Despite this triumphal exodus from Egypt, it would be forty years before the Israelites finally claimed the Promised Land, as they called Canaan. During this time, they made their way through what the Bible calls a wilderness, the Sinai Desert. Of course it would not even take forty days to cross such a relatively small area, but this long period of wandering was God's punishment for disobedience, according to the Book of Exodus.
The most significant event during this time occurred when the people stopped at Mount Sinai. Leaving Aaron in charge of the people, Moses went up to the top of the mountain. There he received from God the Ten Commandments [see sidebar, “The Ten Commandments”], which were carved into two stone tablets. He also received a long, long series of laws, chiefly concerning the ways that God should be worshiped. The Book of Leviticus (luh-VIT-i-cus) consists of many more laws concerning everything from diet to the settlement of disputes between neighbors. Dietary restrictions, in fact, would become very important to Judaism (JOOD-ee-izm), as the faith of Israel came to be called: even in modern times, people who strictly follow the Jewish scriptures refuse to eat pork and other foods.
Moses remained on the top of Mount Sinai for so long that the people of Israel became impatient and proceeded to make a golden calf and worship it. When Moses saw this, he became so furious that he broke the two stone tablets. God later replaced these, but he dealt severely with the Israelites, killing many of them. This was the first of many violent acts that would follow as Israel became a nation. God called the Israelites his Chosen People, but that did not stop him from responding with swift fury when they disobeyed him.
Later, as they approached the Promised Land, Moses sent twelve spies to observe the military strength of the Canaan-ites. All but two of them came back and said that Canaan
Probably be counted Old Testament."!
World History
