Wasteland
They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region Psalm 107:4 NASB
Desert Region – For most of us, the idea of wilderness recalls pictures of the Arizona desert or the Sahara or the Northern Territories. We think of wilderness as a place where men cannot live. But what we really mean is that men cannot live in these places the way that we would like to live. This reveals something important about the wilderness, so important that the Biblical wilderness is an essential part of God’s message. The wilderness is the place where men encounter God and, at the same time, it is a place inhabited by demons. It is the place of God’s revelation of the Torah and it is the place of great temptation. It is the place of His call and the place of our rejection. In one facet of wilderness theology, it is a place where every one of us lives, right now.
In this verse, the word translated “wilderness” is not the same as the word for “desert region.” The difference may be important. “Wilderness” is midbar but “desert region” is yeshimon. Midbar describes particular places but yeshimon has the nuance of devastation and desolation, sometimes associated with the destruction caused by God’s punishment. Being in deserted places does not always mean desolation and devastation. But in this verse, David captures the full range. Israel was not wandering simply because they lacked a good map. They were wandering because they were experiencing God’s punishment. They are in the wasteland.
You and I often follow the same trek across the empty places of life. It is not the lack of companionship or communication that causes us to agonize in our wilderness. In the wilderness we may still encounter the God of Torah. We may still find the direction we need to walk out. The terror comes from the desolation and devastation that we experience yeshimon. Faces to the ground, tears without comfort, we begin to see the futility of our lives in our efforts to survive the desert region. When God withdraws, demons certainly abound.
Men today do everything possible to avoid these places. We fill our lives with the clutter of the city, the pace of exhaustion, the demands of the demons of work and money and sex. We avoid silence and solitude, those fearful glimpses at our frail existence. We would rather leave the television on. But God has a purpose for yeshimon. Personal desolation violates our mythical self-sufficiency. The truth is that we are alone, completely alone, without God. Community is not the fabrication of human communication skills. It is the gift of grace. Without Him, yeshimon is terrifyingly true. Terrifying and Truthful.
Let go of your false protection. You will find the wasteland is but one step away. And there you will discover who you really are—and Who keeps you. As frightening as it is, this is the first step toward freedom.
Topical Index: midbar, yeshimon, desert region, fear, Psalm 107:4
That is how it works for me Psalm 107:4
* They were wandering because they were experiencing God’s punishment *
Brother Skip.. – I would respectfully disagree with this assumption of punishment! This “wilderness experience” was a training camp, a “boot camp” where “up close and personal” God provided for every single need of every single one of His own. Here, (in the wilderness places) God “taught” them, He “showed” them, – He “demonstrated” to them.. “I will provide..”- for “this” is My Name- “Jehovah-Jireh,” -(I AM) the LORD who provides.
This also “prods” or “provokes” me to say- there is a world of difference (please!) between “punishment” and “chastisement!”
“If” (much more accurately) “since” you are His child, you* will know chastisement! ~If God doesn’t discipline you (chastise you) as He does ALL of His children, it means that you* are illegitimate and are not really His children at all ~ Hebrews 12.8. (Wow!) – There goes my “life of ease”- there goes the “Prosperity Gospel”-right down the drain!
I didn’t want to start the day with “suffering,” – but this is the way of our Master! – “if!”- “IF” chastisement is necessary! ~ My God (our Father) will
supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus! ~
Is “chastisement” or discipline necessary? Is chastisement or discipline one of our (spoiled children) needs?- And the answer is? – absolutely! ~ Train up a child (me) in the way he should go- and when he is mature (grown up) he will not depart from it! ~ “I” need training! “I” need discipline! This IS one of my needs- and God (our Father) has promised to “supply!”
Ahh.. but can God set a table in the wilderness! – May I “testify?” Can I get a witness? Are we able to say and to know (experientially, of course) – may we “confess” (agree with) Paul- May we know God’s word to be “always true and faithful?” “My God WILL provide all your needs according to HIs riches in glory by Christ Jesus?” Ahh.. is the (Hallelujah) Amen! resounding in your heart today? Faithful!- Faithful! Faithful! – our God IS Faithful! Semper Fi my friends! _ “Always Faithful!” Why?
What is His Name? – (both) Faithful and True.
Excellent post, Carl. I notice that all the Biblical greats did their time in “the wilderness”. That tells me that we all periodically need some time away from the clutter and noise of life if we propose to walk in the shadow of the greats.
Is ‘punishment’ the correct term, or is what we see as Gods ‘punishments’
just the true consequences of our not walking in His ways.
It was punishment for those who rebelled against God’s word which became correction by example to the others.
2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
There are four different kinds of fools in scripture. Three of them can be corrected. One cannot and becomes an example to those who can be. The tares live among the wheat until the final harvest.
Victor Frankl, who survived Auschwitz and went on to write Man’s Search For Meaning,found in his wasteland the reason to live. It seems we are hardwired for a Way, a path, a meaning, a trajectory. Life feels right when I have a direction and no impediments on the Way.
But, but, I do not know the way, apparently. Repeatedly I set a direction: “my own way”, and desire smooth sailing thereafter,only to discover land mines, false detours, and the sun in the wring part of the sky. I do not know how to correct my direction, either. And, saddest of all, I find in me no ‘natural’ inclination to do so, even when my mind, with Paul, says “YES!” to the Law, the Torah, the Way,my flesh says “too expensive”.
Enter the wilderness. The wilderness is where everything gets reversed. when I think I am getting ‘my own way’, I feel that the direction is ‘right’, and i do not want to change. But when everything is frustrated and awful, I feel I have nothing to lose. At that moment,my flesh says that the current conditions are “too expensive”, and it gets willing to buy in another bazaar.
To repent means to reverse directions. I have to come to a grinding halt in ‘my own way’ before I can put the gears in reverse. The wilderness takes away my trajectory and momentum, and makes ‘my own way’ too expensive, but at the same time,it drops the price on righteousness. Amazing!
I found that the price of Wisdom in my wilderness had dropped to dirt cheap. The price of wisdom is to forsake foolishness. Easy to do when foolishness has just ‘cost’ you everything you thought you had…
A GOD WHO RUNS TO US.
I am a confessed wastelander.
Spent far too many years there pursuing all
the wrong things.
I also confess that while there, I felt pursued.
I had a keen hunch Who my pursuer was.
After years of shameful extremes and foolishness,
my “pursuer” became very front and center in my life.
Because of His faithful lovingkindness mentioned in Ps 107,
I began making my move of repentance and acceptance.
And then He made His move!
I’m sure I share this with most of you.
“But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him
and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and
kissed him.” Lk 15:20
It’s so true. We have a God who runs to us!
How forever grateful I am.
Hi Rich P,
I SO appreciate your words re: “A God Who Runs to us.”
Your post expresses the feelings in my heart (or my head or my liver…where ever the feelings come from?) :-)))
With your permission, I would like to copy, paste, and print out your post (including your name as the author) and put it up on my refrigerator for others to see, and perhaps put it in the waiting room of our office…(my husband is a clinical psychologist.) Or, if you prefer, I can leave your name off.
Blessings,
Judi B.
I have heard it said that the wilderness is the place where God is getting us to let go of our idols (though I suppose we still try and build a few new ones as well!). But the very last idol that we finally learn to release from our grasp is our ideals; yes, our spiritual ideals. There is a huge chasm between our view of God and how we think He should act, and the reality and truth of who He really is and acts. Witness the twelve disciples and their experience of Messiah’s death. Even when they were told, clearly, ahead of time by Yeshua himself, they simply could not fathom its reality. I’m convinced that for all who truly seek to know YHWH they will all have to go through this wilderness of being stripped of every false notion of who they think He is. He is not who we think He is, no matter how biblically correct our theology is. He is who He is, and we will only truly know Him as He chooses to reveal Himself to us (in that wilderness) and as we let go of our idealism about who we think He is.
~ His thought are NOT our thoughts..~ Really, – we can all just stop right here- and agree!
While I might seek the (artificial) comforts of the city- His is the (authentic) Way of the wilderness.. He inhabits the “waste places” as well as what we would consider the ‘wasted spaces and places’ of our lives. What we would call “loss”- He would consider “gain!” The way up is down.. – etc!
Let’s face it folks, what we’re face to face with here is out and out- “repentance!”
Let’s consider this novel idea- Why don’t we try lining up our thoughts so that they match His? (bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ?) – My “perceptions”- your “perceptions” – are NOT (necessarily) the truth! (But He always speaks truth!) What we “perceive to be so” is (not necessarily) reality! All that glitters is NOT gold! (Remember?) ~ “Man looks on the outside- BUT God looks on the heart?’ lol!
~ For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, – as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus ~
I also seem to remember, (for forty years) the Presence of G-d never did leave these “chosen ones” as these “strangers and pilgrims,” the children of Israel wandered aimlessly about.. A pillar of fire by day and a cloud by night- His holy Presence remained with them.
But why did it take the Israelites 40 years to travel from Egypt to Canaan yet such a journey even at that time would have taken no more than eleven days?
yeshimon
the doing of destruction, the doing of birthing, toward activity of life.
I love all the comments and applications by the members of this community of faith and I could only add a comment that suggests the commonality of them all.
Washing machine. the removal of all the “dirt” of what we think about God and His kingdom YOD-SHIN. resulting in a clean garment removed, clean and pure YOD-MEM that we may be presented and be proper ambassadors of His kingdom VAV-NUN.
Perhaps the thing we see as punishment is really about being cleaned in the washing machine of the desert place.
YHWH bless you and keep you……….