Wilderness.
Part SIX of a seven part series on a word study of "Midbar"
Midbar: a desert, wasteland, barren wilderness, desolate land that supports very little life. Also used to described an open country suitable for grazing and as a mouth/instrument of speech.
*God has a purpose for the wilderness.
Thus far, we have looked a lot into what God does within the wilderness. However, it is vastly important to remember that ALL things work together for the good of His kingdom, including the wilderness seasons. We may not be able to see God’s plans for good during the times when we are within a wilderness season, but we can trust that God has a plan for us in all seasons.
Joseph’s story (Genesis 37-50), beginning with him being thrown into a pit in the wilderness and sold for 20 shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, unfolded into a beautiful story of redemption. Reading Joseph’s story, I could not imagine being in his shoes, sitting in a pit in the wilderness or sitting within a prison cell for a crime he did not commit, and being able to see clearly what God’s plans were for this season. However, God put Joseph in the perfect place, surrounded him by the right people, and gave him the gifts he needed to position him exactly where he needed to be in history. Joseph’s story leads him into a position of leadership that allows him to lead the people of Egypt through one of the most severe famines they have ever seen, and he is even able to see redemption in his relationship with his brothers. Every piece of this story has God’s fingerprints all over it, so that this story in history could have only been possible through God Himself. God had a bigger plan for Joseph than Joseph could see within the pit in the wilderness. In Joseph’s story, he is able to trace God’s hand through it all as he explains to his brothers that it was not them who brought him to this point in history even though they sold him into slavery, but it was God’s hand through it all (Genesis 45:4-8).
In Israel’s story in Exodus, when Pharaoh finally let the people go, God purposefully led the people through the wilderness and used the wilderness as a way to protect them from things they could not see. In Exodus 13:17-18, God chooses to avoid the way of the land of the Philistines where they would have been led into conflict and war, but instead leads the people through the wilderness and towards the Red Sea where they would be protected and ultimately be led through the Red Sea. The wilderness is utilized by God as a source of protection again in Numbers 14:25, where God has Israel turn into the wilderness instead of entering into conflict with the Amelikites and the Canaanites in the valleys.
God does remarkable things, both in the word and in our lives here on earth, and it is all for a purpose. Have you ever experienced something that has happened in your life that only could have been made possible through God’s hands? In Isaiah 41:17-20, God says that when there is no water for those who need it, God will answer them by providing a pool of water in the wilderness and a spring in the dry lands, so that they may know that it is only possible through His hands. Various times in my life, I have been able to look back and see God’s hand in all of it. During a wilderness season, I may not have been able to see the full picture, but God has always provided me with understanding that has been so much bigger than I could have ever fathomed when in the middle of it all. God’s understanding is so much bigger than my own, and I am so thankful that He is not limited by my narrow vision.
We cannot always be sure of the purpose of our wilderness seasons. However, I am so thankful that God’s character has stood the test of time and that He does not change, even as our world is constantly evolving and changing. We know that all things work together for His good purpose, because He IS good, and that our wilderness seasons are no exception to that. God says in Isaiah 43:18-19, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” During our wilderness seasons, we may not understand what He is doing exactly, but we can be confident that He has a purpose and He will make a way so that we can see His hands through it all.
Our good God is present and pursuing us within the wilderness. He provides for our every single need so we lack nothing, and He is abundant in patience as we continue to navigate through the wilderness seasons. He has a purpose for every single season of our life, including the wilderness seasons.
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Scripture References:
Genesis 45:4-8
So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Exodus 13:17-18
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.
Numbers 14:25
Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”
Isaiah 41:17-20
When the poor and needy seek water,
and there is none,
and their tongue is parched with thirst,
I the Lord will answer them;
I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
I will open rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the midst of the valleys.
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
and the dry land springs of water.
I will put in the wilderness the cedar,
the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive.
I will set in the desert the cypress,
the plane and the pine together,
that they may see and know,
may consider and understand together,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Isaiah 43:18-19
“Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
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