In the Wilderness

Written by S. K.

You’ve probably heard the word “wilderness” used to describe certain regions on Earth. A dictionary defines it as places that are uncultivated, uninhabited, or inhospitable region. Examples of wildernesses according to this definition are found all over the Earth. New Mexico has wilderness land as well as remote Alaska. A desert can be a wilderness, like in the case of the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico, but a wilderness is not always a desert, as in the case of remote Alaska.

There are many specific wildernesses mentioned in the Bible. Bible translations often use the word “desert” in place of the Hebrew word that more accurately should be translated as “wilderness.” However, these words do not have equal meanings. The Hebrew word for wilderness is “midbar.” “Debar” is the root word. “Debar” is a verb meaning “to speak.” It can also be used as a noun, e.g., a Hebrew word for mouth. The meaning of “midbar” can be thought of as “the place where someone speaks.” This is a very different definition than the one found in the dictionary.

We understand YHWH is the “someone” who speaks in the wilderness. The common biblical phrase “in the wilderness,” in Hebrew “bemidbar,” can be understood as “in the place where YHWH speaks.” This is also the Hebrew title for the Book of Numbers. Biblically, this is what makes the wilderness special. It is the place where YHWH speaks to His people. Of course, YHWH speaks to His people all over the earth, but the wilderness has a unique way of allowing us to hear Him.

A good analogy to demonstrate the purpose of the wilderness is fasting. Many people fast because they are in a place where they want to hear and seek Elohim. By removing food from their lives, they are denying their flesh something it wants and can be more in touch with their spirit and ultimately in touch with YHWH. This does not mean that people cannot hear and seek Elohim while eating. It just means that fasting is a way, and a very biblical way, of helping ourselves interact more intimately with YHWH.

Coming to the Wilderness

Southern Jordan is both a biblical wilderness and a desert. It is hot and sandy. You will not find much grass here, except at a resort. There are no streams or rivers. The mountains are dry and rocky and do not have beautiful trees or plants growing on them. It doesn’t rain much here. When my family first moved to Jordan, I thought we were arriving in the Promised Land. I had read about the wilderness in the Bible and even understood it to some degree, but I did not know that YHWH was calling me to a wilderness experience of my own. Imagine my surprise when I realized I had actually come to the wilderness!

Learning from the Past

1 Corinthians 10:1-6 For I do not wish you to be ignorant, brothers, that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were immersed into Mosheh in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed, and the Rock was Messiah. However, with most of them Elohim was not well pleased, for they were laid low in the wilderness. And these became examples for us, so that we should not lust after evil, as those indeed lusted.

Our forefathers had all the relational potential that we have in our relationships with Yahushua today. We are told they were led and protected by the Cloud. They were receiving the same spiritual food and drink that we have today. Our forefathers interacted intimately with Yahushua. They were even baptized. We don’t have any reason to believe we should please Elohim any more than they did. The only thing we have that they didn’t is their example! Learning from their example will better equip us for our spiritual walks and our journey in the wilderness.

Many of the people who walked with Elohim visited the wilderness at one point or another. It was a place where they could experience something special, something different from life in their home area. Sometimes people would receive provisions or directions for what they were supposed to do. Other times they would encounter tests or trials. Likely, they would walk away with an experience with their Creator! I would like to take a better look at what happened with the children of Israel in the wilderness and see how YHWH revealed Himself to them in “the place where YHWH speaks.”

YHWH/Yahushua reveals Himself as I AM

Moses’ first recorded personal encounter with YHWH happened in the Wilderness of Sinai on Mt. Horeb.

Exodus 3:1-2 And Mosheh was shepherding the flock of Yithro his father-in-law, the priest of Miḏyan. And he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to Ḥorĕḇ, the mountain of Elohim. And the Messenger of יהוה appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. And he looked and saw the bush burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.

This wilderness is in modern-day Saudi Arabia. Not only did YHWH reveal Himself as the Messenger of YHWH, but also as the I Am.

Exodus 3:14 And Elohim said to Mosheh, “I am that which I am.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

The Hebrew words ‘אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה’ mean ‘I am who is/was/will be.’ The Septuagint translates this verse as ‘εγω ειμι ο ων’ meaning ‘I am the Being,’ in other words, ‘I am the Existing/Living One.’

Yahushua revealed Himself as the First and the Last and the Living One.

Revelation 1:17-18 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead, and He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid, I am the First and the Last, and the living One. And I became dead, and see, I am living forever and ever. Aměn. And I possess the keys of She’ol and of Death.

The I Am in Revelation 1 was the same I Am at the burning bush. In Exodus 3, we are told Moses meets the Messenger of YHWH, YHWH Himself, Elohim, and the I Am. This encounter with Yahushua is what sent Moses forward as a prophet to Pharaoh to bring about one of the greatest deliverances recorded in history.

YHWH reveals Himself as Deliverer

Ten plagues later, Moses leads the children of Israel on a three-day journey into “the wilderness of the Red Sea.” I particularly like reading about this wilderness. After all, I live on the Red Sea. It was in this specific wilderness that YHWH revealed Himself as Deliverer from Pharaoh’s army.

Exodus 13:18 So Elohim led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Sea of Reeds (Red Sea). And the children of Yisra’ĕl went up armed from the land of Mitsrayim.

Exodus 14:1-3 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, that they turn and camp before Pi Haḥiroth, between Miḡdol and the sea, opposite Baʽal Tsephon – camp before it by the sea. For Pharaoh shall say of the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘They are entangled in the land, the wilderness has closed them in.’”

Exodus 14:11-14 And they said to Mosheh, “Did you take us away to die in the wilderness because there are no graves in Mitsrayim? What is this you have done to us, to bring us up out of Mitsrayim? “Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Mitsrayim, saying, ‘Leave us alone and let us serve the Mitsrites?’ For it would have been better for us to serve the Mitsrites than to die in the wilderness.” And Mosheh said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the deliverance of יהוה, which He does for you today. For the Mitsrites whom you see today, you are never, never to see again. “יהוה does fight for you, and you keep still.”

YHWH was true to His word. We know YHWH’s intention was never to bring Israel into the wilderness to die. When he parted the Red Sea and allowed Israel to pass through, he not only removed the threat of Pharaoh pursuing them at that moment but also any future attack from Pharaoh and his army. He truly showed Himself as Deliver in this awesome act!

Also, when we go back to the 1 Corinthians passage, Paul tells us the children of Israel were baptized when they passed through the Red Sea. This baptism was probably necessary for their time as they moved forward as a nation.

After living in Jordan for a year, our family immersed ourselves all together in the Red Sea. For some of the children, this was their first baptismal experience. It was not my first baptism, but that did not make it any less significant. I felt like I was partaking in something that had occurred at the same place thousands of years earlier. I could feel a unity with my forefathers who had walked before me in the same sea. It was a special experience in my wilderness journey!

YHWH/Yahushua reveals Himself as Provider

Wildernesses are not exactly prolific when it comes to the production of food. To survive the wilderness, YHWH’s people needed supernatural provision. When the Israelites first arrived in the wilderness, their main desire was for their basic sustenance. They wanted their daily bread.

Exodus 16:3-4, 14-15 And the children of Yisra’ĕl said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of יהוה in the land of Mitsrayim, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to satisfaction! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to put all this assembly to death with hunger.” And יהוה said to Mosheh, “See, I am raining bread from the heavens for you… And the layer of dew went up, and see, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. And the children of Yisra’ĕl saw, and they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Mosheh said to them, “It is the bread which יהוה has given you to eat.

After a while, the people grew tired of the bread that YHWH provided and complained. They missed the pomegranates, cucumbers, and fish from Egypt. They wanted more variety.

Numbers 11:4-6 And the mixed multitude who were in their midst lusted greatly, so the children of Yisra’ĕl also wept again and said, “Who is giving us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate without cost in Mitsrayim, the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic, but now our throat is dried up. There is naught to look at but this manna!”

One of the good things about living in Jordan today is the produce. Our ancestors may have been quite shocked to show up to the wilderness in the modern-day country of Jordan and find what is available at the veggie stands!

Yahushua reveals Himself as the Bread of Life

YHWH provided bread for the Israelites to eat. Later Yahushua reveals that He was that bread.

John 6:30-33 So they said to Him, “What sign then would You do, so that we see and believe You? What would You do? “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it has been written, ‘He gave them bread out of the heaven to eat.’ ” Therefore יהושע said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Mosheh did not give you the bread out of the heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread out of the heaven. “For the bread of Elohim is He who comes down out of the heaven and gives life to the world.”

John 6:48-51 “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of the heaven, so that anyone might eat of it, and not die. I am the living bread which came down out of the heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever. And indeed, the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

YHWH/Yahushua reveals Himself as the Gatherer of the 12 Tribes of Israel

Matthew 14:13-16 And when יהושע came out, He saw a large crowd and was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. And when evening came, His taught ones came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Dismiss the crowds, so that they might go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But יהושע said to them, “They do not need to go away, give them to eat yourselves.”

Did you notice Yahushua was in a deserted place? The Greek word used here is “eremos,” which means wilderness in English. Matthew’s account points this out the best, but I want to finish with John’s description. The Book of John gives us special details of this story that other gospels do not have.

John 6:5-13 Then יהושע, lifting up His eyes and seeing a large crowd coming toward Him, said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for them to eat?” And this He said, trying him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, “Two hundred pieces of silver worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for every one of them to receive a little.” One of His taught ones, Andri, the brother of Shimʽon Kĕpha, said to Him, “Here is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fishes, but what are these for so many?” And יהושע said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place, and the men, numbering about five thousand, sat down. And יהושע took the loaves, and having given thanks He distributed them to the taught ones, and the taught ones to those sitting down. And the same with the fish, as much as they wished. And when they were filled, He said to His taught ones, “Gather the broken pieces that are left over, so that none gets wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.

Yahushua provided bread for the crowd in the wilderness just like He did with the Israelites. After everyone ate; there were 12 baskets left over. This is a significant number as there are also tribes of Israel. The 12 baskets were gathered. Where were they gathered? In the wilderness. Yahushua had more in mind than not being wasteful when He instructed His disciples to gather the baskets. This was a prophetic act foretelling how Yahushua would someday gather the 12 tribes of Israel! Interestingly, Yahushua tells His disciples to gather the broken pieces.

Yahushua is revealed as the Prophet like Moses

John 6:13-14 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Then the men, having seen the sign that יהושע did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is coming to the world.”

After the crowds saw the sign they recognized Yahushua as “the Prophet who is coming into the world.” This is a reference to Moses’ last instructions to the children of Israel in the wilderness before his death.

Deuteronomy 18:15-19 “יהוה your Elohim shall raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brothers. Listen to Him, according to all you asked of יהוה your Elohim in Ḥorĕḇ in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of יהוה my Elohim, nor let me see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ “And יהוה said to me, ‘What they have spoken is good. I shall raise up for them a Prophet like you out of the midst of their brothers. And I shall put My Words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be, the man who does not listen to My Words which He speaks in My Name, I require it of him.

When we come to the wilderness, we come to have an encounter with Yahushua. He is the Prophet who speaks all that YHWH commands Him. The wilderness is “the place where YHWH/Yahushua speaks.” It is in the wilderness where we can expect to meet with Yahushua and learn from Him.

A Personal Encounter with Yahushua in the Wilderness

Shortly after my family immersed in the Red Sea, I wrote a prayer and I kept it in my Bible. As I have studied the wilderness, I have thought about how Yahushua has met me in this place. I recently looked over the prayer that I had prayed two years ago. The following are quotes from my prayer.

Who am I that I should see your goodness in the land of the living? You have shown me favor and mercy unending. You have forgiven my transgressions. You have said, “Come, follow me and I teach you.”

You who show the signs, who reveals secrets, who has taught me everything I know. You have been very favorable to me.

Let me live to tell of your praise to the coming generation. Let me report your goodness in the land of the living.

Living in Jordan, I am constantly aware that I am not living an ordinary life. I realize I am a part of something greater than myself. I am a part of YHWH’s great plan, and I get to walk in the plan that He has for me. I am very thankful for my time in the wilderness to learn and grow and for the opportunity to report His goodness in this land of the living!