As we begin today's reading, one of the first things you'll read is how God ordered Moses in the beginning to keep a "written record" of all of Israel's progress, from the leaving of Egypt to the entering in of the Promised Land. It says in Numbers 33:2, "At the Lord's direction, Moses kept a written record of their progress."
1) This brings up a very important question. If Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Bible (called the Penteteuch), "How do we know if he is accurate? How do we know if he's accurate about the book of Genesis? In 33:2, we can see how Moses would have created a written accuracy of the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, & Deuteronomy, but can we rely on his account of the stories and events in the book of Genesis - which was before his time?
Some bible scholars have attributed Moses' account of Genesis due to direct revelation from God. I personally disagree! I believe God tells us clearly in the Bible why we can rely on Moses' account of Genesis as being completely accurate. Moses didn't need to rely on divine revelation from God. He personally clarifies this issue by stating that he has carefully relied on historical records!
As early as Genesis 5:1, we see Moses purposefully stating, "This is the written account of the descendants of Adam" and then proceeds with an geneological accounting of the lineage of Adam through Noah. Moses says he is relying on a "written account!" In other words, he is relying on accurate, first-hand written records for the book of Genesis and concerning the events of creation and the geneological records leading up to the time of the events of his day. Think about it! As you read through Genesis, notice what Moses says! As he gives an overview (and that's all the book of Genesis is!), he states over and over again that he is relying on historical records - note Genesis 6:9, 10:1, 11:10, 11:27, 36:1, etc.
Think about this too! Since men lived to be 700 to 900 years old due to the antediluvian greenhouse effect of the earth's atmosphere, and since Noah's father would have personally known his ancestor Adam and heard first-hand accounts of the beginning of creation, it would not have been difficult at all to have a written record of accuracy by the time Noah came into existence. Adam would have had 900 years to provide a written record of his family. He would have personally known each and every one of his descendants down to Lamech, the father of Noah, and perhaps had told the stories of creation and the events of the first 900 years of man's existence over and over again to many people, and especially to his family members! After Noah, you see Moses writing of "the account" or written account of each family and significant events within that family record. I'm sure Moses had to sift through a vast amount of information in order to whittle it down to the exact and specific information God wanted him to share in the book of Genesis. From a purely practical perspective, it would not have been difficult for Moses to have obtained and accurate rendition of events. Therefore, it's not a stretch of the imagination at all to believe in the historical accuracy of the book of Genesis!!!
2) The chart below shows the actual wanderings of the Israelites as they left Egypt and made their way towards the Promised Land over a period of 40 longs years! This visual may give you a better perspective.
3) The next chart below shows the how the land was divided among the Israelites after they entered into the Promised Land.
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