The Beauty of the Wilderness

by Ronen and Melanie Shalom

We have had many comments from people asking us why we chose to live in the desert, especially from those who have seen where we live. It can seem crazy to live out in a place where you are far from “civilization” and where it seems to be barren. It is not for everyone; that is for sure. The desert doesn’t “make you or break you.” It breaks you and then makes you. This is physically and spiritually.

The Lord called many of His prophets and servants to the desert before and during their service to Him. In Hebrew there is a saying that is translated “The Word speaks in the desert.” HaDvar Medaber b'Midbar. In Hebrew, “Word” (as in the Word of God), “speaks” and “desert” come from the same root word and are related.

The first time I ever ventured out into the desert was about 6 years ago. I had heard of the naked, raw beauty of the wilderness and decided to take a trip to experience it for myself. As I prepared for the trip, two scripture verses were on my heart and while I was in the desert, the Word spoke to me and my eyes were opened to a spiritual truth.

Yes, the desert, the wilderness is barren but it can also be a place of fruitfulness. Aside from the natural brush or a tree or two, here in the Negev there are vineyards, orchards, villages – life! This is what the Lord wants to do in our lives today. He allows, no, He allures, He draws us into the wilderness – a place of barrenness – for His work. You see, He takes us to a place where we will be barren in our flesh, our works, so that He can bear His fruit in us and through us.

Many people say they are in “the wilderness” when things are going wrong and when there is pressure or when they don’t “feel” God’s presence or receive from His Word the way they are used to. More times than not, we say it is a place of punishment or correction. I have heard many people (me included) use the phrase, “going around that mountain one more time.” This is in reference to the Israelites wandering until they learned what they needed to – to be obedient.

Today, the Lord wants to show us the beauty of the wilderness.

Hosea 2:14-17
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness (desert), and speak comfort to her. I will give her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope;
she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. “And it shall be, in that day,” Says the LORD, “That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ And no longer call Me ‘My Master,’ For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, and they shall be remembered by their name no more.”

Why the wilderness?

Jeremiah 2:2
“Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, “Thus says the LORD: ‘I remember you, the kindness of your youth, The love of your betrothal, when you went after Me in the wilderness(desert), in a land not sown.’”

In speaking to the Israelites, the wilderness is where they met God. This is where they took their wedding vows but those vows were soon forgotten and the marriage bed defiled when they left the wilderness. Weren’t you in a virtual wilderness because of your life in Egypt (the world) when you came to know the Lord?

This message is about returning to your first love. You don’t have to be a backslider cruising the bars for this message to apply to you. You can be at the church every time the door opens. Maybe you do righteous acts, maybe you even pray and read your Bible everyday. But what the Lord wants right now is to be the first love in your heart. He wants you to call Him “Husband”, not “Master” nor even “Savior” but “Husband.” He wants more of your heart, more of your love.

As I read this scripture for the first time a few years ago, I realized that I didn’t really know Him as my husband. I also realized that my definition of love is different than His. How I (we) define love is based on my experiences. And most of us have had bad experiences, at least in our past.

This is what we do with our relationship with our heavenly Husband. It takes Him alluring us into the wilderness, a place of for us to become barren for Him to ‘speak comfort to our hearts’, to show us what His definition of love is and to show us how He wants us to love Him. This is where He will give us a vineyard and where we will sing (Hosea 2:15) – with Him and to Him. This is joy and fruitfulness.

Valley of Achor as a door of Hope (Hosea 2:15)
In Joshua chapter 7, we read about the Valley of Achor. The story opens with the Israelites losing the battle of Ai. They had the victory in Jericho and a major loss in this second battle. Joshua cried out to the Lord and He answered him. God told him that there was sin in the camp. The Israelites were forbidden to take anything from Jericho but one man took a garment and silver and gold. Achor comes from the root word that means trouble. Achan, the name of the man who hid the items in his tent also comes from the root word that means trouble.
In our sin and even “double trouble” we have hope in the Lover of our soul. There is no sin so bad that can keep us from Him. In that sin we can look up and see the Hope of our salvation with His outstretched hand. He gives us Hope when we are in our valley of trouble.

Removing the names of the Baals (Hosea 2:15)
Baals are gods. For us, these might be laziness, selfishness, greed, good deeds, our husbands or wives or the desire for one, our own agenda and plans, ministry, our children, etc.…. In Hebrew, “baal” also means “husband” and “owner”. What or who are we married to? What or who are we becoming one with in the spirit? Is it to God or to something else? What or who owns us?

These baals are to be removed from our mouth so we don’t consume these things or speak of these things – meaning, they are not to be given precedence in our lives. Only Yahweh is to be first. He is our God and our Husband.

So, whether God is alluring you to a spiritual desert or even a physical one – give yourself to Him. Allow His “dvar” (word) medaber (speak) to you in your midbar (desert). There is beauty in the desert.
Blessings of Shalom to you and your family,
Melanie Shalom

Attatched is a picture of some of the caravans (like trailor homes or like small prefab houses) This is only a temporary "neighborhood" in the settlement. As Each family has the ability, we can build our own home on a 1/4 of an acre on the dune.
Also, attached is a picture of the view from our window.