Spying in the Bible 6 - 1446 BC to 1444 BC

Parting of Ways (and Waves)

After Moses asked Pharoah to let his people go into the wilderness for three days, Pharaoh responded that he did not want to lose his workforce for that long, so he denied their request. Moses and Aaron then said that if they did not do it, God would kill the Israelites for disobeying and then Egypt would lose its slave labor workforce forever. Of course, this was a bluff because God had no intention of destroying his people. The Pharaoh still refused the request and continued to do so through a series of plagues that God brought upon Egypt. Pharaoh finally decided to let them go after the last plague of death to every firstborn son in Egypt, including Pharaoh’s own son. Indeed his son that later took the throne was Thutmosis IV, who was not his original heir and crown prince (Exodus 12:29-31).

At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.

During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested.

The Angel of Death that killed all the firstborn sons passed over the doorways of the houses that had the blood of a sacrificial lamb on them. This was later commemorated as the Passover, or Pesach. And so, in c. 1446 BC, the Israelite people left their residence and bondage in Egypt. They left in such a hurry that they did not have time to add yeast to their dough. The Festival of Unleavened Bread later commemorated the first seven days of the Exodus out of Egypt. During that time, Pharaoh’s spies must have been keeping tabs on the Israelites because Pharaoh found out right away that they were running away and then went after them to not lose his nation’s workforce (Exodus 14:5-6).

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him.

The Israelites did escape though, through the parting of the sea, which also swept away Pharaoh’s army. They then spent three months traveling to Mount Sinai. On their way, the Amalekites attacked the Israelites, thinking they were easy prey to plunder, but the Israelites defeated them and vowed to fight them throughout the generations. When the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai, God made a covenant with the people to preserve them and they made the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark of the Covenant contained the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments along with a jar of manna and later Aaron’s rod, the first Torah scroll written by Moses, and probably the first Book of Kings. The Festival celebrating the covenant with God’s people and the giving of the Ten Commandments was called Pentecost, or Shavuot. In modern times Pentecost is celebrated around the month of May and so it is also marks the beginning of the harvest and the dedication of the first fruits.

However, the Israelite people resisted Moses’ attempts to unify them and lead them, even though he was the most qualified leader due to his upbringing. Moses’ response to their rebellion against him and God is that he had his loyal spies kill three thousand dissenters within their own ranks so that foreign spies would know the Israelites were a real army and not a “laughingstock” (Exodus 32:25-28).

Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.

Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’” The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died.

The Israelites then continued on their way for two years, during which time they were organizing and receiving training in both spiritual and secular law as well as military training. During the giving of the law, the Feast of Trumpets, (Yom Teruah) was established. This festival involves the blowing of a ram's horn, or shofar, to call the people to prepare for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). Later, the Feast of Trumpets became the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and is celebrated in September. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is the most solemn day of the Jewish year. On this day, the High Priest sacrificed sin offerings to atone all the sins of the people and entered the Most Holy Place in either the tabernacle or the temple to offer incense.

The Israelites were organized into twelve tribes, which were defined by the descendants of the twelve sons of Israel. Each tribe had its own tribal leaders who had essentially full control over their own tribes. Moses was the overall leader of the tribes, but only got involved in societal matters of extreme importance and by the request of the tribal leaders.

At last, the Israelites arrived in the Desert of Paran, just south of the Canaan, the Promised Land. The first thing Moses did to prepare for his move against the southern border of Canaan was to get the order of battle of his troops (the size and condition of his army). This was done by taking a census and is recorded in the book of Numbers. That is why the census results were reported in men who were able to serve in the army. The next step in the campaign was to get the order of battle for their enemy, which was done by sending twelve spies into Canaan. That campaign is the first detailed description in written history of a full intelligence operation.