They struggled with long journeys on foot, weariness, hunger and fear. They had to quit their jobs, face financial hardship, and leave the comfort of their families. In the Wilderness with GodĮven the disciples were called into a wilderness experience. He separates us from things that draw us away from Him so that we can know Him better and experience transformation by the Holy Spirit. He can use the wilderness in the same way to strengthen us. God used this extended wilderness journey to strengthen the Israelite’s faith.He was preparing them to enter the Promised Land, and they had a lot to learn before they could flourish there. God kept them there to refine their faith and strip them of their idols. They needed to trust and obey God, but they wouldn’t. They were stuck in the wilderness because they did not believe in God’s promises or plans. So why did the Israelites wander around in the wilderness for 40 years? This journey should have taken them only a few weeks. God showed Himself over and over as Provider and Protector. God led them through the dark and unchanging landscape as a pillar of cloud for the day, and a pillar of fire by night. When the people grumbled about the lack of meat in their diet, God provided quail. There was no water or food in the barren wilderness, but God provided manna from heaven and water from a rock. The Israelites complained about their wilderness route, but it was God’s care and protection, not a punishment! Israel in the Desert He knew they were not ready to fight the Philistines on the shorter route. Pharaoh let the people go, and God takes them the long way to the Red Sea. The 40 years the Israelites spent in the desert gives us an extended look at wilderness life. We can make it through our wilderness journey by using Jesus’ strategies and trusting in God as our source of all we need. Jesus used His knowledge of Scripture and obedience to overcome. Our wilderness journeys may be a time of temptation and trial.He even shows us how to resist temptation- using the power of Scripture. The devil continues to tempt Jesus, but He stood firm. I always think of Satan tempting us in our weak areas, but he also knows our strengths! He can and will tempt and deceive us in all areas of our lives. It’s interesting that Satan tried to use Jesus’ strength to tempt Him. Jesus could have used the strength of His power to make Himself a loaf of bread, but declined. It was at this low point the devil hit Him with the temptation to turn stones into bread. Even though His Father was there with Him ( John 8:29), Jesus was exhausted and hungry. He willingly went into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for 40 long days and nights. My first thought was how obedient Jesus was. The Spirit led Him into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Jesus experienced the wilderness immediately after His baptism. It has a purpose (His plan), but is not always apparent. We are going to concentrate on the definition of wilderness as an uninhabited area where we spend time alone and encounter God. It can mean a land without water, a wasteland, or an area of wild fields where animals graze, but not used for farming or living. There are a few types of wilderness mentioned in the Bible. The list goes on… Definition of Wilderness in the Bible Hagar runs away into the desert wilderness to escape Sarah’s abuse. Society banished lepers into the wilderness. Paul lived in the wilderness of Arabia for three years before beginning his ministry. John the Baptist lived in the wilderness for years in preparation for his ministry. The first two that come to mind are Moses and the Israelites (40 years), and Jesus.īut we also see Job in the wilderness of substantial loss and Joseph in the wilderness of treachery and captivity (13 years of slavery and imprisonment). It seems like many Biblical characters spent time in the wilderness. The meaning of wilderness in the Bible has many similarities. It’s just you, your canoe, hiking boots, and miles and miles of lakes and trails. No planes fly overhead, and they do not allow any motorized boats or vehicles. The closest I’ve been to true wilderness is camping in the Boundary Waters canoe area of Northern Minnesota. By definition, a wilderness area is an uninhabited and uncultivated area.
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