Introduction
     Sometimes, journeys begin without knowing exactly how the outcome will be, but we must all learn that Yahweh is in charge and that His will is ultimately accomplished in the end. Let’s look at a prominent part of history, beginning with the Passover and ending with the law of Yahweh.

Passover Lamb Selected
     Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, “In the tenth [day] of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of [their] fathers, a lamb for an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take [it] according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats, Exodus 12:3-5. (King James Version used throughout, unless otherwise noted.)

Passover Lamb Slain
     And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; [and] with bitter [herbs] they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast [with] fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire, Exodus 12:6, 8-10.
    The selected animal is kept almost as a family pet until it was sacrificed. The animal was sacrificed and eaten on the evening of the beginning of the fourteenth of Abib and if anything was left in the morning, then it must be burnt.
  In the Biblical description of Israel’s eating the first Passover, the Israelites were told the following:
  And thus shall ye eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is Yahweh’s Passover, Exodus 12:11, ASV.
    Why were they told to be prepared, to be ready to travel on short notice? Moses had been pleading with the Pharaoh to “let Yahweh’s People go.” And a few times, the Pharaoh said they could go. But before the Israelites could leave, the Pharaoh had changed his mind and made life that much harder for Israel.

Israel Spoils the Egyptians
     And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: And Yahweh gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them [such things as they required]. And they spoiled the Egyptians, Exodus 12:34-36.
    For verse 36 The Living Bible phrases it in a way that is easily understood.
    And Yahweh gave the Israelis favor with the Egyptians, so that they gave them whatever they wanted. And the Egyptians were practically stripped of everything they owned! Exodus 12:36, TLB.

Israel Leaves Rameses at Night
     Marvellous things did He in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan … How He had wrought His signs in Egypt, and His wonders in the field of Zoan, Psalms 78:12, 43.
    All the marvelous things which Yahweh performed prior to Israel’s departure from Egypt were done in the area of Zoan.
    That night the people of Israel left Rameses and started for Succoth; there were six hundred thousand of them, besides all the women and children, going on foot, Exodus 12:37, TLB.
    And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness, Exodus 13:20.
    At night, the day after Passover, on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Israel left Rameses and headed for Succoth and stayed the night. Considering Egypt as the world, for us this resembles our willingness to change our lives and leave the world by following Yahshua, Who symbolized the Lamb sacrificed on Passover night.
    Toward the end of the second day of the feast of Unleavened Bread they arrived and camped at Etham.
    On the third day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread Yahweh instructed Moses to tell the people what was going to happen.
    And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon:” before it shall ye encamp by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, “They [are] entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.” And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I [am] Yahweh. And they did so, Exodus 14:1-4.
    “Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses” (Exod. 12:19). From the time Israel had left Egypt to their arrival at the Red Sea, denotes that time during which we spiritually cleanse ourselves of all false doctrine, and our houses by removing all leavened food.

Israel Crosses the Red Sea
     And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him: And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them. And Yahweh hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with a high hand. But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses [and] chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon. And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto Yahweh. And they said unto Moses, “Because [there were] no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? [Is] not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians’? For [it had been] better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness,” and Moses said unto the people, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh, which He will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. Yahweh shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace,” Exodus 14:5-14.
    It is quite understandable that Israel was fearful upon seeing the Egyptians and that they should complain to Moses.But Moses calmed their fears by telling them that Yahweh will deliver them.
    So, what did Yahweh do?
    And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and Yahweh caused the sea to go [back] by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry [land], and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry [ground]: and the waters [were] a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, [even] all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it came to pass, that in the morning watch Yahweh looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel; for Yahweh fighteth for them against the Egyptians.” And Yahweh said unto Moses, “Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and Yahweh overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, [and] all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry [land] in the midst of the sea; and the waters [were] a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Thus Yahweh saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore, Exodus 14:21-30.
    Seven days had passed from Israel’s leaving Egypt to their deliverance at the Sea of Reeds (the Red Sea), a figure of the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, foreshadowing the time when we purge all false doctrine and the sin that besets us.

Towards The Wilderness of Zin
     So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they [were] bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” Exodus 15:22-24.
    (Shur, also called the Wilderness of Etham (Num. 33:8), means ‘wall,’ a region on Egypt’s northeastern border with the Sinai Peninsula and is named, perhaps, for a wall the Egyptians built to protect their border, where Israel first encamped after crossing the Red Sea.)
    The waters of Marah were not palatable, but Yahweh showed Moses a tree which, when cast into the water, made the water sweet. Afterward, Israel came to Elim which had twelve wells of water. After encamping there, they journeyed to the Wilderness of Sin (Zin) – a month after they left Egypt, on the First Day of Unleavened Bread.
    And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which [is] between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt, Exodus 16:1.
    The Wilderness of Sin (Zin) formed a boundary with Canaan, from which Jacob and his family came, and had emigrated to go into Egypt for reason of a famine that had overcome all the inhabitants of the earth.
    According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, this wilderness forms a wedge between the Gulfs of Suez and ‘Aqabah’, tapering south to the granite mountains near Sinai. It is 175 miles long from East to West on the North, and a depth of 250 miles from north to south is 250 miles, encompassing more than 20,000 square miles, or double the size of the Promised Land east and west of Jordan. North in this arid desert, lie the plains of Gaza and Gerar and the Neghebh or “dry region,” including the plateau and low hills round Beersheba.
    By the beginning of the third month from Israel’s exiting Egypt, they had arrived at the foot of Mount Sinai (Exod. 19).

The Israelites Become Hungry
     Again, Israel complained to Moses and to Aaron, this time … about not having bread to eat.
    And the children of Israel said unto them, “Would to Elohim we had died by the hand of Yahweh in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, [and] when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger,” Exodus 16:3.
    And again, Yahweh came to the rescue.
    Then said Yahweh unto Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My Law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare [that] which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily, Exodus 16:4-5.
    It may be, that during the time the people’s lives had been made bitter with hard bondage, in morter and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field (Exod. 1:14) … without probably, a respite on the Sabbath, they might have lost track of time, that is, not able to distinguish one day from another. Now, Yahweh is beginning to inaugurate His post-exilic Covenant with Israel, and He commences so, by giving them instruction on “work activity” on the seventh-day Sabbath.
    Yahweh’s People were told to gather a double portion on the sixth day, and whatever remained from the sixth day would not spoil, but would serve them as His provision for the seventh-day (Sabbath).
    As we read the Scriptures, we discover Yahweh will provide assistance to His People (Yahweh Yireh), when He promises to do so.
    Not only did Yahweh provide the Israelites with manna but also with meat (quail).
    That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp, Exodus 16:13, NIV.
    The dew, when it evaporated, revealed the bread which was rained from heaven.
Even though they were also told not to try to gather any on the seventh day Sabbath, some of the Israelites did. Because they did, Yahweh directed a question to Moses.
    And Yahweh said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? (Ex 16:28)
    Just how important was this manna?
    And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before Yahweh, to be kept for your generations. As Yahweh commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept, Exodus 16:33-34.

Manna’s Importance
     Where was this pot kept?
    For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein [was] the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein [was] the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly, Hebrews 9:2-5.
    The pot of manna was placed in the Ark of the Covenant as a reminder that Yahweh provided the Israelites with food during their journey through the wilderness. Likewise, Yahweh will provide what we need, if we only believe.

Conclusion
     Chapters 16-19:16 of Exodus relate Israel’s encampments in the seven-week interval from their departure from Egypt to their arrival at Mount Sinai.
    And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete, Leviticus 23:15.
    The word Sabbath(s) used in this verse refers to the weekly Sabbath. The next verse refers to the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost or Feast of Firstfruits. This is the time when the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai, the time when the Book of the Covenant was given to Israel and Which, had they kept, their wandering in the wilderness could have been abbreviated.