[Biblemat] S> Eight ascensions of Moses (Sinai)

[Steve Rudd]

The 8 ascensions of Moses to Sinai:
1.      On Friday, they arrive at the Wilderness of Sinai on the 44th 
day from Egypt and rest on the following Sabbath day.
2.      The next day, on Sunday, Moses brings the life giving water 
from Rock that God promised 4 days earlier when they were at Rephidim 
(Meribah). This is an antitype of Jesus who gave living waters of 
salvation when he rose from the dead on Sunday.
3.      For the week after they arrive at Sinai, the people settle in 
and rest from the exodus journey.
4.      1st ascension: The next Sunday is Pentecost and Moses ascends 
Mt. Sinai (1st) and returns with the first installment of the law (Ex 
19:3-6). He returns to the camp and asks the people if they will keep 
the law. The people reply yes.
5.      2nd ascension: On Monday, Moses ascends Mt. Sinai (2nd) to 
give God the people's "yes" answer. God says to be ready on the third 
day (Wednesday) when he will descend on the Mountain in fire: Ex 
19:7-14. The people are told to walk to the base of the mountain from 
their camp and be ready for God's coming. God tells Moses to set up 
boundaries around the mountain so the people cannot break through, 
climb the mountain and die.
6.      As the Israelites waited as instructed the third day, for God 
to descend on Mt. Sinai, they suddenly looked due north 100 km and 
saw God in the wilderness of Paran. God "dawns from Seir" like a 
sunrise in its glory, until He is hovering directly over Mt. Sinai. 
The Israelites watched in wonder and were amazed at the beauty and 
splendor of God as He came closer and closer to them where they 
stood. One of the most interesting facts about the Wilderness of 
Paran, is its connection with God's appearing at Mt. Sinai. When 
Israel was encamped at the foot of Mt. Sinai (Mt. Al-Lawz), God 
thundered, in a volcanic level display that terrified the Israelites. 
But three verses explicitly tell us that God dawned from the north 
like a sunrise, or like Elijah's small cloud the size of a man's fist 
in the distance that became a storm (1 Kings 18:44). God dawned from 
Mt. Seir until he came to Mt. Sinai and made the mountain turn to 
fire before Israel. They were terrified. The four key verses that 
describe "dawning from the north" are: Deut 33:2; Isa 63:1-2; Judg 
5:4; Hab 3:3. 40 years later, when Israel was at Mt. Seir, God gave 
the "go ahead" to finally start their way to the promised land by the 
command, "Now turn North". In fact Mount Seir is absolute due south 
of Jerusalem and absolute due north of Mt. Sinai in modern Saudi 
Arabia. There are several passages that repeat this pattern of God 
coming "from the North". Most notably is Ezekiel's vision where God 
came from a distant storm in the North finally to overshadow him. 
(Ezekiel 1:4) Job describes God as coming from the North in golden 
splendor. (Job 37:22-23) Lucifer, the king of Babylon describes God's 
throne as being in the far north. (Isaiah 14:13-14) Psalm 48:1-2 
describes Jerusalem as being located in the "far north".
7.      3rd ascension: After God descends on Mt. Sinai and calls 
Moses to climb the mountain (3rd). Ex 19:20
8.      4th ascension: God tells Moses to go back down and warn the 
people again to stay away from the mountain so they will not die, 
then come up again (4th) with Aaron. Ex 19:21
9.      Moses and Aaron hear the Ten Commandments and various other 
laws. God tells Moses to return with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and 70 
elders of Israel. Moses goes back down and tells the people what God 
has said. Deut 24:1-3
10.     Moses writes down the words in the book of the law, which 
will eventually be placed on the side of the ark. Ex 24:4
11.     Moses builds an alter with 12 pillars at the foot of the 
mountain for the twelve tribes. He then sprinkles the alter with 
blood. Ex 24:4-6
12.     Moses read the book of the law to the people and after they 
agreed, he sprinkled the people with blood of the covenant. Ex 24:8
13.     5th ascension: Moses now returns to the mountain (5th) with 
Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and 70 elders of Israel. After seeing God and 
eating the group descend to the foot of the mountain. Ex 24:9-11
14.     God then calls Moses up with Joshua to the mountain to 
receive the two tablets of stone with the ten commandments written by 
the finger of God. Ex 24:12
15.     6th ascension: Moses spends 40 days on the mountain (6th) 
where God reveals the plan for the tabernacle. Ex 24:18.
16.     After 40 days, Aaron makes the golden calf as Moses was on 
the mountain for 40 days. In one of the most fascinating interaction 
between a man and God in the Bible, God tells Moses He will kill all 
the Hebrews who sinned and make Moses into a great nation. Moses 
pleads for the people. Then God changes his mind and says he won't 
kill them. Moses goes down and rebukes Aaron and grinds up the golden 
calf and makes them drink the gold dust. Then Moses command the 
Levites to kill about 3000 of the idol worshippers. Ex 32:7-29
17.     7th ascension: The next day, Moses climb Mt. Sinai (7th). God 
tells Moses is to take them into the promised land with God's angel 
as protection, but God himself will not go with them. Moses goes down 
the mountain. God strikes down a number of the Hebrews who sinned. Ex 32:30-35
18.     When the people hear that God's angel will lead them but God 
himself will not go with them, the people get sad and they remove all 
their jewelry. Ex 33:2-6
19.     Moses continues to plead with God for the people and says, "I 
pray You, show me Your glory!" God says He will show Moses his Glory 
on the Mountain. Ex 33:18-23
20.     8th ascension: God tells Moses to cut out two replacement 
tablets and God calls Moses back up to Mt. Sinai (8th), where God 
passes by while Moses was in the cleft of the rock. Again Moses asks 
God to join them on the journey to the promised land. God changes his 
mind finally and tells Moses he will lead them to the promised land. 
Moses spends forty more days on the mountain, then returns. God said 
he would perform new miracles and Moses face is shining in view of 
the people so he puts a veil over his face. Ex 34:1-9; 2 Cor 3.
21.     Sometime during the time at Sinai, but after Moses had 
received the law, Jethro visits and gives advice to Moses to set up 
thousands, hundreds and tens to help judge the people: Ex 18.
22.     On the first day of the first month (Nissan 1) of the second 
year, the tabernacle is set up for the first time. this is about 7 
months after they had arrived at Sinai and 15 days short of one year 
since they left Egypt. Ex 40:2,17
23.     Sometime during the month of Nissan, second year, Nadab and 
Abihu are killed by God for using strange fire. They were drunk did 
not focus on the seriousness of the Holiness of God. Lev 10:1-9; Numbers 3:4
24.     On the first of the second month Moses takes a census: Num 1:1
25.     Moses asked Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' 
father-in-law, to join them and be a scout for them. At first they 
say no, but then, like the parable of the two sons, changed his mind 
and joined Moses. They got an inheritance with the tribe of Judah: 
Judges 1:16; 4:11. This shows that Mt. Sinai must be near Midian 
since Hobab must have been familiar with the local area to be scout. 
How could a Midianite be a scout in the modern Sinai peninsula, since 
the traditional Mt. Sinai (Mt. Musa) is 300 km from the town of 
Midian (modern Al Bad)? Num 10:29-32. It is very sad that 40 years 
later, likely long after Jethro died, the Midianites joined with the 
Moabites to curse Israel through Baalam. The Kenites were 
representing the elders of Midian: Num 22:4,7 + 24:18. Perhaps God 
knew this would be the tragic outcome and that is why Moses asked 
Hobab to join them. Just as Jesus asked the rich young ruler to give 
everything up and join Him for a promised future reward, Moses asked 
Hobab. The rich young ruler refused and was eternally lost, but Hobab 
accepted and gained a better inheritance. One generation later: 
Pharaoh who knew Joseph was kind, but the next Pharaoh enslaved them. 
(Ex 1:8). In the same way, Jethro the priest of Midian and his son 
Hobab, were allies to Moses, but 40 years later, likely after Jethro 
died, the elders of Midian were enemies of Moses. (Num 22:6)
26.     On the 20 of the second month year 2, Israel leave Sinai and 
head for the wilderness of Paran: Numbers 10:11-12. They arrived on 
the 1st of the third month and left on the 20 of the second month the 
following year. This means they spent a total of 11 months, 5 days in Sinai.

Steve Rudd
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