Lessons from the Wilderness (Part 1)

We’ve been studying Exodus in Sunday School the last few weeks, and I’m just loving it! Maybe I’m just a nerd, but I find the Old Testament incredibly interesting. Plus reading about the stubborn stupidity of the Israelites makes me feel so much better about myself. (It’s similar to watching a few episodes of The Office to get your mind off your own crazy workplace. If you know, you know.)

After God used Moses to guide the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, they wandered in the desert wilderness for a good while. During this time of wilderness wandering, they learned a TON about who God is and how they were to live as His people. We, too, go through wilderness periods where we’re just spinning our wheels, going nowhere fast. Our spiritual lives may be dusty and dry, or we might be waiting for an answer to prayer or a change in circumstance. Our wilderness may not look exactly like the Israelites’, but we all go through times of uncomfortable waiting or even desperate need. When we do, we can look to Exodus to learn the lessons God taught the Israelites during their wilderness wandering. 

LESSON #1 Wandering in the wilderness may not be a punishment for sin or a result of our mistakes. Sometimes the wilderness is God-ordained. 

This was very much true for the Israelites. Exodus 15:22 and other places say that “Moses led Israel,” but Exodus 17:1 reminds us that Moses led them only as “the Lord commanded.” Through Moses, God led Israel out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and into the wilderness where they wandered for 40 years. The wilderness was God’s idea. And though their time there might have been much shorter if they had faithfully obeyed, the Israelites never would have skipped out on the wilderness completely. God led them there. It’s where he wanted them to be. Some lessons are best learned in the wilderness. 

LESSON #2 God uses the wilderness to test us. It’s an opportunity to see what our faith is made of!

Exodus 15 says, “Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went to the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water” (15:22). They eventually came to a spring at Marah, but sadly, the water was undrinkable. This was no surprise for God. He had a plan to provide for them, but meanwhile, God “put them to the test” (15:25). Scripture actually says that. God tested them. He intentionally led the Israelites right into a situation where their high hopes were smashed to smithereens. He wanted to show them (and us) that true faith looks to Him when things get tough. (Side-note: the Israelites failed this test. Instead of looking to God, they complained to Moses. Despite their faithlessness, God still compassionately provided for them. Which leads us to Lesson #3!!!)

LESSON #3 There are good things in the wilderness! But we have to follow God to find them.

Sometimes when we’re in the wilderness, it seems like everything - every. single. little. thing. - goes wrong. After a while, it’s easier to just expect a piano to fall from the sky rather than get your hopes up that anything good will come. Bad Hair Days become the norm instead of the exception and the negativity rut becomes so deep it’s tough to climb out of. But Israel’s experience in the wilderness proves there’s hope. After being sorely disappointed at Marah, God, through Moses, leads them further into the wilderness where - SURPRISE!! - they discover Elim, which boasted “twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water” (Ex 15:27). Even in the midst of life’s disappointments and let downs, even in times of strife or uncertainty, we can KNOW that God has good planned for us right around the corner. 

LESSON #4 Warning! The wilderness can skew our perspective.  

Even though they had seen God split the sea for them, even though they had just rested in the flourishing oasis of Elim, the Israelites quickly forgot God’s provision. The further they walked and the hotter it got, the more their emotions overruled their faith. “In the desert, the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all of the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death!’” (Ex 16:2-3) To this I say: REALLY? Really? Back in Egypt you sat around? You had tons of leisure time to relax by the fire and cook food? Huh. And you say you had tons of meat, no less? Really? I doubt it. Friends, when’s the last time you heard of slaves relaxing around campfires laughing and roasting goat on a stick? The Israelites allowed the wilderness to skew their perspective. They allowed hardship to feed them lies about the past in order to justify their fear in the present. Don’t be dramatic, silly Israelites. It’s ok to be tired, hot, hungry, confused… all the things. It’s fine to dislike your current circumstances, but don’t fantasize about an ideal past that didn’t exist. Instead… well, just read Lesson #5!

LESSON #5:  The leanness of the wilderness makes it even easier to spot God’s faithful provision.

The Israelites whined. A lot. And we do, too. But man, God is SO amazingly patient with them (and us!). He answers their grumbling with manna, “bread from heaven” (Ex 16:4). There are lots of cool things about mana, but let’s focus on the fact that these flakes of grain were obviously straight from God. This daily dew-fall of sustenance wasn’t something that could be explained by the weather or any other strange natural phenomenon. And it certainly couldn’t be attributed to the work or resources of any human. Mana was new. Mana was weird. Mana was miraculous! And mana was from God. No question. They wouldn't have survived without it. It was exactly what they needed, exactly where and when they needed it. And because there were no other options or sources for food around, because they could not provide for themselves, God’s provision stole the spotlight. Though the wilderness isn’t a comfortable place to be, it is the perfect spot to watch God provide in miraculous ways. 

Which lesson do you need to learn the most right now?

Check out next week’s post for more lessons from the wilderness!