The Wilderness of Sin
“And they removed from the Red Sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin.”
The seventh encampment of the Israelites took pUce in a wilderness, called Sin, A wilderness is a region uninhabited and uninhabitable by men, because neither water nor vegetation exist there, unless it be prickly thorns. Snakes, scorpions, and such like dangerous and poisonous animals alone take up their abode there, and travelling through such districts has in it always something terrific. The Lord, speaking by the prophet Hosea, says, “I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness,” and this he says, not by way of menace, but as a paternal correction; on which account he immediately adds, “and speak comfortably unto her.” A spiritual wilderness is, therefore, here meant. It consists in the being deprived of every support, in which the individual might place his confidence, irrespective of God, which consequently compels him to fix his hopes solely on the living God; for he never does this as long as he has any thing left with which he can commit idolatry, which must therefore be taken from him. And when this is the case, he is led, spiritually, into the wilderness. This privation of all support is both of an external and internal nature, and sometimes combined. How often was David deprived of all outward support, but never to such a degree as when he fled before Saul into the wilderness of Maon, where he was entirely shut in, and could iio longer escape the hands of Saul. Here human aid and counseV was at an end, and he was obliged to leave God to act, who rescued him quite unexpectedly, by the arrival of a messenger, who informed Saul of an irruption of the Philistines, by which he was compelled to refrain from pursuing David, whom he had, so to speak, already in his power. He was in a similar situation, though not so entirely forsaken, when he fled from his own son Absalom; and if God had not so ordered it that Absalom regarded the counsel of Hushai more than of* Ahitophel, David, according to all appearance, must have been overthrown.
Abraham had no visible support for his belief in the promise of a son, but even much that was dispiriting and discouraging, since Sarah was not only unfruitful, but was also so old, that she could only conceive by a miracle.
Jehoshaphat, when marching against an innumerable host of foes, exclaimed, “We have no might against the great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do;” yet adds, but “our eyes are up unto thee.” Nothing was left him but God.
The apostle Paul also, when in Asia, was once in such straits, that he saw nothing but death before him, and no means of escape; but tells us liihiself the reason of it, which was, that he might not place confidence in himself, but in the living God.
And how strikingly do we see this displayed in the case of Peter! On seeing Jesus walking; on the sea, he felt inclined to beg of Jesus to tell him to come to him. When Jesus had done so, lie descended from his vessel upon the water, and walked upon it as on dry land. But he had not gone far, before a wind suddenly arose, which moved the sea under his feet, and reminded him of its insecure nature. Terrified, he began to sink. Jesus was then his only refuge, to whom also he applied most earnestly, and was rescued.
And how often has it been the case with believers, that they saw no way of escape externally, and were compelled to say, “Save, Lord, or we perish!” This outward privation of support certainly attacks sensibility not a little, and may occasion sorrow enough, as many amongst us can testify from experience. But there are also inward privations and abandonments, which, though not visible, are even far more painful and difficult to bear than the former. By these inward abandonments, the soul is deprived of consolation, joy, courage, and light, to which the Scriptures refer when speaking of those who walk in darkness and have no light, and of distress of soul, and the hiding of God’s countenance, which may be abundantly seen in the Psalms. The man’s confidence in himself then departs, and nothing is left him but God and his free grace, from whom he must expect every thing, since he can do nothing of himself.
In the case of Job, the abandonment and privation was both inward and outward at the same time. He was suddenly stripped of all his possessions, and then deprived even of his inward joy and strength. He suffered the terrors of God, so as almost to make him despair. Did not the disciples find themselves in a
F similar situation when they saw Jesus hanging- dead upon the cross, in losing whom, they had lost all? nay, what did he himself experience on the cross, when suffering bodily excruciating torments, and forsaken of God in his soul?
The Christian, therefore, must not be surprised at experiencing such a state of destitution, since Jesus Christ was content to do so. Frequently such abandonments occur suddenly, and vanish as unexpectedly, whilst in their place, the soul enjoys a superabundance of spiritual blessings; but in most cases they come on gradually. They have also various degrees, so that to some there is still something left to which they can cleave, be it a promise, the remembrance of former experience, or the like. From others every thing is taken, so that their state is truly pitiable, and they are ready to say with Heman, “I am counted with them that go down into the pit. I am as a man that hath no strength, and as one whom thou rememberest no more.”
Thus the Lord leads his people into the desert, where they have no sensible, nor susceptible support, like the children of Israel; but he does so in order to speak comfortably to them, to empty them of all self-confidence, and lead them to place implicit trust in himself. This ought to serve, therefore, as a strong incitement to humility, and as a preventive against self-exaltation; for all we possess is only borrowed property, which no one can retain in such a manner as to prevent its being taken from him. “For what have we’that we have not received? But if we have received it, why do we boast, as if we had not received it?” But on the other hand, there is a sweet consolation to those who are thus destitute and apparently forsaken; for, even as “before destitution the heart of man is haughty,” so “before honour is humility.” It is the Lord’s plan to fill the hungry with good things, whilst the rich are sent empty away.” Nor was this desert equally barren throughout; for a few days journey further lies Rephidim, where there are at present many pleasant gardens, from whence the monks, who dwell there, derive their subsistence. The Israelites were compelled to enter this desert, because God was desirous of accustoming them to look to him alone.
The wilderness in which the Israelites were now encamped, was called Sin, in which also Mount Sinai lay,, and from which the latter took its name. It signifies a thorn and brier, as also enmity. Probably many thorns and briers grew in the desert, even as Moses saw one burning, when called to undertake the deliverance of Israel. And this rendered the journey the more fatiguing. Paul speaks of a thorn in the flesh, which gave him much to suffer. It would have been well if thorns had only grown in the desert, and if those who were travelling through it, had not also manifested a similar nature. But how often did they show themselves like pricking thorns, being full of wrath against Moses, and even against God himself! Paul describes the life of the natural man as existing in envy and malice, as hateful and hating one another; and it would be well if experience refuted instead of confirming the fact, that men are still what they ever were. The complaints of the want of love in the world, and even amongst Christians, are but too well founded; but let those who make them see to it, that they do not themselves give occasion for it. Love is, however, of
f2 the greatest importance; for he that abideth in love, abideth in God, and God in him. Love is from God, and not from ourselves; and only he that is born of God possesses real love. Paul prefers it even to faith and hope, since the latter terminate, but the former abides. It constitutes, in reality, the image of God; for “God is love.” This image we have lost, and have become prickly thorns; and, when occasion offers, show ourselves to be such. We must not, however, remain so, but become as the rose or the lily, and learn cordially to love each other.
Thorns are also a figure of a variety of temptations; and the Lord Jesus employs them as an emblem of the cares of this world, deceitful riches, and various lusts, which choke the seed of the divine word. Thorns also represent a variety of sufferings, particularly such as are imposed upon every individual: hence Jesus speaks not only of taking up our cross in the general, but also in particular, when he says, “Let him take up his cross;” which, like a painful thorn, is nevertheless salutary for the Christian.
Thorns remind us, also, of the curse which sin has caused, on which account God cursed the ground that it should bring forth thorns and thistles; under which curse human nature also lies. But do they not also remind us of him who was crowned with thorns, because he became a curse for us, in order to -redeem us from it? Thus the thorn-bushes, in the midst of which the Israelites pursued their fatiguing march, reminded them of the Lord’s favour towards them; for it was in a thorn-bush that the Lord had appeared unto Moses in this very desert, and promised deliverance. Moses himself, at least, always remembered it, for he alludes to it in his parting blessing forty years afterwards, when he said, “The good will of him that dwelt in the bush come upon thy head.” (Deut. xxxiii. 16.)
Finally, they belong also to the promises: for instance, when it is said in Hosea, “I will hedge up thy way with thorns,” in order to produce the resolution — “I will return unto the Lord from whom 1 have backslidden.” And how salutary is such a thorn-hedge to an individual, in preventing him from pursuing his evil way, and compelling him to resort to the good way; however strong the thorns may be which compose it, so that the man finds it “hard to kick against the pricks.” How salutary was it for the thief to be cru- ’ cified, the blind man to be born so, Jonah to be swallowed by the fish, and King Manasseh to lie in fetters and in prison! Hence it may well be said, “Whom I love, I rebuke and chasten.” It is no good sign, when outwardly every thing goes well with a man, and when he experiences no temptation inwardly; and therefore David justly acknowledges, with gratitude, the goodness of God in the humiliations he had experienced, by which he was rendered wise.
A man’s sins, also, may become to him a prickly thorn-hedge, so that he gladly turns away from them; the law, as a severe schoolmaster, may also drive him to Christ; inward depression and dejection may render him susceptible and desirous of the consolation presented to him by the gospel. And when the individual has once entered upon the narrow way, how’ useful may such thorn -hedges be to him, for the purpose of preserving him in it, however severely they may lacerate him. Thus one person is exercised by bodily weakness, another by domestic affliction, and a third by some other cause, which continually compels them to look to the Lord, to which we must be excited, either by necessity or love. There is always something to keep the Christian humble, and to preserve him from climbing- the heights of self-exaltation, whether it be a thorn in the flesh, or the buffeting of Satan. Paul bore always about with him the dying of the Lord Jesus, and was burdened as long as he was in this tabernacle. Asaph was willing that both heart and flesh should fail, if the Lord was the strength of his heart and his portion.
In this chapter we are furnished only with a list of the various encampments of the Israelites, but are not informed of what occurred there. But this deficiency is supplied in Exod. xvi. The Israelites had now been a month on their journey, and the provisions they had brought with them were all consumed. This is not to be wondered at, but rather that they should have lasted so long; which can scarcely be conceived unless connected with the idea of a secret blessing, like that extended to the widow’s cruse of oil and barrel of meal. The latter circumstance appears miraculous to us, and we are ready to ask, ‘* How can such a thing be?” especially since it has never since occurred. But God is able to do things of a similar nature, though in a less obvious manner. Have we not lived to experience a season, in which the crops not only failed, but when that which was reaped contained also little strength and nutriment; so that the word of the prophet Haggai (i. 6.) was fulfilled, “Ye have sown much, and brought in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not satisfied; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages putteth them into a bag with holes.” We have also experienced times when, in consequence of the great consumption of provisions and provender by men and horses during the war, a famine seemed inevitable; and yet it did not occur, and many knew not what to think when in the Spring they found they had abundance of every thing. But they that were wise perceived in it the gracious finger of God.
This wonderful goodness manifested itself in the case of the provision brought by the children of Israel out of Egypt. It is incredible that they should have been able to take so much with them, as sufficed to feed such an immense multitude for a whole month, and yet it proved sufficient. Nor was this the only marvellous circumstance; but how remarkable is it also, that their clothes did not wear out, especially their shoes, which were the most exposed to it! O, it is no less true, that even as the children of Israel were surrounded by wonders in the wilderness, so we also, had we but eyes to see and ears to hear!
Necessity renders men sagacious, able, and expert. It might have been supposed that the children of Israel, during so long a period, in which they needed no art nor manufacture, would have become half savage, and have lost all ability for mechanical employments; yet they fabricated the most costly and delicate articles in gold, and the most ingenious curtains and clothing for the use of the sanctuary. And by what means did they attain to such scientific skill? The Lord himself informs us: “I have filled them with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,” (Exod. xxxi. 3.) so that Moses even understood how to reduce gold to powder — an art which was so little understood a Ions: time after, that it was regarded as impossible. “0 Lord!” exclaims David, “how great and manifold are thy works?” “He that observeth these things, understandeth the loving-kindness of the Lord;” “the earth is full of his goodness.”
But although the provisions of the Israelites had lasted them beyond their expectations, yet they were now entirely consumed; and this at a time when they were not in Elim, where the fruit of the palm-trees might have afforded them some supply, but in the desert, where nothing grew but thorns. They were therefore in great distress; nothing to eat, and no means of procuring any thing. Jn such circumstances, how much they needed such a God as Jehovah, although they did not always believe that he was with them; for ’ if they had believed it, they would always have been of good courage. But how did they act on this occasion, and how did the Lord act towards them? These questions will be answered in the following chapter.
“What is man,” says Job, “that thou shouldest magnify him, and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him; that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?” (chap. vii. 17, 18.) What induces him to this, but the greatness of his love? May this love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all! Then, though our path may lie through a desert, and every desirable support give way and disappear, yet we are marching towards Canaan. May Thy good Spirit lead us upon a plain path, and receive us at length to thy glory!