Jesus and Israel in the Wilderness

Israel's Years in the Wilderness

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Long before Jesus went into the wilderness, God's people Israel lived there for many years. All three of Jesus' answers to the devil came from what Moses told Israel about those years.

God's son. God told Pharaoh, “Israel is My son, My firstborn” (Exodus 4:22). God loved Israel like a father and rescued them from Egypt.

Through the sea. God brought His people through the Red Sea. Paul says “all passed through the sea” (1 Corinthians 10:1). Then God led them into the wilderness.

Forty years. Moses said, “The Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you” (Deuteronomy 8:2).

Hungry Israel. When the people were hungry, they complained against Moses and Aaron. God was kind. He said, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you” (Exodus 16:4).

The manna lesson. God “fed you with manna… that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone” (Deuteronomy 8:3). Jesus quoted this very verse.

Clothes that lasted. Moses reminded Israel that God cared for every need: “Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years” (Deuteronomy 8:4).

Testing God. At Massah there was no water. The people argued with Moses and asked, “Is the Lord among us or not?” (Exodus 17:7). They tested God instead of trusting Him.

A golden calf. At Mount Sinai, while Moses was up on the mountain, the people made a golden calf and bowed down to it (Exodus 32). They gave God's worship to an idol.

Three ways Israel fell. They grumbled about food, they tested God, and they worshiped an idol. Those are the same three areas where the devil tested Jesus.

God stayed faithful. Even when Israel failed, God kept feeding, leading and forgiving them. “In the daytime also He led them with the cloud, And all the night with a light of fire” (Psalm 78:14).

A lesson for us. Paul wrote, “Now these things became our examples” (1 Corinthians 10:6). Israel's story helps us see our own hearts.

What we learn. Israel was God's son, but Israel kept failing in the wilderness. God's people needed a Son who would not fail.

What to do. Think of a time you complained instead of trusting God. Tell God about it, and thank Him that He is patient with His children.

To understand Matthew 4, it helps to know Israel's forty years. All three of Jesus' answers come from Deuteronomy 6 and 8, where Moses looked back on those years.

Israel, God's son (Exodus 4:22-23). “Israel is My son, My firstborn… let My son go that he may serve Me.” God called the whole nation His son.

Hosea 11:1. “When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.” God's love for Israel was a father's love for a child.

Through the water (1 Corinthians 10:1-2). Israel passed through the sea and then went into the wilderness. Paul says they “were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”

The purpose (Deuteronomy 8:2). God led them “to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”

A father's training (Deuteronomy 8:5). “You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you.” Chastens means trains and corrects. The wilderness was a loving Father's training.

Hunger (Exodus 16). The people grumbled for bread and wished they were back in Egypt. God sent manna and tested whether they would follow His instructions (Exodus 16:4).

Massah (Exodus 17:1-7). The name Massah means testing. Israel demanded water and questioned whether God was with them at all.

The calf (Exodus 32). Soon after hearing God's voice at Sinai, Israel bowed to a golden calf. Paul warns, “And do not become idolaters as were some of them” (1 Corinthians 10:7).

Psalm 78:18. Later Israel sang about its own history: “they tested God in their heart By asking for the food of their fancy.” Fancy means craving.

Written for us (1 Corinthians 10:11). “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition.” Admonition means warning.

The pattern. Hunger, testing God and false worship: Israel failed in all three. These are the same three areas in which the devil tempted Jesus.

Application. Israel's story is like a mirror. Where do you grumble, demand proof from God, or put something in God's place? Bring those places to Him honestly.

The Son Who Did Not Fail

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Israel was God's son, but Israel kept failing in the wilderness. Then God sent His own Son, Jesus, into the wilderness. Jesus did what Israel did not do.

Out of Egypt. When Jesus was a baby, His family fled to Egypt and later came back. The Bible says this happened so that God's words would come true: “Out of Egypt I called My Son” (Matthew 2:15).

Through the water. Israel passed through the sea. Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, and the Father said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

Into the wilderness. God led Israel through the wilderness for forty years. The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, where He fasted forty days (Matthew 4:1-2).

Hungry, but trusting. Israel grumbled when they were hungry. Jesus was hungry and still trusted His Father. He answered with Deuteronomy 8:3, the manna lesson.

Trusting, not testing. Israel tested God at Massah. Jesus would not test God. He said, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God” (Matthew 4:7).

Worshiping God alone. Israel bowed to a golden calf. Jesus would not bow to the devil. He said, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve” (Matthew 4:10).

The faithful Son. Many Christians call Jesus the true Israel: the Son who obeyed where Israel fell. Jesus lived the life God's people never could.

Why it matters. “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).

The true bread. Israel ate manna in the wilderness. Jesus said, “Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven” (John 6:32). Then He said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).

Help for us. Because Jesus passed every test, He can help us in ours. He “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

God is not finished with Israel. The Bible says God has not rejected His people Israel (Romans 11:1-2). He still loves them and keeps His promises.

What we learn. We are like Israel: we often grumble, test God and love other things more. Jesus is the faithful Son who saves us.

The Son who stays. Israel's story was full of ups and downs. Jesus never changes, and He never leaves His people.

What to do. When you fail, do not give up. Thank Jesus that He obeyed for you, and ask Him to help you follow Him today.

Jesus' early life follows the path of Israel: out of Egypt, through the water and into the wilderness. Where Israel failed, Jesus obeyed.

Matthew 2:15. Hosea 11:1 speaks of Israel coming out of Egypt. Matthew 2:15 says Jesus' return from Egypt fulfilled those words: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” Jesus is the Son that Israel's story was pointing to.

The beloved Son (Matthew 3:17). At the Jordan the Father called Jesus “My beloved Son.” Israel was God's son because God chose and called them. Jesus is God's Son forever, and He came to do what Israel could not.

Deuteronomy 8:2-3 and Matthew 4:1-4. Israel was led, humbled, allowed to hunger and tested. Jesus was led by the Spirit, hungry and tested. Israel grumbled. Jesus trusted and answered with the very lesson Israel was meant to learn.

Deuteronomy 6:16 and Matthew 4:5-7. Israel tested God at Massah. Jesus refused to test His Father, even when Scripture was twisted against Him.

Deuteronomy 6:13 and Matthew 4:8-10. Israel worshiped the calf at Sinai. Jesus refused the devil's offer and worshiped God alone.

The Son who shares our weakness. Because the faithful Son was tested in the same wilderness, “we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses” (Hebrews 4:15). He passed the tests for us, and He helps us in ours.

The true Israel. Many Christians call Jesus the true Israel: the faithful Son who passed the tests Israel failed. This does not mean God is finished with the people of Israel. Paul says God has not rejected His people (Romans 11:1-2).

Romans 5:19. “By one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” Jesus' whole life of obedience, all the way to the cross, counts for everyone who trusts Him.

The true bread (John 6:32-35). Jesus said, “Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.” The One who would not make bread for Himself gives Himself as the bread of life.

Hebrews 3:7-8. “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness.” Israel's story is a call to trust Jesus today.

Galatians 4:4-5. God sent His Son, “born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Through the faithful Son, we become God's children.

Application. You cannot pass the tests Israel failed in your own strength. Trust the Son who passed them, and follow Him in the power of the Holy Spirit.

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