What I love about studying Scripture is uncovering the logical patterns woven throughout its pages that remain consistent from the first book of Genesis all the way to the book of Revelations.
That’s an important point.
The pages of the Bible should flow like a beautiful river from beginning to end.
With that in mind, I want to show you a couple of more interesting connections from the Israelite’s time in Egypt to Sinai up to the Wilderness Tabernacle.
First, when God brought the infant tribe of Israel from Canaan into Egypt, counting Joseph and his family, we are told that their numbers totaled 74.
At Sinai, this is the EXACT SAME NUMBER of Israelites that God called to come up to His Holy Mountain when he was establishing another new beginning for Israel as His specially chosen nation.
However, literally speaking, there were far more than 74 Israelites that actually journeyed from Canaan down to Egypt.
We don’t know the exact numbers but we’re told of one incident when a fairly large number of people were added to Jacob’s tribe,
Recall when Jacob’s sons Simeon and Levi avenged the rape of their sister Dinah.
They led a raid that killed all the adult males inside Shechem and took all the women and children as slaves.
Such occurrences were actually quite common for all Middle Eastern cultures in those days, so I’m pretty sure that other similar events occurred whereby members from the other tribes were kidnapped in order to increase the size of the then fledging Hebrew nation.
The point is that the 74 Israelites were meant to be representative of the entire Hebrew nation that entered Egypt, in the same way that the 74 Israelites the Lord called to come up to His mountain also represented the Israelite nation that had recently departed Egypt.
Second, recall at Mount Sinai that Moses erected 12 standing stones to represent the 12 Tribes of Israel before the Lord.
In like manner, inside the Tabernacle, there were always to be 12 loaves of Showbread placed on a table that represented the 12 tribes of Israel.
Third, recall that both Mount Sinai and the Tabernacle were divided into three zones of holiness.
What’s interesting is that the type of metals used to construct the fixtures in the Tabernacle also reflected varying degrees of holiness.
Inside the two rooms of the tent sanctuary, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, everything inside was to be constructed out of PURE GOLD.
In the Scripture, gold symbolizes undefiled purity and holiness.
Outside the tent sanctuary, all the fixtures and implements were made out of bronze and other less valuable metals.
Finally, this isn’t about a connection between Sinai and the Tabernacle but when you examine the Tabernacle carefully you will find that there are no images anywhere to be found of YHVH.
This was in keeping with the 2nd Word of God.
“You are to have no other gods before me. You are not to make for yourselves a carved image or any kind of representation of anything in heaven above, on the earth beneath or in the water below the shoreline.”-Exodus 20:3-4
One thing that separates the Hebrew religion from ALL other religions in the world is its strict prohibition god-images or idols.
Next time, we will begin taking a look at the very first item God commanded the people to begin building: the Ark of the Covenant.
where is mount Sinai according to the present map.
where is Eden of garden
who are assyrians
The answer to your questions are as follows:
“Where is mount Sinai according to the present map?”
It is on the Arabian Peninsula.
“Where is Eden of garden?”
Ultimately, we don’t know where the Garden of Eden was located. To insist that the Garden was located in the area around the present Tigris and Euphrates Rivers is to deny the catastrophic effects of the global Flood of Noah’s day, and to allow for death before sin.
“Who are the Assyrians?”
The Assyrians were the inhabitants of a country that became a mighty empire dominating the biblical Middle East from the ninth to the seventh century BC. They conquered an area that comprises what is now Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. In the seventh century BC, Assyria occupied and controlled the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of Assyria was Nineveh, one of the greatest cities of ancient times. Excavations in Mesopotamia have confirmed the Bible’s description that it took three days’ journey to go around this city (Jonah 3:3). The Assyrians were a fierce and cruel nation who showed little mercy to those they conquered (2 Kings 19:17).
Ultimately, Assyria is responsible for scattering the 10 Northern Tribes of Israel, also aptly named the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel. But now the Lord is bringing them back.
“You are to have no other gods before me. You are not to make for yourselves a carved image or any kind of representation of anything in heaven above, on the earth beneath or in the water below the shoreline.”-Exodus 20:3-4
What about the two cherubim on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant…What are your thoughts on that?
Good point about the two cherubim. I will have to get back to you on that one.
Who will be the Levites, to administer the 3rd Temple? Are you sure that European immigrants, whose ancestors converted to Judaism, are of the exact bloodline required for legitimacy?. Sir, I have trouble accepting this,
Both Exodus 1:5 and Deuteronomy 10:22 say that there were 70 people in all that went into Egypt – when you actually do the count, you will see that this number included Jacob, and Joseph and his two sons. Could you explain how you arrived at the number of 74 people entering Egypt from Canaan?
Thanks,
70 is not always taken literally in Scripture. Thanks for reading. Be blessed and shalom!