Wilderness

Wilderness Journey

The route of the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites between the Exodus and their entry into the Promised Land is in Numbers 33:1-50

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Isaiah 40: 3

For the ancient Israelites, the term wilderness meant a sparsely populated region beyond the boundaries of civilization. To the east and south of the Holy Land lay the vast wildernesses of the transjordan, the Negeb, and the Sinai Peninsula, and there were smaller such areas within the land as well. Although desert comprised much of these regions, a wilderness was not necessarily barren and sandy. It might support enough vegetation to pasture sheep and goats.

In the Old Testament, wilderness has mostly negative connotations: it invokes the years o wandering that the Israelites endured before reaching the Promised Land-- years spent in "the great and terrible wilderness, an arid wasteland with poisonous snakes and scorpions.


God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways. All our lives through;
God hath not promised - Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, Peace with out pain
But God hath promised - Strength for the day,
Rest for the labor - Light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

-Annie Johnston Flint

Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint (Deut. 8: 15)

In the book of 1 Samuel, David took refuge from Saul in "The Wilderness of Zipt" 1 Samuel 26: 2, the same region in which, according to some scholars, Jesus was later tempted by the devil.

Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. 1 Samuel 26: 2,3

In the New Testament, the "wilderness" (Mark. 1:4 of John's ministry of baptism

John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

- a mission interpreted as the ful-fillment of Isaiah 40: 3-

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

This was probably located where the Jordan River empties into the Dead Sea.

Caves

Caves at Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were hidden in the wilderness of Judea.

Caves were used for different reasons. We saw several on our trips to the Holy Land. It is said that mangers might be hewn out of cave walls Jesus laid in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2: 7-

Lysias set up siege towers, engines of war to throw fire and stones, machines to shoot arrows, and catapults. 1 Maccabees 6: 51

On of the oldest forms of warfare, the siege played an important part in Israel's military history from the conquest of Canaan (Josh. 10: 31-34) onward.

And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it:
10:32 And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, which took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah.
10:33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining.
10:34 And from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon, and all Israel with him; and they encamped against it, and fought against it:

The Sinai is hot, dry and rugged, a wilderness that the Israelites after the Exodus became well familiar with. It was the place of their Wilderness Journey in the years before entering the promised land. The north part of the Sinai is mostly desert, while the southern area has numerous steep, craggy mountains - one of which we know as Mount Sinai, where Moses received --

Ten Commandments from God are found in Exodus 20

(1) You shall have no other gods before Me.

(2) You shall not make for yourself an idol...

(3) You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God...

(4) Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy... the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work...

(5) Honor your father and your mother...

(6) You shall not murder.

(7) You shall not commit adultery.

(8) You shall not steal.

(9) You shall not give false testimony (not lie)...

(10) You shall not covet your neighbor's house.... or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

...Back to Bible Writings

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