Week Two | Develop Eyes That See

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Wealth of the Wilderness Online Biblical Study
Reading Assignment – Ch. 3 & 4
Hebrew Word of the Week – halakha הֲלָכָה
🎙️ Listen to the Audio version 🎧 | Listening Time 9.5-minutes

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In the summer of 2013, my dad, my cousin, and I traveled cross country from Arizona to West Virginia.  My cousin, a military wife, was moving home for a few months while her husband was in training.  We set off for home in the early morning with the final destination being West Virginia, but we had no timeline, no set agenda.  Our goal was to enjoy the journey.  

Along the way, we were able to take in everything that surrounded us.  One of the best parts was that as we were driving along, all one of us had to do was shout when we saw a place we wanted to make a detour to.  I can say that I have never had my eyes peeled for new adventures as much as I did during this trip.  

I will forever be thankful for every detour and new adventure that we found.  

As I reflect on this trip, I can’t help but wonder what my life would be like if I walked each day in the same way.   What new things could I see and experience if only I took the time to look for them?

Engage the Process

When we approach Scripture with a Middle Eastern Lens, it allows us to focus on the journey more so than the destination.   In order to gain all possible wealth from our wilderness season, we must first choose to engage in the process.  But what exactly does it look like to do that?

In Hebrew, the word halakha refers to “a way of walking or living,” and the word sharia which means “the path.”  So when it comes to engaging in the process we must first ask ourselves, “are we willing to halakha, or walk, the path before us?”

“Wilderness, whenever and however it comes, is an invitation to say ‘yes’ to the adventure that has found us… as painful, inconvenient, or stretching as it may be.”

rebekah joy, pg. 34 of “wealth of the wilderness”

If we choose to say yes to the wilderness, we choose to “grow through what we go through.”  Engaging in the process involves shifting our own focus from the destination to the journey.  Through our wilderness, we each get to decide how we will halakha, or walk, along this journey.

“Transformation happens in and through the wilderness when our halakha includes a willingness to walk the path before us.”

REBEKAH JOY, PG. 36 OF “WEALTH OF THE WILDERNESS”

When we make the transition to a Middle Eastern Lens, we must shift our focus on our wilderness from the form (of how it looks) to the function (the purpose it serves). Hagar, Moses, Elijah, David, John the Baptist, Paul, and even Jesus all found the function in their wilderness.  

What is your current wilderness?  What function is it serving?

Develop Eyes That See

As a kid, climbing trees was always the coolest thing to do.  Not only did I feel brave for being that far off the ground, but I also got to see the world through a new perspective.  Being up that high gave me the ability to have an expanded view of the world.  

That is what we are aiming to achieve by developing eyes that see.

“We are not merely seeking to see form. Rather, wilderness seasons invite us to see beyond what is visible or obvious.  The function– or purpose — of eyes that see is to help us gain enhanced perspective.”

REBEKAH JOY, PG. 47 OF “WEALTH OF THE WILDERNESS”

One such enhanced perspective we learn about in Scripture is of Moses and the wilderness seasons he experienced. Specifically his encounter with an angel in the burning bush.  

After 40 years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.  When he saw this he was amazed at the sight.  As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord
Acts 7:30-31, NIV

Moses had just left the only home he had known, to pursue the freedom of his people, the Israelites who had been enslaved for 400 years.  In this pursuit, he walked purposefully through the barren wilderness, known for its high heat, dry weather, and fires.   So, what about this burning bush caused Moses to stop?

 “At the mountain of God known as Horeb, the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses from the midst of a bush on fire but not consumed.  Rather than noticing it and continuing on with the sheep, Moses stopped to take a closer look.  Moses’ pause compelled the living God to call to him from the bush.”

REBEKAH JOY pg. 54, “WEALTH OF WILDERNESS”

Friends, Moses wasn’t rushing, eyes straight ahead, to his final destination.  He took the time to slow down, enjoy the journey, and see where God was going to meet him along the way, even in the midst of the wilderness.  Moses decided that everything he had going on could wait.  

When we take the time to slow down and see what God has placed in front of us, it brings us closer to Him and to the plan He has for us.  He sees us in the midst of our wilderness and He wants to help us develop eyes that see. 

 “Because we are made in the image of the God who sees, we can ask Him to give us eyes that see.  We don’t have to wander aimlessly.”

REBEKAH JOY pg. 60, “WEALTH OF WILDERNESS”

Let’s recap…

TODAY WE LEARNED:
1. The Middle Eastern Lens focuses on function, not form. 
2. Halakha is the Hebrew word for “a way of walking or living.”
3. Sharia is the Hebrew word for “the path.”
4. Engaging in the process involves shifting our focus from form to function.
5. Hagar, Moses, Elijah, David, John the Baptist, Paul, and even Jesus all found the function in their wilderness.
6. Our goal is to gain an enhanced perspective. 
7. Moses decided everything he had going on could wait because God was more important.
8. When we take the time to slow down and see what God has placed in front of us, it brings us closer to Him and to the plan He has for us.

ANSWER THIS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW:
What is your current wilderness? What function is it serving? Where have you seen God show up in your wilderness?