Transitions: Transitions and Wilderness Experiences

For the past few weeks, we’ve been looking at transitions that have to do with our relationships. Last week, we discussed what it would mean for Northland to transition from a monoethnic church to a multiethnic one. This week we’ll focus on another geographical transition. Like Abram, who moved from one location to another, Israel also traveled from Egypt to the Promised Land. The transition was a very difficult experience. However, the people of God had to go through the wilderness to get to the land that God promised to give them. 

How to Use This Guide 

Thank you for taking the time to do this Bible study. When we dig deeper into God’s word, He promises to bless us. We follow in the footsteps of King David, who wrote in Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

This guide will provide a weekly framework for spiritual conversations with friends or family. We encourage you to reach out to a friend or two, pick a time to get together each week, and work through this guide together. This Bible study can also be a good tool for families, perhaps coordinated with mealtimes.

What does the Bible say?

Read Numbers 14

This chapter is a sad one. God brought His people out of slavery in Egypt with miraculous wonders, such as the parting of the Red Sea. He had led them on their journey by a pillar of fire overnight and a cloud covering during the day, all the while feeding them with manna and speaking to them through Moses, their appointed leader. Thus, Israel drew near to their final destination, the land that God had promised to give to them: the land of Canaan. 

As God prepared the people to enter and take their land, He instructed Moses to send spies out so that they could report back on the conditions there. Read about this event in Numbers 13. They came back with a good report about the land itself. Indeed, it was a land of abundance, of milk and honey, just as they had been told. But, there were also giants there, and this is what the majority of the spies decided to focus upon. Because ten of the twelve men focused on the people of the land, they took their eyes off of God. Their unbelief then led to fear, and their fear became blame against Moses and Aaron. Because of their hard hearts, they were not allowed to enter the Promised Land.

How did the people respond to the negative report from ten of the twelve spies in 14:1-4? How did Moses and Aaron respond in verse 5? Two spies gave a good report about the land and encouraged the people that they could go in and take it. What did Joshua and Caleb do and say to the people in verses 6-7? What did they tell them about God, and how did they characterize Israel and their enemies in verses 8-9? 

How did the people respond to the humility of Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb and show what they thought of their words in Numbers 14:10? How did God intervene in verse 10, and what did He say to Moses in verses 11-12? What new idea did God propose to Moses in verse 12? Why did Moses reject this idea, according to Numbers 14:13-16? How did Moses focus on God and His character in 14:17-19? 

What does God say in 14:20? His forgiveness comes at a great price. What is the price the people paid for their disobedience, and how they tested God and treated Him with contempt in 14:20-23? What about Caleb? What different plans did God have for him in 14:24? God then sends the people back toward where they had come from in verse 25.

How does God characterize the people in Numbers 14:26-27? What does God promise as a result of their bad attitude in 14:28-35? What happened to the ten spies who gave a bad report about the land of Canaan (14:36-37)? Who was spared in verse 38? 

How did Israel respond when Moses told them what God intended to do in 14:39? What did the people do next in verse 40? How did Moses try to stop them, and what did he argue in Numbers 14:42-43? Why did the plans of the people fail, according to 14:44? 

Take some time to examine this chapter again. Make four headings: 1. Israel 2. Moses/Moses and Aaron 3. Caleb/Caleb and Joshua 4. God. Write down information from this text in each category. Take note of the verbs associated with each character and note what they say and do. Write down the questions that were asked and the promises that were made. What parts are most meaningful to you? What lessons do you learn?

Have you gone through a wilderness experience yourself? These can be trying times, but just like Israel, all the people of God, including you and me, will have to endure dry times in the desert. Even Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by Satan. Our times in the wilderness reveal what we truly believe. We find out our heart’s condition and the strength of our relationship with God. In Psalm 95:7b-11, God gives us His perspective on what happened with these people in the desert. God determines that they had hardened their hearts against Him. Their grumbling and complaining showed this. God explains this as unbelief. In the wilderness, the people of Israel stopped believing in the goodness and sovereignty of God. Lest we be judgmental about these people in the Old Testament, we must realize how easily we can fall into unbelief and harden our hearts against God when we go through desert experiences. The first clue is to notice the times we grumble and complain when we are disappointed by God and/or others. When we face injustice or are wronged, when we are hurt or go through times when we question why, these are the times we are susceptible to the same failure that we saw in Israel.

We live in the time after Jesus Christ lived on earth, died on the cross, was raised to life, and ascended into heaven. From his seated position at the right hand of His Father, all who follow Jesus have an advocate who prays for us during our trials and wilderness experiences. He understands what it feels like to go through hard times and was tempted in some of the same ways we are. But, Jesus never gave in to a hard heart. He didn’t grumble or complain, even when He was wrongly accused, beaten, mocked, spit upon, and nailed to a cross. He never stopped believing in God. Even when He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” this was not a question that came from a hard heart. Jesus’ crying out to God gives us permission to cry out to Him in our wilderness times. So, you are not alone. Jesus is with you, and the saints in heaven cheer you on during your hard times. The promises of God are yours. Your time in the wilderness is not for naught.

And if you do grumble and complain, if you find yourself doubting God and asking why, know that you can always do an about-face and get back in step with God. In our passage, Israel never took responsibility for their sin, and they didn’t ask God for forgiveness. But we can. It’s never too late to come back to God and ask Him to help us not to choose to harden our hearts toward Him in the future. He is a good God, and His plans for the lives of His children will be accomplished. Amen? Amen.

Lord, we don’t seek to go through times in the wilderness, but You sometimes determine that it is best for us. Help us keep our focus on You, believe the truth about You, and stay close to You in these hard times. Help us never to harden our hearts against the voice of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Help us learn the lessons our time in the desert can teach us so that we can move on toward the promises You have for us. Allow us to help others through their hard times and come out better people. We are weak, Lord. We believe. Help our unbelief. Amen.