And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. Deuteronomy 8:2-4 NKJV
Beginning in Genesis 42, Joseph brothers travelled from Canaan to Egypt. They would make the round trip twice and then they would gather their father, their families, their servants and their animals and travel from Canaan to Egypt to survive the last five years of the famine. So, we know this trip only took about two weeks one way.
Why did the Israelites wander around in the desert for 40 years? They wandered in the desert for 40 years because of their lack of faith. They wandered around because of their grumbling and complaining. In our Scripture passage for today the Lord is telling them how he led them for forty years in the wilderness to humble and test them. Time and time again they failed to be humbled, and they failed those tests of faith.
I don’t know about you, but there was a time in my life when I felt like an Israelite wandering around in the wilderness. I knew there had to be something better but was at a loss for how to get to it. It took me a while to finally realize there was only one way, and this was through Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
The Israelites would follow a pattern all these 40 years. They would see God perform a miracle and they would and worship and praise Him. Soon afterward, they would have something go wrong and they would grumble and complain. Then they would fall into idolatry. God would punish them. They would cry out to God and repent. He would forgive them, and the process would repeat all over again. If this sounds familiar, maybe it’s time you stopped wandering around in the wilderness.
Maybe it’s time you cried out to God and made a commitment to follow Him and do things His way. My friend, this is the only way we will see the Promised Land.
In Numbers 21 God sent serpents to bite and kill many Israelites. When they cried out, God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it on the pole. When they looked to this serpent, they would not die from the bite. In John 3:14, Jesus refers to this by saying, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”
In our Scripture passage God reminds them how He led them those 40 years. He provided food for them. He did not allow their clothes to wear out, nor their feet to swell. He took good care of them. He will take good care of you.
If you are tired of wandering around in the wilderness, look to Jesus. Focus on Him. Humble yourself and surrender to Him.
Many of the Israelites never made it into the Promised Land because they lacked faith. They clung to their idols and false gods.
Do you lack the faith it takes to get to the Promised Land? Do you refuse to let go of your deliberate sins? It’s time to trust in Him. It’s time to humble yourself and submit to Him in faith. When we stop wandering around in the wilderness we can reach the Promised Land. We can find the heavenly places here on earth where we dwell in God’s presence until we reach our permanent home in heaven.
Have a great day!