The podcast dives into the profound symbolism of wilderness in the Bible. It discusses how this barren landscape serves as a setting for testing and spiritual growth for key figures like Moses and Jesus. Listeners learn about the contrasts between wilderness and Eden, and how these experiences are transformative pathways for encounters with the divine. The wilderness is portrayed not only as a place of hardship but also as a refuge where faith can flourish amidst trials, making it a key theme in both the Old and New Testaments.
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insights INSIGHT
Wilderness As Absence Of Life
The wilderness primarily symbolizes absence of life: a hostile, barren place humans can't sustainably inhabit.
Biblical stories use this setting to highlight vulnerability and dependence on an outside source of life.
insights INSIGHT
God Transforms Wilderness Into Oasis
Though God didn't design humanity for the wilderness, he meets people there and can transform it into an Eden-like refuge.
The wilderness becomes an oasis of life when God's presence provides sustenance and safety.
insights INSIGHT
Wilderness Across Biblical Narrative
Wilderness moments recur at key points across Genesis through the New Testament, shaping major characters and events.
The New Testament presumes these wilderness meanings, so scenes like Jesus' testing carry layered significance.
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The Wilderness E1 — This year, we are looking at themes that play a prominent role in the Exodus story. And today, we’re starting a new series on the theme of the wilderness. The wilderness is a setting that shows up constantly in the Bible, and it mainly represents a hostile, barren place where humans can’t survive. So why does God repeatedly lead his people through it? In this episode, Jon and Tim introduce the theme and discuss how the biblical authors portray the wilderness as a place of testing, character formation, and even an Eden-like refuge.
CHAPTERS
The Breadth and Meaning of the Wilderness in the Bible (0:00-12:30)
Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books here.
You can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.
SHOW MUSIC
“Pearly Gates ft. Isaac Wheadon” by Lofi Sunday
“Sunrise ft. Jk Beatbook” by Lofi Sunday
BibleProject theme song by TENTS
SHOW CREDITS
Production of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who also edited today’s episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie.
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