Deserts.

From: The New Topical Textbook By: Reuben Archer Torrey

• 1 min. read • grade level: 15

Vast barren plains. Ex. 5:3³And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. (Exodus 5:3). John 6:13¹³Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. (John 6:13).

Uninhabited places. Matt. 14:15¹⁵And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. (Matthew 14:15). Mar. 6:31.

DESCRIBED AS

Uninhabited and lonesome. Jer. 2:6⁶Neither said they, Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt? (Jeremiah 2:6).

Uncultivated. Num. 20:5⁵And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink. (Numbers 20:5). Jer. 2:2²Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. (Jeremiah 2:2). Desolate. Ezek. 6:14¹⁴So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 6:14).

Dry and without water. Ex. 17:1¹And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. (Exodus 17:1). Deut. 8:15¹⁵Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; (Deuteronomy 8:15).

Trackless. Isa. 43:19¹⁹Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19).

Great and terrible. Deut. 1:19¹⁹And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea. (Deuteronomy 1:19).

Waste and howling. Deut. 32:10¹⁰He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. (Deuteronomy 32:10).

Infested with wild beasts. Isa. 13:21²¹But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. (Isaiah 13:21). Mar. 1:13.

Infested with serpents. Deut. 8:15¹⁵Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; (Deuteronomy 8:15).

Infested with robbers. Jer. 3:2²Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. (Jeremiah 3:2). Lam. 4:19¹⁹Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness. (Lamentations 4:19).

Danger of traveling in. Ex. 14:3³For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. (Exodus 14:3). 2 Cor. 11:26²⁶In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; (2 Corinthians 11:26).

Guides required in. Num. 10:31³¹And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes. (Numbers 10:31). Deut. 32:10¹⁰He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. (Deuteronomy 32:10).

PHENOMENA OF, ALLUDED TO

Mirage or deceptive appearance of water. Jer. 15:18¹⁸Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail? (Jeremiah 15:18). (marg.)

Simoon or deadly wind. 2 Kin. 19:7. Jer. 4:11¹¹At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse, (Jeremiah 4:11).

Tornadoes or whirlwinds. Isa. 21:1¹The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land. (Isaiah 21:1).

Clouds of sand and dust. Deut. 28:24²⁴The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. (Deuteronomy 28:24). Jer. 4:12, 13¹²Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them. ¹³Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled. (Jeremiah 4:12‑13).

MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE

Arabian or great desert. Ex. 23:31³¹And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee. (Exodus 23:31).

Bethaven. Josh. 18:12¹²And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Beth-aven. (Joshua 18:12).

Beersheba. Gen. 21:14¹⁴And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. (Genesis 21:14). 1 Kin. 19:3, 4.

Damascus. 1 Kin. 19:15.

Edom. 2 Kin. 3:8.

Engedi. 1 Sam. 24:1¹And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi. (1 Samuel 24:1).

Gibeon. 2 Sam. 2:24²⁴Joab also and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that lieth before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon. (2 Samuel 2:24).

Judea. Matt. 3:1¹In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, (Matthew 3:1).

Jeruel. 2 Chr. 20:16¹⁶To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. (2 Chronicles 20:16).

Kedemoth. Deut. 2:26²⁶And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying, (Deuteronomy 2:26).

Kadesh. Psa. 29:8⁸The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness; the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. (Psalm 29:8).

Maon. 1 Sam. 23:24, 25²⁴And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon. ²⁵Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. (1 Samuel 23:24‑25).

Paran. Gen. 21:21²¹And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt. (Genesis 21:21). Num. 10:12¹²And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran. (Numbers 10:12).

Shur. Gen. 16:7⁷And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. (Genesis 16:7). Ex. 15:22²²So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. (Exodus 15:22).

Sin. Ex. 16:1¹And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. (Exodus 16:1).

Sinai. Ex. 19:1, 2¹In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. ²For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. (Exodus 19:1‑2). Num. 33:16¹⁶And they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibroth-hattaavah. (Numbers 33:16).

Ziph. 1 Sam. 23:14, 15¹⁴And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. ¹⁵And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood. (1 Samuel 23:14‑15).

Zin. Num. 20:1¹Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. (Numbers 20:1). Num. 27:14¹⁴For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. (Numbers 27:14).

Of the Red Sea. Ex. 13:18¹⁸But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. (Exodus 13:18).

Near Gaza. Acts 8:26²⁶And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. (Acts 8:26).

Heath often found in. Jer. 17:6⁶For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. (Jeremiah 17:6).

Parts of, afforded pasture. Gen. 36:24²⁴And these are the children of Zibeon; both Ajah, and Anah: this was that Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father. (Genesis 36:24). Ex. 3:1¹Now 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. (Exodus 3:1).

Inhabited by wandering tribes. Gen. 21:20, 21²⁰And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. ²¹And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt. (Genesis 21:20‑21). Psa. 72:9⁹They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. (Psalm 72:9). Jer. 25:24²⁴And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert, (Jeremiah 25:24).

The persecuted fled to. 1 Sam. 23:14¹⁴And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. (1 Samuel 23:14). Heb. 11:38³⁸(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. (Hebrews 11:38).

The disaffected fled to. 1 Sam. 22:2²And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. (1 Samuel 22:2). Acts 21:38³⁸Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers? (Acts 21:38).

ILLUSTRATIVE OF

Barrenness. Psa. 106:9⁹He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness. (Psalm 106:9). Psa. 107:33, 35³³He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground; (Psalm 107:33)
³⁵He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings. (Psalm 107:35).

Those deprived of all blessings. Hos. 2:3³Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst. (Hosea 2:3).

The world. SoS. 3:6. SoS. 8:5.

The Gentiles. Isa. 35:1, 6¹The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. (Isaiah 35:1)
⁶Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. (Isaiah 35:6). Isa. 41:19¹⁹I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: (Isaiah 41:19).

What affords no support. Jer. 2:31³¹O generation, see ye the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee? (Jeremiah 2:31).

Desolation by armies. Jer. 12:10-13¹⁰Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. ¹¹They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart. ¹²The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the Lord shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace. ¹³They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the Lord. (Jeremiah 12:10‑13). Jer. 50:12¹²Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert. (Jeremiah 50:12).

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The New Topical Textbook

• Contentment.

• Conversion.

• Counsels and Purposes of God, the.

• Daily Sacrifice, the.

• Death of Christ, the.

• Death of Saints, the.

• Death of the Wicked, the.

• Desert, Journey of Israel Through the.

• Deserts.

• Despair.