Resistance in the Wilderness

About a month ago my mentor gave me a book to read during my wilderness journey. When he gave it to me he said that I could probably just read his underlines and get the message of the book. Initially that was my plan. It's a book that I actually have on my to buy list and I like to mark up the books I read. So I was thinking I would get a general overview of it, then read it all when it was my own copy to mark in.

But as it turns out the first several pages didn't have that much underlined. In the first chapter he had one thing circled. I didn't touch the book for a the next few weeks, but yesterday my wife had a four hour shift at work so I decided to go with her and so I grabbed the book to keep me company.

It's called Waking the Dead by John Eldredge (any surprise that it was on my to read list?). I've only read the first chapter, but just based on those pages this book is for me at this stage of life. And as I read I was reminded that we are at war. We live behind enemy lines, and are surrounded by danger and and the target of attack all the time. And so as we have looked at the blessings that are to be found in the wilderness, we cannot neglect the reality that there is also great resistance waiting for us there.

If we look at each of the Biblical men who were blessed in their wilderness experience we have to take note of the fact that almost all of them ended up in the wilderness because someone wanted to kill them. Elijah ran from Jezebel, David fled from Saul, Moses bolted from Pharaoh, Paul escaped the Jews, and I read that John the Baptist was taken there by his mother to save his life from Herod's mass murder of infants. With the exception of Jesus the choice was wilderness or death.

But just because Jesus wasn't there to save His life, it doesn't mean His time in the wilderness was trouble free. In fact of all the accounts His gives the most detail of the resistance that is faced in the wilderness. Matthew 4 records this account of Jesus' temptation, in verses 1-11:

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Jesus has just been baptized, and we saw that when He came out of the water the God spoke words of confirmation as the Spirit descended upon Him. After fasting for forty days alone in the wilderness Jesus is hungry, and at this point, when He is physically weak, Satan comes to Him and begins the attack.

The first thing that is targeted is Jesus' identity. The first two temptations begin with Satan saying, "IF you are the Son of God." Before any thing else Satan tries to raise doubt in who Jesus is. But right before this forty day wilderness experience began God not only said that Jesus was His Son, but His beloved Son, and that He is well pleased with Him.

The first thing Satan goes after is Jesus identity. If Jesus doubts who He is there will be the need to prove Himself. If he can make it seem like there is a division between Jesus and God then Jesus will be vulnerable to attack. And so Satan begins the attack by trying to plant the seed of doubt. But because of the affirmation at His baptism Jesus knows who He is. He knows whose He is, and He overcomes this resistance.

Secondly, Satan works to get Jesus to doubt His power. Satan tries to get Him to use His power for His own gain, to meet His own need. But again, Jesus knows who He is. He knows why He came. And He knows that His power is not to make His life easier, but to bring eternal life. And so this resistance is also overcome.

Third, Satan tries to discourage Jesus' trust in God. He challenges it, this time inviting Jesus to prove not only to Himself, but to the Jews, that He is the Son of God. But Jesus again, knowing His identity, knowing that there is a time and a place for God to display His power, refuses to give in. And because He knows God He trusts in Him. He relies on God's plan and timing, and this resistance is overcome.

Finally, Satan tires to bring depression to Jesus. He shows Him all the Kingdoms of the world, the world that Jesus has come to save. Perhaps this is an attempt to show the impossibility of one man's death to make any difference. But more than that it's an attempt to get Jesus to think there might be a way around the cross. Satan says "These are mine, and I am willing to give them to You. You can then save them or do whatever You like with them. All you have to do is bow down to me for a second and they are yours. Worship me for a moment, and avoid the agony of the cross."

But Jesus knows that He has a mission that must be done a certain way. He knows that sin demands death as payment. He knows that He cannot compromise and become like the world if He wants to save it. He must face the cross, with it's pain and humiliation, because that is the only way to really save the world. He refuses, again knowing that God has a plan and knowing that God will be victorious, and this final resistance is overcome.

We see that the devil leaves Him, and then angels come and minister to Him. There is rest and comfort after the battle. But we must be prepared for resistance in the wilderness. In the wilderness God wants to pour out blessings upon us, and after the wilderness comes great victories for the Kingdom, and Satan wants none of that. He does not want us to be blessed by God. He does not want us to help expand the borders of the Kingdom, and so he will do all that is within his power to prevent that. And where better to strike than in the wilderness? The times when we feel alone, abandoned, weak, and worn out.

A while ago on the blog I wrote about four weapons of the enemy, I've mentioned them here: division, doubt, discouragement, and depression. It's when we are in the wilderness that we face each of these. We feel alone, like no one cares. We believe that we are useless and don't matter. We get down and don't believe that things will change. We lose hope. But let me encourage you, these are lies of the enemy. We are at war, and he is trying to take you out because God wants to use you. You are a threat to what he is doing because you are a servant of God. That is why you are a target, that is why you face resistance.

When you look at it that way, the resistance really is a blessing as well. It confirms that we are on the right path, that we are making an impact for God. The fact that we're being targeted and attempts are made to take us out means that we are a threat the enemy has taken notice of. Be encouraged, and know that you are not standing alone.

Today in church we sang a song that said how the blood of Christ stands in our defense. We are God's beloved children. We will go through times in the wilderness, and we will face resistance from the enemy, but we belong to God, and He always wins. So be encouraged and find the blessings of the wilderness.

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you