There is a wilderness season of lack, dryness, scorpions and snakes, hunger and thirst. The Israelites went through the wilderness. The Lord Jesus went through this wilderness. Why did all of them pass through this wilderness? Why do all the Lord’s disciples go through this wilderness?
Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way these 40 years in the desert, to humble and test you in order to make known what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.
He humbled you, causing you to be hungry, yet he fed you with manna that neither you nor your ancestors had known, in order to teach you that human beings are not to live by food alone—instead human beings are to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.
The clothes you wore did not wear out, nor did your feet blister during these 40 years (Deut. 8.2-4)
After this, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, he finally became hungry.
Then the tempter came. "Since you are the Son of God," he said, "tell these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, 'One must not live on bread alone, but on every word coming out of the mouth of God (Mat 4.1-4)
The desert test is to examine our hearts, if we are obedient. Will we still obey God in hardship, hunger, lack, and hurt? The fruit of the test is purification of the heart for those who yield to God.
The Israelites never passed the desert test. While in the wilderness, they grumbled against God and broke the covenant. Their hearts were never circumcised. God gave them the promised land, not because of their righteousness, but because of His Holy name and the oath he had sworn to their ancestors.
The Lord Jesus passed the desert test. Even when he was tempted by the evil One in the dreadful conditions of the wilderness, he did not fall. He did not test God neither did he worship another god as the Israelites did. Unlike the Israelites, he had learnt that man does not live on bread alone but on every word of God.
Due to the uncircumcised hearts of the Israelites, 40 days turned to 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Due to their failure to adhere to discipline, things did not go well with them in the promised land. Though they entered the promised land, they never really entered God’s rest. The Canaanites who had inhabited the land were thorns in their flesh. They were eventually exiled to Babylon and other nations.
The Lord Jesus obeyed God in sufferings and finished his work, even the work of death on the cross. And when he finished his work, he sat down at the Father’s right hand.
The reason the Lord Jesus leads us into the wilderness is for testing unto purification. The trial of our faith is meant to purify our spirits and produce in us God’s divine nature to make us fit for our homeland. We learn contentment, trust and obedience in hardship. We will not learn these virtues except we go through the wilderness. The snake (the tester) will be present to torture us and see us fail but those who lean on the Lord will receive strength to overcome and be purified.
The Lord’s disciples are pilgrims on the earth, heading towards the Heavenly Kingdom. They must brace themselves with the spirit of perseverance and obedience as they pass through the dreadful wilderness. Their faith more precious than gold must be tried in the fiery furnace of the wilderness. They will be humbled by hunger, thirst, dryness, emotional pain, and lack, so that their spirits will be purged from pride, greed, unbelief and rebellion. Even though they will go through this wilderness, the Lord will not abandon them. He will sustain them. Their shoes will not wear out neither will their cloths tear. All those who are to inherit God’s kingdom pass through the trials of the wilderness. They must learn to obey and trust the Lord always in the fear of the Lord lest they become cast away. They must hang onto the Lord and hold steadfastly to his words. The fear of the Lord must be greater than the fear of the pain and torture of the wilderness, lest their departure from Egypt (the world) be in vain. They must remember all that they have given up for the cause of following the Lord and run the race till finish despising the shame of the cross and the pain of the wilderness. We must not run in vain like the Israelites who left Egypt, but never made it to the end. We must circumcise our hearts in the fear of the Lord. We must hold fast to our helper, the Holy Spirit. We must make constant heartfelt supplication to the Lord to help us. Without his help, we will fail. The first Adam fell because of disobedience. The Israelites were rejected by God because of disobedience. The Lord Jesus was highly exalted above all because of his enduring obedience to the heavenly Father. We must begin and finish the race by a thorough, total and stern obedience to the words of the Lord Jesus.