Advent Day 10
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| Hiking in Timna, at the southern-most part of Israel |
Passage Reading: Deuteronomy 8:4, Exodus 16
The southern part of Israel is mostly desert and living here is very difficult. I saw no pastures, no food, and no water. There were only rocks and dirt as far as my eyes could see. But this was exactly where the Israelites and Moses spent a lot of their time after they came out of Egypt. We spent some time following their footsteps and understanding how it was like to wander in the wilderness. What is it like living in the wilderness? I understand now why the Israelites cried out and questioned why God didn't just let them stay in Egypt. Life in the desert is hard. It is hot (imagine 100F all year round), bare, rocky, without shelter, food or water. How was it possible that their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell in the forty years they were there (Deuteronomy 8:4)? My feet were already sore walking in the desert for just a few hours and I cannot imagine my hiking shoes will last more than a year if I were to walk in this rocky desert everyday. But it was exactly the point of this experience: God wanted His people to completely surrender their lives and be dependent on Him. He wanted them to rely, trust, and believe that He would provide for them, to teach that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord, even in the "desert" seasons of our lives.
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” – Matthew 6:26
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