Embracing the Desert: The Gifts of Unemployment

When we hear the word desert, we usually picture sand as far as the eye can see, blazing sun, nothing to break the horizon but the rare oasis of palm trees and water. But as we encounter deserts in our own lives and seek biblical wisdom for surviving and learning from them, we should remember that the “desert” (or in some translations, the “wilderness”) has many more diverse connotations.

One of the origins of the word we translate as desert in Scripture means “a place to be fed.” Shepherds would take their flocks into the desert so that the animals could graze on small plants and shrubs. Although the desert did not offer a lot of food other than during the rainy season, flocks and wild animals could live off the food they foraged. Nomads, animal herders, and travelers also lived in these deserts, feeding their flocks or simply moving from place to place.

Still the desert was not well populated and so lacked the “luxuries” of ancient city living: relatively accessible merchants, a police presence, and the safety of neighbors. Indeed, the most important aspect of life in the desert was the danger it posed to its inhabitants. Although the desert promised food for the herds, it was not always enough, making the lack of sufficient food a constant threat. Second, travelers could not always rely on finding shelter from extreme weather conditions. Also, because the desert was largely unsettled, travelers were always at risk of being attacked by robbers, and shepherds constantly had to guard their flocks against thieves and wild animals. Finally, the desert carried with it a strong sense of uncertainty. Life in the desert was frightening enough, but when one did not really know how long he or she would have to stay, the danger and its accompanying fear became even more acute.