The Wilderness and the Word

Where God speaks

In Judaism, the entire Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, or what most Christians call the Old Testament) is read through every year on a specific schedule of weekly readings. In addition, a corresponding passage (the Haftarah) from the prophets is read. This reading cycle starts in the fall, and concludes with the celebration of Simchat Torah (“Rejoicing of the Torah”), and is a way to unite observant Jews all over the world and throughout history.

While I’ve read through the Torah and the rest of the Bible a number of times, this is the first year that I’ve been going along with this schedule. Plus, as a Messianic Jew, I also am reading a specific passage from the Brit Chadashah, or New Testament.

This week’s reading begins the book of Numbers, or as it’s called in the Hebrew Bible, B’midbar, which means “In the wilderness” or “In the desert.”

Here’s where the fun starts.

An important thing to note that in traditional Hebrew writing (such as in the Bible or even in most books and newspapers today) there are no vowels printed. The key part to understanding and translating Hebrew is in the consonants which form root words.

The word translated as wilderness or dessert is midbar, or more accurately (with just consonants), MDBR. (The prefix b’ means “in”, so BMDBR literally means “in wilderness”.)

Every¹ Hebrew noun or verb has at its origin a three-letter root word. For wilderness, the root is DBR. Do you know what DBR (usually pronounced dabar) is translated as? “Word” (noun) or “Speak” (verb).

Additionally, MDBR can also be translated as “mouth” (or, “what brings forth speech”). This is seen in Song of Solomon 4:3.

So for the Jewish listener or reader, there is a connection of “wilderness” and “word/speech.” Or in other words, the wilderness is where you get a word from God. Where was the Torah, including the book of Numbers (or BMDBR) first given to God’s people? When they were in the Wilderness — when they wandered for 40 years with humble dependence on His provision and protection.

A Word in the Wilderness.

Haven’t you seen this true in your own life? When are the times that you have most grown closer to God or heard from Him? In the times when everything was going well? Not in my life, and I’m guessing not usually in yours.

The occasions when we are most likely to receive and deeply know God’s word is when we are in seasons of struggle, where we are hurting or grieving or confused, and when we are desperate for comfort, for rescue, for a miracle. And that miracle comes in the form of God loving us so much that He reveals Himself through His word(s).

DBR MDBR. A word in the wilderness.

And doesn’t this bring a whole new light to the time when Jesus was also in the wilderness, and was tempted by satan² to feed Himself? Jesus’ reply was a quote from the Torah³, that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3).

Are you in a season of wilderness wandering? Do you feel like you are in a spiritual desert?

Good. Because that is when you can best hear from God. Draw near to Him, and ask Him to reveal his Word to you.

“O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.”

(Psalm 63:1)

“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.”

(Psalm 130:5)

Edit: Read More Words from the Wilderness

1. I’m no expert in Hebrew, so I may be wrong using a superlative here, but this is a general rule.

2. I intentionally put the devil’s name in lowercase as a way of giving him a spiritual middle finger.

3. In all three of His responses to satan, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy.