I have always read my Bible with an open mind. I don’t tend to think something is impossible but rather take the leap of faith and am happy to accept what is written without needing proof. There is room for interpretation but it should be done with care so as not to distort and put your own take on what the text means. When looking at these expert opinions, also be aware that all interpretation is by its nature personal. Some people may claim to ‘know’ the truth and have interpreted something correctly based on their experience and qualifications, but you should always treat everything as an opinion which may or may not be right.
I am talking about this because I recently saw a documentary about two men who were trying to find the real Mount Sinai and began by tracing the steps outlined in the Bible of the exodus from Egypt. I have heard many theories about where the Israelites may have crossed the Red Sea, but these vary greatly. The one I most dislike is the idea that what was meant was the ‘Reed Sea’ which has low tides and can be crossed sometimes. It is almost as if the people who came up with this found it difficult to believe that our God can part a sea. We are supposed to believe that he created the universe and if you believe this, why would you have difficulty accepting he has power over the sea?
Figures vary, but there were around 600,000 to 1,000,000 people involved in the exodus – how would they cross muddy land? The documentary people found a causeway under the Red Sea at the tip of the Sinai peninsula where the crossing would be narrower and these stones would have supported such a mass crossing. They went on to trace the other clues in the Bible about coming across bitter waters, then an oasis, and finally they found a mountain known by the locals as Moses’ mountain and it had a black ‘blasted’ top to it, described in the Bible as happening when God descended onto the mountain. They discovered other clues as to the presence of the Israelites: altars, a large rock cracked at the centre with indications that vast amounts of water would have spewed out from it and filled the land below. I could go on, but there is so much in the programme that it would take too long.
This Mount Sinai is in Saudi Arabia and not as previously thought, in the Sinai Peninsula itself. These men found it because they believed what they read in the Bible and they based their search on that faith. If you doubt you will be led along paths that won’t bring you to the truth. It is a very exciting find and hopefully one day more will be said about this discovery.
The Bible is a very exciting and informative series of writings and should be treated with the utmost respect.
God bless you and help you to make the leap of faith you need to really immerse yourself in the story of our creation and salvation,
Widows Mote 