The Wilderness

Introduction

The story of the Israelites really is a shocking, dramatic story.

In Genesis 12, God makes three promises to Abraham. He promises that his family will be a great nation with a great land, and they will become a great blessing to the world...

...But at the end of the book of Genesis, where are the Israelites?

They are in Egypt. At first, the relationship between the Egyptians and the Israelites is a good one, but that doesn’t last long.

Eventually, the King of Egypt decides to mistreat the Israelites and subject them to hard labor.

Why does he do this? Exodus 1:8-16.

Exodus 1:8–16 ESV

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. 13 So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves. 15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.”

In the interest of National Security, the Egyptians decide to afflict the Israelites.

So, the Israelites were afflicted in Egypt for 400 years. Genesis 15:13.

Genesis 15:13 ESV

13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.

Israel’s affliction went on until God said it was enough. Exodus 2:23-25.

Exodus 2:23–25 ESV

23 During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.

So, God saves the Israelites from Egypt and brings them into the wilderness. While they are in the wilderness, God takes care of them, makes them his people, and eventually brings them to the border of their new land.

The Israelites were all set to enter the promised land, but it doesn’t happen… Why?

To answer that question, we are going to go through the book of Numbers and look at seven different times that the Israelites decided to rebel against God.

Israel In The Wilderness (Seven Acts of Rebellion)

These seven rebellions are arranged in a particular way that is very common in scripture. It’s called a chiasm. It’s kind of like a sandwich with bread on the outside and meat on the inside.

In this case, the chiasm is designed to direct your attention toward the center, so as we go through numbers, we will start from the outside and move to the inside.

1st and 7th Rebellion

The outer pair of stories share similarities. In Numbers 11:1-3, the people complain so God sends fire to burn parts of the camp. In Numbers 21:4-9, the people complain again so God sends fiery serpents.

Numbers 11:1–3 ESV

1 And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. 2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. 3 So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.

Numbers 21:4–9 ESV

4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” 6 Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

2nd and 6th Rebellion

The next inner pair of stories focus on how the people complain about food.

2nd Rebellion

In Numbers 11:4-35, the people complain because they didn’t have meat to eat. Numbers 11:4-6.

Numbers 11:4–6 ESV

4 Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

So, what does God do? God gives them quail. Numbers 11:18-20.

Numbers 11:18–20 ESV

18 And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. 19 You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, 20 but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?” ’ ”

6th Rebellion

In Numbers 20:1-13, the people complain because they don’t have enough water to drink. Numbers 20:2-4.

Numbers 20:2–4 ESV

2 Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! 4 Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle?

So, God tells Moses to speak to the rock, but he strikes the rock instead.

So, in this pair, the people complain about food and water, and God provides it for them.

3rd and 5th Rebellion

The next inner pair of stories focus on a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, Israel’s leaders.

3rd Rebellion

In Numbers 12, Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses because of the woman that she had married. Numbers 12:1.

Numbers 12:1 ESV

1 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.

So, God punishes them for their sin.

5th Rebellion

In Numbers 16-17, We see another rebellion, but this time against both Moses and Aaron.

In this rebellion Korah, Dathan, and Abiram gather 250 of the Levites to try and overthrow both Moses and Aaron. They claim that all of the Levites are holy, so they ask why Aaron and Moses are exalted. Numbers 16:3.

Numbers 16:3 ESV

3 They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”

Ultimately, they are punished for trying to overthrow God’s appointed leaders.

So, in both of these stories there is a rebellion against God’s leaders

4th Rebellion

At the very center of these stories is the most shocking rebellion of them all.

In this context, we see that God had led the people to Paran, or Kadesh Barnea, which is just south of the promised land. Numbers 13:1-3.

Numbers 13:1–3 ESV

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.” 3 So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel.

The men go to spy out the land, and some of the spies have a good report. Numbers 13:30.

Numbers 13:30 ESV

30 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”

But what do most of the spies say? Numbers 13:27-28, 31.

Numbers 13:27–28 ESV

27 And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.

Numbers 13:31 ESV

31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.”

Most of the spies give a bad report. “We can’t take this land.”

This is how the people react. Numbers 14:1-4.

Numbers 14:1–4 ESV

1 Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

What does God do? God gave them exactly what they wanted.

So, what do we see from the Israelites in the wilderness? Why were they unable to enter the promised land?

Why couldn’t they enter?

They rebelled against God.

Numbers 14:22-23.

Numbers 14:22–23 ESV

22 none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, 23 shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.

This was the God who brought them out of Egyptian slavery…. How could they think that he would let them starve in the wilderness or die taking the land?

He was the one keeping them alive in the wilderness, and they still failed to trust him.

They rebelled against one another.

Aaron and Miriam rebel against Moses over the silliest thing… Because his wife was a Cushite woman.

Kohath rebels against Aaron for the silliest reason… Because they felt like Aaron and Moses were hogging the glory.

This is just shocking. These people are in the wilderness (desert). If they are going to survive, then they need to lean on God, and they need to work together.

Christians In The Wilderness

So, how is this relevant to us? We are not the ancient Israelites, and we are not living in the wilderness. Hebrews 4:1-13.

Hebrews 4:1–13 ESV

1 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’ ” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” 5 And again in this passage he said, “They shall not enter my rest.” 6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. 11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

The author of Hebrews says that we, as Christians, are just like the Israelites in the wilderness.

He makes this clear throughout the letter.

They received a gospel like we received a gospel

Hebrews 4:1-2.

Hebrews 4:1–2 ESV

1 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

They received a gospel just like we received a gospel.

We as Christians have the gospel, but the Israelites in the wilderness had a gospel as well.

God promised them that he would bring them home and dwell with them, and that’s the same promise that we have.

God promised them a land of rest, and God promises us a land of rest as well.

We have a high priest just like they had a high priest

Hebrews 4:14.

Hebrews 4:14 ESV

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

We have a high priest just like they had a high priest.

In the wilderness, where did that high priest serve? In the tabernacle…

We have a tabernacle just like they had a tabernacle

Hebrews 8:1-2.

Hebrews 8:1–2 ESV

1 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.

We have a tabernacle just like they had a tabernacle.

It’s really surprising that the author of Hebrews chooses to write about the tabernacle instead of the temple.

The author wants us to see ourselves as the Israelites in the wilderness. He wants us to put ourselves into their story.

So, the book of Hebrews paints the picture of us as Christians in the wilderness with Jesus as our high priest working in the tabernacle. That’s the point of the lesson:

We Are In The Wilderness.

Application

If we are in the wilderness, then we need Jesus.

If you lost, starving to death, and dehydrated in the Sahara Desert, and someone found you and said, “follow me and I’ll give you food and water,” what would you do?

We would all follow this person because they can give us life.

What does Jesus say in John’s Gospel? Bread of life… Water of life.

The author of Hebrews wants those Christians to see that when they leave Jesus, they are acting just like the Israelites.

When the wilderness got hard, what did they want to do? They wanted to leave their source of life.

That’s what these some of these Christians were doing.

Christ has saved us from a slavery worse than Egypt, but sometimes, we treat him just like the Israelites treated God.

The fact is: We live in the wilderness and it’s not easy… It gets difficult. How are we going to respond when our lives get difficult? Are we going to stick with or abandon the one who gives us life?

If we are going to make it to the promised land of rest, then we need Jesus.

If we are in the wilderness, then we need one another.

If you and your closest friends are lost in the Sahara, are you going to try to survive together, or split up and try to survive alone?

We are in the wilderness together and we need one another if we are going to make it through.

The Israelites quarreled with another over silly things.

Do we do the same?

Hebrews 3:12-13.

Hebrews 3:12–13 ESV

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

If we are going to make it through the wilderness then we need one another.

Conclusion

Hebrews 4:11.

Hebrews 4:11 ESV

11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

The land of rest is in front of us, and we have a choice.

We can choose to go back to Egypt, or we can continue with Jesus and occupy the land.