 15:22)
they must have stopped, yet there is no mention of where? This
then means that these encampments indicate a prolonged stay in
which further lessons in the school of God were being taught. |
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2) |
By being the dwelling place of God and in its geographical
journey, it prefigures our Lord who was more that the dwelling
place of God, He was God, and He made a prolonged thirty-three
year journey. |
Why Forty-Two Encampments?
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It seems to me that there is a significance in this number, for
it is the number of: |
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1) |
Those who responded to the opportunity to go up from Babylon to
Jerusalem. (Ezra 2:24; Neh. 7:28) |
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2) |
The young men who mocked Elisha. (2 Kgs. 2:23-24) |
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3) |
The duration of the rule of the Beast. (Rev. 13:5) |
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4) |
The genealogy of the Lord. (Matt. 1:17). In this verse the
number fourteen is repeated three times: “So all the generations
from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David
until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations;
and from the carrying away into babylon unto Christ are fourteen
generations.” |
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5) |
Jerusalem will be trod under foot forty-two months. (Rev. 11:2) |
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6) |
The total encampments of Israel in the wilderness. (Refer to
the table on page 2) |
When this is considered, in three cases it is very clearly the work of
Satan against the rule of God (2 Kgs. 2:23-24; Rev. 11:2; 13:5). In
Ezra and Nehemiah it is used of those who left Babylon and all its glory
to build the City and House of God, a work of God. In the genealogy of
our Lord and Israel’s encampments, it is the manifestation of a work of
God despite the opposition of the evil one in Israel’s history. Thus,
it carries the thought of the ongoing conflict between the Kingdom of
Satan and the Kingdom of God.
However, there is a greater contrast with our Lord, for in none of His
“encampments” or journeys was He ever in conflict with the Kingdom of
God. He could say: “I come to do thy will” (Heb. 10:7, 9); “My meat is
to do the will of Him that sent me” (Jn. 4:34); “I do always those
things that please Him” (Jn. 8:29). When He moved or stopped, whither
that stopping was for a few moments or several days, it was never
because of compromise or fellowship with His Satanic majesty.
The following table is of the ones mentioned in the scriptures.
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No. |
Encampment |
Ref |
No. |
Encampment |
Ref. |
|
1 |
Departed from Rameses |
Num. 33:3 |
22 |
Makheloth |
Num. 33:25 |
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2 |
Succoth |
Num. 33:5 |
23 |
Tahath |
Num. 33:26 |
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3 |
Etham |
Num. 33:6 |
24 |
Tarah |
Num. 33:27 |
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4 |
Pi-hahiroth |
Num. 33:7 |
25 |
Mithcah |
Num. 33:28 |
|
5 |
Marah |
Num. 33:8 |
26 |
Hashmonah |
Num. 33:29 |
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6 |
Elim |
Num. 33:9 |
27 |
Moseroth |
Num. 33:30 |
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7 |
By the Red Sea |
Num. 33:10 |
28 |
Bene-jaakan |
Num. 33:31 |
|
8 |
Wilderness of Sin |
Num. 33:11 |
29 |
Hor-hagidgad |
Num. 33:32 |
|
9 |
Dophkah |
Num. 33:12 |
30 |
Jotbathah |
Num. 33:33 |
|
10 |
Alush |
Num. 33:13 |
31 |
Ebronah |
Num. 33:34 |
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11 |
Rephidim |
Num. 33:14 |
32 |
Ezion-gaber |
Num. 33:35 |
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12 |
Wilderness of Sinai |
Num. 33:15 |
33 |
Kadesh |
Num. 33:36 |
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13 |
Kibroth-hattaavah |
Num. 33:16 |
34 |
Mount Hor |
Num. 33:37 |
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14 |
Hazeroth |
Num. 33:17 |
35 |
Zalmonah |
Num. 33:41 |
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15 |
Rithmah |
Num. 33:18 |
36 |
Punon |
Num. 33:42 |
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16 |
Rimmon-parez |
Num. 33:19 |
37 |
Oboth |
Num. 33:43 |
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17 |
Libnah |
Num. 33:20 |
38 |
Ije-abarim |
Num. 33:44 |
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18 |
Rissah |
Num. 33:21 |
39 |
Dibon-gad |
Num. 33:45 |
|
19 |
Kehelathah |
Num. 33:22 |
40 |
Almon-diblathaim |
Num. 33:46 |
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20 |
Mount Shapher |
Num. 33:23 |
41 |
Mountains of Abarim |
Num. 33:47 |
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21 |
Haradah |
Num. 33:24 |
42 |
In the plains of Moab by the Jordan near Jericho |
Num. 33:48 |
May God grant us good understanding as He, by His
Holy Spirit, deigns to guide us into all truth.
John 16:13
Copyright © 2012 by Rowan Jennings, Abbotsford,
British Columbia
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