Sermon Tone Analysis

What is the desert/wilderness?

Today we are talking about streams in the desert.

Streams in the desert.

Sounds like a contradiction, right?

Yeah a little bit!

The desert and the wilderness are are synonymous in biblical metaphor.

They refer to difficult places among other things.

I want to talk with you about those places and seasons.

Let’s read Isa 35:3-6

“The description in this chapter of the land and the people is a highlight of the first half of the book.

This is the desired millennial state for which the nation has longed since God first promised it to Abraham.

This is the state that mankind constantly longs for—a utopia in which peace and fertility prevail.

This condition will not come, however, till after God’s judgment on the world (chap.

34).”

Martin, J. A. (1985).

Isaiah.

In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.),

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1085).

Victor Books.

I think it is interesting that the first Messiah figure to Israel, Moses, delivered the people and then brought them into the wilderness.

The second Messiah, the prophet like unto Moses, Jesus, delivered us from sin and the devil and now we are in the delivered, but not in the promised land scenario.

Isaiah encourages his people to hope.

The day of the Lord is coming.

All is not lost.

I grew up in the wilderness.

It was a place of mystery, imagination, danger, and wonder.

It is a wild place.

Where I grew up there were beasts.

Mountain lions, bear, wolf, coyote.

I remember being in the woods for several hours, exploring and then climbing a hill only to see what looked like a wolf heading my way from below.

But it was also a place where God was.

I first remember really praying in the wilderness where there were no distractions from your true self and your thoughts.

Things grow in the desert/wilderness that do not grow in town or more habitable places.

Deserts are very difficult places that burn you by day and freeze you by night.

Some of the deadliest creatures come out at night and it is so important to have protection.

What typically is not there are people, distractions, blatant sins of the flesh.

But the roots are still there and maybe a little easier to see.

Voices and urges and temptations are there.

Temptations to leave and go fulfill, but if you stay… you might discover the roots and grow.

The wilderness might not be a place you want to go if you do not want to face yourself, your fearful thoughts, your sin and the roots of those sins.

It is not a place to be distracted.

You’ll need your wits about you and you’ll want to go with God as your focus.

The desert/wilderness is seen, historically as a season, a place of releasing and refinement.

It is preparation for something.

The word eremos denotes uninhabited, formless and void, chaos, etc.

But God loves to bring new creation out of the formless and void.

He did it at Creation.

Examples of desert/wilderness experiences:

Abraham:

12 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Ge 12:1–3).

(2016).

Crossway Bibles.