This past Spring 2026, I taught a seminar at Sheridan Hills Baptist Church called “The Wilderness Test.” The class was built around 1 Corinthians 10:6–13 and Hebrews 3–4, using the New Testament writers’ own interpretation of Israel’s wilderness journey as the backbone of the class. This seminar explored the Christian journey through the lens of the wilderness.
So, what is “the Wilderness Test?” The Wilderness Test is the pattern Paul and the author of Hebrews draw from Israel’s experience in the wilderness and apply directly to the Christian life. Israel’s journey from Egypt to Canaan serves as a type for the Christian’s journey from salvation to glory.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:6 that these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. The Christian’s life follows the same pattern: salvation from slavery, sustenance through trials, and a trajectory toward the Promised Land, which is Christ himself.
The class had three objectives.
First, we wanted to see Israel’s wilderness journey as a pattern for the Christian’s spiritual journey, emphasizing the Christian journey. Christians must understand their own story within this framework: slavery to sin, deliverance by grace, a life of trials in the wilderness, and a sure hope in Christ at the end.
Second, we identified Israel’s specific sins from Numbers 11–25, understood why they failed, and pointed to Christ as the answer for practical, daily sanctification.
Third, we read Numbers through the lens of the New Testament writers, and when we did, we found that Israel’s failures do not have the last word. The trajectory of the wilderness is one of hope in Christ.
We also spent significant time in Matthew 4, where Jesus enters the wilderness and passes the test that Israel failed repeatedly. Where Israel grumbled, Jesus trusted. Where Israel worshiped idols, Jesus worshiped God alone. He is the true Israel, and his victory over the wilderness is the ground of the Christian’s confidence in their own wilderness journey.
Over 12 weeks, I taught the following seminar outline:
Week 1 — Overview and Introduction: What is the Wilderness Test?
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