Title: In the wilderness of life
Contents
In the wilderness of life (Exodus 13:17-20)
This pilgrimage was a very meaningful time for me. I left with half anticipation and half fear, but I was amazed at the grace that God gave me every time I went on the journey, and being at the center of the Bible was a great emotion for me.
I think there will be many stories to share with you in the future.
As I looked around the three holy countries, the sight I saw the most was the wilderness.
There are many stories of wilderness in the Bible.
So, I had a vague image of the wilderness, but I was able to feel a lot of things while watching the wilderness road that the Israelites walked this time.
The endless road in the wilderness, the sweltering heat on that vast land, literally, the wilderness was such an environment that made us weary and complain countless times. It was understandable why the Israelites complained so much to God and Moses. We must have had enough to complain about...
We passed by bus on the road the Israelites walked.
Even in an air-conditioned bus.
I think the most interesting time to believe in Jesus was when I first received grace.
I did.
At that time, learning the Word is like honey for all of us, and answers to prayers come quickly,
The time of worship must have been thrilling.
But the problem is that these times don't last very long.
One day, the worship service suddenly becomes boring, there is no answer to prayer, and I am skeptical about my faith.
will come, and your soul will be withered like a wilderness.
Our ancestors taught this time and called it the experience of the wilderness road.
John of the Cross calls this experience "the dark night of the soul."
He said, "All Christians must go through this night sooner or later."
That's right. The experiences of this wilderness road are diverse.
A dream that seems to come true right now is now far away like an impossible dream, a reality
There are times when you have to feel despair in front of the cold cliffs of
Saints!
The day the people of Israel were liberated from Egypt and left Egypt
Was it an experience of national emotion?
Cast off the chains of slavery and they set off into a new world of freedom
will be
And in front of them was the promised land flowing with milk and honey.
But as soon as they left the land of Egypt, what awaited them was
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Of course, the Israelites were very afraid when they first faced the wilderness.
It wasn't visible.
From Egypt to Canaan, walking straight across the wilderness, without rest, would take 40 days.
Because it was the only way to go.
But those 40 days became 40 years.
In today's text verses 17 and 18, God left the short road and went the long road toward the Red Sea
It is written that he turned the people around and led them.
To borrow a more primordial expression, it is God's turn of his people.
is.
That was the experience of the wilderness road.
Why did you have to do that?
What was God's heart?
1. The wilderness road was prepared with love.
If we think superficially, it is the one that caused the Israelites to suffer in the wilderness.
You might be understood as a cruel person.
But today's text clearly shows that it was because of God's loving consideration.
are doing
If you look at verse 17,
If God were to lead the people of Israel to the northeast, it would be easy and almost in a straight line.
There was a way to get close, but the one who avoided it and turned the long way
Oil is clearly documented.
It avoids the war that may be immediately confronted and the Israelites go to Egypt.
This was to block the temptation to return.
Of course, on the Red Sea road back to the south, later war awaited.
In Exodus 17, the first war with Amalek is recorded.
It took place in a place called Rephidim. The battle at Rephidim is the well-known event of Moses' prayer. In this Rephidim, when Moses' hand goes up...if it goes down...Aaron and Hur...Up to this place, we also raise our hands like Moses...
But when they first left Egypt, God told the Israelites that they were not ready for war yet.
You knew it wasn't done.
Therefore, if the people of Israel went to war from the beginning and experienced difficulties
If you do, you must regret leaving Egypt, and the children who are still at a distance.
It was clear that he would be tempted to return to his heels.
That's right.
God only gives us trials that we can bear.
So God wanted to wait for the time when the Israelites would be ready.
And this was clearly the consideration of God's love.
There is an important lesson for us to learn here.
As we walk the path of life as Christians, sometimes the path is not a shortcut.
Understand why I have to walk this road when it feels like a long and arduous road back
Even if it doesn't happen, we must believe in God.
It is because the Lord loves us and has led us to this path.
So, if passing this road is too painful for you, tell yourself.
This is the path of love that He has prepared.
If passing this road hurts too much, tell yourself.
This pain is for love.
Speak like a mother giving birth to a new life.
This suffering is a privilege of love, a duty of love.
That's right. Don't forget.
I hope that you and I will remember that any lonely and difficult road in the wilderness is a path prepared by God's love!
2. The wilderness road is a road prepared for training.
The most important thing that God made the Israelites walk in the wilderness
The reason is that in verse 17 in the text, when they see war, they will ?쐒epent??and return to Egypt.
I did.
The word "repent" here means "in case you change your mind".
In other words, since they left Egypt, it was in order to have them go to Canaan according to the will of God.
To ensure that this plan would come true, God had Moses bury Joseph's ashes.
He made them go to Canaan.
Every time the people saw the remains of Joseph, they asked him to bury himself in Canaan.
It reminded me of your last will.
So, training in the wilderness to firmly accept God's will was necessary.
is.
All Christian life experiences are directly or indirectly related to the will of God.
I did.
In the end, what we need is the training to ultimately accept God's will.
it is a liaison.
It took the Israelites 40 years for this training.
One Bible scholar said, ?쏧t took the Israelites a day to get out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to get them out of Egypt.??
Interestingly, the number 40 in the Bible is mainly related to the training in the wilderness.
that it will come off.
Noah's flood continued intensively for 40 days, and Moses murdered in Egypt.
Forty years had been spent fleeing to the wilderness of Midian, and later spent on Mount Sinai.
The time was 40 days.
As well as
It took 40 days for Elijah to escape King Ahab and Jezebel and go to Mount Horeb.
And the time Jesus was tempted in the wilderness was 40 days.
It took 40 days for the Lord to be with the disciples who were weakened by doubts from the resurrection until the ascension, and to plant the vision of the kingdom of God in the disciples.
We all go through the wilderness in our lives.
Some have a short wilderness experience of 40 days, while others have a longer experience of 40 years.
Some pass through the wilderness experience, but there is no one who does not pass through the wilderness.
The important thing is that while we are in this wilderness, we need to acknowledge the fact that we must have God's training process.
What kind of wilderness training do I need now?
As we pass through the wilderness, above all else, we need to be trained in worship and become worshipers.
must be
In Exodus 3:18, Moses went to Pharaoh to ask permission to leave Egypt.
Then say, "I am going to go out into the wilderness after three days to offer sacrifices."
God instructed Moses.
If you could turn the sacrifice of sacrifice into today's concept, what would it be?
That's right, worship.
We can worship anywhere, anytime, but the wilderness is the best place to worship.