LIFE ON THE FRONT_SIDE AND THE BACK_SIDE OF THE DESERT

In Exodus 3:1, the Bible says

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

I want us to describe the route to this place called the “The Backside of the Desert” and learn a few lessons from its realities. It is also important to ask: what for instance is “The Front-side of the Desert” if this new place that Moses is located is called “The Backside of the Desert.” We can only fully realize the riches of God’s wisdom as we investigate the psychology and spirituality of the desert and what the physical conditions typifies.

WHERE THE ROCKS ARE STRESSED: The “Front-side” of the Desert” is a much tougher space than its Backside. As Moses ran away from Pharaoh and from the murder charge, he is confronted by an environment that got more hostile every inch that he traveled. Animal life is drastically curtailed till all that remains are desert rats and a few lizards here and there. Even trees cease such that resilient Acacia trees becomes anemic!

Can you imagine a community within which Rocks are Stressed? The great traveler, Lawrence of Arabia writing about his journeys said “the Rocks are so stressed that they are bright brilliant Red! The sun and the wind forms a fraternity of pain in the daytime; they simultaneously blind the traveler and suck from him the little moisture that he has left in his body. The children of Israel later called the place "great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents and scorpions, and drought where there was no water"

WHY THE STRESSFUL PATH? The question then is this: Why does God take a man on the way to Destiny through such desolations? He said in His word, “I do it to try your heart.” Why God will you choose such a method? Why will you confront us with such hopelessness? Why must we endure such pain? Why must we be given to the extremes of isolation? A writer said that “the words of the language in this place is silence” But God who is the word, took his prophet and his sons through that space! (Deut 8:15)

PAIN TODAY: Why does God cause us to experience pain today? Why does he allow the desolations that we see in the nations? Why the drought in our world? Why the Wars? The flood of neediness created by human foolishness … incest, divorce, emotional violence, spiritual desolations…, leadership failures…. Why? God said to Israel: “I tested your hearts… on “The Front-side of the Wilderness!”

THE BACKSIDE OF THE WILDERNESS: There is however “The Backside of the Wilderness” What does it represent? After such a trip across the range of Sinai, any kind of rest is a welcome respite. Some of us are right now in such a place of rest. It is from here that the Lord of Israel, He whom we seek will appear suddenly! How difficult it is to trust in such instances, how hard it is to be still; how tough it is to be silent…! On the Backside of the Desert, we are given only one instruction; “Be still and know that I am God! I will be exalted among the nations…, I will be exalted in the earth.”