Joseph Prince - The Judean Wilderness Where Jesus Was Tempted
— Expedition Promised Land continues. Joseph Prince, this is a pretty big overlook. There’s a lot to talk about in this area. Where do you want to start on this one?
— We’ll start with the map. I think you’re on it. As you can see, Jerusalem is on the left side and the Dead Sea is on the right. Even though it’s from the left to right, but actually we are descending down 3600 feet. That’s how high we are from the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is the lowest place on planet earth. Think about that, that you are actually looking at the area of the Dead Sea. Just over there, you can see the beginning outlines of the Dead Sea. All the way down from sea level to the Dead Sea will be about 1200 feet. That’s why the Pilgrims back then, when they go up to the annual feasts and they would come up, they would say, «Come, let us go up to Jerusalem». The men went down to Jericho. The men left Jerusalem to go down to Jericho, fell among thieves. The story of the good Samaritan. So, you can see the topography. Every time you go to God, if you’re drawing near to God, you’re going up. Like Jonah. Jonah went down to Joppa, then he went down to the port, then he went down to the boat. In fact, he went down into the sea. Every time you leave God, it’s down, but when your heart is towards the Lord, even after the first word of prayer to him, you are going up. You’re ascending out of your troubles. So, I feel that even topography itself is a parable that God wants us to learn from.
— I lift mine eyes unto Jerusalem where my help comes from. I mean, there’s so much that clicks when you are here to see, even the topography of what we’re on. We’re on, in essence, mount scopus. We’re, in essence, right near the Mount of Olives. We’re on the back side, looking east now here. This is kind of north up my way, my view, and towards east. When you think of the Judean wilderness, it’s hard to not think about Jesus and the temptation would have been somewhere in this Judean wilderness somewhere.
— You can see Jericho from here. It’s way down there, but the mountain of temptation will be just towards the left. You’ll find where the proposed site that Jesus was tempted. I think that’s a beautiful story. The fact that satan tempted Jesus and he succeeded in an environment that was like desert, sparse, nothing there, Jesus obeyed. Adam sinned in an environment of plenty. He was surrounded with all kinds of resources and fruits that delight the heart of man. And yet, he fell. So, Jesus, the last Adam, succeeded when the first Adam didn’t. By one man’s sin, death reigned, but for those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign through Jesus Christ.
— I think it’s kind of funny that we’re here in what would be called a Judean wilderness overlook, yet I see a very modern highway, a very modern part of the city, some freeways, and wouldn’t you know it, two weeks ago, it rained like cats and dogs here, so everything looks green. So, we’re trying to show this barren wilderness, and it’s filled with animals grazing, green, grass. The idea that the Dead Sea, we’re roughly at about 3,600 feet where we are here near Jerusalem, and the Dead Sea at 1300 feet below sea level is an amazing contrast. On a slightly clearer day than today, you’re looking at the country of Jordan, you’re looking kind of at the Jordan river valley. So, Jesus' baptism was just over here. Joshua fought the battle of Jericho just over here.
— The crossing of Joshua and the journey of Israel was also here.
— Elijah. The crossing was just here.
— Yeah, back and forth.
— We’re playing a biblical quiz. Anymore? I said one, now it’s your turn to say something.
— Yes, David in En Gedi hiding in the caves.
— My turn?
— The Hebrew word for caves.
— You said there would be no testing on this show.
— You started first. I love the fact that…
— Jesus' baptismal.
— Yes, exactly. He was baptized in the lowest place on earth, and when he came out of the waters, I love the way the Bible writes. It’s not is found in your King James Bible, but in the Greek, it says God opened the heavens to him. It’s like heaven is waiting on the delight of the Father. He came out the waters and the Father says, «You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased». Having not done any miracle yet. His first miracle is turning water into wine Cana, Galilee. He has not done any miracle. The Father affirmed him. I think we need to do that for our children, especially to affirm them, and then, I believe that when they hear the Father’s approval, «You are my beloved Son. I love you, Son,» they’ll go out and win the fight of life. Right there, after that, Jesus went into the fight of life. He was tempted by the devil.
— Isn’t that beautiful?
— The pharisees, the Sadducees would have come down this now modern road. Probably would have just been a trail back then to find John the Baptist to say, «Under whose authority are you preaching»? He would have been preaching just down here on the other side of the Jordan valley there.
— Yep. And also a place called Aenon. A lot of water is there. The Bible says he baptized there, but John the Baptist was pointed to Jesus. All those years of offering lambs as sacrifice. When you bring a lamb to the temple, it’s obvious why you are there. You have sinned. The priest does not look at you, the priest looks at the lamb. It’s not how bad you are, it’s how good your lamb is. He would check for blemishes, and then the lamb is killed in your place. But before that, you’re supposed to lay your hands on the lamb. It’s as if all your sins are imparted into the lamb, and all the lamb’s spotlessness and righteousness is imparted into you. Finally, lamb after lamb, year after year, thousands of years past, then Jesus came. And what did John say? Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. So, we put our trust in Jesus. It is like you are putting your hands on the head of the lamb, and all your sins are imparted to him, and all his righteousness comes on you, and you get what you don’t deserve because on that cross, Jesus got what we actually deserved.
— You could put Joseph Prince in the Judean wilderness, and all of a sudden, grace, and life, and love comes pouring out of you. That’s a beautiful thought. We are basically stepping through an expedition. Expedition Promised Land to be exact. Walk where Jesus walked. Joseph Prince, our guide. We’re looking at a map here showing Jerusalem, Qumran national park, kind of the north end of the Dead Sea. The Jordan river valley behind us. What do you want to take away from this area on our expedition together?
— I think when we come here and look at the Judean wilderness and think about all the heroes of faith that we grew up reading about in Sunday school, David, and John the Baptist, Elijah, Elisha, and all the great stories of Joshua, and the opening of the river Jordan. Imagine God slapped back the river all the way to the city of Adam. They probably saw a pillar of water moving right in the air and the crossing of the river Jordan here. I think about the fact that they spent so much time in the wilderness. All the men of God, all the heroes of faith, they spent a lot of time, David especially, a lot of time in the wilderness. We think about wilderness. In our western mind, we think of a desert where nothing can grow, but for a wilderness, if the rain comes, you’ll find, just a few weeks ago. Now, there’s rain. It turns green. So, in the Hebrew, it is the… That’s actually a name of the Bible in the Old Testament. In the Hebrew, it’s called… Which book of the Bible is that? Matt.
— You said there will be no quizzes.
— Okay. Bamidbar is the book of numbers. We call it numbers, but actually, we go by the numbering system of the twelve tribes and all that. The name there in Hebrew is Bamidbar, which is in the wilderness. Bamidbar, the Hebrew word, the root word of Bamidbar is… In Hebrew is the word, the Word of God. So, think about it. In the wilderness is from the Word of God. So, you go find the Word of God in the wilderness. For us, today is like when we are faced with a wilderness experience. It’s a time of wilderness for me. Actually, it’s a time where you find the Word of God. The Word of God is found in the wilderness. The sheep graze in the wilderness because it’s a picture of us ruminating on the Word of God. They are ruminants. They will lie down. He makes me to lie down in green pastures and meditate, chewing the cud. Cows and sheep, they chew the cud. Do we chew the cud? We receive God’s word. We go to a place where you can just be alone with God. At home, it might be difficult. It might be a private room somewhere, but be in that place of wilderness or you might be going through a time of wilderness. But in that place, you will find the Word of God.
— The word wilderness. We are in Jerusalem together. We’re looking kind of on the back side of mount scopus. Let’s say to the north, to the northeast. I like, pastor, what you’re talking about in regard to this wilderness. We’re sitting in near, very near Jerusalem. We’re looking kind of north-northeast here. The back side of the mount scopus, the back side of the Mount of Olives. When you think of wilderness experience, most church experiences, most pastoral kind of messages on a wilderness means you’re not hearing God, you’re in a dry…
— Just this… wilderness experience sounds not good, but it’s midbar. The word midbar. Midbar, to the average Hebrew speaker, is a good thing. It’s where you go to get the Word of God, to hear the Word of God. So, a wilderness experience can be embraced. It can be embraced and it can be something that you look to rather than running from.
— Very good. That’s exactly what David did. He would seek out the wilderness. That’s what Elijah did. They would seek out the wilderness. Sometimes God would tell the prophet, «Go here. Go there,» and it’s an area of wilderness. So, instead of just saying that I’m now in a wilderness experience maybe because of my sin. Actually, back in those days, they would seek out the wilderness to find the Word of God.
— It’s completely opposite. It’s opposite in our modern time, that God is saying, «The wilderness, the loneliness is a time where you can come and I’ll be there with you».
— Yes. Jesus was alone when he was tempted by the devil. It’s something very interesting that the devil actually tempted him by the common denominator. Here would say, «If you are the Son of God. If you are the Son of God, turn to stone. If you are the Son of God, do this». Notice that he’d drop out one word. He left off the word beloved because the Lord just came out of the river of Jordan and the father says, «You are my beloved son». The devil cannot use that word because it’s counterproductive for him to remind you that you are God’s beloved, and that’s what I believe that our responsibility is to tell our people that they are God’s beloved. They are loved. We want them to love God. We want them to be people, loving people. Let them experience loved. We loved because he first loved us. Unless we know we are loved, we cannot love. Those who love best are those who are loved best, and they know it.
— We’re discussing wilderness. In the Hebrew, the word is midbar, or a place where Revelation can be found. Let’s say it that way. So, if we’re discussing this kind of wilderness experience, it feels like, pastor, the last couple of weeks here in Jerusalem was prophetic. We’re trying to show a desolate, barren, dry place.
— When we get here it’s all greened, up and looks beautiful, and looks inviting. Maybe that’s what this particular episode is supposed to do. We’re supposed to flip somebody’s mindset that in a dry place, in a wilderness experience, I haven’t heard God, I haven’t felt God. Well, Revelation is there. It’s there for the taking. Proof of that, and prophetically, we’re even seeing green grass where ten months out of the year, it would be very dry here. Why don’t you just talk to the people for a second about the Lord is with those, he’s close to those in a time of trouble, he’s got Revelation for someone in a midbar.
— Perhaps you are going through the term a wilderness experience. I think many in the church world are very familiar with that term, but usually it’s used in a negative sense. The thing of wilderness is something, maybe I’ve done something. I’m going to the wilderness and God is not pleased with me for some reason. That’s why I’m going through a wilderness experience. Actually, the men of God in the Old Testament, you’ll find them seeking out the wilderness. The reason why… Was sharing just now about how this was just dry, and plain. I want to show you a different aspect of Israel, the dry side, but it turned green because of the rains. So, we are now in the time of spring. It’s during this time that the latter rains of Israel, the letter rains. We have the former rain and we have the latter rain. We are the latter rain generation of Jesus Christ. What a timely season for us to be recording this. Rain is also a picture of the Holy Spirit or the Word of God. Just as the rain comes down from heaven and does not go back until it waters the earth, so shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth, my… He will not return to me void. He will accomplish that which I please. So, likewise, during this time of wilderness in your life, look out for the Word of God. Spend time, if you can, hearing messages that are Jesus centered, grace based, love centered, and start finding that word, that one word. Sometimes you hear a lot of sermons or a lot of words going through your head, and all of a sudden, bang. You hear something that your heart just lifted. Or you’re reading the scriptures, you’re reading something, then verse just jumps out and grabs you and says, «Pay attention». That’s the word that God has for you. I look out for those times when I’m studying the word and a word just jumps out at me. Many a times, I just want to finish my chapters, I have five chapters, but that’s wrong. That’s going by the law, but if I stop and hear what the spirit is saying, that word, I receive so much more. So, there is a word, and find that word. What you’re going through right now is going to be reaches for others. You’re coming through a time where God will enrich you through his word so that the God of all comfort will comfort you during this time. That comfort by which you are comforted, you will comfort others also. Hallelujah.
— Beautiful. Wow. We are on an expedition. It’s called Expedition Promised Land, and Joseph Prince is our guide. We’re walking where Jesus walked. We’re kind of flipping the script on the wilderness. The wilderness is what we can enjoy. The wilderness is what we can find and where we can find Revelation. If we have that expectation, we seem to hide ourself from God in a wilderness experience, and he’s saying, «Come and get the Revelation that you need». It’s a complete script flip, kind of like when we showed up on the location, hoping that we were going to see a bunch of just kind of wilderness. It was all greened up, and there’s animals eating, and it’s a different mindset to think I’m in a wilderness experience. I’m going come here to find Revelation.