CAN you tell what the people are picking up off the ground? It is like frost. It is white, and it is thin and flaky. But it’s not frost; it’s something to eat.

It has been only about a month since the Israelites left Egypt. They are in the wilderness. Little food grows here, and so the people complain, saying: ‘We wish that Jehovah had killed us in Egypt. At least there we had all the food that we wanted.’

So Jehovah says: ‘I am going to cause food to rain down from the sky.’ And this is what Jehovah does. The next morning when the Israelites see this white stuff that has fallen, they ask one another: ‘What is it?’

Moses says: ‘This is the food that Jehovah has given you to eat.’ The people call it MANNA. It tastes like thin cakes made with honey.

‘You are to pick up as much as each person can eat,’ Moses tells the people. So each morning this is what they do. Then, when the sun gets hot, the manna left on the ground melts.

Moses also says: ‘No one is to save any of the manna over to the next day.’ But some of the people don’t listen. Do you know what happens? The next morning the manna that they have saved is full of worms, and it begins to stink!

There is one day of the week, however, that Jehovah tells the people to gather twice as much manna. This is the sixth day. And Jehovah says to save some of it over to the next day, because he will not cause any to fall on the seventh day. When they save the manna over to the seventh day, it doesn’t get full of worms and it doesn’t stink! This is another miracle!

All the years that the Israelites are in the wilderness Jehovah feeds them with manna.

ABOUT two months after they leave Egypt, the Israelites come to Mount Siʹnai, which is also called Hoʹreb. This is the same place where Jehovah spoke to Moses from the burning bush. The people camp here and stay for a while.

As the people wait below, Moses climbs the mountain. Up there on top of the mountain, Jehovah tells Moses that He wants the Israelites to obey Him and to become His special people. When Moses comes down, he tells the Israelites what Jehovah has said. And the people say that they will obey Jehovah, because they want to be his people.

Jehovah now does a strange thing. He makes the top of the mountain smoke, and causes loud thunder. He also speaks to the people: ‘I am Jehovah your God who brought you out of Egypt.’ Then he commands: ‘You must not worship any other gods except me.’

God gives the Israelites nine more commandments, or laws. The people are very afraid. They tell Moses: ‘You speak to us, because we are afraid that if God speaks to us we may die.’

Later Jehovah tells Moses: ‘Come up to me in the mountain. I will give you two flat stones on which I have written the laws that I want the people to keep.’ So Moses again goes up into the mountain. For 40 days and nights he stays there.

God has many, many laws for his people. Moses writes these laws down. God also gives Moses the two flat stones. On these, God himself has written the 10 laws that he spoke to all the people. They are called the Ten Commandments.

The Ten Commandments are important laws. But so are the many other laws that God gives the Israelites. One of these laws is: ‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart, your whole mind, your whole soul and your whole strength.’ And another is: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ God’s Son, Jesus Christ, said that these are the two greatest laws that Jehovah gave to his people Israel. Later we will learn many things about God’s Son and his teachings.

OH, OH! What are the people doing now? They are praying to a calf! Why are they doing this?

When Moses stays up on the mountain for a long time, the people say: ‘We do not know what has happened to Moses. So let’s make a god to lead us out of this land.’

‘All right,’ Moses’ brother Aaron says. ‘Take off your gold earrings, and bring them to me.’ When the people do so, Aaron melts them down and makes a golden calf. And the people say: ‘This is our God, who led us out of Egypt!’ Then the Israelites have a big party, and worship the golden calf.

When Jehovah sees this, he is very angry. So he says to Moses: ‘Hurry and go down. The people are acting very badly. They have forgotten my laws and are bowing down to a golden calf.’

Moses hurries down the mountain. And when he gets close, this is what he sees. The people are singing and dancing around the golden calf! Moses is so angry that he throws down the two flat stones with the laws on them, and they break into many, many pieces. He then takes the golden calf and melts it down. Then he grinds it into powder.

The people have done a very bad thing. So Moses tells some of the men to take their swords. ‘The bad people who worshiped the golden calf must die,’ Moses says. And so the men strike dead 3,000 people! Doesn’t this show that we need to be careful to worship only Jehovah, and not any false gods?

DO YOU know what this building is? It is a special tent for worshiping Jehovah. It is also called the tabernacle. The people finished building it one year after they left Egypt. Do you know whose idea it was to build it?

It was Jehovah’s idea. While Moses was up on Mount Siʹnai, Jehovah told him how to build it. He said to make it so that it could easily be taken apart. In this way the parts could be carried to another place, and there be put together again. So when the Israelites moved from place to place in the wilderness, they carried the tent with them.

If you look inside the small room at the end of the tent, you can see a box, or chest. This is called the ark of the covenant. It had two angels or cherubs made of gold, one on each end. God again wrote the Ten Commandments on two flat stones, because Moses had broken the first ones. And these stones were kept inside the ark of the covenant. Also, a jar of manna was kept inside it. Do you remember what manna is?

Moses’ brother Aaron is the one that Jehovah chooses to be the high priest. He leads the people in worshiping Jehovah. And his sons are priests too.

Now look at the bigger room of the tent. It is twice as big as the small room. Do you see the box, or little chest, with some smoke going up from it? This is the altar where the priests burn some sweet-smelling stuff called incense. Then there is the lampstand that has seven lamps. And the third thing in the room is a table. On it are kept 12 loaves of bread.

In the yard of the tabernacle there is a big bowl, or basin, that is filled with water. The priests use it for washing. There is also the big altar. Here the dead animals are burned as an offering to Jehovah. The tent is right in the middle of the camp, and the Israelites live in their tents all around it.

LOOK at the fruit these men are carrying. See how big that bunch of grapes is. It takes two men to carry it on a pole. And see the figs and the pomegranates. Where did this beautiful fruit come from? From the land of Caʹnaan. Remember, Caʹnaan is where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob once lived. But because of the famine there Jacob, with his family, moved to Egypt. Now, about 216 years later, Moses is leading the Israelites back to Caʹnaan. They have come to a place in the wilderness called Kaʹdesh.

Bad people live in the land of Caʹnaan. So Moses sends out 12 spies, and tells them: ‘Find out how many people live there, and how strong they are. Find out if the ground is good for growing things. And be sure to bring back some of the fruit.’

When the spies come back to Kaʹdesh, they tell Moses: ‘It is really a fine country.’ And to prove it, they show Moses some of the fruit. But 10 of the spies say: ‘The people who live there are big and strong. We will be killed if we try to take the land.’

The Israelites are afraid when they hear this. ‘It would have been better to die in Egypt or even here in the wilderness,’ they say. ‘We will be killed in battle, and our wives and children will be captured. Let’s choose a new leader in place of Moses, and go back to Egypt!’

But two of the spies trust in Jehovah, and try to calm the people. Their names are Joshua and Caʹleb. They say: ‘Don’t be afraid. Jehovah is with us. It will be easy to take the land.’ But the people don’t listen. They even want to kill Joshua and Caʹleb.

This makes Jehovah very angry, and he tells Moses: ‘None of the people from 20 years of age and over will go into the land of Caʹnaan. They have seen the miracles that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, but still they don’t trust me. So they will wander in the wilderness for 40 years until the last person dies. Only Joshua and Caʹleb will go into the land of Caʹnaan.’

SEE the flowers and ripe almonds growing from this rod, or stick. This is the rod of Aaron. These flowers and the ripe fruit grew out of Aaron’s rod in just one night! Let’s see why.

The Israelites have been wandering in the wilderness for a while now. Some of the people don’t think Moses should be the leader, or that Aaron should be the high priest. Koʹrah is one who thinks this way, and so are Daʹthan, A·biʹram and 250 leaders of the people. These all come and say to Moses: ‘Why is it that you put yourself above the rest of us?’

Moses tells Koʹrah and his followers: ‘Tomorrow morning take fire holders and put incense in them. Then come to Jehovah’s tabernacle. We will see whom Jehovah will choose.’

The next day Koʹrah and his 250 followers come to the tabernacle. Many others come along to support these men. Jehovah is very angry. ‘Get away from the tents of these bad men,’ Moses says. ‘Don’t touch anything that belongs to them.’ The people listen, and move away from the tents of Koʹrah, Daʹthan and A·biʹram.

Then Moses says: ‘By this you will know whom Jehovah has chosen. The ground will open and swallow up these bad men.’

As soon as Moses stops talking, the ground opens. Koʹrah’s tent and belongings and Daʹthan and A·biʹram and those with them go down, and the ground closes over them. When the people hear the cries of those falling into the ground, they shout: ‘Run! The earth might swallow us too!’

Koʹrah and his 250 followers are still near the tabernacle. So Jehovah sends fire, and all of them are burned up. Then Jehovah tells Aaron’s son E·le·aʹzar to take the fire holders of the dead men and to make a thin covering for the altar with them. This altar covering is to serve as a warning to the Israelites that no one besides Aaron and his sons should act as priests for Jehovah.

But Jehovah wants to make very clear that it is Aaron and his sons whom he has chosen to be priests. So he tells Moses: ‘Have a leader of each tribe of Israel bring his rod. For the tribe of Levi, have Aaron bring his rod. Then put each of these rods in the tabernacle in front of the ark of the covenant. The rod of the man that I have chosen as priest will grow flowers.’

When Moses looks the next morning, why, Aaron’s rod has these flowers and ripe almonds growing out of it! So do you see now why Jehovah caused Aaron’s rod to grow flowers?

YEAR after year passes—10 years, 20 years, 30 years, 39 years! And the Israelites are still in the wilderness. But all these years Jehovah takes care of his people. He feeds them with manna. He leads them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire. And all during these years their clothes don’t wear out and their feet don’t get sore.

It is now the first month of the 40th year since leaving Egypt. The Israelites again camp at Kaʹdesh. This is where they were when the 12 spies were sent to spy out the land of Caʹnaan nearly 40 years before. Moses’ sister Mirʹi·am dies at Kaʹdesh. And as before, there is trouble here.

The people can’t find any water. So they complain to Moses: ‘It would have been better if we had died. Why did you bring us out of Egypt into this terrible place where nothing will grow? There are no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates. There isn’t even any water to drink.’

When Moses and Aaron go to the tabernacle to pray, Jehovah tells Moses: ‘Gather the people together. Then in front of them all speak to that rock over there. Enough water will come out of it for the people and all their animals.’

So Moses gathers the people, and says: ‘Listen, you who have no trust in God! Do Aaron and I have to get water out of this rock for you?’ Then Moses strikes the rock twice with a stick, and a great stream of water comes pouring out of the rock. There is enough water for all the people and animals to drink.

But Jehovah is angry with Moses and Aaron. Do you know why? It is because Moses and Aaron said that they were going to bring water from the rock. But really Jehovah did it. And because Moses and Aaron didn’t tell the truth about this, Jehovah says that he is going to punish them. ‘You will not lead my people into Caʹnaan,’ he says.

Soon the Israelites leave Kaʹdesh. After a short while they come to Mount Hor. Here, up on top of the mountain, Aaron dies. He is 123 years of age at the time of his death. The Israelites are very sad, and so for 30 days all the people weep for Aaron. His son E·le·aʹzar becomes the next high priest of the nation of Israel.

DOES that look like a real snake wrapped around the pole? It isn’t. The snake is made of copper. Jehovah told Moses to put it up on the pole so that the people could look at it and keep alive. But the other snakes on the ground are real. They have bitten the people and made them sick. Do you know why?

It is because the Israelites have spoken against God and Moses. They complain: ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? There is no food or water here. And we can’t stand to eat this manna anymore.’

But the manna is good food. By a miracle Jehovah has given it to them. And by a miracle he has given them water too. But the people aren’t thankful for the way God has taken care of them. So Jehovah sends these poisonous snakes to punish the Israelites. The snakes bite them, and many of them die.

Finally the people come to Moses and say: ‘We have sinned, because we have spoken against Jehovah and you. Now pray to Jehovah to take these snakes away.’

So Moses prays for the people. And Jehovah tells Moses to make this copper snake. He says to put it on a pole, and that anyone who is bitten should look at it. Moses does just what God says. And the people who were bitten look at the copper snake and they get well again.

There is a lesson to learn from this. All of us are, in a way, like those Israelites who were bitten by those snakes. We are all in a dying condition. Look around, and you will see that people grow old, get sick, and die. This is because the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, turned away from Jehovah, and we are all their children. But Jehovah has made a way so we can live forever.

Jehovah sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to earth. Jesus was hung on a stake, because many people thought he was bad. But Jehovah gave Jesus to save us. If we look to him, if we follow him, then we can have everlasting life. But we will learn more about this later.

HAVE you ever heard of a donkey’s talking? ‘No,’ you may say. ‘Animals can’t talk.’ But the Bible tells about a donkey that did. Let’s see how it happened.

The Israelites are almost ready to go into the land of Caʹnaan. Baʹlak, the king of Moʹab, is afraid of the Israelites. So he sends for a smart man named Baʹlaam to come to curse the Israelites. Baʹlak promises to give Baʹlaam a lot of money, so Baʹlaam gets on his donkey and starts on his way to see Baʹlak.

Jehovah does not want Baʹlaam to curse His people. So he sends an angel with a long sword to stand in the road to stop Baʹlaam. Baʹlaam can’t see the angel, but his donkey does. So the donkey keeps trying to turn away from the angel, and finally just lies down on the road. Baʹlaam is very angry, and beats his donkey with a stick.

Then Jehovah causes Baʹlaam to hear his donkey speak to him. ‘What have I done to you so that you should beat me?’ asks the donkey.

‘You have made me look like a fool,’ Baʹlaam says. ‘If I had a sword I would kill you!’

‘Have I ever treated you like this before?’ the donkey asks.

‘No,’ Baʹlaam answers.

Then Jehovah lets Baʹlaam see the angel with the sword standing on the road. The angel says: ‘Why have you beaten your donkey? I have come to block your way, because you should not be going to curse Israel. If your donkey had not turned away from me, I would have struck you dead, but I would not have hurt your donkey.’

Baʹlaam says: ‘I have sinned. I did not know that you were standing on the road.’ The angel lets Baʹlaam go, and Baʹlaam goes on to see Baʹlak. He still tries to curse Israel, but, instead, Jehovah makes him bless Israel three times.

MOSES wants to go into Caʹnaan with the Israelites. So he asks: ‘Let me cross the Jordan River, Jehovah, and see the good land.’ But Jehovah says: ‘That’s enough! Don’t mention this again!’ Do you know why Jehovah said that?

It is because of what happened when Moses struck the rock. Remember, he and Aaron did not honor Jehovah. They didn’t tell the people that it was Jehovah who was bringing water from the rock. For this reason Jehovah said that he would not let them go into Caʹnaan.

So a few months after Aaron dies, Jehovah tells Moses: ‘Take Joshua, and stand him in front of E·le·aʹzar the priest and the people. And there before them all, tell everybody that Joshua is the new leader.’ Moses does just what Jehovah says, as you can see in the picture.

Then Jehovah tells Joshua: ‘Be strong, and do not be afraid. You will lead the Israelites into the land of Caʹnaan that I have promised them, and I will be with you.’

Later Jehovah tells Moses to climb high up to the top of Mount Neʹbo in the land of Moʹab. From up there Moses can look across the Jordan River and see the beautiful land of Caʹnaan. Jehovah says: ‘This is the land that I promised to give to the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I have let you see it, but I will not let you go into it.’

There on top of Mount Neʹbo Moses dies. He was 120 years of age. He was still strong, and his eyesight was still good. The people are very sad and cry because Moses is dead. But they are happy to have Joshua as their new leader.

THESE men are in trouble. They must get away, or they will be killed. They are Israelite spies, and the woman helping them is Raʹhab. Raʹhab lives here in a house on the wall of the city of Jerʹi·cho. Let’s find out why these men are in trouble.

The Israelites are ready to cross the Jordan River into the land of Caʹnaan. But before they do, Joshua sends out the two spies. He tells them: ‘Go take a look at the land and the city of Jerʹi·cho.’

When the spies come into Jerʹi·cho, they go to the house of Raʹhab. But somebody tells the king of Jerʹi·cho: ‘Two Israelites came in here tonight to spy out the land.’ When he hears this, the king sends men to Raʹhab, and they command her: ‘The men that you have in your house, bring them out!’ But Raʹhab has hidden the spies on her roof. So she says: ‘Some men did come to my house, but I don’t know where they were from. They left just as it was getting dark, before the city gate was closed. If you hurry, you can catch them!’ And so the men go chasing after them.

After they leave, Raʹhab hurries up to the roof. ‘I know that Jehovah will give you this land,’ she tells the spies. ‘We heard how he dried up the Red Sea when you were leaving Egypt, and how you killed the kings Siʹhon and Og. I have been kind to you, so promise me, please, that you will be kind to me. Save my father and mother, and my brothers and sisters.’

The spies promise that they will, but Raʹhab must do something. ‘Take this red cord and tie it in your window,’ the spies say, ‘and gather all your relatives into your house with you. And when we all return to take Jerʹi·cho, we will see this cord in your window and will not kill anyone in your house.’ When the spies go back to Joshua, they tell him everything that happened.