Lessons in the Desert

The first five books of the Bible are called "the Pentateuch". Genesis contains "the origins of the species", so to speak. It tells how it all began and gives us the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The rest of the five books are all about "the Exodus" -- the enslavement of Israel in Egypt followed by their flight into the desert. Their arrival in the Promised Land doesn't occur until the book of Joshua.

It's interesting that so much of the first five is dedicated to the Exodus because the Bible is full of references to that event. Egypt is often viewed as a metaphor for the world. Israel is often viewed as a metaphor for God's people. And the events carry particular significance in Christianity. The world enslaves God's chosen. God frees them through baptism (the Red Sea). They go into "the desert". (Oddly, they don't go into some sort of paradise, like lots of preachers would have us believe in the Christian life. The Christian life is one of battles and hardships and dry spells and, ultimately, of utter reliance on God -- not a living paradise.) There are many references to these events in the Old Testament. Prophets and preachers are often reminding God's people of God's care for them in those events, as well as the cost of violating God's commands. In the New Testament, Paul references the Red Sea event as a picture of baptism and the author of Hebrews warns against making the same mistake the Hebrews made in the desert when they defied God. It's a constant story that correlates to Christian living.

One place that rehearses this story is Psalm 105. The Psalmist recalls the Exodus events to praise God. Now, recently I wrote a piece about the things that God cannot do. One item that a lot of people would include is that God cannot (or will not) do unpleasant things to people. The reason that wasn't included, however, is that it isn't true. God doesn't flinch when He claims for Himself, "I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things" (Isa. 45:7). Still, it was a bit of a surprise to me when I read in Psalm 105 that God "turned their hearts to hate His people, to deal craftily with His servants" (Psa. 105:25).

Think about that. Israel was comfortable in Egypt. They were doing well. The verse before even says, "The LORD made His people very fruitful and made them stronger than their foes" (Psa. 105:24). In Exodus we read something innocuous: "Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph" (Exo. 1:8). That was the turning point. The Lord "turned their hearts to hate His people." That turned to 400 years of enslavement. That turned to the 10 plagues. That turned to Israel's release from Egypt. That sent Israel into the desert where God met them and made His covenant with them and, from there, to the Promised Land (40 years later) where they took possession of the land God had promised them. Tracing it back, then, when God "turned their hearts to hate His people" the result was His people ended up where they were supposed to be.

Most people are quick to shun any kind of discomfort. Most people believe that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. Most people think that God only does nice things and that bad things come from Satan. The Bible disagrees. Paul considered it a gift to suffer for Christ's sake (Phil. 1:29). James thought it should produce "all joy" (James 1:2-4). Peter says we are called to suffer (1 Peter 2:21). The Bible teaches us that some suffering comes from God and that all suffering has a purpose for us that is to make us better. The Bible teaches us that God will do what needs to be done to accomplish His will for us. It's part of life "in the desert" that we are living after "the Exodus" from the world. It's a good thing. God says so.