Topical Bible: Deserts: Danger of Travelling In

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Topical Encyclopedia

The deserts of the biblical lands, particularly those in the regions of the Sinai Peninsula, the Negev, and the Judean wilderness, present a formidable backdrop for many biblical narratives. These arid landscapes are not only physically challenging but also serve as spiritual testing grounds for God's people. The dangers associated with desert travel in biblical times were numerous, including extreme temperatures, scarcity of water, and the threat of wild animals and bandits.

Physical Hardships

The harsh conditions of the desert are vividly illustrated in the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. The book of Exodus recounts their struggles with thirst and hunger. In Exodus 17:3 , the people grumble against Moses, saying, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?" This highlights the constant threat of dehydration, a perilous reality for desert travelers.

Spiritual Testing

Deserts in the Bible often symbolize places of testing and purification. The Israelites' 40-year sojourn in the wilderness was a period of divine testing and reliance on God's provision. Deuteronomy 8:2 reflects on this, stating, "Remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments."

Divine Provision

Despite the dangers, the desert is also a place where God's provision and protection are manifest. In Exodus 16:4 , God provides manna from heaven, saying, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you." This miraculous sustenance underscores God's faithfulness even in the most desolate places.

Encounters with God

The desert is also a setting for profound encounters with God. Moses encounters the burning bush in the wilderness of Sinai (Exodus 3:1-2), and Elijah hears the "gentle whisper" of God on Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:12). These narratives illustrate that, despite its dangers, the desert is a place where God reveals Himself and communicates His will.

Symbolic Significance

In the New Testament, the desert continues to hold symbolic significance. Jesus Himself is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1). This period of fasting and temptation underscores the desert as a place of spiritual warfare and preparation for ministry.

Conclusion

The biblical deserts, with their inherent dangers, serve as powerful symbols of both physical and spiritual challenges. They remind believers of the necessity of faith, reliance on God's provision, and the transformative power of divine encounters amidst life's most trying circumstances.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 14:3
For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness has shut them in.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Corinthians 11:26
In journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by my own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brothers;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Royal Pair in their Glorious Chariot
... exhalations which lurk among this vorld's deserts of sin ... Of course when travelling
through a wilderness, a royal procession was always in danger of attack ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 8 1863/the royal pair in their.htm

Shoes of Iron, and Strength Sufficient: a New Year's Promise
... us through gardens: often it leads us through deserts. ... we shall have shoes suitable
alike for travelling and for ... is an upward climb, with constant danger of a ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 35 1889/shoes of iron and strength.htm

Centenary Commemoration of the Consecration of Bishop Seabury. ...
... wandered""these churchmen of Scotland""in deserts and in ... satisfied that there was
no danger, there was ... to say that while Seabury was travelling northward a ...
/.../centenary commemoration of the consecration.htm

Book ii Then for a While She Held Her Peace. ...
... you desert her by dying, or that she deserts you by ... For full of danger was the prize
he found. ... of living; and owing to difficulty of travelling, differences of ...
/.../boethius/the consolation of philosophy/book ii then for a.htm

Chapter xxxiv
... and forth in it" (sachar, however, implies travelling mostly for ... them will have
constituted a grave danger for the ... God's favour far exceeded the deserts of the ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxxiv.htm

The Birth of England's Foreign Missions
... "THIRDLY, In respect to the danger of being ... of doing them good, and labouring and
travelling night and ... illuminate the sands of Africa and the deserts of America ...
/.../smith/the life of william carey/chapter ii the birth of.htm

The Epistle of St. James
... without raising embarrassing questions about our deserts, and without a ... who made
their money by travelling and business ... do nothing more is the danger marked in ...
/.../moffat/the general epistles james peter and judas/the epistle of st james.htm

The Life of S. Hilarion.
... and friends warned him of the danger he was ... journey and were capable of travelling
during fasting ... man, traversing the coast, penetrating deserts, clinging all ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/the life of s hilarion.htm

The Second Theological Oration.
... 3491] abiding in us and yet travelling over the ... and breathing its own air, but in
danger when in ... "at evening." RV gives as an alternative, "of the deserts.". ...
/.../lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xxviii the second theological.htm

the Legendary History of Egypt
... as I went along the ways, travelling through my ... were past, and to obviate this danger
Ra instituted a ... haunt the solitary places and the deserts," disavowed his ...
/.../chapter iii -the legendary history of.htm