Led vs Lost

Deut 29:5 5 “I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot."

When we think of the Hebrews in the wilderness, we usually picture them wandering around, trying to find their way. In all actuality, we see, right here in this verse, they were not lost....they were being led.

Yes, it's true, they did not get where they thought they were going. They wanted to be somewhere else, doing other things. Wandering in the wilderness was not their fondest goal.

But that's where God took them. In spite of their rebellion, in spite of their grumbling and groaning, in spite of their dreams and hopes being dashed....they were God's people. They were God's people and they followed Him (Ex 13:21). They followed Him not knowing where He was taking them nor how long it would take to get there. They followed Him even though they thought they had earned the Promised Land and they were in the wilderness. They followed Him in faith.

The reason for the wilderness is to teach total dependence on God. The reason we follow Him there is because there's absolutely no place better for us than with Him. The Hebrews knew that....do you?

John Kuvakas