Articles
Why a Wilderness?
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Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, "Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt." (Ex. 13:17)
"[God] fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end." (Deut. 8:16)
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Reading the travails of the Israelites in their wilderness experience, it's easy to question God's judgment. If the objective was to get them from Egypt to Canaan, were there not quicker and easier avenues He could have used to accomplish it? He parted the Red Sea to get them out of Egypt; why could He not have performed an equally awesome miracle to get them into Canaan? The years of hunger, thirst, and endless trudging through a desolate wilderness took an awful toll on these people. Surely there was a better way.
In these two verses, God explained His rationale for sending them on this route.
The first reason was external. The easiest way to Canaan was along a coastal road through the land of the Philistines, a path that would have exposed the people to attack from a vastly superior enemy. That route would have been easy, but in the end it would have been fatal. The wilderness journey bypassed that threat.
The second reason was internal: "to humble you and . . . test you, do to you good in the end." The Israelites were a nation of slaves who were ill-equipped to take the Promised Land. Previously, they had been dependent on their Egyptian masters for survival; now, they had to learn dependence on God. This spartan experience was their boot camp, a training regimen designed to toughen them up and prepare them for life as an independent nation.
The Israelites didn't realize it at the time, but for all its hardship and suffering, the wilderness experience was a blessing in disguise. The years of discipline in the desert shielded them from nearby enemies, while shaping them into a strong and confident people. As always, God knew what He was doing.
Think about this the next time you're tempted to whine about how tough your life is. Maybe this is your wilderness journey, and God has His reasons for sending you down this path. Don't second-guess Him. Stay focused on the goal ahead, trust God, and keep walking!
--David
