Wilderness lessons part 3
Deuteronomy 8:2–5 “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.”
We are continuing this series of messages called “Lessons from the wilderness today. And if you haven’t been with us, it is about how God led the Children of Israel on a 40 year stay in the wilderness of Sin. He could have caused them to inherit the Promised land in less than one year, but because of their disobedience, He had some lessons to teach them. And those lessons were best taught in the crucible of trials and difficulties.
And of course this is not just a lesson in history. The Bible teaches that those who belong to God, Christians, the Church, also often needs to learn lessons of obedience, and so God leads us through trials, difficulties, and troubles.
James 1:2–4 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
Romans 5:3–5 “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
Even Jesus before He began His public ministry, had the Spirit led Him into the wilderness for forty days, where His obedience to the Father was tested. He did without food for forty days and Satan came and tempted Him to turn stones into bread, Jesus answered with the very words of the Scripture we just read about why God led Israel through the wilderness, Deuteronomy 8:3—“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord.” This passage reminds us that the wilderness has always been God’s training ground for obedience. Even with Jesus, the book of Hebrews says,
Hebrews 5:8–9: “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”
And just as Israel’s forty years in the desert revealed what was in their hearts, and Jesus’ forty days revealed His perfect submission to the Father’s will, our own wilderness seasons test and strengthen our obedience as well. It is often in hardship, hunger, and uncertainty that we learn to trust God’s Word more deeply—to live not by what we see or feel, but by what He has spoken.
John Newton: “Trials are medicines which our gracious and wise Physician prescribes because we need them…”
Andrew Murray (from “Trials-Benefits”): “In trial and weakness and trouble, He seeks to bring us low, until we learn that His grace is all… His strength is made perfect in our weakness.”
John MacArthur: “Teach us obedience. Trials also allow God to teach us obedience. Through those trials we learn that sin has painful consequences. Trials are God’s chastenings.”
prayer
Well, we continue today with this series of messages and let me remind you what lessons we’ve already discovered. The first message taught us that
1.The Wildernesses of life is God’s Classroom that means that God purposefully sends us there. The second lesson was that 2. We Learn to Trust God’s Provision in the wilderness. We learn to turn to God when difficulties arise. The third, fourth and fifth lesson that we considered last week was, 3.the wilderness teaches us the Danger of Grumbling and Discontent, 4. It teaches us that God’s Presence Is Greater Than Any Place, 5.and that Faith Must Conquer Fear,
Today we continue by looking at three lessons around the theme of obedience. 6. We learn to handle temptation 7. We Learn Obedience 8. And leaders are forged in the wilderness.
We will do three final lessons next week. So, let’s start our lessons for today.
Lessons from the Wilderness — Part 6
6. We learn to handle temptation in the wilderness
There’s something about the wilderness that truly tests our obedience. This is a truth that we all know instinctly; You never really know if you are truly obedient until you go through a wilderness.
The wilderness exposes the places in our hearts where obedience is most difficult. When resources run low, we are tempted to doubt God’s provision; when prayers seem unanswered, we are tempted to take matters into our own hands. We may never be tempted to steal until we are hungry, never tempted to lie until telling the truth costs us something, never tempted to quit until obedience feels pointless. The wilderness strips away comfort, control, and certainty—leaving only the choice to trust and obey. It is there that God reveals whether we obey Him out of convenience or conviction, whether we follow Him only when the path is clear or when it winds through dry and difficult places. In the wilderness, obedience is not proven by words but by endurance—by trusting God’s Word when everything around us seems to say otherwise. And the same was true of Israel. There were two specific events that I want to draw your attention to, where Israel was tempted to disobey God. And I wanted to point out their similarities. Remember in Exodus 32, that the people were camping at the foot of Mount Sinai, while Moses went up on the Mount to receive God’s law to give to the people.
By the time the Israelites camped at the foot of Mount Sinai in Exodus 32, they had already endured months of deprivation and testing. They had left behind the fertile fields of Egypt for a harsh wilderness with little food or water. They had faced hunger at Marah and again in the Desert of Sin, where God provided manna each morning and quail in the evening—daily reminders of dependence, yet also daily monotony that tried their patience. They had thirsted at Rephidim until Moses struck the rock, and they had battled Amalek with weary arms lifted toward heaven. At Sinai, the awesome presence of God descended on the mountain in thunder, lightning, smoke, fire, and the sound of a trumpet that made them tremble with fear. They were warned not to approach under penalty of death, and even the mountain itself quaked violently. God had already judged their grumbling with plagues and rebukes, and they lived under His strict discipline—guided by His pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, eating only what fell from heaven and drinking only what He provided. Every day was a test of faith and obedience in a land where nothing could be taken for granted except God’s Word. And this is what happened,
Exodus 32:1–6 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods[a] who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,[b] Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
It was in this time of deprivation, deprived of the food they preferred, deprived of comfort, some of their people slain by God Himself, and deprived of the presence of Moses for 40 days that their heart was truly tested. There was another time like that where Israel’s obedience was tested. Numbers 25 happens about 38–39 years after leaving Egypt, roughly in the 40th year of their journey. The first generation had nearly all died, and the new generation was being tested one final time before crossing into Canaan.
Numbers 25:1–3 While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, 2 who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. 3 So Israel yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor. And the Lord’s anger burned against them.
Both of these events—one at the start of their wilderness wanderings, one at the end, the worship of the golden calf in Exodus 32 and the worship of Baal at Peor in Numbers 25—took place in the wilderness, during seasons of waiting and testing. In the first instance, Israel was waiting for Moses to return from the mountain; in the second, they were waiting on the plains of Moab before crossing into Canaan. In both cases, the people stood on the brink of breakthrough—one before receiving God’s law, the other before entering the Promised Land. Temptation often comes right before God’s next blessing. Scripture says, “When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming…” (Exodus 32:1), and “While Israel was staying in Shittim…” (Numbers 25:1).
In both events, impatience and spiritual forgetfulness took root. The people grew restless, feeling that God had forgotten them. At Sinai, they said, “We don’t know what has happened to this Moses,” and at Shittim, they forgot who had delivered them and began eating pagan sacrifices. Both moments reveal how forgetting God’s faithfulness leads to unfaithfulness. As Psalm 106:13 declares, “They soon forgot his works; they waited not for his counsel.”
Both temptations appealed to the senses—to what they could see, taste, and touch. In Exodus 32, the people wanted a visible god they could behold and handle. In Numbers 25, they were drawn by the pleasures of food and sensuality. In both stories, Israel followed what was visible and physical rather than trusting what was invisible and spiritual. “They made a calf in Horeb, and worshiped a molten image” (Psalm 106:19), and “the people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods” (Numbers 25:2).
Finally, both stories end with a call to zeal and repentance. Moses stood at the gate and cried, “Who is on the Lord’s side?” (Exodus 32:26), while Phinehas rose in holy zeal to stop the plague that came as the result of the sin of Baal Peor (Numbers 25:7–8). In every generation, God raises up a remnant who will stand for truth and restore genuine worship to His name.
And so it is with us. Waiting is one of God’s most effective classrooms and tests of obedience. Have you ever been through a time of trial where all you could do was wait?
Some of the hardest tests of obedience come when we have no choice but to wait—when life stalls in ways that stretch our faith to its limit. A Christian couple prays for a child year after year, yet the crib remains empty. A man faithfully works at a job he dislikes, waiting for direction or promotion that never seems to come. A family pleads for healing that does not come, or for a prodigal son or daughter who shows no sign of returning. These are the wilderness seasons of waiting, when obedience means trusting God’s goodness without seeing His hand. It’s tempting to take matters into our own control, to force outcomes, or to lose heart. Yet it is in these long pauses that God teaches us endurance, purifies our faith, and proves that His promises are not forgotten. Waiting becomes worship when we choose to stay faithful, believing that unseen purposes are unfolding even in the silence.
Waiting tempts us to substitute. Israel wanted a visible god—something tangible, predictable, and manageable. Likewise, we are tempted to trade prayer for control, faith for feelings, and patience for productivity.
Psalm 27:14 declares, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart.”
In the stillness of waiting, God purifies our motives and strengthens our faith. We learn to love Him not for what He gives, but for who He is. Waiting transforms impatience into intimacy and turns delay into devotion. When we surrender our timeline to His sovereignty, the wilderness becomes holy ground—a place where idolatry dies and true worship is born.
But not only are we taught to handle temptation, we learn obedience. Jesus was tempted of Satan all of His life, but with an extra intensity for 40 days in the wilderness, but He handled temptation by countering its lies with Scripture, and in the end He obeyed the Father.
7. Isreal Learned Obedience in the wilderness
Again, we are often never truly concerned with God’s commands until life presses us into situations that test them. It is not until we are in a trial that we start asking the question, “What would Jesus do?” We don’t have to wrestle with what it means to love God with all our heart until something else competes for first place—a career opportunity that compromises our convictions, a relationship that pulls us away from faith, or a pursuit of comfort that dulls our devotion. In the same way, we don’t think deeply about what it means to love our neighbor until our neighbor becomes difficult to love—the one who offends us, ignores us, disagrees with us, or takes advantage of us. It’s easy to love in theory; it’s much harder when love demands humility, forgiveness, or sacrifice. We don’t examine forgiveness until someone deeply wounds us, or patience until another’s flaws test our endurance. In calm seasons, obedience feels theoretical; in hardship, it becomes painfully real. It’s in those moments—when love for God and love for others both cost us something—that we discover whether we follow God out of convenience or out of conviction.
And the same was true for the Children of Israel Learning Obedience in the Wilderness
When the Israelites grew hungry in the desert, God used manna to teach them obedience through daily dependence. They had to ask, “What would God have us do about our hunger?” He commanded them to gather only what they needed for each day, except on the sixth day when they were to prepare for the Sabbath. Some disobeyed and hoarded extra, only to find it rotted overnight. Through this simple but powerful lesson, God showed them that obedience requires trust—trust that He would provide each morning. As Exodus 16:4 says, “In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.” The manna became a living reminder that faith is not built on storing up security but on daily surrender to God’s faithfulness. These lessons were taught repeatedly in the wilderness.
Later, when the people thirsted at Rephidim, their obedience was tested again. Instead of praying for help, they complained against Moses and accused God of abandonment. Yet the Lord, in mercy, instructed Moses to strike the rock, and water gushed out for the people to drink. This miracle was more than refreshment—it was a rebuke and a lesson. God wanted them to learn to ask instead of accuse, to bring their needs in faith instead of rebellion. The place was named Massah and Meribah because, as Exodus 17:7 records, “they tested the LORD saying, ‘Is the LORD among us or not?’” Through thirst and frustration, God was teaching His people that true obedience begins with humility, not complaint.
At Mount Sinai, Israel learned obedience through holy fear. When God descended in fire and thunder to give His law, the mountain trembled, and so did the people. They vowed, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do,” (Exodus 19:8), though their later failure would prove the depth of their need for grace. Still, in that moment, they began to understand that obedience is rooted in reverence. Moses told them, “God has come to test you, that His fear may be before you, that you may not sin” (Exodus 20:20). The mountain taught them that obedience flows from awe—a deep recognition of God’s holiness and authority.
At another point, when the people grumbled again about their circumstances, fiery serpents were sent among them as judgment. In their distress, they repented, and God told Moses to lift up a bronze serpent so that whoever looked upon it would live. This event, found in Numbers 21:4–9, taught Israel that obedience comes through repentance and faith. Healing did not come through effort or ritual but through trusting God’s provision. It was a vivid picture of the obedience that flows from believing hearts—a foreshadowing of Christ, who said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14).
Finally, through Moses’ repeated intercessions on their behalf, Israel learned obedience not only through law but also through mercy. Each time they sinned—at the golden calf, at Kadesh-Barnea, at Peor—Moses pleaded with God for forgiveness. And each time, God relented, revealing that obedience flows from a heart shaped by His compassion. In Moses, the people saw a reflection of God’s own patience and grace, a foreshadowing of the greater Mediator to come. Through his prayers, they learned that obedience is not just keeping commands but aligning one’s heart with the mercy and holiness of the God who gives them.
We learn to obey through difficult times. It is during those times that we are forced to ask, “What would God have me do?” “Is this or that the right thing?” It is in those times that we search the Word of God for answers to questions like, Should I be honest about this mistake at work, even if it could cost me my job? Should I forgive someone who hasn’t apologized? Should I keep giving when my own finances are tight? Should I stay faithful in this marriage when my heart feels cold? Should I speak truth when I know it might cause conflict? Should I refuse this opportunity if it means compromising my values? Should I trust God’s timing when every door seems closed? These are the questions that make obedience costly—and it’s through wrestling with them that God shapes our character and deepens our faith.
So, we learn to confront temptation in the wilderness, we learn the specifics of how to obey, and then God also uses the wilderness to raise us up as leaders. God forges leaders in the wilderness
8. Forging leaders
God Raises Leaders in the Wilderness
I think that one of the great purposes of trials is to raise us each up on the hierarchy of leadership. God’s plan for His church, His home, His relationships between people has always been that there be leaders. He wants leaders in the home.
Deuteronomy 6:6–7 “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
He wants leaders in the church.
Ephesians 4:11–12 “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”
He wants leaders in relationships.
2 Timothy 2:2 “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”
And leaders are forged through experience, difficulty, and trials. It is well-nigh impossible to lead, guide, or mentor someone else who is going through a wilderness time in their life, if you haven’t been there before. How empty do the words of a novice feel to us. Let me ask you this, who’s words “Trust God” has a greater impact on a person who has lost a child? One who has lost no loved one, One who has lost a loved one, or One who has lost a child and has come through it still trusting God, and finding a purpose in loving and leading people who have lost loved ones?
This is a difficult truth, but the Church needs people who have been through struggles and came out of the furnace as a proven vessel.
And God raised up those kinds of leaders in the wilderness.
Numbers 27:12–23 12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up this mountain in the Abarim Range and see the land I have given the Israelites. 13 After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was,
15 Moses said to the Lord, 16 “May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community 17 to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership,[a] and lay your hand on him.
God raised a man to follow Moses. A man who had been in the wilderness, who had been thirsty, but didn’t grumble at the waters of Mara, who had been hungry, but didn’t cast blame on Moses, but trusted God, who had been on the shore of the Red Sea and saw the Egyptian army bearing down on them, had been at Sinai and witnessed the fearfulness of the presence of God, had seen God kill hundreds and thousands of the Children of Israel for disobedience, had seen people die of snake bites sent by God to test the people, but he held on to his faith in God. And Joshua suffered in the wilderness for 40 years, not for his own sin, but for the sin of others.
God uses the wilderness to raise up new leaders—those who have learned humility, courage, and faithfulness through hardship.
One of the first examples was the seventy elders appointed to help Moses bear the burden of leadership.
The wilderness also produced practical and administrative leaders. Each tribe had a prince or chief who was responsible for census duties, offerings, and maintaining order. These men developed organizational discipline, learning to lead people and steward resources. In a setting of scarcity and struggle, they grew into capable managers and defenders of their tribes, preparing the nation for the structured life they would need in Canaan. Alongside these civil leaders, God also established a spiritual order by appointing Aaron and his sons as priests. Their training in the wilderness tabernacle taught them reverence, purity, and faithfulness.
The wilderness also produced Caleb, a man of unwavering faith. While most of his generation faltered, Caleb stood firm in believing God’s promise about the land of Canaan.
Even in the work of art and craftsmanship, God raised leaders. Bezalel and Oholiab were filled with the Spirit of God to design and construct the tabernacle.
One of the most powerful examples in Christian history of someone who went through deep trial and emerged a leader in faith is Corrie ten Boom.
During World War II, Corrie and her Dutch family hid Jewish refugees in their home, risking their lives in obedience to God’s command to love their neighbors. Eventually, they were betrayed and arrested by the Nazis. Corrie was sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp, where her father and beloved sister Betsie both died. The suffering was unimaginable—cold, starvation, disease, and cruelty surrounded her daily. Yet in that place of darkness, Betsie would whisper, “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.” Corrie learned to trust God not in comfort, but in agony. When the war ended, she emerged with a faith that had been tested like gold and began to travel the world sharing a message of forgiveness and hope. Years later, she even forgave one of her former prison guards, saying, “Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.” Corrie’s wilderness made her a leader in faith, showing millions that obedience and trust in God can shine brightest in the darkest times.
Before every Olympic Games, the flame is lit in Greece and carried by runners across nations until it reaches the host city. Each runner carries it for a short distance, then hands it off to another. The flame stays the same, even though the hands that carry it change.
That’s what leadership in God’s kingdom looks like.
No one runs forever. Moses had carried the flame of faith and leadership through the wilderness, but now God told him it was time to pass it to Joshua.
The wilderness was not just about getting Israel to the Promised Land—it was about preparing the next generation of leaders to walk in it.
Invitation:
If God is calling you to step up—or to step aside in faith—obey Him.
Be willing to be the Moses who mentors or the Joshua who follows.
Because the future of God’s work depends on faithful hands willing to carry His flame.
Deuteronomy 31:8 – “The LORD, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”
9. God’s Word Is Our Daily Guide, 10. The Promise Is Reached by Faith and Perseverance, 11. Remember and Teach the Next Generation.