Matthew 4:1 (ESV)“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”
You know, gang, there is a word in this verse that I like to look at, especially because of the Markan account’s differentiation.
Gang, sometimes there is a wilderness….
And sometimes there is a gentle leading….
This wilderness and temptation is not that gentle leading stuff, and this is also not necessarily tender and affectionate. This is εκβάλλω.
See the Mark account, which is the language of a Prophet. Mark was, in the language of some, taking down the recountings of Peter, who always entered a room mouth-first. Peter, as a Redemptive Gift Prophet wasn’t know for his gentleness, but rather his boldness. And in Jesus retelling of his wilderness experience, Peter got the sense that the King wasn’t being tensely led out or slowly led out, as a bridegroom does for their bride.
The Spirit immediately drove him out (threw him out) into the wilderness.
Mark 1:14 (ESV)
“Drove”, or, as the Greek says, “thrown out”, which is the same word used when Yeshua talked about throwing out demonic entities.
Yes, this was a fathering approach. It was this dynamic pregnant with “get thee thence eftsoons”. Without delay, with purpose.
Gang, yes, this isn’t the kind language of Hosea, “who is this coming up from the wilderness leaning on her Beloved?”. And there is a time and a place for soft and gentle language and action. But there is also a time for us to get thrown into situations that the King knows will make us uncomfortable.
So, as squishy as He might make you, and as lovesick as His interacting with you might make you, those memes about the L-rd will never push you, drive you, are simply untrue.
They are memes, which is why they make a quick attention grab, but they are usually trite and overused.
Also, rememeber (pun intended), this getting thrown is to a specific purpose. Truly, the L-rd may suddenly move you into a place, and you will feel a driving force. He may order a separation or a push that He won’t tell anyone else about.
And it can look or feel like an internal drive or an external drive.
Or He might assign to you a task with a specific timeframe, and tell you to get cracking on it.
But, be encouraged, because there will be wild beasts there to connect with and malakim to minister living water.
And that season will feel full of focussed intensity. As in the case of Yeshua, it was 40 days.
As each of these masculine seasons ought to.