Topical Bible: Deserts: Waste and Howling

◄ Deserts: Waste and Howling ►

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In the biblical narrative, deserts often symbolize desolation, testing, and divine encounter. The term "waste and howling" is evocative of the harsh and uninhabitable nature of these regions, as well as the spiritual significance they hold within the scriptural context.

Biblical References and Symbolism

The desert, or wilderness, is frequently mentioned in the Bible as a place of both physical and spiritual significance. In Deuteronomy 32:10, the desert is described as a "waste and howling wilderness," highlighting its barrenness and the challenges it presents: "He found him in a desert land, in a barren, howling wilderness; He surrounded him, He instructed him, He guarded him as the apple of His eye" . This passage underscores God's protective and guiding presence even in the most desolate of places.

The desert serves as a backdrop for significant events in the lives of biblical figures. For instance, Moses encountered God in the burning bush in the wilderness of Sinai (Exodus 3:1-2), marking the beginning of his mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. The Israelites themselves wandered in the desert for forty years, a period of testing and reliance on God's provision (Numbers 14:33-34).

Spiritual Testing and Transformation

The desert is often a place of testing and transformation. Jesus, after His baptism, was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where He fasted for forty days and was tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:1-11). This period of testing prepared Him for His public ministry, demonstrating His obedience and reliance on God's word.

Similarly, the prophet Elijah fled to the desert to escape Jezebel's wrath, where he experienced God's provision and guidance (1 Kings 19:4-8). The desert, in these instances, becomes a place where faith is tested and strengthened, and where divine encounters lead to renewed purpose and mission.

Divine Provision and Presence

Despite its harshness, the desert is also a place where God's provision and presence are profoundly experienced. In the wilderness, God provided manna and quail for the Israelites (Exodus 16:13-15) and water from a rock (Exodus 17:6), demonstrating His ability to sustain His people in the most inhospitable conditions.

The desert is a place where God's voice is heard, as seen in the ministry of John the Baptist, who preached repentance in the wilderness of Judea (Matthew 3:1-3). The prophet Isaiah also speaks of the desert blossoming and rejoicing as a sign of God's redemptive work: "The wilderness and the land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose" (Isaiah 35:1).

Conclusion

The biblical portrayal of deserts as "waste and howling" underscores their role as places of desolation and challenge, yet also as arenas for divine encounter, testing, and transformation. Through the narratives of Moses, Elijah, Jesus, and others, the desert emerges as a powerful symbol of God's presence and provision amidst the barrenness of life.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 32:10
He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Wilderness State
... They come, as it were, into a "waste and howling desert," where they are ... Therefore
he never deserts us, as some speak; it is we only that desert him. ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 46 the wilderness state.htm

The Personality of Power.
... venomous serpents and scorpions, and is described as "all that great and terrible
wilderness," "a waste howling wilderness," and "a land of deserts and pits ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on power/the personality of power.htm

Corn in Egypt
... They were cast into a waste, howling wilderness of famine with but one oasis ... Your
wants, your misery, your helplessness, your ill-deserts, these are the orators ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/corn in egypt.htm

Treatise v. An Address to Demetrianus.
... Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run ... adverse things, but that the evil
deserts of sinners ... with tortures of words, [3425] when howling and groaning ...
/.../cyprian/the treatises of cyprian/treatise v an address to.htm

The Life of S. Hilarion.
... Sometimes as he prayed a howling wolf sprang past ... a camel crossed the desert waste
and reached ... old man, traversing the coast, penetrating deserts, clinging all ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/the life of s hilarion.htm

Striking Similes
... Howling in the wilderness like beasts. Huge as a hippopotamus. ... Like bells that waste
the moments with their loudness. ... Like roses that in deserts bloom and die. ...
/.../kleiser/fifteen thousand useful phrases/section viii striking similes.htm

Humbly Inscribed to his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, one of his ...
... While howling furies wring the doleful knell; ... Seas, rivers, mountains, forests,
deserts, rocks,. ... No wanton waste, amid effuse expense; ...
/.../young/youngs night thoughts/humbly inscribed to his grace.htm