Volume 12: Walking With God in the Desert
Throughout the Bible, the desert functions as an image of discord, of loss of control, and of separation from the safety of society. Barren and deadly, the wasteland places of the text meant certain death without access to resources. Many times God led His people through the desert, where they learned that they would have depend on His provision for all of their needs. What are the difficult places in your life, the moments of loss and pain that can seem impossible to survive? Find God in your deserts as you travel through Sinai, Paran, Zin, the Negev, and the wilderness of Judea.
01. Join the Journey
In the Bible, the desert is an image of great hardship and suffering, signifying the impossibility of survival without access to basic resources. God often led His people through desert places, using the barrenness of the land as opportunities to teach them how to depend on Him for everything. Consider your own barren places as you prepare to travel through the deserts of the Middle East in search for the presence of God.
Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 0, Deuteronomy 32:10, Genesis 1:1
Locations: Ein Gedi, Israel, Giza Necropolis, Al Ahram, Al Haram, Giza, Egypt, Timna valley, Israel
02. It's Hot Here and There's No Way Out
The heat and intensity of the sun in the desert can be scorching, often without any guarantee of relief. Yet whenever God led His people there, He promised to provide exactly what they needed to make it through each day. In this lesson, wander the desert near the traditional Mount Sinai and keep your eyes open for the shade God provides.
Scripture References: Acts 5:15, Genesis 21:15, Isaiah 32:1-2, Psalm 80:8-10, Psalm 121:5, Revelation 7:16-17
Locations: Sinai Peninsula, Qesm Nwebaa, South Sinai, Egypt
03. Help Is Here
The Bible compares those who trust in the word of the Lord to great trees planted by streams of water. What would this image mean to someone living in the desert, where water is scarce and trees are few and far between? Is it possible to live out this promise, even in the desert places? In this lesson, follow the rabbi through the wadis of the Sinai desert and discover the streams that God has prepared for His people.
Scripture References: Genesis 21:33, Isaiah 31:4, Jeremiah 17:5-6, Jeremiah 17:7-8, Psalm 1:1-3, Psalm 1:2-3
Locations: Sinai Peninsula, Qesm Nwebaa, South Sinai, Egypt, South Sinai, Egypt
04. When Your Heart Cries Out
Some of the dangers in the desert are slow to develop: the build-up of scorching heat from the sun, the slow evaporation of streams, the depletion of food supplies. Others are more sudden; the flash floods of desert wadis can come out of nowhere, engulfing everything in their path in a matter of instants. In the deserts places of our lives, those are the moments when all we can do is cry out in terror and ask God for dramatic deliverance. In this lesson, wander through the Wilderness of Judea and remember God's dramatic deliverance of His people from moments of sudden danger.
Scripture References: Matthew 7:26-27, Psalm 23:2, Psalm 40:2, Psalm 69:1-2, Psalm 124:1, Psalm 124:4-5, Psalm 126:4
Locations: South Sinai, Egypt
05. They Were Not Wandering
After their escape from the might of Egypt, the Israelites spent forty years wandering in the desert of Sinai. But were they really wandering? The Bible says that God led them like a flock, like sheep through the desert with a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. Israel wasn't lost; there are many paths in the desert, but they were following the new path that God was carving out for them. In this lesson, enter their desert and discover how in the midst of life's struggles, God shapes a path, providing for His people every step of the way.
Locations: Timna valley, Israel
06. Ears to Hear
Egypt was a culture for the eyes. Temples, palaces, histories, and statues of their gods were impressively created to dazzle the eyes of all who saw them. After delivering Israel from Egypt and "punishing" the gods of Egypt (Exodus 12), God didn't ask His people to begin building great monuments to His name. Instead, He led them into the desert, where they would learn to become a people of the ears, rather than the eyes. Israel's time in the desert was not time lost; God led them through the wilderness to teach them trust, obedience, and reverence for His words. In this lesson, join Israel as you, too, learn to listen for God's voice.
07. There's Hope in the Desert
Many of King David's psalms use the imagery of the desert, both in a symbolic sense and as testimonies of time actually spent running for his life through the wilderness. When David was in the desert, the promises God made him had yet to be fulfilled, and he experienced not only the literal pain of a barren land,but also the emotional dryness of a desert moment in his life. Yet this was also a time when David clung to God more fervently than ever before. David writes that in this dry and weary land, he looked upon God in His sanctuary and decided to keep praising Him, because God's steadfast love was better than life itself (Psalm 63). Even in the barren places, God's sanctuary is present. In this lesson, join David in the wilderness as you, too, search for God.