Are you aware that Luke 9:1-6 and Luke 10:1-12 tell virtually the same story? I love them both. Some days, I find myself drawn to the simplicity of the Twelve, perhaps because that was the first sending of disciples to register on my consciousness. At other times, I’m comforted that the Seventy (- two) others indicates that Y’shua’s training went beyond the Twelve from the onset. I bracketed the two because one manuscript indicates that seventy-two, 6 sets of twelve, and not seventy persons were being sent.
If we operate with seventy persons being sent, we find an interesting parallel between the number of persons sent and the fruitfulness of the oasis of Elim. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Exodus 15:27 AFV
[27] And they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees. And they camped there by the waters.
Abundance and Rest for the Journey
I suspect that we are mostly agreed that there was one well per tribe at Elim. But those fascinated with the significance of numbers in biblical literature (I won’t say ‘numerology’, as it implies a different spirituality) might be asking, isn’t there more? I suspect that you’re correct. My response isn’t going to address all there is – we all have new revelations daily. But let’s explore and reflect on this together.
Aside from the disciples and the tribes, 12 is associated with Y’shua’s age when He began teaching in the temple; the feeding miracle with the 5,000; features of different aspects of the New Jerusalem; Solomon’s council, as well as the number of Ishmael’s sons. Some scholars believe that twelve springs may be referring to God’s authority, and a reminder that it is YHWH who provides.
This is underscored by commentary at Bible Hub, which indicates that 12 represents divine order and organisation. By pointing the Children of Israel to a place with twelve springs, YHWH would have been affirming YHWH’s covering over their entire journey. It might have been lost on those in the wilderness – but those in exile would have interpreted the message.
Our Bible Hub sources also indicate that seventy references ‘corporate leadership and worldwide scope’. They cite Genesis 46:27 (Jacob’s arrival in Egypt); Numbers 11:16-25 (the ordination of the first set of elders in biblical literature); as well as Luke 10:1 to corroborate the point. This aligns with my thesis before reading this commentary – that there is an implicit missional tone in the text; not so much for the exiles, as it is for us.
Self-Check
Are the messages of the 12 springs and the 70 palms lost on us?
Digging Deeper
Perhaps like me, you thought that crossing the Red Sea meant that the Children of Israel were literally out of Egypt. Currently, in Egypt, Wadi Gharandel is an oasis which still boasts 12 springs and a myriad of date palm trees! This isn’t fiction folks. This represents corroborating evidence to the biblical text. It truly insists on long and deep reflection.
Let’s return to the implications for us: you and me.
I introduced the Nougat to the references in Luke 9 and 10 and suggested that, for me, the two passages speak to the significance of 12 and 70 in Exodus 15. Siblings, it is so easy for us to be overwhelmed by the various facets of End Time prophecies being fulfilled around us in various ways. Climate concerns, conflicts, contagion, and uncertainty surrounding our day-to-day ways of being can become wearisome. What if this life is a metaphor for our own Exodus journey to God’s Land of Promise?
If so, as we find rest in Elim, we are also called to share the news of this abundance with others. We are therefore both recipients of God’s grace and evangelists to others of this abundant mercy. How are we helping others find this oasis? Are we offering hope to a world choking in the bitter waters of life without Christ?
A Croatian colleague has taken this invitation literally and is the founder of a shelter called Elim. Her ministry invites those who are in vulnerable situations of abuse to receive rest for their spirits, and, hopefully for their souls. Might we, like my colleague in Croatia, open doors of rest and abundance in Christ to those in need?
That there are 12 springs and even more palm trees at Elim indicates God has enough for all. Have we whispered to someone that they can eat and drink without money? That in Christ, there’s hope beyond whatever they’re facing, what we’re facing?
Point to Ponder
What do we do with our discovery of Elim, and how often do we return for rest
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May all we seek be found in Christ
