In the Wilderness

The story of the wilderness in the Bible is a theme that apples to every Christian's life today. Abraham, Hagar, Moses, Elisha and Jesus all experience God in the wilderness. In Hebrew, B’midbar means "in the wilderness," which is the real title of the book of Numbers. The Greek translators called it Arithmoi, and in Latin it was Numeri, because the translators focused on the two census takings at the beginning and the end. But "the wilderness wanderings" is perhaps a more appropriate name. Numbers picks up where Exodus left off. And it's really a book about arrested progress. In a sense, it never should have happened. It took only 40 hours to get Israel out of Egypt - the Passover. But it took 40 years to get Egypt out of Israel. At Kadesh-Barnea, Moses sent out twelve spies to check out the new land. Ten of them came back terrified, and for good reason. They said they saw the Nephilim, the giant "fallen ones."

Numbers 13:33 records, "…and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." Goliath was also one of those. He was nine feet tall. They had reason to be scared. And yet, it was also a lack of faith. Two of the twelve spies, Joshua and Caleb, had a different attitude and brought the "minority report." They said, "This land is rich, it's full, it's marvelous. Let us go up at once and possess it for we are well able to overcome it." By their own strength? Of course not. By faith! God said, "Go take it." When God is on our side, our enemy is outnumbered.

Unfortunately, the people rallied around the ten spies with their bad report. "And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said to them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt, or, Would God that we had died in this wilderness" (Numbers 14:2). That was a big mistake. God was listening and heard their murmuring and gave them their desires. God said to Israel, "Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from 20 years old and upward, which have murmured against me" (Numbers 14:29).

Only two in the entire group, Joshua and Caleb, survived to go into the Promised Land. Joshua was the military leader who took over after Moses. Caleb was his sidekick. Together, these two rout a powerful group of nations on the earth at that time.

Why does the Bible record all the things that happened during those 40 years? The Scripture tells us it was for an example. These things happened to them for our admonition. Paul makes a point in 1 Corinthians 10:11 that everything written then is for our application now. Every one of the events in Numbers has a lesson for us. And that's why it is so important to study this book in detail.

The word "example" in Greek is tupos, which is "a figure, an image, a pattern, a pre-figuring." That's where we get the term "type," or model. Engineers speak of a prototype, which is from the same root. Types are common in the Bible, where some event, some object, or some situation is a lesson, in advance, of what's coming. The manna we read about in the book of Numbers is a type, as is the brazen serpent and the water from the rock.

The Book of Numbers is a fascinating study in many ways. Expositionally, it demonstrates the integrity of Design. Homiletically, it reveals that these were real people with practical problems. Devotionally, we see that "crossing over Jordon" is not "going to Heaven" - life is warfare. Each one of us is in our own wilderness and every day is our "Kadesh-Barnea." Will we trust God and conquer the land? Will we resolutely try to surmount the obstacles that lie in our way? Or will we shrink from the apparent difficulties and remain slaves to the sin in our lives?

Realizing that we are in the "wilderness" is the first step of Christian maturity. It is the battle of eternal life over death. The decision that one makes in the wilderness determines where you will spend eternity. When I hear people "murmur" at church about how unhappy they are in their faith, I shudder. It is not about us! It is about God. We would do well to study these "types" so that we can be armed with the word of God to overcome the world.