Israelites Expression Of The Promised Land In The United States

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Numbers 10:11-14:45, 17, 20-25, 33 – After spending time at Sinai, the Israelites finally set out toward the Promised Land, with God’s cloud leading the way. However, the people of Israel continuously groan and complain about all of their misfortunes and they incur the wrath of God as a result. A cycle starts to form where the Israelites complain against the leadership of Moses and Aaron and YHWH, then YHWH issues a punishment, followed by Israel’s mourning and repentance, and concluded by assumed forgiveness from YHWH until the cycle starts again. The degree of ingratitude and arrogance reaches high enough that their lack of faith in YHWH results in His declaration that no one but Joshua, Caleb, and the children will ever see the Promised Land. The Israelites are forced to wander in the wilderness for forty years until every person from the older generations has died. Not every event is negative, however, because the Israelites do find enough favor with God as to win military conquests in the lands of Ammon, Bashan, and Moab. …show more content…

Israel, who may have been one of many ‘Apiru peoples who struggled to claim land for their own, attributes its difficulties in reaching the Promised Land (Canaan) to the lack of faith in YHWH even though the text gives numerous references to His presence among the people in the Tent of Meeting and the Ark of the Covenant. It is only after Israel gains land on the eastern side of the Jordan River that they it seems to be in position for a military conquest of

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