Logistics of the Exodus

[Tom Tighe]

There is a saying in the military that captains study tactics, but generals study logistics. The implication is that the key to success of any large operation is in the logistics and the Exodus was certainly a large operation. I would like to try to add perspective.

Exodus 10:37 records 600,000 men besides women and children. That implies 600,000 men of military age, say 20 to 60 yrs old. From this we can realistically extrapolate that the total Exodus included 1.5 to 2 million people. The U.S. Census estimates the population of New Hampshire in July 2021 to be about 1.4 million. If 1.5 million Hebrews were in a modern military parade formation 100 people wide (about a football field goal line to goal line) that parade would be 8.5 miles long. That's without luggage. This group of people with all their stuff could have been so big that one days travel would put the people in back only up to where the people in front had started that morning

If everyone needed just 1 gallon of water per day for drinking, food prep, and hygiene, they would need a water supply of about 1000 gallons per minute all the time. That's not including any for livestock. If the group came to an oasis or spring, like Marah, they would need to fill 1000 buckets or jars per minute.

Don't even consider the line at the porta-potty.

How did Moses do this? He didn't. By modern standards the logistics of Exodus are miraculous

[Tom Tighe]

Today we read the Hebrews of the Exodus all had to consecrate themselves by washing their clothes. In addition to their drinking water, they have to find and gather enough water to wash 1,500,000 garments. Even if Mount Sinai had a river flowing down it, and everyone stood on the shore to wash clothes that's a pretty big task.

They were also to gather an omer of manna each. On the internet (so it must be true), an omer is about 9 cups. If you spread 9 cups of rice evenly (like dew) it would take several square feet of space. If you estimate each cup would take one square foot, God is providing about 300 acres a day of mana and 600 acres on Fridays.

[Waylonf15]

Thank you Tom,

I enjoy reading the side bar information that is brought up here.

What Amazes me about these men whom God has chosen is the clay feet that they all have. Aaron, the main Priest of the chosen people, is the same man who by hand built the golden calf, and lied to his own brother about it. That Moses himself was a murderer who killed the Egyptian and became the leader and interface of for God to His chosen.

If God can use these men and have a strong hand in their lives, I'm hopeful that He can use me as a man of clay feet as well.

Thanks for the lead in this study.

Reid

[Tom Tighe]

In Exodus 36:6 Moses has to tell people to stop bringing in donations for the Tabernacle. So besides the stuff they needed for basic survival, they had all the gold, silver, bronze, acacia wood (who packs boards for a camping trip?), gem stones, and enough thread to weave the panels for tabernacle and the courtyard (a perimeter of 600 feet), spices for incense, and enough livestock to supply at lease 2 sacrifices a day indefinitely...and they have more than they need!

[Tom Tighe]

Donation totals for the tabernacle

Gold about 2000 pounds, which has a street value this morning of $5.9 million
Silver about 7500 pounds, value today is about $375,000
Bronze about 5000 pounds

[Tom Tighe]

Leviticus offers more logistical questions for me. Where in the desert do you find enough wood to keep the alter fire burning continuously for 40 years?
The livestock one would need to sacrifice for 1.5 million sinners like me and for the birth of a whole generation would be a huge herd. Food and water requirements for the animals would definitely complicate the already overwhelming logistics for personal survival and complicate moving the camp when the pillar of smoke/fire lifted.

[Tom Tighe]

In the Epistle lesson at church to day we hear Paul make a weird casual reference to the logistics of the Exodus. This reference draws on stories or information that would have been common knowledge to the Jews of that time period, but for which we have no context.

..."all our fathers were under the cloud (pillar of smoke/fire), all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea, all ate the same spiritual food (manna), and drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ."

Some speculate that in this verse Paul implies the rock from which the Israelites got water followed them (or they carried it). This is the only verse I know of that allows you to infer the Israelites had a portable water supply (I calculated they would need about 1000 gallons per minute). That seems inconceivable, but so does extracting that much water from a desert oasis, natural spring, or well. Perhaps they were able to survive with much less water, the way their clothes and sandals didn't wear out in 40 years. Maybe there were rivers then we don't have or know about now. Maybe they had a miraculous rock. In any case the water logistics is miraculous by today's mechanical or technical methods

The books of Moses have very few words to record all the miracles shown to God's people in the 40 years of the Exodus.