NOMADIC WILDERNESS
Most people confuse the wilderness as an uninhabitable place, a place of danger and death. During the formative years of the Hebrew nation, the years upon which God’s Word was established, the Hebrew people were nomads, living in tents and tending their flocks. They lived in the wilderness. The biblical term most often used to convey wilderness is pasture. Ancient Israel enjoyed temperatures that ranged from 40-85 degrees. It was located in the fertile crescent and enjoyed two seasons; dry season and a rainy season. This wilderness is “midbar.” The relatively uninhabited wilderness or the desert is “arabah.” This is a sterile land, yet even the desert is a wonderful mouthpiece for the Word of God.
Today urbanization has resulted in 95% of the world’s population living on 10% of the earth’s surface. The herd’s corral is becoming more crowded. I believe this is one of the reasons so few people reflect in awe on the presence of a Holy Other. Enter the wilderness and release human obsession. The nomad’s reward is to pause, stretch your arms wide and high, breathe deeply, and exhale in the awe of God’s wonder.
Today urbanization has resulted in 95% of the world’s population living on 10% of the earth’s surface. The herd’s corral is becoming more crowded. I believe this is one of the reasons so few people reflect in awe on the presence of a Holy Other. Enter the wilderness and release human obsession. The nomad’s reward is to pause, stretch your arms wide and high, breathe deeply, and exhale in the awe of God’s wonder.
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