The Value of Wilderness Experience
Pastor Leslie Chua
“And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart,
whether you would keep his commandments or not.
And he humbled you and let you 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 comes from the mouth of the LORD.”
Many well-known and remarkable men of God in the Bible went through wilderness experiences. They were forced by circumstances to walk through a time of darkness and hopelessness before they experienced promotion and blessings from God. A few notable examples include Joseph, Moses, and David.
In this reflection, I want to look at the life of Moses. Moses is a great man of God. He is a towering figure in the Bible and the history of the Jews. He is featured prominently in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. To the Israelites and Jews, Moses is revered as the lawgiver.
Moses in His Infancy
Moses survived a pogrom in his infancy. The Hebrews were slaves in Egypt. They became too numerous and Pharoah considered them to be a political threat to Egypt. Hence, he ordered for all male babies to be killed upon birth.
God intervened, and Moses escaped the massacre. His mother put him in a basket and floated him down the Nile River. Providentially, Pharoah’s sister discovered him and adopted him as her son.
Moses at Forty
Despite his Hebrew ancestry, Moses grew up as a prince of Egypt. He enjoyed royal status like the other Egyptian princes. Hence, he was trained in the wisdom of Egypt. It can be surmised that Moses distinguished himself. Stephen described Moses as ‘mighty in his words and deeds’ (Acts 7:22). I take that as Moses was skilled in politics and the art of war.
At forty, Moses became highly accomplished. His political clout grew and with it, he also grew in confidence.
Moses had everything going for him. But something was niggling at his conscience. He could no longer turn a blind eye to the plight of his own people. While he was enjoying the privileges and luxuries of Egypt, the Hebrew slaves were slogging away in misery.
Perhaps, it was the awakening of his sense of destiny. So, he went to visit them. While there, he saw an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Hebrew slave. He intervened, killing the Egyptian.
The news spread. Pharoah wanted to kill him. So, Moses fled to the desert wilderness where he would spend the next forty years of his life in exile. It was a drastic turn of event for Moses.
The Wilderness Years
Moses married a Midianite woman. Together, they had two sons. Life was completely different from the palace. The prince became a shepherd taking care of his father-in-law’s flock.
The stark change in lifestyle had a profound impact on Moses.
His youthful vigour dissipated. His dream of championing the cause of his people, and perhaps delivering them had all but evaporated into the dry desert air as the years passed.
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For the next forty years, Moses led a simple lifestyle devoid of dreams and ambitions. Perhaps he was happy and contented.
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I do not think Moses had ever anticipated that his life would turn out this way. But his disappointment soon turned into resignation of his fate. Perhaps that was his lot, which mirrored that of his people. At least, he was free.
For the next forty years, Moses led a simple lifestyle devoid of dreams and ambitions. Perhaps he was happy and contented.
Moses at Eighty
Forty years passed uneventfully. However, Moses’ life was about to be turned upside down again. Drastic changes lay ahead.
Moses was minding his own business taking care of his sheep when he noticed a burning bush. The bush was burning, but the fire did not consume it.
As Moses drew near to check out the strange phenomenon, God called out to him from the burning bush and commissioned him to go and set His people free.
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“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
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Moses would have gladly accepted the call forty years before when he was brimming with zeal and confidence. But the forty years spent in the wilderness had completely emptied him. He had become a spent force. He no longer had any interest to take up the challenge. He must have thought that God had made a mistake.
This is evident by his response to God’s call - “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11). In other words, Moses saw himself as a nobody. He had no credentials, power, and influence. He was in no position to negotiate with Pharoah.
He knew Pharoah as they grew up together. So, he could perhaps secure an audience with him, but it would be preposterous to think that he could persuade him to free the Hebrew slaves.
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God did not use Moses when he was forty years old. Then, he was strong, zealous, and raring to go. Instead, He waited till Moses was eighty years old when he was unmotivated, disinterested, and scared. He waited till Moses was a spent force and he was emptied of himself.
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Who am I? Besides, this is mission impossible!
Moses’ response is a combination of self-doubt and reality check. You cannot blame Moses. Granted, he was not motivated to undertake the task, but motivation alone was useless. It would take more than motivation to accomplish the impossible mission.
This is the irony of God in the way He works.
God did not use Moses when he was forty years old. Then, he was strong, zealous, and raring to go. Instead, He waited till Moses was eighty years old when he was unmotivated, disinterested, and scared. He waited till Moses was a spent force and he was emptied of himself.
God did not give Moses any choice. Moses obeyed and took on the mission with fear and trembling. We know the story. After a series of unpleasant confrontation with Pharoah, Pharoah relented. Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt. The story is surreal.
Lessons
What are the lessons that we can learn?
God Uses Jars of Clay
First, God uses jars of clays. I am borrowing the words of the apostle Paul -
‘But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us’ (2 Corinthians 4:7).
Paul talked about his experiences with affliction and persecution. So often, he was driven to perplexity and despair as he slogged to carry the gospel of Christ throughout the Roman Empire. Despite his success, Paul recognised that it was not by his own power that he accomplished anything for God. Instead, it was by the power of God alone.
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So, Moses’ question – “who am I?” – is irrelevant. Moses would learn later that who he was wasn’t as important as who God was… He was the great I AM.
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Further in the same letter, Paul quoted the Lord Jesus as telling him – “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul then pushed the point further saying, “For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). This is one of the paradoxes of the Christian faith.
These are remarkable words coming from the apostle Paul. He should know when he looked at his massive accomplishments as well as his own weaknesses and sufferings.
So, Moses’ question – “who am I?” - is irrelevant. Moses would learn later that who he was wasn’t as important as who God was. Later, God revealed His name to Moses – “I AM who I AM” (Exodus 3;14). Essentially, God was telling Moses that He was the all-powerful One. He was the great I AM.
The mission to set the Hebrew slaves free from their bondage would be accomplished by God and God alone. God was the Deliverer, whereas Moses was merely God’s spokesman and representative.
God’s Ways are Not Our Ways
Second, God’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).
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The value of the wilderness experience lies in the emptying of self so that God can fill us with His treasures of wisdom and power. We no longer trust in ourselves, but in God alone. We learn to depend on God and obey Him.
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God waited for forty years till Moses was spent and emptied of himself for good reasons. Moses was too impulsive and reckless at forty. He might be powerful in words and deeds, but he was immature. He was full of himself, too self-confident and self-reliant.
In the Bible, we observe that God does not choose the best person by man’s standards of measurement. He does not choose those who have the best credentials and who appear to be the most impressive. Instead, He often chooses those who are weak, humble, and faithful.
The value of the wilderness experience lies in the emptying of self so that God can fill us with His treasures of wisdom and power. We no longer trust in ourselves, but in God alone. We learn to depend on God and obey Him.
That is the reason before God uses a person and promotes him. He usually prepares them first by taking them on a journey through the wilderness. The wilderness experience does a lot of good to our soul.
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God took the Israelites through the wilderness to learn humility and obedience. Some important lessons in life cannot be learnt except through hardships and afflictions.
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Listen to the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 8:2-3 – “And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you 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 comes from the mouth of the LORD.”
God took the Israelites through the wilderness to learn humility and obedience. Some important lessons in life cannot be learnt except through hardships and afflictions.
In the same way, He also took Joseph and Moses through the wilderness before He entrusted them with great power and authority.
Even Jesus spent forty days in the Judean wilderness. In the wilderness, He was tested and emerged victorious. Only after that did Jesus began His public ministry that so powerfully impacted many lives. Even Jesus had to learn obedience through suffering (Hebrews 5:8).
So, do not ever think that your wilderness experiences are wasted time. Its value is priceless.