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| Yucca in bloom |
The Hebrews referred to the book of Numbers as the "Wilderness." Both titles are significant. One refers to the census that Moses took of the tribes just before they departed for the Promised Land; the other refers to the the forty years the Israelites spent wandering in the desert when they might have arrived in just eleven days if they had trusted and obeyed God.
Looking back over my long life, I can now see clearly which were the years of my own wilderness. Hindsight is always 20/20. One somewhat comforting thought is that I was not alone in my wandering. I was accompanied by scores of people who, like the thousands with Moses, were also wandering in the wilderness of life trying to find themselves and God, totally blind to his presence during the entire journey. A more comforting thought is that we (those of us who think we finally get it) can begin to anticipate that we might someday arrive at our promised land. But we have to let God be our guide, rather than to try to control the outcome of all our endeavors, as we are so apt to do.
On Sinai, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments with particular emphasis on the first one, Thou shall have no other gods before me. They accepted them; then they fell back to their ways and sinned; they could not let go of their golden calf. Repentant, they began again, but their journey was not easy. They lost their way and began to wail for the life they had known before. For forty years they grumbled and complained; they despaired and lamented. They blamed Moses for their plight, forgetting that God was directing their path. They wailed for food; God gave them manna to eat, and then they complained that there was no meat!
Like Israel, we also proclaim our loyalty to God, giving our halfhearted "yes" to His command; then we fall back to our old ways, worshiping the material things that money buys. The golden calf has taken other forms. We complain and despair. Yet God is ever patient, waiting to be discovered. We may be foolish enough one day to say we found God, but He's been there all along.
From the book of Numbers we may learn a thing or two about our own journeys. We are all searching for the Promised Land. Arriving there will depend on whether we learn to trust God and obey His commands. Trust and obey. Little words, big meaning.
