17 Bible Verses about Wilderness

Then Moses led Israel from the Reed Sea and they went to the desert of Shur. They traveled into the desert for three days and did not find water.

They rested outside of Migdol. They traveled from Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea to the wilderness. They were on the road three days in the wilderness of Etham, then rested in Marah.

Elijah arrived at a cave and stayed there. All of a sudden this message came from the LORD: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" "I've been very zealous for the LORD God of the Heavenly Armies," he replied. "The Israelis have abandoned your covenant, demolished your altars, executed your prophets with swords, and I that's right, just me! am the only one left. Now they're seeking my life, to get rid of me!" "Go out," he responded, "and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD." And there was the LORD, passing by! A tremendous, mighty windstorm was tearing at the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces in the presence of the LORD, but the LORD was not in the windstorm. After the wind there came an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. read more.
After the earthquake there came fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the sound of a gentle whisper. As soon as Elijah heard it, he covered his face in his mantle, went outside, and stood at the entrance to the cave. And there a voice spoke to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" "I've been very zealous for the LORD God of the Heavenly Armies," he replied. "The Israelis have abandoned your covenant, demolished your altars, executed your prophets with swords, and I that's right, just me! am the only one left. Now they're seeking my life, to get rid of me!" The LORD replied to him, "Go! Return to Damascus, and when you get there, anoint Hazael as king over Aram, anoint Nimshi's son Jehu as king over Israel, and anoint Shaphat's son Elisha from Abel-meholah as a prophet to replace you. Whoever escapes from Hazael's sword Jehu will execute, and whoever escapes from Jehu's sword Elisha will put to death. Nevertheless, I've reserved 7,000 in Israel who have neither bowed their knees to Baal nor kissed him." Elijah left there and located Shaphat's son Elisha, who was plowing, along with a total of twelve pairs of oxen. (He was plowing with the twelfth pair.) As Elijah passed by, he tossed his cloak at Elisha. He abandoned the oxen, ran off to follow Elijah, and asked him, "Please, let me kiss my mother and father good-bye, and then I'll come after you." "Go back again," Elijah replied. "What have I done to you?" So Elisha turned back, took the pair of oxen, sacrificed them, boiled their flesh using the farm implements for fuel, and gave the food to the people with him. Then he got up, followed Elijah, and became his servant.

The LORD responded, "I've forgiven them based on what you've said. But just as I live, and just as the whole earth will be filled with the LORD's glory, none of those men who saw my glory and watched my miracles that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness even though they've tested me these ten times and never listened to my voice read more.
will ever see the land that I promised to their ancestors. Those who spurned me won't see it. Now as to my servant Caleb, because a different spirit is within him and he has remained true to me, I'm going to bring him into the land that he explored, and his descendants are to inherit it. Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite live in the valley. Tomorrow, turn and then travel to the wilderness in the direction of the Reed Sea." Then the LORD told Moses and Aaron, "How long will this wicked assembly keep complaining about me? I've heard the complaints of the Israelis that they've been murmuring against me. So tell them that as long as I live consider this to be an oracle from the LORD as certainly as you've spoken right into my ears, that's how I'm going to treat you. Your corpses will fall in this wilderness every single one of you who has been counted among you, according to your number from 20 years and above, who complained against me. You will certainly never enter the land about which I made an oath with my uplifted hand to settle you in it, except for Jephunneh's son Caleb and Nun's son Joshua. However, I'll bring your little ones the ones whom you claimed would become war victims into the land so that they'll know by experience the land that you've rejected. "Now as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness and your children will wander throughout the wilderness for 40 years. They'll bear the consequences of your idolatries until your bodies are entirely consumed in the wilderness. Just as you explored the land for 40 days, you'll bear the consequences of your iniquities for 40 years one year for each day as you experience my hostility. I, the LORD, have spoken. I will indeed do this to this evil congregation, who gathered together against me. They'll be eliminated in this wilderness and will surely die." After this, the men whom Moses sent out to explore the land, who returned and made the whole congregation complain against him by bringing an evil report concerning the land, and who produced an evil report about the land, died of pestilence in the LORD's presence. However, Nun's son Joshua and Jephunneh's son Caleb, who had explored the land, remained alive. After Moses had told all of this to the Israelis, the people deeply mourned.

On the twentieth day of the second month in the second year, the cloud was lifted up from the Tent of Meeting, so the Israelis set out from the Sinai Wilderness until the cloud settled in the Paran Wilderness, doing what the LORD had said through Moses. read more.
The standard of the camp of Judah was the first to travel, accompanied by its army with Amminadab's son Nahshon in charge. Zuar's son Nethanel was in charge of the camp of Issachar. Helon's son Eliab was in charge of the camp of Zebulun. The tent was taken down, and the descendants of Gershon and Merari carried the tent. Then the standard of the camp of Reuben set out, accompanied by its army with Shedeur's son Elizur in charge. Zurishaddai's son Shelumiel was in charge of the tribe of Simeon. Deuel's son Eliasaph was in charge of the tribe of Gad. Then the descendants of Kohath, carrying the sanctuary, set out, since the tent was to be set up before they arrive. After this, the standard of the camp of Ephraim set out, accompanied by its army with Ammihud's son Elishama in charge. Pedazzur's son Gamaliel was in charge of the tribe of Manasseh. Gideoni's son Abidan was in charge of the army of the tribe of Benjamin. Then the standard of the camp of Dan set out, functioning as the rear guard for all the encampments, accompanied by its army with Ammishaddai's son Ahiezer. Ochran's son Pagiel was in charge of the tribe of Asher. Enan's son Ahira was in charge of the tribe of Naphtali. This was the travel order for the Israelis, whenever their companies traveled. Then Moses told Reuel's son Hobab, Moses' relative by marriage from Midian, "We are traveling to the place about which the LORD said "I will give it to you.' So come with us and we'll be good to you, because the LORD has spoken good things about Israel." But he said, "I won't go with you because I'm returning to my land and to my own family." Then Moses responded, "Please don't leave us now, since you know where we can camp in the wilderness. You could be our guide. And when you come with us, the good things that the LORD will grant us, we'll give you as well." So they traveled from the mountain of the LORD, a three-day trip, with the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD traveling in front of them a three day trip to explore a place for them to rest. Moreover, the cloud of the LORD protected them during the day when they left their camp. Whenever the ark was ready to travel, Moses would say: "Arise, LORD, to scatter your enemies, so that whoever hates you will flee from your presence." Whenever the ark was being readied to rest, he would say: "Return, LORD, to the countless thousands of Israel."

After this, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.

At once the Spirit drove him into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for 40 days being tempted by Satan. He was among wild animals, and angels were ministering to him.

Then Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan. He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

The LORD found him in a desert land, in a barren, eerie wilderness. He surrounded, cared for, and guarded him as the pupil of his eye.