The Wilderness Journey

… The book of Acts, chapter 13, verse 17 and 18. The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and exalted the people in their sojourn in the land of Egypt, and with a high arm brought them out of it, and for a time of about forty years he nursed them in the desert, so far. Last week I was struck very much with the thought of the greatness of God. I was reading about molecules and little atoms you can't even see with your eyes, and I was reading about the space between the neutron and the kernel of the nucleus, and then the remark was made that when you could eliminate all the space between the neutrons and so go around the nucleus, when you would eliminate all the space and you would take a human body, it would be reduced to a little dot. You can't imagine. And that is the greatness of God in little things. And when you see then the greatness of God in connection with the universe, these billions of stars, there are at least, until now they have discovered more than 100 billion of galaxies. When you know that a galaxy consists of 100 to 200 billion of stars, you just can't imagine how great God is. That's the God, our creator. Now in the Bible we find about one chapter of the creation, and a few verses somewhere else. But about the redemption, God as redeemer, you find so much in the Bible. Now where we have been talking about is really, the last time when we took up this subject of the trip from Egypt to Canaan, is God as redeemer. Now when we keep in mind the greatness of God as creator, how great is he then as redeemer? I'd just like to share a few general thoughts with you, and then we will proceed with the slides, and then I'd like to just have a bird's eye view, as it were, with you, of the wilderness journey. Now last time we have seen that the people of God was in Egypt, and we have seen how this applies to every believer. The moment somebody is born again, he is in bondage, and it is God's thought to bring him into the land. The land is part of God's counsel, God's purpose. We will speak about that a little bit tonight, but of course if the Lord tarries and we would have another opportunity to speak on the land, then we would speak more about God's purpose. But in between, the land of Egypt and the promised land is the wilderness. Now just this general remark, we find that the wilderness is necessary to bring us into the good of the purpose of God, and we hope to see this tonight. The wilderness journey is not part of God's purpose for his people, of his counsel for his people, it is his ways with his people, and we hope to see that. And there is much to cover to find that out. And I had just thought, you know, last time when we were speaking about the deliverance from Egypt, we have seen the need for deliverance. And maybe there is still somebody here who needs to be delivered from the power of sin, from the power of Satan, from the power of death. We have seen the need for deliverance. Then we have seen in the Passover land the basis for deliverance. And then we have seen, and we will show one slide about that, the way of God's deliverance, the deliverer himself. We have seen also, together, a little bit, that in these things God reveals himself. He is not only supplying our needs, but he has revealed himself as the deliverer in Moses, speaks of the Lord Jesus. We have seen something of himself in the Passover land, and we see again his greatness when he delivered his people. There is, in other words, the work of God for us. Keep that in mind. Try to keep that in mind, that the first subject we had in the month of March is God's work for us. And then when we understand that God has in his heart many blessings for us in store, which he had prepared already for the people of Israel from the foundation of the world, and for us Christians from before the foundation of the world, God had been thinking of you and me. Isn't that wonderful? He had his counsel prepared already then, eternal purpose. Now to realise this, to bring us into the good, so to speak, of this purpose, he uses the wilderness. And I'd like to divide this subject again in three points. The facts of the wilderness journey. That's what we have tonight. That's like a Bible lesson, I can't help it, but we have to face the facts. Then the second subject would be tomorrow, Lord willing, the lessons of the wilderness journey. What can you learn? Moral lessons, spiritual lessons. And for the third meeting I have thought of the subject, the results of the wilderness journey. What is the result of all these troubles we will see? There is going to be fruit for God, and that is really a big subject. The results of the wilderness journey. Now even when you would think about the facts of the wilderness journey, it is really a very vast subject, and we would need maybe 50 or 100 evenings together to go into little details, and then we only scratch the surface even then. So you know, this is such a vast subject. But it is good at any rate to start with it when you are young, like the children here, and you will grow in the knowledge of these things gradually. So maybe we should proceed now first to the slides, just to go through a few of them, and then we would like to turn back to the Bible. So this is just a little reminder of what we had last time, God's deliverance. We delivered the people out of Egypt, and then we find one of the first experiences, or the first experience really recorded at that time, was that there was water available when they had thirst, but then it was bitter. And then the second experience with that was that they came to a place, the oasis, with palm trees and so on, that is the first wilderness experience. Then they came in the wilderness of Sin, here, and we will find... But you have to read it by hand. Wilderness is a place where there is no water, a place where there is no food, a place where there is no way to go, no highway like we, I travelled I don't know how many kilometres today, but there was no highway in the wilderness. So imagine a place, this world is a wilderness wide, as we sing in the hymn, where I have nothing to seek nor to choose. How we need guidance, how we need food, how we need resources, we will see that with the Lord's help. And in the wilderness you don't even hear your own voice. A brother told me he was once really into wilderness and it was like if his voice was lost when he was speaking. So in the wilderness it's really nothing, but we'll come back on that. Then there was the need of food and God provided. He gave these birds and they had plenty of food. We will see that in Exodus 16, these birds, and then we find that God provided every morning the manna, every morning. You know, even the little children, they came out to collect the manna together with their parents, it was a nice experience. And so there was plenty every day, six days of the week, and Sabbath day there was rest. And during 40 years they needed water. The rock was smitten and the water was there. What a grace of God. Then immediately after there was an attack by the enemies called the Amalekites. Amalekites hit them in the back where they were weak, where the women were and the little children. And so that is an attack we have to think about too when we come to Exodus 17. And then there was this solution that Joshua was fighting against the Amalekites and Moses was spraying the mountain and his arms were supported by Aaron and her. So this is the next picture which speaks of provision in the wilderness. Here we find just another picture of that, how Moses' hand was held up. The other picture you saw his hand falling, failing, falling down. But here he is really undergirded as it were by Aaron and her. Here we have just an outline of the wilderness journey. So they left here from Egypt. It's not so clear but we have to be, where they passed the Red Sea but it was really the Red Sea. It was not a piece of dry land, it was really a Red Sea and for them it was dry land as we have seen the last time. But it was really through the sea they went. And then they came to the wilderness. Here they have the experience of magic and magic and magic and magic. Here they have the experience of Marah and Ammon and then the wilderness of Sin and then the attack of the Amalekites after the Lord had given water. And so they were moving through the wilderness, another wilderness here, Paran, the experience of the 38 years there. And so then after a while they came here and they went up and they conquered pieces, some parts of the land here. We will see that. So it is a long experience. Here we have another view of the wilderness just to give an impression what the wilderness is like, looks like. But now there was another experience, after all these provisions in grace the people said all the Lord has said, we will do it. They didn't know themselves and we will read a verse or two about that. They didn't know themselves and they placed themselves under the law and that was together with curse, you know, not only under the curse but also you see all these lightnings and so on, it was a very terrifying experience, we will speak on that too. There is another here, picture which shows that Moses went up to speak with the Lord and these frightening circumstances, he went up and all the people were so afraid, you can read it in Hebrews 12, here another picture of that, here Moses went up to speak with the Lord, here another picture of that, here all the people, the bottom of the mountain and the mountain was even, as it says in the scriptures, was almost moving, it was shaking something, and in the meantime Moses was speaking with God and God gave him the law of the ten commandments written by the finger of God, just to give an impression, and it was in Hebrew, you can be sure, next one, here just to see how carefully the Jews have kept the law and even till today it is carefully kept, carefully covered, you could speak a long time about that but we don't have time to do that now. You see how Moses together with Joshua, who was in the lower parts of the mountain, went back to the camp and you know when they came down, what did they see, a terrible picture. You see the clouds already becoming dark, it was a threat, it was hanging over the whole scene, they had introduced an idol, we will speak about that a little bit tonight and tomorrow more, an idol that they had learned to know in Egypt, so you see here some of the influences of Egypt, and the whole people was playing and dancing around it, that was idolatry and fornication later on in time. And then Moses, he just let them fall, these tables, these two tables, if he would have kept them in his hands, the whole people would have been distracted right away, because they had to do with a holy God. So the people had failed and Moses recognized it immediately and he just threw the tables down, they were broken by the people and now they were literally broken. And Moses, he took the calf away, the golden calf away, and he just burned it down and then the people had to drink, you cannot see that here in the picture, the water together with the remainder of the golden calf, a terrible experience. And then many were killed, three thousand were killed, but you know God's plans come through anyway, even after this experience we find that the tabernacle was set up, God had shown Moses during forty days, the whole system was set up as we find in the remainder of Exodus. And then we come to, or maybe we go through that quickly, the ark, the center of this whole tabernacle system, the table here, and then we have the candlestick, we cannot speak on these things in detail like Paul says in Hebrews, here you have the altar where the incense was burned, so very interesting things we cannot study. Here you have Moses again, with two little horns, due to a false translation, when his face was beaming, when he had seen the Lord, his face was beaming, Moses was speaking with the Lord, and then he beams, this word is sometimes translated with horn, and so therefore this statue, which was made by Michelangelo, and he had these two little horns, but actually it is caused by mistranslation of the beams, they are coming from Moses' face. And here you see the order, as we find in Numbers 1, the order of the whole camp, centered with the tabernacle in the center, the whole camp was in order around the tabernacle, it was a wonderful thing to study. It was the tabernacle of the testimony, and then God allowed that they received a proof of the goodness of the land, the blessing of the land. The spies came back with this fruit, but the people rejected the land, the land of God's counsel, imagine, we ought to see that. Another experience in the wilderness was, then the spies, the manna God had given, and they were bitten by serpents, fiery serpents, and then the solution God gave was a brazen serpent which speaks of the Lord who took our place. So you see many, many lessons in the wilderness, and we are only speaking about the facts now of the wilderness, here you see just another picture of that. So there are many, many things, and then Moses, he had failed, he had, instead of the second time speaking to the rock, he had smitten the rock a second time, as if the Lord could die twice, and Moses could not enter into the land because of that. And here you see how the Lord showed him the whole land before he died. And then the end is that Moses looks here over the land, and then he was going to die. There was another one who would bring the people into the land, but that is for the next time if the Lord allows it. So this is just a short outline, and in connection with the facts of the wilderness, a study for tonight, I'd like just to make a few general remarks first. The word for wilderness, in Hebrew you'll find different words for that. Now one of the words, mitbar, speaks of a place of speaking. That's strange. When I was thinking about that, the wilderness, where there is nothing, no voice, no food as we have seen, no road, nothing, it's a place of speaking. How can that be? And when I was thinking of that, I got the answer. You know, the wilderness is the place where the people is reduced to nothing, but where God becomes all. That's in a few words the thought of the wilderness. The wilderness really makes us do nothing, makes us realise that we are nothing, but God becomes all, everything. Then there's another word which speaks of the aspect that it is a desolate place. So that speaks of the thought that there is no resources, there are no resources, that it's desolate. And this helps us to understand that in the wilderness the people of God is cast on God for resources. You cannot go to your neighbour, you cannot go to the store, you cannot go anywhere. You are cast on God. Now this is very important, I'm now speaking only about the facts, but when you realise these things in your own lives, that we are cast on God really when we are going through the wilderness, that all our resources are in God only, not in ourselves nor in the brethren or anywhere, how important the lesson is. First of all to learn that God is speaking, secondly that all our resources are in him. Another word which is used for the wilderness speaks of drought, there is no water. And another word is used which has the thought of darkness. Now God gives light. You know, in all these situations the remedy is found in God. God gives light and God gives water, as we have seen in the slide. Maybe we should just go, take our Bible and just go through Exodus, a few chapters in Exodus and a few chapters in Numbers, and I would like to commend to you the reading of books like, written by Brother McIntosh on Exodus and Numbers, but also by Brother Darwin, the Synopsis, even other books like in the Bible Treasury, Wilderness Lessons and so on. There are many, many things to learn for us. But we limit ourselves now to the facts. In Exodus 15 we have seen how the people was delivered from Egypt. You got it? Exodus 15. But in the same chapter, where they started to sing, we find a very negative experience. And this is the first real wilderness experience. And it is important for us to realise this, that in Exodus 15 at the end of the chapter we find that from verse 22, there was no water. And they came to a place where was water, but then they found out that it was bitter. That is what we have to find out. When we leave Egypt under God's hand, we have to find out that this world cannot supply our needs. That is a bitter experience, but maybe that is only once necessary. There are other experiences in the wilderness you find during the whole journey, but this is an experience you have to learn once. And then we find that God provides, we cannot enter into the details now, but God gives a solution and it points to the Lord Jesus. Just in a general way, I hope to speak on that more in detail tomorrow, we find that in every situation, the Lord Jesus is the solution. So that is a very important lesson to learn. In all these types, we will find out that the Lord Jesus actually is the solution. And then we find how God provides now, from himself, shelter. They came to a place, Elim, with twelve springs of water, there was no bitterness any more, and there was the palm trees which would speak of victory, and trees in itself would speak of protection. You can have many thoughts in connection with this. So God's provisions in the wilderness. That was the first experience in the wilderness in the first month, but now in chapter 16 we come to the second month. So that is a totally new experience. Maybe they had brought some bread wisdom from Egypt, we read that in chapter 12, that they took some bread wisdom, but now it was gone, all was gone, what now? A brother calculated once that to feed such a people in the wilderness you would need at least 15 train wagons a day, 15 train wagons a day, minimum, to feed normal people like we eat, they would need maybe 40 train wagons to feed such a people. Now God provides, that is what we find here in chapter 16. We can see the murmurings of the people, God finds a solution, that is in the birds we have found. That is what God gave to still, as it were, the murmuring, that speaks again of the Lord Jesus, his death. That was in the evening, you remember the Passover lamb, when was it killed? Between the evenings, that was a reminder of the cross. Now here again we find a reminder of the cross, but then the next morning the Lord gave the manna. Now there are many, many lessons in connection with the manna, but where did it come from? It came from heaven, where God is. So that is a new experience, and it speaks, when you would read it in John 6, you can find the answer. It speaks of somebody who came from heaven to Lord Jesus, who came down to do God's will. So what does the manna teach us? To do God's will. It teaches us of obedience. It is teaching us of dependence. So just a few things we find here in connection with the manna, God's provision for the wilderness journey, and it lasted the whole trip, till the end, till they came over Jordan. In Joshua 5 you find it for the last time. Now we have no time now at the moment to enter into the details of this chapter, but this is one of the most wonderful chapters of the wilderness journey, to see God's provisions in grace for a people. And even after they murmured, or after they failed, after they sinned so many times, the manna was always there. It's always available. When we have failed, when we have sinned, when we have murmured, it's always available. We can always turn to the Lord Jesus and learn from him, to feed on him, to learn to be dependent, to learn to be obedient, to learn to do the will of God. So many things you find in this chapter. Now we come to chapter 17, and there we find another provision which lasted for the whole trip, and that was the water which came from the rock. Again, here it speaks of the Lord Jesus, but now of the Lord Jesus who is smitten, but who is in the glory. There's a shade of difference. The one who was smitten is now in heaven. I would refer now to another chapter in John, now to John 7, where we find that it was necessary for the Lord to be glorified, and then the Spirit would come. So in chapter 6, food for the wilderness, the life of the Lord Jesus down here, the one who descended seven times, you find it in John 6. And then in Exodus 17, we find that the one who was smitten, the rock, who is Christ, the first Corinthian stand, is now the one who is in the glory. And what did he send from the glory? Whom did he send? Excuse me. He sent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes here in this time and is there, a provision for the whole wilderness journey. Now we have seen on the slide that after this experience, right away there was a battle. I'm just referring to where you can find this back in the New Testament. You can find this back in Romans 8 and in Galatians 5. This is the battle between the flesh and the spirit. It's not the battle of Romans 7, it's the battle of Romans 8, so to speak. Romans 7, there you find out that this new nature has no force, no power against the flesh. But then, in Romans 8, we find the power of the Holy Spirit. And we find in Galatians 5 that the spirit and the flesh are always opposed. But the Holy Spirit is going to win. But it is an experience for all generations. These are things to learn, and for every generation, for the young children, for the older ones, for us. And this is a fight, as we find here, chooses man, in verse 9, and goes out to fight with Amalek. You remember in Exodus 13, could they do anything against the power of Pharaoh to be delivered from Egypt? They couldn't do anything. God would battle for them. But here, it is a battle in us, which takes place. And it comes very close to us. But there is, again, the remedy. Who was in the glory? Who is in the glory? The Lord Jesus is there. Moses, you find here, you remember in the picture, Moses is a staff, speaks of the Lord Jesus, who is in the glory. He has all authority, the staff speaks of authority. You have Aaron there on the mountain, you remember the picture, Aaron was there, speaks of the Lord, who is the high priest. He was here on earth, he knows exactly what's going on here on earth, what is in our hearts. And then there was Her, the man who is mentioned, who is named Her, who speaks of the Lord Jesus in his purity, the name literally means pure. So there is the Lord Jesus in this threefold aspect, the righteous one, the just one, the pure one, the high priest, and the one who has all authority. All is there for us. And down here, in this wilderness scene, is Joshua, who speaks also of the Lord Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit, in us, among the people of God. So just a few details I mentioned, and then you'll find that in verse 16 the conclusion is, for the hand is on the throne of Jah, Jehovah will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. You see how that goes on. In Deuteronomy you find it back, in the days of Saul you find it back, you find it even in the days of Esther, when Haman, the Agagite, was trying to kill all the Jews. You see, this conflict goes on. Now in chapter 18 we have another picture, how Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, came back, which is why we cannot speak on these things in detail. And then we come to chapter 19, of Exodus, and the conclusion, one of the verses we should read is verse 4. Ye have seen what I have done to the Egyptians, and how I have borne you on eagles' wings, and brought you to myself. That's what's in God's heart, to bring a people to himself. Not only to deliver them, not only to free them from the power of Pharaoh, he wants to have this people for himself, but not only for himself, he wants to have it close to himself. You see, that's the point. It speaks of God's love for the people. But did the people realise this? They had no knowledge of God at one hand, they had no knowledge of themselves at the other hand. God would bless them, they would have a feast in the wilderness, as God said in the beginning of this book, but instead of a feast, what are they going to have here in this chapter? Curses, lightnings as you have seen, a trembling mountain, and a trembling people. Terrible change. And what caused all this change? It was the simple fact that he said, in verse 8, all that Jehovah has spoken will we do. They didn't know themselves, they didn't see that they were not able to do this. And this is an experience we have to go through too. This was not given to an unbelieving people, the law was not presented to a people in Egypt, it was presented to a people which was delivered. Think of the Galatians, and then you see how this is a real, actual thing, this is not only history, but there you see the danger for us, as we will see later on in the lessons of the wilderness, but just I remind you of this. People which had the Holy Spirit, the Galatians, and they placed themselves under the law. So this is a real danger for the people of God. Then all blessings are gone, the nearness is gone, there is no nearness, there is distance, threat, you can read it in Hebrews 12, terrible picture. Now what happened at that time? You have seen that Moses received the instructions to build the ark. Now you come to Exodus 25, the tent, the tabernacle, and so on. Now we cannot speak on these things now, but I just remind you of the desire God had in his heart to dwell among his people. We see the full development of this thought of God's dwelling place in the land. You can read Deuteronomy 12, you can go through the books of the kings and so on, you find a temple, there you have God's dwelling place in the land. You can read of it in the Psalms, but God didn't want to wait so long, he wanted to dwell with his people right then. Therefore, and we have seen that in Exodus 15, God can dwell with a redeemed people, that is the basis. Redemption is the basis that God may dwell with his people, only on the basis of redemption. But God doesn't want to wait until they are in the land of his purpose, he dwells with them right there in the wilderness. And there is the response from the people's heart to make this dwelling place. That's what we have seen in Exodus 15. And now God says, okay, you want to do this? I'll give you the instructions. That is what you get in Exodus 25, 26, the tabernacle, 27, first the altar, and then also you find the whole court. These things speak, and just one remark of this, are all connected again with the Lord Jesus. The ark was the centre of it. The ark speaks of one person who is God and man in one person. This is a mystery for us, we cannot understand it. God and man in one person, but not only as he was here on earth, the ark, the whole tabernacle system is connected with the Lord Jesus as he is now in the glory. Do you remember that Moses was on the mountain when God gave these instructions? And so the Lord Jesus is in the glory, and from the glory he built, as it were, the whole church, because the tabernacle now would speak of the church. So this is very rich material, as I may say. It reveals the glory of God, the glory of the Lord Jesus. But what do the people do? We find provisions even, how to maintain these things in the high priest and his sons, in chapter 28. We find everything in order. In God's thoughts everything is in order. But what was the situation with the people? What did they do in the middle? We turn to chapter 32. Verse 1, when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people collected together to Aaron and said to him, Up, make us a god. There you find idolatry. Imagine, Moses on the mountain, which speaks of the Lord Jesus in the glory. What did the church do? They said they wanted to see something, they wanted to see their gods, they introduced their gods. This is in the church history, how the statutes were introduced, how heathen influences were introduced into the church, a terrible history. So God's side, all is well, all is glory. On the people's side, all is failure, total failure, Aaron and the whole people. You can read that in Exodus 32, and tomorrow, Lord willing, we will speak on that more in detail. And then, in chapter 33, we find how Moses, in verse 7, took the tent and placed it outside the camp. Even in such a situation, there is a remedy, how to come together, because God's thoughts never fail. The whole people can fail, we may fail, but God's thoughts never fail, and he will maintain his thoughts in a remnant, in a day of ruin. That's what we have here in chapter 33, verse 7, and so on. It's wonderful to study these verses, and then connection with Hebrew 13, just indicate this. And then you find how God will go with them, to lead them. First he wants to send an angel, but then Moses prays. Moses has done intercession for the whole people. Moses did not seek his own glory, Moses sought God's glory. How many lessons we have here. And he interceded for the people, he showed true love. And then there is this wonderful answer, that he may see the glory of God in the back parts, because God had not revealed himself yet, as he would do in the New Testament. And then we find how the whole tabernacle system was set up in the remainder of the book. And then we come in chapter 40, when all was set up, and God came down, as it were, in the cloud, and the cloud filled the whole tabernacle. The glory of God was there. What a picture. Now, to realise this, the people had failed. And I would say the grace of God, after the introduction of the law, is even greater than before. You know, before we have seen the grace of God, provision of God, the manna, the water, many provisions of the grace of God. But then the people had said they had placed themselves under the law, and they should die immediately. And we have seen how Moses, he threw the tables down, the people were not killed, and we have the intercession of Moses, and I would say the grace of God after that is even greater. But there is another point, and that's what we find in Numbers. God is at the same time maintaining his rights, his righteous government. But to see here this picture of the glory of God in the tabernacle, it is so great to see how God identifies himself with such a people, and that's even today. We have nothing to boast in, nothing to glory in, that the Lord will identify himself with his people. That's a great thought. And then God is going to communicate his thoughts. The whole book of Leviticus is God's communications with Moses. Jehovah calls to Moses, and then in the book of Leviticus you see how he can approach God, how he can serve God in the sanctuary, how he can be in his presence. That's the great thought of the book of Leviticus. But we will go over that now, and then we come to the book of Numbers. Numbers actually is plural because of the fact that there are two numberings. The people of God was numbered twice, at the beginning of the trip and at the end, in chapter 26, 27. So this is why the book is called Numbers. But in the Hebrew it is related to the wilderness, because the first verse it says, and Jehovah spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai. Now just keep this in mind, in the wilderness of Sinai, that was the place where they fell. That was the place where God gave the law, because they asked for it. And this is the place where God is to maintain his rights. And so you find here a thought in the book of Numbers that is in connection with the government of God. At the beginning... ...of failure in connection with the unfaithfulness of a woman. So here you find a suggestion of failure. First of all, the camp is to be in order, so in verse 2 it is a matter of removing what is unclean. But then in verse 5, 6, until the end of the chapter, the whole picture of this woman who is thought, or her husband, does not longer trust her, so there is this thought of unfaithfulness. And that is what happened with the people of God then, they were unfaithful, as we have seen already in Exodus 32, but also in connection with the church, the thought of unfaithfulness. Then you find in chapter 6 again the remedy. The remedy is that there is a man totally for God, again the Lord Jesus, and of course we may apply this, we may have a desire to follow these instructions, but again we find the remedy in the Lord Jesus. And then at the end of this, there is blessing for the whole people. How wonderful this is. Failure, you will say, all is lost. When you see Exodus 32 you think, it's all over, it's all over. No, it's not over. God has a man in store, and there is going to be a blessing for the whole people. Now we come to chapter 9. I have said there is... the people of God in the wilderness is moving because God wants to have a testimony, therefore it is the Ark of the Testimony, we have had in Exodus already the Tables of the Testimony, and you have the Tent of the Testimony. It's a witness for God in this world. Could Israel be a witness for God when they were in Egypt? No, they were under bondage, they were slaves of Pharaoh. Are they free to serve God there? No, they weren't. But now they were free, and all was ordered by God's instructions that they could be people as a witness for himself. Now what is the basis of all this? Again we come to the Lord Jesus, the Passover lamb. Here it is not as in Egypt, but here it is, the Passover lamb where they feed upon, but I would stress one point here, I think that is the point of cleanness is brought out. In the wilderness it is a matter of being clean for God. In order to be a witness for God you have to be clean, that's the instruction here in chapter 9, verse 6, and so on, the whole first part of the chapter. Now we come to three ways God is going to lead his people. We have said we need guidance, we have seen something of that in Exodus, but now we find three ways God is guiding his people, and just try to keep that in mind. We all have ears, we have eyes, and we have a heart. Now I would suggest that the cloud is in connection with the eyes, the trumpets you get in chapter 10 are in connection with our ears, and the ark which we find at the end of chapter 10 is in connection with our heart, it's a matter of love. Now just briefly, go over this, we find three ways, or three means, actually, by which God is leading his people. We have said they are going to move, all the chapters in the beginning are preparation for that, and now the moment is to be there that he has to move, in chapter 10. Now God first gives the cloud, the cloud is to the regnum, and we have seen the cloud at the moment that they left Egypt, fire, light, protection, and a cloud would give also refreshing in the heat of the wilderness sun. Many things we find in connection with the cloud, the cloud which speaks of the glory of God. Cloud, maybe you could link also with the Holy Spirit, the direction of the Holy Spirit. Now you have to have a good eye, not only a good eye, the eye has to be directed on the tabernacle. You see again, when we understand what a tabernacle means for God, a place where he can dwell, but amidst a people which is moving towards the land, then we can understand that all depends on what the ark is going to do, all depends on what the tent of the tabernacle is going to do. And the first thing, as it were, to move was the cloud, so you have to see always on the cloud. Now, that's an important exercise for us, to have our eyes directed in the right direction. There are so many attractions around us, so many things would divert us, but the eyes are directed on the cloud. The second point is the trumpets, which we find in chapter 10. Now these trumpets, we could speak long about all these details, but you can read it and also with these books I mentioned, you find here a perfect provision, again, God's provision, how to find the way. I said in the beginning there was no way, there was no road, so God is going to give the way, by the cloud, by the trumpets, the trumpets were also necessary of course for other things, for the meetings, how they came together, but the trumpets were also given when there was an alarm, when there was something wrong with the people of God, could well be, then the alarm was blown, but the trumpets are given here in this chapter in the general setting of a moving people, people is going to move, they need the trumpets to listen, to be ready, we find the trumpets for us in the New Testament, again. But then there was a third thing, a third point. Imagine the whole camp was ready, the ark in the midst, so it was ordered by God, the ark in the midst, the centre, but we find in chapter 10 there was one man who was there who didn't belong to the people of God, it was Moses' brother-in-law, and he had a very smart idea. You know, Hobart, this man was very well known there in the wilderness, he knew the way, we would say, but that was not going to work out that way. This was really, as it were, competition between human intellect, human experience, and the leading of God himself, there cannot be such competition. And we find that the ark went before them, we read maybe verse 33, and they set forward from the mountain of Jehovah and went three days' journey, and the ark, the covenant of Jehovah, went before them in the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them. Not to tarry permanently, of course, you cannot have a resting place in the wilderness, you are moving towards the land, but on your way you need rest, and this is what we find here, to find out a resting place for them. No permanent rest available in the wilderness, but there is the ark, where God has found perfect rest, and he is going to indicate the way. He doesn't make reproaches to Moses, he just goes before them, and therefore I say this is a matter of our hearts. We find here that Moses failed in connection with his love for the ark. So our eyes direct on the cloud, our ears ready for the trumpets, our heart directed to the Lord Jesus, the ark, who is in the glory, but at the same time who is among the people of God. How great he is. Now all is ready, and then what do we find? Just briefly, chapter 11, the murmuring, what is the answer? Fire from God. You know, it's no longer the perfect grace we had before. God has to deal now with the evil. Second point, in verse 4, and so on, there is discontent, they are no longer happy with God's provisions, and we have seen the worst provisions by God's grace, in abundance. Under the influence of Egypt, they were not ready, they were no longer happy with it. The result is a plague. God judges that. You know, they were happy with the food of slaves, in verse 5 you find all these types of food that belonged to Egypt. These were all kinds of fruit that were down on the earth, but not like the fruit in the land were on trees, which speaks of heavenly influences, was all down on earth. It was food for slaves, and they were lusting for that again. How terrible picture. Now we are not better than they, we hope to speak on that tomorrow. We will find out that we are not better than they were. They wanted to go back to Egypt, here you find a tendency to go back to Egypt. Now, after that, you find a third failure, in chapter 12. There is Miriam and Aaron who spoke against Moses. Here is the answer, what God gives, leprosy. It is in the judgment of God, and the judgment of God, that Miriam is struck with leprosy. How terrible. And now we come to chapter 13 and 14. The land of God's purpose is despised. You remember the slide with these beautiful fruits from the land? What is the response? It is totally rejected. We hope to speak on that tomorrow, a little bit, in connection with some New Testament portions. But here you find unbelief, so try to keep this in mind. These forms of evil, the murmurings, the lusting to go back to Egypt, outbreak against Moses' authority, then unbelief in connection with God's counsel, a rejection of God's counsel. We read in the Psalms that they despised the good land. God had in his heart to bless his people, to have them with himself in his land. We have seen he brought them already to himself, and he wanted to have them with himself in the land of his purpose, and they rejected. It was by unbelief. And then we find in chapter 14 how they wanted to go up then, and then it's disobedience. So two forms of failure here, unbelief and disobedience. And we find here also the answer of God. We have said every time we find God's answer right away in his righteous dealings. What is the answer here? They shall not enter into the land. That's the answer God gives. You know, God's righteous dealings with his people is very, very serious. When we despise the land, we shall not enter into it. And we find here, too, that the flesh is incapable of entering into God's purpose. That is very important. Who will really appreciate God's counsel, God's purpose? It's not the flesh. The flesh sets it aside. There is no link between God and the flesh, impossible. So here we find the suggestion there is a work of God needed. That's what you find in this new generation, which we find later on in the book, and what we have in Caleb and Joshua. In Caleb and Joshua you see faith, faith is a work of God, in the soul, and you find that they appreciated the land. So the flesh is incapable, but now I would like to mention just briefly the resources God gives, because I said, on the one hand, God is now dealing with these forms of evil in numbers, but he is giving also his resources. That's what we find for us in the New Testament, in Hebrews, where we have the word of God, in Hebrews 4, and the Lord Jesus as the high priest. Maybe we will speak on that a little bit tomorrow, if we have time, in Hebrews 3 and 4. We will find that there is this experience of the wilderness, they rejected the land, and then God is going to give a resource when there is evil. He judges evil, but he gives a resource, and that is the word of God. When you read in Hebrews 4, from verse 12, you find the word of God as a perfect resource for the wilderness journey, and when there is failure. And you find the priest, the Lord Jesus as the high priest, seven points in connection with the high priest. It is wonderful to meditate upon. But there is one thing you have to learn, that the flesh cannot be changed, cannot be ameliorated. It is evil, and it will always remain evil, and that's what we find in these chapters. So how serious this failure was. And then when you think in chapter 16, what's going to happen in chapter 16, it becomes worse and worse. But then between these two pictures of failure, you find chapter 15, and it is really marvellous. We have seen that the flesh is incapable to appreciate God's purpose, but what's God saying in chapter 15, verse 2, in the middle of the verse? When ye come into the land of your dwellings, here you find how God's purpose is unchangeable. Now, God's purpose, as we find also in the New Testament, does not change. The people may fail, the people may not appreciate it, but God keeps it before his heart, and he places it before the heart of the faithful, I think. That is the thought in chapter 15, that God is placing the value of the land before the faithful. And in connection with this, God is speaking about sacrifices. And there's a wonderful chapter which speaks of the riches of the land, but what's the people going to do in the land? To be occupied with sacrifices, again the Lord Jesus. All these sacrifices speak of the Lord Jesus. Now God is, as it were, here encouraging the faithful, you know, you are in the wilderness now, but keep thinking of the land, keep thinking of what you are going to do there when you will be in the land. On the one hand we see all the people is excluded from the land, who were unfaithful, who acted by the flesh, and only Caleb and Joshua are going to be there with the new generation. Caleb means, I translate it in a free way, with all the heart. You know, that's a test for us. Is my heart really 100% ready for God's thoughts? Do I appreciate God's purpose? What is the land with the Lord Jesus in the glory? What this means for God? Am I really 100% on that line? And so we find in chapter 15 that God draws our attention to the one who never failed. We have failure in the wilderness many, many times, but in chapter 15 our hearts are drawn to the one who never failed and who gave this perfect sacrifice. And then we come to chapter 16 where we find, I would call it apostasy, when we compare this history, as we hope to see maybe tomorrow in a closer way, with the history of the Church, we find that the end of the history is apostasy. It is with the people of Israel in a future day apostasy, and it will be with the Church apostasy. It is rebellion, but in principle we find it already very early in the history of the Church, how there was rebellion against the authority of the Lord, how there was a rebellion against the authority of the Holy Spirit. And I remember a tract written by Brother Darby in the last century which speaks about the sin against the Holy Spirit. There was clergy, so systematised sin, as it were, against the Holy Spirit. This is what you find here. The flesh wanting to have a place, sharing the authority, or putting aside the authority even, of Moses and Aaron. There are many different ways this can happen. Sometimes it has happened by the introduction of rational systems. You find it in Colossians, these dangers. Sometimes this evil came out in the form of rituals, but in both ways it is the will of the flesh which rebels against the authority of God, against the authority of the Lord Jesus, as the true Apostle and High Priest. So here we find how the flesh wants to have a place in God's things. You know, the flesh reveals itself in many, many ways in the wilderness, but when it reveals itself in this way, to have a high place in the things of God, that is, I think, the worst revelation of the flesh, the worst manifestation of the flesh, and God deals with this. And again at the end of the chapter, or in chapter 17, but at the end of the chapter you find Aaron as the High Priest, you find the remedy, and in chapter 17 you find the answer again. You know, I said, I keep on repeating this, but always the answer again is the Lord Jesus. In chapter 17 we find another picture. God is confirming now that the place of Aaron is the true High Priest, and again we find here how the Lord Jesus is the true High Priest on the basis of his resurrection. You find here life out of death. That speaks of resurrection. So God sets up now his High Priest, the others are set aside, who are after the flesh, and God gives his High Priest on the basis of resurrection. And let's add this, this is also the way to enter into the land. Because we have seen people fail, here they stand up against Moses, they will never enter into the land, were it not on the basis of the High Priest. Just a few thoughts about that, and then we are almost at the end. Here we find Christ as the High Priest, as we said, in resurrection, the power of life out of death. And then in chapter 18 we find the whole company associated with him, because there the Lord is now speaking to Aaron, this Aaron who received his place, who was established by God. God is speaking to him now, and there is to be a whole company linked with him. That's what you have in chapter 18, a company identified with him, and with the sanctuary, as I said in the beginning, how important it is to relate everything to the sanctuary. Then we come to chapter 19, where we find the dangers of the wilderness, even for the people who were left at that time. Even this new generation we will find later on, they would have dangers in the wilderness. And then we find here again God's provision. And again it speaks of the Lord Jesus, when I am defiled through wilderness experiences, it is an occasion to appreciate more the death of our Lord Jesus, and that the water of cleansing, as it is brought out here in this chapter, is applied. The third day, which speaks of our conscience, is affected, touched, and there is restoration on the seventh day, in verse 12. But it is, again, something of the Lord Jesus, that we would appreciate his death, and that God gives a solution, when there is defilement, he has a solution. So that is what we have in chapter 19. Just by the way, we find now, in three ways, water. In chapter 19 we find a water of purification, to take away defilement. In chapter 20 you find water from the rock again. The people have thirst again, and then Moses failed. But God gives water in his grace, it is really unbelievable how great the grace of God is, that for such a people, full of rebellion, God gives water. It's really, when you think about it, unbelievable how great the grace of God is. But we need it, we need it. So here is the water from the rock, an answer to the cry of the people. Moses did not understand the grace of God, he struck the rock, and he failed. And again, in God's righteous government, Moses was not allowed to enter the land, because of this. And we find here, in this chapter, that Moses should have used the staff of Aaron, of the priesthood. We have seen in chapter 17 the importance of the priest. The priest is going to introduce the people into the land. The priest is going to help them, but everything fails, and Moses did not understand it. So Moses failed. And then in chapter 21, we find the water in connection with God's purpose. And I'd like to say a few words on that, just briefly, against failure. In chapter 21, we find how the people were impatient, and then how they despised, again, the bread, in chapter 21, and no water, in verse 5. And then Jehovah sent fiery serpents, you know, again, judgment. But on the other hand, God's full provision of grace, God's judgment on the one hand, in his righteous dealings, but then there is full provision in his grace. And I think here it is in connection with the fact that God is now going to introduce them into the good of his thoughts. In chapter 20, we find that Aaron died. So Aaron is linked with the people in the wilderness, with provisions for the people in the wilderness. But when a new high priest comes, Eleazar, God gives this new high priest in view of the land. So I would suggest this, from chapter 21 on, the eyes are now directed to the land, towards the land at least. So there is a turning point here. We have seen the goodness of God, to give abundant supply, but now we find also how God is helping his people to enter into the enjoyment of his purpose. And just, when we keep this in mind, that Aaron passed away, this marks the change, the turning point. And we have now the people of Israel, the elect, the others had fallen down in the wilderness, and those who were the new generation, with Joshua and with Caleb, they are going to enter the land. After this experience, this last experience, and again, when we compare this with John 3, we will find how this is linked with the deepest thought of God. Again, how there is provision, the Lord Jesus was the one who took our place, as the brazen serpent took the place of the people. And that there is now complete condemnation. God condemned what he had to condemn in Christ, in his sacrifice, not in his life, but in his sacrifice. So here we find really a turning point, because then, as I said, here is water for the third time. Not water of purification, not water in connection with the thirst of the people in the wilderness, but now water which comes when the staves of the princes hit the wilderness. It is really a change, you know, when you read on from verse 10, and the children of Israel journeyed and encamped in Abbas, and they were removed from Abbas, and so on, toward a sun rising, and then they start to sing, in verse 17, then Israel sang this song, the second song, the first was in Exodus 15. During the wilderness, murmurings, failure, no song. How often this happens in our lives. And then at the end, there is this song, rise up well, sing unto it, and so on, well which princes digged. Now we could compare this with John 4, as I said, John 3 we find the brazen serpent, and John 4 we find his water, which speaks of eternal life. Now, really these are things in connection with God's purpose, which comes out now. And then we find in chapter 21, how they move towards the victory. They conquer two kings, and this is part of the land already, you know. God is going to bring people into the land, but there are two kings they have to conquer, and these belong not really to the land, this part, but here. And we find in Deuteronomy that God gave that part to them too. Moses gave it to them, because this land would speak of two things, the earthly blessings which we receive from God's hand. And this is very important to learn, that it is in God's heart to give his people the earthly blessings. These two kings had, as it were, usurped these blessings for themselves. There was one king who was very proud, that is what we find in verse 27, and very famous. The poets spoke of him, come to Heshbon, let the city of Sion be built and established. So there we find the self-importance of man, who uses these blessings, these earthly blessings, for himself, who becomes very famous. And we find a second aspect in verse 33, in the king who was called Og, who had a long bed. That was all. You know, many people use blessings for themselves, just for themselves, a long bed, and the whole life consists of this. No, God's going to give these blessings to his people. But they have to conquer these kings, they have to learn these lessons, that it's not to be used for themselves, it's to be used in fellowship with the Lord. And then we find in chapter 22, how near the end of the wilderness journey, and you find then how Balak wanted to curse the people of God. And then we find how God allows that this prophet comes, and that he gives four prophecies, which speak of the people of God, the elected people of God. They are now seen as the ones who are prepared for the land, who are going to enter into the land, and before they do that, Satan wants to get rid of them, he wants to curse them. But we find here, first, in the first prophecy, it is a sanctified people. The second is, it is a justified people, there is no accusation to be brought against them. That's what you find in the Romans, 8 at the end, no accusation, no condemnation. They are beautiful in God's eyes, that's the third. And then in the fourth, you find how the coming of the Lord is brought out, as a star out of Jacob, the coming of the Lord, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel. So there you find already a millennial picture, and all the peoples subjected under his authority. But we come to that already now in the kingdom of God. So here are many lessons again. And then we find at the end, just before they enter the land, failure again, failure. After these prophecies, failure, fornication. Associations through the Midianites, Midianites were related to them, and they were used by Moab, by the king of Moab and the daughters of Moab, to make the people fornicate and to make them serve the idols. Idolatry, fornication, terrible situation. And again, God's government, he has to come in, in government, in judgment, but this is the last you find about that. And then God is presenting a new generation in 26. When all the others have been put aside, even through these experiences of chapter 25, God presents now in chapter 26 a new generation. And two things, you find Caleb and Joshua again there. They belong to the old generation, as I may say. So they form the link between the old people and the new. That is faith. And then there is a special mention of these daughters of Zelophehad, five daughters who appreciated the land. You find them back in chapter 27, and also the end of Numbers, who really appreciated the land. Now this is for us. Faith, Caleb and Joshua, overcomes all the complaints, all the hesitations and so on, all the unbelief of the people. But at the other hand, real appreciation for the land is in these daughters of Zelophehad. That is what is necessary. And then that is what we find in chapter 27. In connection with God's purpose then, they appreciate God's purpose. So you find, as it were, what we have in 2 Corinthians 5, this new generation is really a new creation. And we hope to see that in the third evening, in connection with the results of the wilderness journey, what God works out. What you also find in chapter 23, one of the remarks, I hope to come back on that, what God has wrought. That is the end of the wilderness. And then God gives the new leader in chapter 27. And then chapter 28, 29, we cannot speak about, but these are wonderful chapters. There you find the value of the Lord Jesus, the sacrifice in connection with the wilderness journey. And then in chapter 32, you find that the people fall short. We have spoken of these two kings, and there are now two and a half tribes who think, okay, that's enough, we will stay there. So they fall short of God's purpose. They do not enter really into the land, they stay at the other side. They appreciate these blessings that God gives them, but again, failure, because they fall short of the purpose of God. The purpose of God was to have them here in this land, and these two and a half tribes did not really enter into these thoughts. So this is the last hindrance, the last experience. So I would say you need real exercise to go into God's purpose. Then we find, again, a preservative against that, a remedy against that, and that's again a matter of love. I have said love for the Ark is necessary to go through the wilderness, and it is a matter of love for the Lord, as he is now in glory, to be occupied with the land, to be occupied with God's purpose. When I have real love for the Lord Jesus, I will be occupied with God's purpose. That's what you find in Ephesians. In Ephesians 3 in particular, you find the prayer of Paul that the Lord Jesus would dwell in our hearts. It's a matter of love. So that would be the preservative, not to fall short of the purpose of God. And then in chapter 33, we're almost done now, we find that they come to the last part of the wilderness, in verse 48, and encamped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan of Jericho. So here we find the last encampment. It's the last phase of the wilderness journey. You find a whole review in chapter 33. You could study this chapter and you have really a good review. There are some other reviews, but this is the most complete review. And so God wants us to bring there, at that point. I think every believer has to come in his own experience with the Lord to that point, that he would reach the plains of Moab. And what are you going to do in the plains of Moab? You are not in the land yet, but the whole book of Deuteronomy is given there, the plains of Moab. So the plains of Moab is the wilderness experience past, all the possible failures we have seen, you have all passed that. There is real faith, there is real love, the work of God, of course, and you are occupied with the land. You have not reached the land yet, but the book of Deuteronomy is full of the land. So this is a marvellous picture. This is the place that God wants to bring us in our experience, as the experience of the people of God at that time. And again, in closing, I would like to remind you of these daughters of Zelophehad who appreciated the land, and you find them back in chapter 36. The whole chapter of 36 is occupied with the inheritance. God wants to have an inheritance, isn't that great? This great God, he wants to have an inheritance in his people. He wants to share this with his people. So you are occupied then from that moment on in the book of Deuteronomy with the land, though you are not in the land yet. That's what you have in Philippians, for example, the experiences of a believer like Paul, all the experience of the wilderness past, but still not in the land. But the land was in his heart. And so you find in the New Testament, the land was in his heart. But the land was in his heart. And so you find in the New Testament, letters, epistles which speak of the wilderness experiences, Romans, different wilderness experiences, Corinthians, Hebrews, but you find also epistles like Philippians which speaks of the land, you are not there yet, but the full joy of the land is already in your heart. So maybe we will find a few lessons then tomorrow with the Lord's help, what all these things mean for us, and then what the result is for the last time. And that is wonderful, at least for myself, I found to see the result of the wilderness. God allows all these testings, and then what is the fruit of all these things? It may have been a little bit dry tonight, but I can't help it, these are the facts. But when we come to the lessons, and especially to the results, you will be full of joy, it will not be longer dry anymore. This is dry stuff, because this is wilderness, the sand was dry, but what we will see is that there will be fruit for God even in the wilderness. That is not dry, that is wonderful, but just bear with me for that, we have to go through it, and then we come to that, when you see the result, the work of God, even in the wilderness, it is wonderful. So let's try to come to that point. …

… I heart three portions of the scriptures tonight, two of the New Testament and one of the Old Testament. Let's turn first to first Corinthians 10. First Corinthians 10, verse 1. Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them. As it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensembles, and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore, let him that thinketh he stands, take heed, lest he fall. There has no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. So far, this moment. When we started last month, in March, our meditations on this trip from Egypt to Canaan, we took first up our situation, the situation of the people of Israel, and then applied to us, as we have seen in this scripture, we will talk more on that, how the history of the people of Israel has been given to our instruction. And as we will see, God has arranged this history, the fact that they were in Egypt, God has arranged these things to instruct us. In other words, what happened to the people of Israel, it happened with us in view. God had us in view. That's what the Bible is saying here in chapter 10. All what happened in the past, the history of Israel from Egypt to Canaan, the wilderness journey, it all happened for us. Not first of all for them, it all happened for us, and it has been written for us. Now we have seen that they were in Egypt, under bondage, and we have seen that this speaks of the power of Satan, power of sin, the power of death. And so we have seen the need of everyone. Everyone who listens to God's voice comes to that conclusion that he is in bondage. Somebody who is born again will realize I'm in bondage, and he will try to deliver himself, but no way. And we have seen that God introduces his deliverer, Moses, which speaks of our Lord Jesus. So we have seen the need for deliverance, and how God introduced the deliverer. We have seen the basis of the deliverance in chapter 12, the Passover land. It's a wonderful book, a wonderful chapter really to read and to study. And then we have seen how God delivered them actually from the power of Pharaoh. And then, you know, we have read in Exodus in the beginning, not this evening, but then in March, that God wanted to have his people for himself, and he wanted to bring them into the land, the land of his promise, the land of his purpose, the land of his counsel, the land which he had in his heart to give to his people. And this speaks for us of the heavenly land, where the Lord Jesus is. The Lord Jesus is the man of God's purpose. You can read it in Ephesians 3, and there you find in Ephesians 1 and 3 that God had a counsel for us, a purpose in his heart, eternal purpose, before the foundation of the world. There is where God wants to have us, with a view of sharing this inheritance with us. He called us in time, and he took us out of this world. But you would say, but I'm still in this world. Exactly. There we find a wilderness. The wilderness comes in there. I'm in the wilderness. Why? Because God wants to teach us. He uses the wilderness to form us. And we have seen the facts of the wilderness journey, just briefly, as a bird's eye view, as it were, yesterday evening. But then we come to the lessons of the wilderness now. And a few of these lessons we find in chapter 10, 1 Corinthians. And tomorrow, Lord willing, we will see what is the fruit of these lessons, what is the result for God of this wilderness journey. You know what is the result? That a people is ready to enter the land. The moment we leave Egypt, the moment God has delivered us from the power of Satan, from the power of sin, we could enter into the land. But the Lord God wants to form us, that we will be morally suitable to enter this heavenly land. The moment the Lord Jesus will come to take us, there is a work of God accomplished in us. And yesterday evening a brother was reminding me of that verse in Philippians, the one who started work in you will accomplish, he will achieve it. He will finish this work. And that is to make us conform to Christ. That is where the wilderness is for. The wilderness is not a part of God's counsel. God didn't plan to have his people in the wilderness. He planned to have his people in the land, in a promised land. But he uses the wilderness to teach his people to form them in order to have them in his land with him. Now we will find many negative things in connection to the wilderness. What we will find, and we have seen that yesterday already a little bit, is that there is no room for the flesh. In the wilderness we see that nothing of man can remain in the presence of God. And we have seen the wilderness is the place where God speaks. Of course God speaks in the sanctuary. God speaks from heaven. But in the wilderness we realize that where there is nothing else, where we are alone with God so to speak. Sometimes the wilderness for you can be prison. For another it may be illness. It may be another circumstance. I remember a brother who used to say that he had his university training in Leningrad. It was seven years of training. It was seven years in camp or in prison. That was his university training. That is God's school. So I could put it in another way. The wilderness is God's school to teach us, to form us. But he has this in view, this end in view. We will see that in Deuteronomy 8, to introduce us into the land. That we will enjoy really what God has in his heart. Now our brother said, asked in his prayer that the Lord will bless us. You know sometimes things which are not so pleasant may be a blessing. I think of Jacob when he blessed his sons. When you read Genesis 49, you don't read many blessings. But you read the truth about them. And that's a blessing. When God tells us the truth about ourselves, it's a blessing. And so even when we hear many negative things, as we hear in first Corinthians 10, God gives them with a view to bless us, with a view to correct us, as our brother said in his prayer. And these things are given to correct us, to train us, to teach us, to admonish us, to encourage us. Now let's just short enter into these verses we have read. In chapter 8, we see that the Apostle Paul was speaking about the subject which occupied the Corinthians very much, in connection with the sacrifices to the idols, if they could eat that meat. And he takes that up, and he continues then in chapter 9, to present his liberty. That he at one hand would do everything for his brother, not to make him stumble. But at the other hand, he maintained his Christian liberty. But the question comes, I can boast in my liberty, I can abuse my liberty in a way that it is against God. And so he comes to this conclusion in chapter 9 verse 27, but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast away. In other words, Paul is saying, I will be put to the test. I'm preaching, but now God will put me to the test. And what happens then? You know the wilderness is a place where our profession, our confession, and we hope to see that in Hebrews 3, is tested. And we could say, nothing of the flesh can be maintained. God will take away everything which is of man, everything which is of the flesh. So Paul says, when I preach, I better take care of what I'm saying. If the situation was this, at that time, the people who were playing these Olympic games, they were themselves the ones who announced the games to the people in that area. And they had a hard training. And people everywhere, they saw these men go, and they listened to the invitation, and they saw these sportsmen. And then he said, now all these people come to these games, and then all of a sudden, they see me running, and they see I'm failing. I'm a castaway. I'm disapproved, disqualified. What a shame, you know. Now, this is what happened in a collective sense in chapter 10 with the people of Israel. They were the people of God. They had a profession to be the people of God. And what a shame, total failure. They were disqualified. They could not enter into the land. God had a land in view to give to them, but he could not enter. They were disqualified. Shoot, could it happen to you? Could it happen to me? That's the point tonight. So, in other words, we find here in this chapter hindrances which we have to overcome. And just a general remark, this epistle places us in the wilderness. I said yesterday, when you take the Romans, it's a wilderness epistle. And 1 Corinthians is, too, a wilderness epistle, which places us here in this world. And therefore, you could well compare it with the book of Numbers. There are many, many parallels with the book of Numbers, where we have seen the testimony of God in this world. Just this as a general remark. Now we come to this point that Paul places before our hearts the history of Israel, what happened to them. He first brings out five privileges they had, you know. He reminds his brethren, he says, moreover brethren, I would not that he should be ignorant. When I'm not mistaken, Paul says this about six times in his epistles. And every time, it is a very important point. And every time we see that exactly there, the people of God failed. When he speaks about the coming again of the Lord, he doesn't want that we should be ignorant about the coming again of the Lord. And what happened in the history of the Church? Exactly at that point, they forgot. And so, every time when Paul says, moreover brethren, I would not that he should be ignorant, we may be sure there is failure. Exactly in connection with that point. But let us take heed and listen what he's saying. He says, all our fathers were under the cloud. That's the first lesson. It means that God was for them. You remember when they left Egypt, the cloud immediately was there to protect them, to direct them, to give them light and so on, shelter. God was for them. That's our privilege. The people called by God, God is for us. The second point, all passed through the sea. You know who really passed through the sea? It is the Lord Jesus. We have seen in the Red Sea that the Red Sea speaks of the death of the Lord for us. That's what you get in Romans 6. You find the Red Sea. And we pass through the Red Sea, but not through the waters as the Lord Jesus did. He went through the waters of death, literally. But we pass on dry land. The people of Israel, they pass through death, actually, but on dry ground. That was very sure. It was the walls of water we have seen yesterday in the slide. They pass through the Red Sea, but it was dry land. So this is what it means for us. The death of the Lord Jesus for us gives us the possibility to go to the other side of the Red Sea and to be in another place under his authority. That's the third point we find now. We're all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They were associated with a new leader. Instead of being under Pharaoh's authority, they were brought under the authority of Moses. Instead of having to do with somebody who had the power of death, so to speak, over them, they were now associated with the one who speaks of resurrection. The other side of the Red Sea, we find the Lord Jesus in resurrection. That's what we find. We are associated with the risen one. Again, Romans 6 and 7. A new leader, and also on new ground, so to speak. Pharaoh couldn't do nothing there. He was dead. He had no authority over them whatsoever. They were on a new ground, so to speak. That's our situation. That's our privilege, to belong to the risen Lord and to be placed on new ground, so to speak, where we confess his authority. We are still living in this world where his authority is rejected, but we do not longer belong to this world. We belong to the Lord Jesus. We belong to the world of resurrection. We belong to God's world, and we confess this. When we are baptized, we confess this, Romans 10, and we submit to his lordship, a new leader. What a privilege! And then, that is their position, you could say, these three privileges, but then Paul gives them two other points, and they all eat the same spiritual food, and they all drink the same spiritual drink. Does that mean that this food was spiritual, that you could not see it? No. It was literal manna. We have seen that yesterday, how the manna came down from heaven. It speaks of heavenly resources, heavenly supplies. It speaks of the Lord Jesus, who came from heaven, John 6. You find it seven times that the Lord came down from heaven. It speaks of the man who did always God's will, John 4, verse 34, a beautiful verse to remember, that his food was to do God's will. You find seven times in John's gospel that he came, or at least God's will is mentioned in connection with the Lord. That is the one you find in the manna, who was always dependent on God. He never lost his dependence. He was always obedient, and just in between, you know, the Lord Jesus didn't need the lessons of the book of Numbers. The Lord never, as it were, went through Numbers. We do. We need Numbers, but the Lord was in the wilderness too, but he took in the lessons from Deuteronomy, as we will see in Deuteronomy 8. The Lord never failed, and we have this food available for us to feed on him, as it were. That's what you find in John 6. And then also spiritual drink. That is the water from the rock. The rock is Christ, and Christ was with them. The rock followed them. Now the rock was there, and the water was following them, as it were. Always these supplies were available, every day. And so this is the grace of God, as we have seen yesterday, who gives these supplies every day, always available. But now the big question comes. Do we appreciate these blessings? Do we appreciate these privileges? What we find here, the conclusion is, in verse 5, but with many, and it is, yeah, with the majority of them, God was not pleased. And then they were scattered in the desert, or overthrown, or they fall in the desert. What a terrible situation. You know, here you find the wilderness. The wilderness is real testing ground. They belong to the people of God. They had a good profession, so to speak, with these five points, and they used this food. I would like to say a few words on that. It was literal food, as we have seen, but it had a spiritual meaning. This manna has a spiritual meaning, and this water has a spiritual meaning. And so we find also food for the Christians. When we speak about the Lord's Supper, there you find food too. It speaks of his body. So it is little bread that you have on the table. It's bread, and the bread is not changed physically, but it receives a spiritual meaning, and so it becomes spiritual food. So this bread we have from the Lord is normal bread. There is no physical change, but it receives, on the basis of the word of God, a spiritual meaning. It is my body, the Lord says. And this water, this drink we receive, it speaks of the Lord, how he gives us to drink. Now, there are many professing Christians who belong to the people of God. They use this food, they drink this drink, and nevertheless they fall down in the wilderness. There is no reality. Now we come to this question. When we confess something, when we profess to be the people of God, when we take part of these privileges, when we take part in the Lord's Supper, is there reality? Is it only an outward form? Is it only a habit, or is there reality? That's what the wilderness is going to show you. That is what God is going to show us. So you see, this is a very serious subject to study. Tomorrow night, Lord willing, we would see the results of the wilderness journey. That is more positive. The result is fruit for God. But the way is very difficult. Or, as you could put it, in the school of God, the lessons are hard. It's a hard training, but we have a good master. The end result, as we will see in Deuteronomy 8, is very good. But here we find this testing ground. So, to conclude this section, outward participation in certain privileges God gives is not a guarantee that you will enter into the land. As we have seen yesterday in the history of Israel, it was only a form. And so, how important is this for us to take this in, that a form in itself, an outward participation in itself, without real fellowship with God, is not enough. And so the wilderness would show this. Now to go on with verse 6, there we have the explanation how these things apply to us. Now these things were our examples, or we should read in a new translation, but these things happened as types of us, that we should not be lusters after evil things as they also lust it. Now we come to the reasons why there was failure. We have seen in verse 5 there was failure. They were strewed in the desert. We have seen they had five privileges, and now in these verses which follow we find that there are five points of failure. They failed in the responsibility. They failed in the appreciation of these privileges. That's the point. So the question comes to us now, do we really appreciate the blessings God gives us? And then from verse 6 on we see that they didn't. They did not really appreciate what God gave. They used these things in a wrong way. And that is what Paul for himself was afraid of, that he would have a beautiful profession, but use these things for his own glory. Like the Corinthians, they had many blessings from the Lord, they had many gifts. First Corinthians 1, they were enriched with all these gifts, but they used these gifts for themselves. Can that stand? No, it cannot. They were going to fall in the desert when they would continue on this path. And why? Because there was first of all this lust, verse 6, to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lust it. There is the principle of evil lust. We have seen it yesterday in Exodus and in Numbers. But what does that mean? It means that I am not satisfied with what God gives. That's what it means. When I lust after other things, here it's called evil things, it shows that I'm not satisfied with what God gave. And that's what happened with Israel. They lusted after the things of Egypt. They wanted to go back to Egypt. So there was not real appreciation of the gift of God. The manna was despised. And by the way, you find this is a principle in the scriptures, this evil lust. In 2 Peter 1, you find that the whole world system is running according to this principle of lust. Satan uses this to keep the whole world in bondage. And we find in 1 John 2, that this principle was used already in the fall. Eve, we find these three aspects of lust. And there are other passages. I'm thinking now of James 1, how the devil would use lust to make us fall. So this is the first deviation. It starts in my heart. I want other things. And that's what we find in the law, the tenth commandment. Paul said, I would not know that that is wrong to have lust, to have other desires, to have something from my neighbour, his wife or his goods and so on. He said, I didn't know that that is wrong if the law wouldn't say it. But here you find that this principle is the first deviation, lust. And the other points which follow now are given in a moral order. It is not necessarily a historical order. It is a moral order. So the first point, keep in mind, is there a lust in my heart for other things? Am I satisfied with what the Lord gives? Heavenly resources, the manna, water from the rock. We have seen the Holy Spirit who came down, who dwells in us, who supplies all his glories from heaven, Exodus 17. We have just briefly thought of that yesterday. Am I satisfied with these supplies? Am I satisfied with the Lord Jesus, my Lord, as the leader under whose authority I am placed, or not? That's the point. Do I want something else? What's the consequence if I want something else? The consequence is verse 2. Neither be you idolaters. Here you find the principle of idolatry. Where is the principle of idolatry introduced? When there is something placed between the Lord and myself. Even good things you can use and become idolatry. You find it already with Noah that he used the wine in a wrong way. That's, in essence, idolatry. That you use blessings God gives for your own, not in fellowship with God. That's the principle of idolatry. So things which God has given in his creation, like the stars, the moon, the sun, were used as object in themselves to adore. And so you can adore your money, you can adore your wife, you can adore your children, you can adore your job, or whatever. It becomes idolatry because it is used in a wrong way. It's not used in fellowship with God. It's not used in a proper way. That's idolatry. And so it becomes something between God and myself. It places itself between God and myself as an object of worship. It takes the affections away. Instead of looking to the Lord, using these things in fellowship with him, I use them for myself. I use them for my system, or whatever. That's idolatry. How serious this is. And this came in in the history of the church, you know. This is not only the history of the people of Israel, it is the history of the church. And it can be the history of my own soul, when I'm not satisfied with the Lord. It will happen. Idolatry will be introduced. How serious this is. We have seen this in Exodus 32. They were not, they didn't know where Moses was. Do the Christians know where the Lord Jesus is? You can ask them. Nine out of ten, they don't know. Do they know that there is a man in the glory? Do they know about the Lord Jesus, who is seated at God's right hand, crowned with glory and honour? They don't know about him. Nothing. They want to see something. Are they satisfied with the leading of the Holy Spirit, invisible person? No, they aren't. They want something for the eyes. Sometimes we do too, you see. That's idolatry. There is where idolatry comes in. And the consequence is, as it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. They had forgotten all about Moses. Christians forgot all about the Lord Jesus. Matthew 24, the slave, he said in his heart, my master, tarryest to come. He forgot about his master. Consequence was that he sat down with those from the world. And then we come to the next point in verse 8. Neither let us commit fornication. Both go together. You can read in Revelation 2, where this point of idolatry was introduced, and it is connected right away with fornication, the links with the world, associations with this world. They go close together, idolatry and associations with the world, the world which crucified my Lord. How can that be? It is terrible. How did Paul train the Church to be a chaste virgin, to be ready for the bridegroom? And what has become out of the Church? A great war. So we see what the history of the Church is, and it looks similar like the history of Israel. What was the consequence? We have seen yesterday in numbers that God always answers in two ways. In judgment, but in those who are faithful, in grace. He introduces Christ, as you will see in verse 13 also of this chapter. God always uses failure to introduce Christ, who never failed. Now here he comes in in judgment, and on one day 23,000 people fell. You can read about these things more in detail, of course, in the book of Numbers. In Numbers 25 we have seen this fornication with the daughters of Moab and the Midianites. We find that this was a plan of Balaam, who could not curse the people of God and use this way to make them fall. You find it in the New Testament back, the ways of Balaam. So this is a very important point we find here, and you could say this is the seductive power of the world. The power of the world was used to subdue the Christians, to persecute them, but when that did not help, the power of the world was used to seduce them. That is what you get under constant degrade in the beginning of the third century, when the church became world church, when the church started to reign over the world. Then actually the world was in the church, and the world ruled the church. And the consequence is death. There is no longer fellowship with God, there is death. So this is a very important point, and we have to keep in mind that we come to that when there is this evil lust, this lust after evil things, when we are not satisfied with what God gives. When the Lord has no longer his supreme place in our hearts. By the way, we find in Exodus 33 that God gave a solution, even in this situation. The tent of meeting was placed outside the camp. So that is what I said, on the one hand judgment, on the other hand God always gives a solution for the faithful. And in this third instance, it is Phinehas who was faithful, who showed this jealousy to maintain the rights of the Lord, and Phinehas was blessed very much later on, as we find in the Old Testament. Now we come to the fourth point, in verse 9, neither let us tempt the Christ, as some of them tempted and perished by serpents. As I said, it is not necessarily the historical order, but it is a moral order. When we have got this lust, this idolatry and fornication, the third point is tempting of Christ. And this is a very serious matter. They doubted the presence of the Lord among his people. They defied him, as it were. And this happened twice in the history of Israel. It happened in Exodus 17, and it happened in Numbers 20. We went through these chapters yesterday, and there you find that Meribah was twice in their history. So you see, this is not a historical order, but it shows how there is a climax, a growing of evil. It is becoming worse and worse. And in the end, in Numbers 20, God takes this very seriously. He said, neither let us tempt Christ. It was a lack of confidence, and on the other hand, pretension that goes hand in hand. And it was after 38 years of God's grace. And I think there is a verse in Deuteronomy, just read it, verse 16, he shall not tempt Jehovah your God as he tempted him in Massa. And this is one of the verses the Lord Jesus used when the devil tempted him in Luke 4 and Matthew 4. You find that the Lord refers to this verse, you shall not tempt the Lord your God. The Lord, he was always faithful, and he maintained God's rights. So this was the fourth point in the history of Israel, and we can see that back in the history of the Church. We find at the end of the wilderness journey then, that the serpents came as a judgment of this, and were destroyed of serpents, verse 9 at the end. So that is, we could say this, evil came in, and so it came in in the Church. The devil used to introduce doctrines, wrong doctrines, doctrines of demons, as 1 Timothy 4 says. What is the consequence? They are destroyed by the serpents, power of Satan. You see today, in some movements where the power of the devil is evident, and people, they are destroyed by this power. It's terrible. The fifth point is then apostasy, I would say. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. This refers back to the despising of the land. They despised the good land. You can read it in number 13 and 14. God had in his heart to give the good land, what he has in his heart, the best thing he could give to his people. They despised it. They rejected it completely. And what was the consequence? They were destroyed by the destroyer. Now you can find this back in Psalm 90, where Moses speaks in his prayer about this, that the whole people was passing away. For all our days pass away in thy wrath. We spend our years as a passing thought. Verse 7, for we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy fury are we troubled. You know, they were destroyed in the wilderness. That was the consequence of the fact that they had despised the land. They were destroyed. That's what you find in Psalm 90. By the way, then you find in Psalm 91, the true men of God, the Lord Jesus, and you find this back in Caleb and Joshua, who were faithful amidst this situation. The Lord kept them, and the Lord later on brought them into the good land, as we find in Psalm 92. So here we find the destroyer as an answer of the unfaithfulness of the people and how they despised the good land. This is the end of the story. Five times failure, and the end is that they were totally rejected. This is a very sad picture, and I said, in itself you cannot say that it is a blessing, but it is God's truth. God reveals what is in our hearts, because now we have to come to the point. We are not better than they were. We have exactly the same tendencies in our heart. I have the tendency for this evil lust. I have the tendency for idolatry and fornication. I have the tendency to tempt the Lord, or to use his presence for my own purpose, or whatever, or even to despise the good land with God, the purpose of God in his own heart, to despise these things, lack of love, lack of faith. So this we have to learn, and then it becomes a blessing, because then we will realize how we are dependent on the Lord. Then we will become part of the new generation who were born in the wilderness, who were raised in the wilderness, and that's what we will see tomorrow, Lord willing. The fruit of all this is something for the glory of God, but nothing of the flesh, nothing of man can be maintained in God's presence. How serious this is. Verse 11, again, Paul comes to this conclusion that all these things happened to them as types or examples for us, and have been written for our admonition. You see, all these things happened to them, yes, but for whom, actually, for whom? It happened to them for us. So God arranged the whole situation, to stay from Egypt, the wilderness journey, to bring them into the land, to teach you and me how great this is, that all this happened to them with us in view. So God thought already then of you and me, to instruct you and me, and God arranged these things that he could instruct today, you and me, not to fall in these pitfalls. That's then the conclusion in verse 11, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. You could say, in a sense, all the testings are done. We have come to a time when God has tested what is in man. He has shown completely what is in man, and that comes out at the cross, not only the wilderness journey, but when you want to see really what is in man's heart, you go to the cross, and there you will find out what is in man's heart. Then in verse 12, the conclusion, so that let him that thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. That's the point, when there is pretension, when there is a profession but in pretension, you will fall. The Lord will allow this. So in this way, the Corinthians were using God's gift, but they were pretending to use them for God, but they were using them for themselves. Now God cannot, he's a jealous God, he cannot accept it. They were using the Lord's supper for their own selves. Can it be called the Lord's supper anymore then? So all these things happened among them, and Paul says, take heed lest you fall. So we are warned, and somebody who is warned counts for two, so let us take heed of these things. And then in verse 13, that's a word of encouragement, because you could say, but my, when that happened to them, I'm going to fall, I will never reach the end, never. But then he says in verse 13, to encourage us. I don't want to take away anything of the seriousness of these examples, but there is at the same time encouragement for the faithful. No temptation has taken you, but such as is according to man's nature. And God is faithful. You know, when you read in James 1, it's a wonderful verse, in James 1, verse 2, you read, count it all joy, my brethren, when you fall into various temptations, knowing that the proving of your faith works endurance. But let endurance have its perfect work, that he may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Now that is what God wants. God wants to bring out what he has formed in you and me. That's what we hope to see tomorrow. There will be fruit for God through all these experiences. God uses these circumstances, this difficult journey through the wilderness, to bring out something which he has formed in you and me. That is a reason to joy, for joy. It's a reason to be glad that we know that God is working at the same time, and that through all this there will be something which is perfect, which will be complete, lacking in nothing. And when we lack, we realize our shortcomings, there is a resource, we can pray. So you know, from God's side, everything is in order, all is okay. And I would just remind you of another verse to underline this. In Romans 8, verse 28, we have this well-known verse which says that, but we do know, we that is the Christians, know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to purpose. We are called out of this world to enter into the land, but we are not allowed to do that. We are not allowed to do that. He tests it. These are testings. So these temptations have the character of testing, whereas the temptations which come from Satan, they appeal to the flesh, and he wants us to fall down, and to hinder us in our walk. Does God want to hinder us on our way to the land? Not at all. He wants to encourage us that we would reach the land. But God wants to test his material. He wants to have good material. When we come into the land, he wants to have good material. So with the temptation, he will give the issue. What is the issue? It's Christ. When I see that God wants to introduce Christ in a very practical way in my situation. I remember a story of a brother in Russia. He was taken by police officers and he was bound after their car, and then he was so drawn through the whole city, behind the car. Terrible situation, imagine. And he said, I never realised the nearness of the Lord as then. In other words, the issue was there. Even this temptation the Lord allowed, but he never realised the presence of the Lord so close in his life as at that time. That is the issue. The issue is that Christ is introduced in a practical way. We know it intellectually that the Lord is with us. Matthew 28, verse 20, I am with you always, every day. But here you see it practically. You realise it, you experience it, so that you should be able to bear it. And this morning we were discussing Matthew 11, verse 29, take my yoke. Then we find he is carrying the yoke. We can bear it because he is with us. He takes sides with us. He is identifying himself with us. What a gracious God that he would use these circumstances to introduce Christ in a very practical way. Now when you read the book of Numbers, you keep this in mind, every situation when they were faced with new evil, God had in view to introduce Christ in that very situation. We can be in difficult situations, but it is God's intention to introduce Christ in a very practical way, that we may realise our dependence on him, that it is not only a pretension, that we are going on in pretension, but that we are going on in reality. God wants real material to introduce into the land. And now briefly, on these other passages in Deuteronomy 8, a few verses, and then a few verses in Hebrews 3 to close this. Just a conclusion in connection with 1 Corinthians 10, I have here a note in my Bible that says, on the ground of the first man before God, all responsibility is owed. We see that on the ground of responsibility, all fails. But then we have seen it is God's intention to introduce Christ in a practical way. Christ never failed. And this is what God has in mind, to introduce Christ in our lives, that Christ will be seen in a practical way. Not the old nature, not the old Adam, but Christ may be seen. That is God's goal, God's aim. Now in Deuteronomy 8, we'll just read verse 1 to 6, where we have again the ways of God. We have seen the ways of God bring us into the enjoyment of his purpose, bring us into the land. That's what you get in Deuteronomy 8. Every commandment which I command thee this day shall ye take heed to do, that ye may live and multiply and enter in and possess the land. That's the aim which Jehovah saw unto your fathers. And thou shalt remember all the way which Jehovah thy God led thee. So all the way Jehovah thy God led thee these 40 years in the wilderness. Why? To humble you. To humble thee and to prove thee to know what was in thy heart, whether thou would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled thee and suffered thee to hunger and fed thee with the manna which thou hadst not known, in which thy fathers knew not, that he might make thee know that man does not live by bread alone. So a second verse which is quoted by the Lord in Luke 4, but by everything that goes out of the mouth of Jehovah does man live. Verse 4, thy closing grew not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell these 40 years. And know in thy heart that as a man chasteneth his son, so Jehovah thy God chasteneth thee. And thou shalt keep the commandment of Jehovah thy God to walk in his ways and to fear him. Verse 7, for Jehovah thy God brings thee into a good land. Verse 14, in the middle of the verse, thy God who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, who led thee through the great and terrible wilderness, a wilderness of fiery serpents and scorpions and draught, where there is no water, who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint, who fed thee in the wilderness with manna which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee and that he might prove thee to do thee good at thy letter end. To do thee good at thy letter end. What is that, to do thee good at thy letter end? That is to bring you into the good land, which we have in verse 7. That's God's purpose, to bring his people into the good land. Now this is a subject, Lord willing, which we will take up another time, the land, but this is, in the meantime, God's ways. God's ways, as we find here, the conclusion in Deuteronomy 8, are necessary to bring us into the land in the way he wants us to have there. Humble, God-fearing, as we find in verse 6. Let's just go over a few details. So it is in verse 1 clear that it's God's intention to bring them into the land which he swore unto your fathers. That's the basis. It's not because of their works, not because of how faithful they were, it is because of God's promise and oath to the fathers. Then verse 2, thou shalt remember all the way which Jehovah thy God led thee these 40 years in the wilderness. So even when we have seen in numbers 13 and 14 that it was because of their facelessness, and because of their rejection of God's land, that he had to stay in the wilderness for 40 years. But God is now speaking to this new generation. They had to learn the same lessons, but they were in the good of these lessons. They were not thrown in the desert, they were in the good of these lessons, and they had to remember all these things. Why? To humble, to be humble. So God allowed these things to humble them. A brother once said to me, people in Egypt, there are no Egyptian brothers here, I see, are very proud people. Now it's not only Egyptians who are very proud, it's every man who is proud. But anyway, so we need the ones who come from Egypt have to be humbled. Now we came out of Egypt too, so we need this lesson too, to be humbled. And he says to prove thee, I would just remind you again of this verse in James 1 verse 2, these testings of the Lord are necessary. And then to know what was in thy heart. You know, that is very healthy, to realize what's in our heart, because then we see that is only God's sovereign grace. There is nothing in myself, there is nothing I did I can boast on, which would give me the guarantee to enter into the land. It is very clear, but it is important to realize this. So God brings out, in other words, he uses the wilderness to bring out what is in my heart. And he wants to change this heart. You find a heart many times in this chapter. You find it many times in Proverbs, for example, where you find this chastening, you find the importance of what is in our heart. The issues of life come from the heart, Solomon said. And so if my heart is right before God, my ways will be right. I will go through the wilderness in the right way. So to know what is in thy heart, the Lord allows them to show what's in my heart. The moment I receive the Lord Jesus, I don't know what's in my heart. I think I know, but I really don't know. I am attracted to the glory of the Lord Jesus. Maybe the little boys here, they haven't heard about the Lord Jesus, and you start to love the Lord Jesus. And when you have received the Lord Jesus, later on in your life you find out how bad we are. But God knew that before. But he wants to show this. He wants to show, after our conversion, how bad we are. And he uses the wilderness to show us this. But not only that, he shows also what is in his heart. That's the great difference. When it was only to show what's in our heart, that would be very negative. But he uses these needs then, which are created. The moment I realize that I have nothing, there is a need. I'm hungry. The Lord allows this. But then I expect something from him. I open my heart to receive heavenly resources. I'm not despising these resources because I see the need. You know, God brings out then at the same time what is in his heart. Love for his people, full supply for his people. So we never forget God's ways. And then in verse 3, and he humbled thee. As I said, this is one of the conditions to be in the land. God wants to dwell with his people, but he can only dwell with them who are of a contrite heart, as you find in Isaiah 57, for example. God cannot dwell with us when we are proudful, when we are boasting ourselves and our works or whatever. He dwells with the humble, with the meek. And then in verse 3 we find, and he suffered thee to hunger. He makes us realize our needs. Then we will appreciate his provisions. And then he brings out something which the fathers didn't know. You know, tradition may be very good, but it's not sufficient to go through the wilderness. We may have good traditions, and we may say my father did it that way, my grandfather did it that way, but it will not help me to go through the wilderness. We need fresh supplies from heaven. And then in verse 3 at the end, that he might make thee know. Here we are at God's school. We are instructed. You can read the Psalms of instruction beside this. There you see how God wants to instruct us. You find the wise in the book of Daniel at the end of the dispensation, and now God's looking for wise women, wise brothers, wise men, wise women among us. If we took in these lessons, then we become wise. That you might know that man does not live by bread alone. This is God's instructions, God's school, God's discipline, God's ways, but by everything that goes out of the mouth of Jehovah. You see, that's the resource. We come to the conclusion that everything has to come from him, from his mouth. And again I said wilderness is the place where God speaks. Literally, Midbar, wilderness means place of speaking. Now here you get it. God opened his mouth, God speaks, and he supplies our needs. And in another place, I think in Nehemiah, it says that he gave food for their mouth. So it comes out of his mouth, and we receive it in our mouth. That is fellowship. Then you have real fellowship with God. That is what God wants, even in the wilderness, to have real fellowship with us. Then in verse 4, we find... Okay, just one thing about verse 3. You find here the utter dependence, as you find in the Lord Jesus. The manna, again, speaks of how he was relying on every word which came out of the mouth of Jehovah, of the mouth of the Lord, to do this. Utter dependence. Then in verse 4, thy closing grew not old upon thee. Excuse me. There we find again God's faithfulness, how he brought the people through the whole wilderness. We said yesterday, for one day food they needed at least 15 train wagons. Now and then, when you think of this, that God preserved their clothes during these 40 years, it's a mystery. But there you see how great God's grace is. He has given us clothes, now it just applies to us, which never grow old. When you think of the Lord Jesus, who is the one with whom God closed us, never grows old. It's good enough to go through the whole wilderness journey. It's his work. And then thy foot did not swell. He gives grace from step to step. He will take care of every step in the wilderness, that our foot will not swell. And then in verse 5, and know in thy heart that, again our heart, as a man chasteneth his son. That is the point. Why does God allow these things? Why even the rod, when it is necessary? Because he loves us. It's because he loves me, that he chastens me. There is one exception, again with the Lord. As I said, the Lord did not need the lessons of numbers, and the Lord didn't need to be chastened. The Lord was perfect, a perfect son of God's delight, of God's pleasure. But you know, God wants to have sons now. He wants to have you and me to be a son of his delight, to be a son of his pleasure, as it were. And therefore he chastens us, therefore he is teaching us. You can find it in Hebrews 12. You can find in many other places how God is teaching us and chastening us to instructors, to have us as sons. God wants to share the land with you and me. God wants to share what is in his heart. Do you share the deepest secrets of your heart with a little baby, or with somebody who is unfaithful? No, God wants to have sons, and he is now preparing us to be sons, in order to introduce us into the land that he can share all these blessings with us. That is what we find here. So Jehovah thy God chastens thee. So this is really the goal. God wants to share his inheritance with us. And then verse 6. Thou shalt keep the commandments of Jehovah thy God to walk in his ways and to fear him. To enter into the land, as I said, you need to be humble. And the second condition here is to fear God. That is holy reverence. And when you read the book of Job 28, verse 28, you find in chapter 28 many people who were digging in the ground and they were trying to find gold and silver and so on. And you know what Job's conclusion is? The biggest treasure you can find is to fear God. He says, behold the fear of the Lord, that is knowledge. And unto man, he said, lo, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. It's not only knowledge, it's wisdom. Knowledge applied in a practical way. It is through the fear of the Lord. And to depart from evil is understanding. So this is the secret. To enter into God's thoughts, we need this fear. We need this wisdom, as we have seen in verse 3. And so then we see that it is God's intention to bring his people into the land. In verse 14, we see the review of the wilderness journey. So we find actually in this chapter the three things together. They were in Egypt, the land of Egypt, the house of bondage. Then God led them out of that land. They brought them in the wilderness. But he did not only bring them in the wilderness, he led them through. That is, he directed them. They would have divine guidance. He led them through the great and terrible wilderness. We said, there is no way to go in the wilderness, but Christ is the way. And then he reminds us of all these dangers. Fiery serpents, scorpions, draught. In all the situations, there is a perfect answer in Christ. So it's in God's heart to do us good. Let us not forget that. And then just briefly, in Hebrews 3, we find the failure of the people. But again, this is to help us to realize why God has called us and where God is going to bring us. In Hebrews 3, we read in verse 7, Therefore, as the Holy Ghost says, today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation, in the day of temptation, in the wilderness, when you are found in the wilderness. When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore, I was grieved with that generation and said, they do always err in their heart, and they have not known my ways. So I swear in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest. Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. While it is said, today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke, howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom swear he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Here we find it is God's purpose to bring us into his rest. And of course, the moment we have peace with God, we have received rest. That is the rest of Matthew 11 verse 28. Come unto me. Maybe there is somebody who needs it right now. Come unto me, all ye which are burdened and heavy laden, and I shall give you rest. And then the Lord speaks of rest in verse 29. Rest in connection with our circumstances. Rest in connection with this way we have to follow. But God has another rest. It is his rest. And he wants to bring us into that rest. In a sense, this is future. But through the Holy Spirit, we may enjoy this rest already now, when we give heed to these instructions. So, we find here the privilege that we are sons. You know, I said in Deuteronomy 8, God wants to have sons, and he wants to train us to be true sons. And here in Hebrews 3, in verse 14, we are called to be partakers of Christ. So, those who share with Christ. What a privilege that we may have the same things as Christ has. Now, in verse 7, we find the warning. Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost says today, if you will hear his voice. You know, in verse 1 to 6, he gives the picture. He gives our calling that we belong to the Apostle and High Priest of our profession. But then, the fact that it is a confession, a profession, God wants reality. And that's the wilderness. All the ifs we find here and in Colossians speak, and other places, speak of the fact that we are in the wilderness. Romans, so many ifs. These are the wilderness, the ways of God in the wilderness, to test us. We profess, we confess that we belong to the Apostle and High Priest. God allows these trials to bring out what is real, what he has worked in us. And so, let us give heed to the language of the Holy Spirit. It's God himself who speaks. It refers here to Psalm 95. And then he says, harden not your hearts. Now, you see the whole story. You see the failure of Israel. What I'm going to do is that. Am I going to accept these instructions, or am I going to harden my heart? That's the point. And we find here ten failures in this chapter. We find here hardening. We find here provocation in verse 8. They provoked God. They tempted God. They were proving him, as we have in verse 9, when your fathers tempted me, proved me. You know, that's what we had in Numbers 20, for example. Then they were erring in their hearts, verse 10. They did not know my ways. What a terrible picture. There was unbelief in verse 12. He calls us, take heed brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief. There was departing from God's thoughts. There was deceitfulness in verse 13. Lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. There was disobedience, as you find in the last verse we have read. Unbelief, excuse me, there is this unbelief, but there is also disobedience in these verses, or in chapter 4. Anyway, we find here at least ten references to their failures. And we are not better than they are. We have to face the facts. So, we have to place ourselves in God's light to see if my heart is hardening against God. Am I provoking God? Am I tempting, proving him? Am I erring on my ways? Am I full of unbelief? Do I not know God's ways and so on? These are all real tests. And so, in these testings, it will come out if there is something of the Lord, or is there something of the flesh which we have to judge. In other words, the conclusion is, let us judge what is of the flesh. Let us judge what is wrong. God wants us to introduce into his rest, but he can only have us there if all what is of the flesh is judged, is put away. So, to encourage us then, Paul says, but exhort one another. We need to be exhorted. I think of the children, how many times they need to be exhorted, even at home. But we need it also, as brothers and sisters, to be exhorted, and how difficult this is sometimes to say a word, to exhort, in the right way, not to blame somebody or to offence, but to encourage that we would go on our way in the wilderness journey, to enter into the land. So, these are on the one hand real testings, but on the other hand, when we realise that we are God's sons, that we are partakers of Christ. Now, God wants us to have with him, to share all these things, but we are on our way to that rest. And so, this passage can help us very much to realise the solenity of the situation, to realise our weakness, to realise that there is no strength in ourselves, that all has to come from God. But there is a responsibility. I have to listen. We were talking this morning and we said, when we do what we can, God will do what we cannot do. In other words, when I listen to these instructions, God is going to take care of me, to introduce me into the land. Whereas, when I refuse to listen, God cannot bring me into that land. It's really here a matter of our responsibility. But of course, when we are there, when we are introduced in the land, we see it is God's sovereign grace. It's the same with raising children. When our children accept the Lord, when they walk in his path, is it because of our efforts? Is it because we did so good a job? It is true, we are responsible, but it is his sovereign grace. So, these two things go together and the scriptures are very clear to maintain our responsibility. Here is the line of our responsibility and God doesn't take away anything of that. But at the other hand, there is God's sovereign grace and all our resources come from him. But he wants to help us to walk this path, he maintains our responsibility, but he comes in to help us, to answer. That's responsibility. And I want to close with this thought. God wants to have a response. Responsibility is sometimes a very negative word, but when you think about it, responsibility implies response, and that's what God wants. He wants a response. Now, that's where the people of Israel failed in 1 Corinthians 10. They failed to give this response, therefore they failed in the responsibility. When we give this response out of our heart, full of love to the Lord, he will help us to go the way, he will help us that we will not fail in connection with our responsibility. So, let us give this good response, let us encourage each other to give this response, and then we will be worshippers. When God instructs us, when we see that everything comes from him, it is to bring these things back to him. When God supplies, is it only to fulfil our needs? Not only. It is that he may receive something back. That is response. Response means that he will receive something back, what he gave before, but he receives it back from a thankful heart, and not only from a thankful heart, he receives it back from a worshipping heart. Now, there is nothing greater for the heart of God to receive something back from a worshipping heart. When a little child brings something to his father or mother as a little present, I don't know if you ever did it, but that is a token of thankfulness, it's a proof of happiness, it's a proof of a response. Now, that is what God is looking for. He has supplied all these wonderful gifts, all this superabundance of grace, now he is looking for a response, where we are here. And so, we encourage each other, and it's through the Holy Spirit that we may encourage each other, through the word of God, to give this response. Then we will be happy too, and at the same time we will be kept from all these dangers. When our heart is filled with thankfulness, we cannot fall in all these pitfalls, but as soon as we start to see our own self, our own failures, we become depressed, we see all the failures of others earlier than our own failures, we become more depressed, instead of being thankful, instead of looking up to the Lord. You know, it's so practical, and we fail, we have to say we fail so many times, but therefore we need this encouragement to look up to the Lord, that what comes from his mouth may enter in my mouth, that I may grow, as our brother said in his prayer, in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus. Amen. …

… Psalm 103, verse 7. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. This psalm is part of the fourth psalm book, and maybe you know that these five books of the psalms go parallel with the five books of Moses. So this is the fourth book which would go parallel with the book of Numbers. And it is remarkable to see here that God made known his ways unto Moses. We have seen that it was God's work to deliver his people from bondage. First they realized the need for deliverance, and then God has introduced his deliverer. He has shown the basis for deliverance. He has delivered them actually, and all speaks of the work of our Lord Jesus and his person. And then we have seen how it was in God's heart to bring them into the land he had prepared already long before for them. And in Deuteronomy 1 and 2 you can read that God could have brought them there in 11 days. And then in chapter 2 we find that he said, now you have to go around this mountain long enough. And actually it became 40 years. That was not God's fault, I say it reverently, that was the fault of the people. And there God's ways come in. And then we see that God's ways come out, or God reveals himself in his ways to his people to bring them into the good of his purpose, to introduce them really into the enjoyment of what is in God's heart. Now we have seen, first of all, Friday night, the facts of the wilderness journey. And it is really a very vast subject. And I am again impressed by the vastness of this subject. We have seen some lessons of the wilderness yesterday. And tonight I'd like to bring out, with the Lord's help, the fruit of the wilderness journey, the result of the wilderness journey. And this result is necessary in order to bring us into the enjoyment of God's purpose. We have seen that what was literally the case for Israel has a lesson for us, or has been given right for us, that we might learn from these things and that God would introduce us into his land, where the Lord Jesus is now. So we cannot speak about the land itself now, about the Lord Jesus who is in the glory, but we would be occupied tonight with God's ways. He made known these ways unto Moses. What does that mean? That not everybody among the people of Israel did understand these ways. Moses, who was close to the Lord, he understood these ways. God revealed them to us. So may we now be as Moses, very close to the Lord, that he may bring out his ways to us, that he may show, as it were, what he has in his heart, his acts. You know, if you want or you don't want, you are subject to his acts. And many fell in the wilderness, as we have seen, but let us open our hearts and open our ears to know his ways. Then another verse in the Psalms, Psalm 78, verse 19, where we have this question of unbelief. Psalm 78, verse 19, and they spoke against God, they said, is God able to prepare a table in the wilderness? This was a question of unbelief. But we, through faith, may say, yes, God is able to prepare a table in the wilderness. Where there is this dry land, we have seen no human resources available. God shows what is in his heart. God gives a table. He wants to have fellowship with his people, of course, in the land, in his dwelling place, but he comes already to his people, where they are in the wilderness, to share with them what is in his heart, to feed them, that they may grow. That's the point. We hope to see this tonight, that God wants to have a people prepared to be introduced in the land, and therefore he gives them food, that they may grow. And how? That they may learn from the Lord Jesus, that they may be formed after his image. That is what we hope to see. And therefore I'd like to read a few verses, first of the Lord Jesus. Isaiah 53, verse 2. For he shall grow up before him as a tender sapling and as a root out of a dry ground. Here we find the Lord Jesus, the fruit of the earth. Here we find how this dry ground produced something. The Lord Jesus has been in the wilderness, and he was there in a perfect way. No failure, no mistakes, no fall, whatever. He was there perfect. And we can marvel only how he, as we have seen this morning, came down to become a man. How he grew up. We find it in Luke's gospel in a marvellous way. In Luke 2 and Luke 3 especially, where we find how the Lord Jesus grew up. It was before God. It was not before man in the first place. It was before God. How was God pleased to see there a fruit in the wilderness, a fruit which, as it were, reflected what was in God's heart. A fruit which answered completely to God's desires. And then God showed it in Matthew 3 and Luke 3. Heavens were opened and God said, this is my beloved son. We have seen yesterday in Deuteronomy 8 that it is God's desire to have sons. Now he had one son in whom he found a perfect answer, and we find him here, a root out of a dry ground. That is what God produced in the wilderness for his own delight. One man here on earth. Now first in Mark 1, just to see the Lord in the wilderness, in Mark 1, there we find that the Lord Jesus was driven into the wilderness, verse 12, and immediately the spirit drives him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan, and was with the wild beasts, and the angels ministered unto him. Here we find that after God has found his delight in his beloved son, he allows that he was, and the spirit drove him into the wilderness. It was to bring out that God had here a perfect man. And Satan, he comes to tempt him, but he has no result. Forty days, that is full testing for the Lord. Forty days. And he was with the people of Israel forty years. And he was with the wild beasts, that is what we find in Mark, with the wild beasts. How we find here the attacks of the enemy in the wild beasts. He attacked him from every side, as it were, but the Lord was faithful, the Lord was perfect, and so the angels ministered to him. And in Luke 4, we find, and I just referred to it, we will not read it, but in Matthew 4 we find how the Lord was led by the spirit up to the wilderness. We find here in Mark we have seen that the Lord Jesus was driven by the spirit into the wilderness. In Matthew we find how the spirit brought him into the wilderness. But then in Luke 4 we find that he was led in the wilderness, not into, he was led into the wilderness by the spirit, he was even driven there. But now he was led as a perfect man in the wilderness. Here we find the Lord Jesus in these forty days, he was full of the Holy Spirit. What a contrast with what we have seen in Israel yesterday. There was the flesh, here a man full of the Holy Spirit. And he was led by the spirit in the wilderness, forty days. And here we find how the devil tempted him in connection with three things, in connection with the earthly things. We need food, these are earthly things, but as we have seen yesterday, for Israel they become objects, they use these things in independence on God, and so this became idolatry. Satan can use earthly things, even the good things God gives here in this earth, that he may use them in independence, it becomes idolatry. The second temptation is in connection with worldly things. Satan uses also worldly things to make us fall. And then in the third he can even use religious things, and that's the most dangerous form. People would use religious things, as we have even seen in Korah and his friends, and the flesh manifests itself, it's the most subtle attack. And we find here that the Lord Jesus was perfect, he did not want to use God for himself. That's the point, you know. People want to use God, they pray in such a way that God has to come in according to their will. Now, that is pretension, that is something which is detestable in God's eyes. That is nothing of dependence, that is self-will. The Lord Jesus shows how he is dependent in every way. So just these few examples, and then I'd like to turn again to a psalm, Psalm 91, where we see how perfect the Lord Jesus was, and again this is in the fourth psalm book, remember, the fourth book of the psalms, where we find the Lord Jesus, how he was in perfect condition there, as we found him in Luke 4, and we find there all the points you find back in Psalm 90, that the people fell down in the wilderness, they were there under God's hand in government, but then in contrast to Psalm 90 we find in Psalm 91 the Lord Jesus, and it says – we could read the whole psalm, we have no time to do that now – what I wanted to bring out is verse 6, for the pestilence that walks in darkness, for the destruction that waits at noonday, the Lord protected him. So you see how he was in the desert, surrounded by all these dangers, but he was perfect, because it says in verse 4, he shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shall thou find refuge. There is this perfect dependence, this perfect fellowship, we find in the Lord Jesus. What a marvellous example for us, because in Luke's Gospel we find the Lord Jesus as our model. It is not that we can follow him as the king, like in Matthew, we are his disciples by God's grace, but in Luke's Gospel we find him as our perfect model we should follow. And here also in Psalm 91, we may follow him. Now this is our standard, as it were, and when we compare Israel's history we had yesterday and this perfect standard, we see the enormous difference. And now it's in God's heart that you and me would follow this standard, that we would grow up, as it were, to answer to this standard. We turn now to a verse in Exodus, now I would like to go with you through the experiences of the people of Israel and to see what God has wrought. You know, we have seen the perfect standard, that is the Lord Jesus, and now we see that God in his ways with his people starts to work to bring out the same features in them. That's what is in God's heart. Now first in Exodus 3, verse 1, the second part of verse 1. And Moses led the flock behind the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God to Horeb. And the angel of Jehovah appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a thorn bush, and he looked, and behold, the thorn bush burned with fire, and the thorn bush was not being consumed. And Moses said, let me now turn aside and see this great sight, why the thorn bush is not burned. Here we see what God has in mind. God wants to bring his people as a flock behind the wilderness, that is what is in his heart. He wants to bring them into his very presence. Horeb speaks of God's presence. It is God's mountain. As we have seen in the wilderness, the wilderness becomes a place where man is nothing and God is all. Now God wants to bring his flock to that point, that they may recognize the greatness of God. That's Horeb, brought into God's presence. And then we find here this flame of fire. The thorn bush would speak of our condition. Through the fall we have come under the influence of sin. We have been placed under the power of Satan. And now we find here that God comes in the midst of the thorn bush. In ourselves there is nothing which would answer to God. In the flesh there is nothing to answer to God. But God comes and he dwells in the thorn bush. And that shows that God is going to work. And the thorn bush was not consumed. We might think, like when we read yesterday, that the people were strewn in the desert, that everyone would be consumed. But what we find here is that God dwells in the thorn bush and that the thorn bush remains. So the holy God dwells in the thorn bush. And then we find that in his presence all that is of the flesh is put aside, gradually. And then comes out the fruit of God, and we will see that in at least seven different trees in the Bible that we find that instead of these thorns there will be fruit for God. That is his marvellous grace. And therefore Moses says, let me now turn aside and see this great sight. May we all become impressed by this great sight to see that this holy God wants to dwell in the midst of such a people. Then chapter 16. We had not much time on Friday to speak on chapter 16 and we don't have much time either now, but I would like to bring out now this point. We see in chapter 16 two things at least. We see the death of the Lord presented in the flesh which they receive to eat. I would like to say this. There was murmuring. We find here the second month and again we see how the people of Israel had to learn a lesson. And then we find how the murmuring is stilled as it were by what God gives. He gives them flesh to eat in the evening. Verse 8. Moses said when Jehovah gives you in the evening flesh to eat. The murmurings were stilled as it were in the death of the Lord Jesus. God found a basis as we have seen this morning, the death of the Lord, a basis on which he could deal with his people. A basis on which he can deal with us. He found this in the death of the Lord Jesus. And then we find a second thought. It gives food. The death of the Lord Jesus gives food. We see it for example in Samson when he found this lion and killed it. And the very lion became the source of food. And so the death of the Lord Jesus has become a source of food. But now the second point in verse 8. And in the morning bread to the fool. It's not only the death of the Lord Jesus which is brought in on which God can act now, but God wants to have a new generation. That's what we have seen yesterday. God wants to have this new generation in the wilderness. And how is this new generation to be formed? By feeding upon this heavenly man. Instead of something of the flesh which is promoted, we see that God puts aside the flesh in the death of the Lord Jesus and he introduces the new man, the Lord Jesus. But he wants to have the Lord Jesus in his whole people so to speak. In other words, when the Lord Jesus was here on earth, then we find this heavenly man who came down from heaven, as we have seen in John 6, who answered perfectly to the desires of God's heart. And now God says, I want to have a whole company like that. He wants to have you and me in dependence upon God, doing God's will. He has given us a body in redemption to do the will of God. And now to realise this he gives us this new food, this manna, teaches us, as we have sung in the hymn, to teach us in the wilderness, this manna teaches us that we may learn from the Lord Jesus, who was always dependent, always obedient, always doing the will of God. So this is this new generation which comes out in the wilderness. This generation is formed in the wilderness. That's what we have here in Exodus 16, this new food prepares a new generation. Now I'd like to go to the book of Numbers again, just two verses in the book of Numbers. Chapter 23, verse 23, that's very easy to remember. That is one of the four prophecies of Balaam and we find in verse 23, for there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel, at this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, what has God wrought? What God has wrought. Now this is my point. The work of God in us. We have seen in connection with the deliverance out of Egypt, it's the work of God for his people. It's the death of the Lord in the Red Sea for his people. But in the wilderness we see the work of God in us, to have this response, to have this new generation. And when you keep this in mind, the work of God in us, then you will follow the whole line. We find then the work of God with us, I would suggest, in connection with the land. In the land God has a people which answers perfectly to his desires and he can share with them what is in his heart. So there you find the work of God, wisdom, as it were. We find the work of God in connection with the new creation, Ephesians 2, verse 10, we are his workmanship. It's what God has wrought, nothing of the flesh, this new generation, what God has wrought. When you think of Jacob's life, it's mentioned here, Jacob and Israel, Jacob in the Old Testament, you marvel at God's grace, there you have discipline. You could just place Jacob's life beside the wilderness experiences, just the same. Only Jacob is an individual in Israel in a collective way. And there comes out God's work. It's wonderful to see how God has much patience with Jacob. We would not have had so much patience, but it's good that God had so much patience because when he had so much patience with Jacob, he is going to have so much patience with me and with you. And the result is that there is fruit for God. There was worship at the end of Jacob's life. How great this is, fruit for God, what God had wrought. So the work of God, we see it in us, in connection with the new creation, this new generation, and you can find it in the New Testament. It is God's work what you find. Even in the Gospel, when there is a soul saved, it's God's work. When there is pastoral care or whatever, it is God's work, and we would like to see God's work. That's what is worth, full of worth in the wilderness, full of value. Not the work of man, but the work of God, the new creation. Then in chapter 24 of the same book, we find, in verse 6, Numbers 24, verse 6, Like valleys are they spread forth, like gardens by the riverside, like aloe trees which Jehovah has planted, like cedars beside the waters. Here we have already an indication of this work of God and the fruit, the result of this work. You find these aloe trees, and I think aloe speaks in a special way of the life which God introduces, it's life from above. You find the Lord Jesus was anointed after his death with this cassia and aloe, and I think we find it also in Psalm 45, I would suggest it speaks of this new life which God introduces. But cedars speaks of the victory, God has a victory in the wilderness. What a victory to have such a people for himself in the wilderness. Now I'd like to go to the book of Deuteronomy. We have to go through many passages, and it is only a limited selection, but it helps us to understand God's ways, and to see that God is going to have fruit for himself. We could read the whole chapter, Deuteronomy 32, but I'd like to mention just a few verses in this chapter. It's a wonderful chapter, it is the conclusion of Moses' experiences in the wilderness. And by the way, when you read this chapter, Deuteronomy 32, you find the wilderness journey as they went through it at that time, but when you read carefully, I think you see the whole history of Israel, even the last 2,000 years, you see the whole history of Israel, so I would say you find here the wilderness journey in the perspective of the whole history, and so you find also the wilderness journey of the Church, you find our wilderness journey. But what does it say in verse 4? He is the rock. We have seen that yesterday. But then it says, his work is perfect. Now when we would come to that conclusion in our own souls, that God's work is perfect, that sums it up. God never makes a mistake. We sometimes think God makes mistakes, but God never makes a mistake. His work is perfect. His doings are perfect, but also the result of his work is perfect. And then again, his ways, you notice in verse 4, for all his ways, not only some of his ways, all his ways are righteousness. So in perfect harmony with what God is in himself, he is light, and his ways are righteousness, according to what God is in himself. And then a God of faithfulness. We have seen the unfaithfulness of the people, but what a faithfulness in God, without deceit. Jacob, full of deceit, God without deceit. And God wants to have Jacob as God is, without deceit. What a work of God. We would throw away such a piece. We would be like the potter in Jeremiah 18, who threw away that vessel. No. God, not. And then in verse, as I said, we could read a whole chapter, but we have no time. In verse 9, for Jehovah's portion is his people, for his heart, what does his people mean for his heart? Jehovah's portion. And then Jacob, the lot of his inheritance, he could think also of the land. And then verse 10, he found him in a desert land. Here we find God's compassion. He found him. When you read Ezekiel 16, for example, you find how great God's compassion is. And in the waste, hauling wilderness, we have no idea what the wilderness is really. I think we have to learn much, what the wilderness really is. What a terrible place. But how sweet it becomes when the Lord comes in, when he cares for us, when we realize his care, that this very wilderness, so terrible wilderness, becomes a sweet place. And it says he compassed him about, or he led him about. Like we have read about the Lord Jesus, he was led by the Spirit, so he is going to lead us through the wilderness. He is going to watch over us. What a care. Then in verse 10 at the end we read, he preserved him. We think again of this expression in Acts 13, where Paul said, he nursed them. What a care. As a mother would care for her baby, so God cared for his people. So God cares for you and me. Not only that, as the apple of his eye, not only as his child, as the apple of his own eye. You can imagine how great God's concern is for you. How great is his love. And then we find how he refreshes us. I think our brother mentioned in his prayer, we need refreshment, that our strength is rebuilt as it were. That's what you find in verse 11, as the eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young. It's not pleasant for the flesh to be stirred up like this. It's not pleasant for these young eagles when they are thrown out of their nest. It's not a pleasant experience. But it is to make them grow, to make them dependent. And then we see he hovers over its young and spreads out its wings. So there's protection from above, there's protection from below. Takes them, bears them on its feathers. So even in every way there is total, complete care, complete protection. And so it says in verse 12, so Jehovah alone did lead them. There's nobody else capable to lead the people of God. When we think of the Lord Jesus, our perfect pastor, like we find him in the New Testament, I often think, how is it possible? Such great people here on earth, how many children of God, and who would care for them? But there is one who would care for them. He will lead them, nobody else. He will lead them. And no strange God was with him. He made him right on the high places on the earth. You see how they grow, they become strong. There was food in the wilderness, their strength, they become a big army as it were. And he ate the produce of the field. Now you can go on, you see how much food there becomes available, even in the wilderness. Honey, and oil. And then in verse 15 we find how he is the rock of his salvation. We need daily salvation. Of course our souls are saved. But like Paul expressed many times, we are totally dependent upon the daily salvation of the Lord. And that comes in here. But what a contrast then in verse 20, for they are a perverse generation, children whom is no faithfulness. We have seen that. There was no response. So may the Lord help us through his spirit that we will give a response and that we will not be like this perverse generation who were, according to verse 28, a nation void of counsel. They had no understanding. But we have seen Moses had understanding. God could share his ways with Moses. Oh, verse 29, oh that they had been wise. You know, God is looking for wise men and women. And this is really what touches me, to see in the Bible how the ways of God come in. I hope to show that in Hosea. We find it also in Psalm 107. Again the fourth book of the Psalms, the last psalm of this fourth book, ends with this question, who is wise? Oh, that they had been wise. They would have understood this. So God wants us to be wise. Like in the future remnant, Daniel 11 and 12, you find these wise, instructed disciples, these masculine, and you find them back in the New Testament. In James 3, who is wise? God wants us to be wise. Instead of using our tongue to hurt others, to use our tongue for this world, God wants us to use our tongue for him, for his world, where the Lord is, the wisdom from above. Oh, that they had been wise. What a wonderful subject this is. All this comes out in the wilderness. And then in verse 39, see now that I, I am he. Again you see here, God is all. We will not read it, but I'll just mention it, maybe you can read it at home. You find some beautiful résumé, how can you say, put together, some summing-ups, like in Nehemiah 9. When you read Nehemiah 9, it's really amazing to see in the day of recovery how Nehemiah understood God's ways. There you have this answer in wisdom. Nehemiah was such a wise man. He understood these ways, and you find a review, that's the word I was looking for, a review of God's ways in Nehemiah 9. You find a review of his ways in Acts 7, and that's very interesting to read, but we have no time to do that now. We have now had some lessons in the books of Moses, we had some in the Psalms, and now I'd like to turn to the prophets. This afternoon when we were talking together, we were speaking about the books of Moses, the revelation of God. But in the prophets you find where there is deviation, how God brings his people back to himself. And then it is marvellous to see that in God's ways, in the prophets, he brings his people back and there is this fruit in the wilderness. Isaiah 32. And again, it's marvellous to see, as we have seen yesterday, how the Lord is brought in. The Lord Jesus is brought in, and that's the first thing you find in Isaiah 32. There he is presented as a king who shall reign in righteousness, but in verse 2, and a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind and covered from the storm. Here is God's answer. You are in trouble? Look at him. He is a man who is a sure hiding place. And then as brooks of water in a dry place, that's the wilderness, but he is the remedy. He gives what we need, as the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. Now, notice in verse 15, after the failure of the people, and as I said, it's not only the 40 years' history, it is the history of the whole people and even the future history, but then God comes in again, until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest, and judgment shall inhabit the wilderness, and righteousness dwell in the fruitful field, and the work of righteousness shall be peace. We have seen this righteous dealings of God in Deuteronomy 32, the result is peace. And then there can be fruit, you know, when there is no peace there cannot be fruit, there is too much agitation, but when there is this quietness, then there can be growth and fruit. And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance, forever. And then we go on to chapter 35, where we find some other aspects of this work of God. The wilderness and the dry land shall be gladdened. Imagine, the wilderness and the dry land shall be gladdened, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. How wonderful! How is this a work of God, to create something in a desert like this, a rose, a beautiful flower. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and shouting. That is first for the glory of God. It's a triumph for God. Then in verse 6, in verse 5 we find how the eyes of the blind are opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped, and the lame man shall leap and the tongue of the dumb sing. 4. In the wilderness shall waters break out, and torrents in the desert, and the marriage shall become a pool and the thirsty land springs of water. 5. In the habitation of wild dogs, where they lay down, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. And then we find this highway, in other words, you find here the work of God, and there is joy as a result of the work of God. Now we go on to chapter 41, and now it becomes clearer, because in chapter 41, on the basis of the work of redemption and restoration, you see what God has produced in the meantime. In verse 18, I will open rivers on the bare heights. So I will open rivers on the bare heights. We should read verse 17 too, the afflicted and the needy seek water. You know, we have to become afflicted and needy, but then we have to find out that we have no resource available in ourselves or in our surroundings. I Jehovah will enter them. You see again, only the Lord. And then verse 18, I will open rivers on the bare heights and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness into a pool of water and the dry land into water springs. Verse 19, I will give in the wilderness. In the wilderness, the cedar, acacia, myrtle, oleaster, I will set in the desert the cypress, pine and box tree together. Here you will find sevenfold fruit. You find the cedar, which speaks of the dignity, the excellence really, but also the victory of this fruit. I would suggest for us, God sees us in Christ, because all these things that we have seen come out in Christ and God will reproduce this in us, victory, acacia, which speaks of the incorruptibility of this new man. We were speaking of the new creation, now God introduces this in the very wilderness where all these people fell down. He has this new generation and we find this acacia wood in the ark and many other vessels in the tabernacle, which speaks of this incorruptible wood, which speaks of this new order of man which God introduced. The myrtle you find in connection with restoration in Zechariah and I think would also speak of meekness. Now how? The Lord Jesus said, I am meek. So you see, his features come out now in this new generation. or oil tree, the work of the Holy Spirit, it comes out in us. And then three other things put together, I will set in the desert this cypress, pine and box tree together. There are three other aspects and you find them back in chapter 60 in connection with the house of God, but here they are put together. Now the flesh never likes others, we find much dissension, much conflict, but God in this work of his sovereign grace brings us together, like these brethren in Psalm 133. We would never have thought to bring these people together as we are here together, never. But God's able to do this, to bring us together, that is the result of his work. Now we may move on, I found Isaiah is very rich in these things, but just two verses in Isaiah, in 55, verse 8, we have spoken of the ways of God and we find here in verse 8, for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says Jehovah. That's very important to remember. God's ways are higher than our ways. And then we find the fruit of the work of God, it is here in connection with his word. We should not underestimate, we speak of the work of the spirit, but it is through his word in verse 11, so shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth. We have seen the mouth of the Lord yesterday in Deuteronomy 8, it goes out of his mouth and this word produces this new fruit through the work of the Holy Spirit. And then you find in verse 12, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands, that is, all these trees we have seen, they join together for the glory of God. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress, the thorn, exodus 3, there is now a perfect tree for God's glory. Instead of the nettle shall come up the myrtle, what a change. That is God's work. The last portion in Isaiah 60, which confirms what I said before, that these three trees in chapter 41 refer to the sanctuary. Just we read this verse in Isaiah 60 verse 13, the glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the cypress, pine and box tree together to beautify the place of my sanctuary. You know, this fruit that God produces in the wilderness is also seen in connection with his habitation, his sanctuary already in the wilderness. Now I'd like just a few other verses to bear with me. In Jeremiah 2, where we see that God wants to have a relationship of love, so it is not only to produce this fruit, but God wants to have a relationship of love, perfect response. So not only fruit for him, but also response. And that's what we have in Jeremiah 2, verse 2, go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying this says Jehovah, I remember for thee the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. Israel was holiness unto Jehovah, the first fruits of his increase. The first fruits, we have been talking about that this morning in connection with Numbers 25. God wants to have this first fruit for himself, and they went after him. There was a relationship of love, first love. Then in Jeremiah 3, when I go to give him rest. You know, then in verse 3 you see this relationship of love. From God's side it was always perfect, eternal love. But here we find our side in verse 2, the people that were left of the sword. So those who were left, they found grace. It's this new generation who found the grace of God in the wilderness, and they received rest. And they are brought into the rest, and that's what we will see in connection with the land. How great is God's grace. Now when we go on to another prophet, I just mentioned this in passing, in Ezekiel you find also some passages in connection with the wilderness, and of course we cannot bring out all the passages. What I would like to do now is to show that there is fruit for God in the wilderness. And the second aspect is this relationship of love which is established in the wilderness. We will come to that now. But in Ezekiel 20 you find another review of the whole history, and also the future history, and there you find how God will use the wilderness to bring them back. But we cannot read that now. I want to go on with Hosea. So a few remarks in Hosea, and then we will close with some verses in Psalm of Psalm, in connection with this relationship of love. Now in Hosea, chapter 11, verse 1. When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. And then in verse 3. And I it was that taught Ephraim to walk. How touching this is to see God's ways, how God teaches his people in the wilderness to walk. This implies growth. God doesn't want to have little babies all the time, of course he needs to start there, but he wants them to teach, he wants that they would grow up, that they will become real sons, as we have seen yesterday. He took them upon his arms, you know, what a tender care. We have seen already this expression, he nursed them, he preserved them, and here you find his tender care. He took them upon his arms, but they knew not that I healed them. They didn't realize God's care. Verse 4. In verse 4 you see two points. I drew them with bands of a man, with cords of love. I said in the wilderness there is not only fruit for God, but God is establishing this relationship of love. I drew them. When you would study in the scriptures only this thought of the attraction, how God attracts us to himself, how the Lord Jesus attracts us to himself, it's a wonderful study. I drew them with cords of love. And I was to them as they, and that's the second thought, to take off the yoke. They were under bondage, but also in the wilderness they placed themselves under the yoke of the law. The Lord Jesus wants to deliver his people in the wilderness, in the very wilderness of every yoke. Why? He wants to feed us. That is what you have here. He took off the yoke on their jaws, and I gently caused them to eat. I gently caused them to eat. When you would study alone this subject, how God provides food in the wilderness, we have seen the manna, but you can go on with many other things God provides in the wilderness to feed us upon Christ, Passover lamb for example, that's a rich study in itself. He gently caused us to eat. So we have these two thoughts together, this idea of growing, and then the second thought is that he wants this relationship of love. That's what comes out in the wilderness. Another verse, okay, verse 10, they shall walk after Jehovah. There you have the same thought as in Jeremiah. What happened in the past, the beginning of the history, journey, God will realise again in the future, and that's what happened in the Church history. First love, abandonment, but God brings them back in a remnant. The remnant is brought back to walk after him. That's what happened in Philadelphia. That's what you find also in the future remnant. Now we go on in chapter 13, verse 4, yet I am Jehovah, thy God, from the land of Egypt, and thou hast known no God but me, and there is no saviour besides me. We have seen the need of daily salvation. Then verse 5, I knew thee in the wilderness, in the land of Drought. So God knew them already then, but we see they rebelled. Then in chapter 14, we find God's work again, and even the fruit is found from God. Verse 4, I will heal their backsliding. You notice? There is backsliding, God will heal this. What a perfect grace. I will love them freely, everlasting love we have found in Jeremiah. I will love them freely, for mine anger is turned away from him. Verse 5, I will be as the dew unto Israel. That speaks of God's sovereign grace. We find it in Exodus 16 already, the dew, this refreshment, it is a work of God's sovereign grace. He shall blossom as the lily. Another flower speaks of purity, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon, what a magnificent glory. Verse 6, his shoots shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They shall return. You know, there is always the possibility to come back. They shall return and sit under his shadow, without his protection. They shall revive. You know, the work of God in reviving, as corn, and blossom as the vine. It will be wine again, joy. And then verse 8 and 9, Ephraim shall say, what have I to do any more with idols? We have seen the idolatry in 1 Corinthians 10. I enter him, and I will observe him, and I am like a green fir tree. There is fruit, everlasting fruit, green fir tree. Why? From me is thy fruit found. It's God's work. You see here the result? It's all from God. We have seen in Numbers 23, verse 23, here again. What God has wrought, from me is thy fruit found. And then, the end of this book, who is wise, and he shall understand these things. Are we wise, as Moses, to understand God's ways, intelligent, and he shall know them? For the ways of Jehovah are right, again this righteousness, and the just shall walk in them, but the transgressors shall fall therein. That's what we have seen in the history of Israel. So how is this an encouragement for us to take this up, to become wise? I would refer to James 3, in order to understand this better. Now just in closing, let's go back to Song of Songs, two verses only. We have seen the fruit of God, Hosea 14, fruit worked by him, and we have thought of this relationship of love, as a result of the experiences of the wilderness. Now just two verses in Song of Songs. Verse three, verse six, who is this, she that cometh up from the wilderness, like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant? Now this is wonderful. This is the result of the wilderness journey, not only fruit for God, but an established relationship with God, and we might say for us also with the Lord Jesus, that cometh up. It is from the humiliation in the wilderness, as we have seen in Deuteronomy 8, but there is result for God, she comes up from the wilderness, like pillars of smoke. We can think of all the sacrifices, we have thought of some sacrifices this morning, let us meditate on these pillars of smoke, there will be result for God. When we really meditate on the Lord's work, his sufferings, his death, there will be pillars of smoke. Perfumed with myrrh, which speaks of the sufferings of the Lord, with frankincense, what he is for God. Let's be occupied with what the Lord means for God, with all powders of the merchant. We have to pay something, you have to pay in order to get these powders of the merchant. He is willing to sell, as it were, he is the true merchant, but the Lord wants us to do effort for that. So let us put effort, spiritual effort, in the study of the word, that there may be something which is fresh and beautiful for him, these powders which he would sell us, and then the bride will be pleasant for him, and that's what we find in chapter 8. You know, the Lord wants a response, as we have seen, and here is where we get this response. The end of the wilderness is that there is full response for him, but not only that, full communion, full fellowship. That is chapter 8, verse 5, the verse I want to close with, who is this that cometh up from the wilderness? Again this question. Who is it, leaning upon her beloved? Now, this is this relationship of love which is established in the wilderness. Where do you learn the Lord Jesus? When you are in heaven? You learn him in the wilderness. You learn the beloved here in the wilderness. You don't learn him to know in Egypt, absolutely not. You will learn him in the wilderness. Now, this is to encourage us that we would lean upon him. When we have seen all the dangers in the wilderness, what can we do? There is no resource in us. All resources are in him, so let us lean on him. Let us not lean on our own intelligence, as someone says in Proverbs 3. Let us lean upon the beloved, upon my beloved. It is her beloved. It is not only the beloved, it is her beloved. So this speaks of this wonderful relationship, and that is the result of the wilderness journey. And so may we close with this same desire, in verse 14, haste, or come, or break away, my beloved. That we may say, come, Lord Jesus. …