The Other Side of the Wilderness
“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. “ - Exodus 3:1
When I think of the wilderness, I picture a cowboy and his horse, which he has loosely tied to a nearby tree. He is laying on the ground next to the smouldering embers of a dying fire, which he started a few hours ago by lighting a match on his whiskers. His head is propped on a rock with his hat tipped down over his eyes as he settles in for a good night’s sleep next to the rattlesnakes and scorpions. There’s a small part of me that would like to identify with that cowboy. However, if I’m honest, I’d rather watch him on my television with a bowl of ice cream in my hands and a comfortable couch under my legs. I’m just not all that interested in experiencing the actual dangers of the wilderness. So, for me, It is noteworthy that Moses didn’t receive the call of God until after he had gone through the wilderness. Are we to understand that going through the wilderness might have been something that clarified and solidified his calling?
Let’s remember what brought Moses to the wilderness. As an infant, Moses, the Hebrew, was rescued by the providence of God, the faith of his mother, the quick wit of his sister, and the soft heart of Pharaoh’s daughter. He grew up in an Egyptian palace but he never forgot his Hebrew roots. In fact, it was this identification with the enslaved Hebrews that propelled him to the wilderness. He killed an Egyptian guard who was mistreating a Hebrew slave. In this moment, we might be able to say that Moses’s desire/calling to lead the Isrealities out of slavery was already present. He just didn’t know how to do it and it led to murder. As a result, he was a man on the run. He eventually found himself in the wilderness...and he needed it. Up until that point, Moses’s leadership led to murder and then isolation. When we try to lead without going through the wilderness, our leadership usually comes out sideways. We end up hurting people and sabotaging our own leadership. If Moses received a clear calling from God on the far side of the wilderness then, perhaps, our calling comes that way as well.
In the wilderness our resources are limited and our options are few. Thus, we are forced to be with ourselves in a way that isn’t possible in the luxury of an Egyptian palace. This aspect of the wilderness is called solitude. We find ourselves alone, without the crutches and distractions we are accustomed to. In this solitude, God is able to whittle away the parts of our calling that are stained with ego and ambition. The wilderness shows us that we aren’t as strong and self-sufficient as we think we are. It will sapp us of our strength and remind us that we are dependent upon outside forces for the most basic things of life - things like food and water. The wilderness forces us to surrender our strategies and plans because it is, after all, wild. For all of these reasons, we often avoid the wilderness. Who wants to feel weak or out of control? Nobody. But, the wilderness is necessary for shaping our calling and training our leadership.
The young Moses’s desire to free the Israelites from Egyptian oppression would be realized. However, his calling had to be focused on the power of God rather than the strength of Moses. For him, this clarification of calling happened on the other side of the wilderness. I think it happens that way for us as well. So, when you see the wilderness approaching, walk into it. You just may receive a clear calling from God on the other side.
