LEADING THE FLOCK THROUGH THE WILDERNESS

A Word From Karen...

No event found!

“And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai in the tabernacle of the congregation…” (Numbers 1:1)

The Book of Numbers, the 4^th book of the Torah/instruction of God is called “Bamidbar”. In Hebrew, Bamidbar means, “In the wilderness”. The word for wilderness is “Midbar” which means the place where God speaks.From a western mindset, we don’t like the word wilderness. From a Hebraic perspective it is where God speaks to us and is to be embraced. God chose a barren wilderness to reveal divine revelation to His people. Moses becomes a leader after he is drawn into the wilderness where he witnesses a fiery, talking bush. The wilderness is the place God chose to reveal Himself.

God doesn’t think as we do, nor does He orchestrate events as we would. From personal experience as a leader, many times we don’t want people to suffer, even though suffering is often the very ingredient they need to make them whole. I believe true leadership must have the wisdom of God to lead the people through hardship.

In the last 8 weeks, we at OTC have been led on a journey that, in the natural, has not made sense. The Apostle James says to count it all joy (a sheer gift) when tests and challenges come at us from every angle. It would greatly benefit us if we did not try to get out of a test before God was finished with what He wants to accomplish. It is through God’s testing (pressure) that our true colors are revealed. Who we are meant to be is revealed and forged out of our undisciplined flesh into a whole (holy) person. It’s then, God can best use us.

As we follow Moses’ shepherding God’s people through the wilderness, we continually see those chosen people bucking against the very instruction they need to move forward. Centuries later, little has changed. Jesus tells a spiritually blinded Saul/Paul in Acts 9:5 that it is hard to kick against the pricks, meaning it is hard to rebel against God’s instruction. That instruction is the very information Saul needed to reach the goal he so wanted, to do God’s will.

In order to grow spiritually, from time to time we MUST be led through places that make no sense to our natural understanding. God leads His people forward as a united congregation, a community. That leading led to times of suffering.

Moses was told to take a census in Numbers 1:1. A total count of the entire community was to be recorded. This requirement is valid today because, “The nation is to be counted in terms of its individual components. A census of this nature makes it clear to the authorized spokesmen of the nation that the community cannot exist as an abstract idea but can have true being only in terms of the totality of its components.”¹ God wants to lead us forward as a unified whole. Everyone counts and everybody has a distinct placement in the whole.

Every tribe and every family have distinct differences, but all must join together in carrying out God’s mission. If one suffers, we all suffer. If one rejoices, we all rejoice.

This wilderness that the children of Israel faced was a place of polarization. It’s no different today. We will know we are in it when we or others around us say, “this place is too cold.” “This place is too hot.” “This is void of life, water, and comfort.” “This is desolate, empty and barren.” “This is great and terrifying and has serpents and scorpions.” During hardships or challenges, many times people bow out and can’t see the “whole” picture not realizing God is here and speaking.

All this being true, this is the perfect environment to meet with our Creator. Here He speaks. Here He proves our hearts to see if we will follow His instructions … or not.