The Starkness

Overview

The Beauty of the Desert: Reading the Prophets Rightly

To enter the prophetic books of the Old Testament is to walk into a desert. The landscape is stark—filled with declarations of God's wrath against sin, warnings of judgment, and the sober record of a people who would not turn back to their God. At first glance, we may find ourselves looking for water, for flowers, for the lush garden God once promised. Instead, we encounter rocks, dryness, and devastation. Yet the desert has its own beauty, and learning to see it is essential to rightly handling these books.

The Promise and the Rebellion

The story begins not in barrenness but in promise. In Genesis 12:1-3, God called Abram—an idolater with nothing in himself to commend him—and pledged land, offspring, and blessing for all the families of the earth. Through Moses, God painted what life in that land could look like for a people walking in covenant faithfulness: blessing in the city and the field, fruitfulness in womb and harvest, security from enemies, and a holy reputation among the nations Deuteronomy 28:3-12.

But the history of Israel is largely a history of rebellion. The garden God gave became a desert through His people's persistent refusal to listen. In Jeremiah 44:4-6, the Lord laments, "I persistently sent to you all my servants the prophets… but they did not listen." Amos 4:6-12 traces the escalating discipline God sent—famine, drought, blight, pestilence, defeat—each followed by the heartbreaking refrain: "Yet you did not return to me." Warnings unheeded; judgment inevitable.

Why the Desert Is Beautiful

Two truths shine through the starkness. First, God's judgment is righteous. In the song of the vineyard Isaiah 5:1-7, the Lord asks what more He could have done for His vineyard that He had not already done. He cleared the ground, planted choice vines, and built a watchtower—and still it yielded wild grapes. Jeremiah 2:5-7 drives the point home: "I brought you into a plentiful land… but when you entered you defiled my land." God's wrath is never capricious; it is the just response of a holy God to a people who took His blessings and threw them back in His face.

Second, God's honor is preserved. Twenty-seven times in Ezekiel, judgment is followed by the refrain, "Then you shall know that I am the LORD" (see Ezekiel 7:4-9). Even Israel's exiles assumed the promises would unfold without their obedience, that God would simply overlook their idolatry. He would not. God will not be mocked. His purposes will not be thwarted. Idols cannot displace Him. He shapes history according to His plan.

Pastoral Application

Before we go searching for flowers of grace among the prophets—and they are there, in abundance—we must first stand in the desert and let it teach us. A God who compromises His righteousness to spare us from discomfort is no God at all. The starkness of His judgment is not opposed to His beauty; it is part of it. To know that He is steadfast, holy, and unchanging—that He will not bargain away His honor—is itself a deep comfort for those who trust Him.

So as we walk through the prophets, we do not rush past the barrenness. We breathe its dry air, we feel its heat, and we worship the God whose righteousness shines like sun on stone. Only then will the flowers of His grace, when we find them, smell as sweet as they truly are.

Transcript

My first call out of seminary was in Eastern Washington in a congregation called Richland 0s

Lutheran Church. 6s

I remember the evening that I received a call from the call committee chairperson who 8s

was inquiring of perhaps my interest in being interviewed for the position of associate 14s

pastor at that congregation. 21s

He said he was from Richland Lutheran Church in Richland Washington and I told him I was 24s

familiar with Washington. 29s

I had gone to school in Seattle. 31s

There was a little bit of a hesitation at that point and he said, well, the Eastern 33s

side is a little bit different than the Western side. 40s

I had never been over to the Eastern side of Washington but his words were, it's the 47s

desert over here. 53s

It's the desert over here. 56s

It's 150 miles south of Spokane. 58s

As you fly out of this tri-city area of Richland Pascon, Kennewick, it's about 100,000 62s

in the community. 68s

It's a really nice size. 69s

Stuck out in the middle of nowhere. 71s

When you fly out of the airport there, as you were leaving the tri-city area, you can 74s

see the Columbia River and you can see all of the green and the cities and all. 80s

Then just like you snap your finger, all of a sudden it is desert and it is barren. 86s

It is like someone drew these perfect square around these cities and the minute that you 94s

step over that square, you are smack dab in the desert. 103s

When you walk through the prophetic books, when you walk through those books, you can see 110s

books in Holy Scripture. 116s

You are walking through a landscape of desert. 118s

You have the expression of the wrath of God for sin. 125s

You have the prophecies of God with regard to His judgment upon His people because of 130s

their transgressions. 137s

You read some of that and you go, where's the water? 141s

Where are the flowers? 145s

Where is the beauty? 148s

Because it is stark as you walk through the desert. 151s

But amidst the starkness, there is a beauty to the starkness. 159s

I remember I went to a conference several years ago. 168s

It was in Phoenix. 171s

The first time I had ever been in Phoenix. 172s

God was the plain. 175s

It was hot. 175s

It was expecting that. 176s

But as we drove to the side of the conference, I was struck at the barrenness of that area. 179s

But also amidst the barrenness of the area, the beauty of that area in its own unique way. 186s

So as we study here through the prophets, we're going to see the starkness of the desert. 199s

And what I'd like us to appreciate is its own unique beauty as we study through the desert. 205s

And as we study through the prophets, we're going to come across flowers amidst the desert. 213s

We're going to come across gardens amidst the desert. 220s

These are flowers of God's grace, flowers of his goodness. 224s

That all of a sudden emerge amidst the starkness of the landscape. 231s

It's as if you are walking along and all you have are the rocks and the shrubs and the dried up stuff in the desert. 237s

And then all of a sudden is this beautiful garden in the midst of it. 245s

And so we're going to explore in these prophetic books and see not only the starkness, but we're also going to see the beauty. 251s

And I'd like to divide the class into two different parts. 261s

One, it's going to be finding the flowers in the desert. 265s

And then the second part, we're going to see the flowers in full bloom. 270s

So we're going to see the flowers of the prophetic word and then we're going to see the flowers in full bloom as those prophetic flowers come to fruition and are referred to in the New Testament. 275s

A fellow by the name of Robert Custer has done incredible work and I want to flag him because I'm going to draw on some of his work in this class. 288s

He's done wonderful, wonderful work in this area. 298s

So let's start in Genesis 12th chapter, please. 305s

The very first book in the Old Testament, Genesis 12. 309s

This is a key portion of scripture. 320s

So if you're a Bible writer, I encourage you to circle this section, the 12th chapter of Genesis. 325s

And beginning with verse 1, we read this. 333s

Now the Lord said to Abram, go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 337s

I will make of you a great nation. 347s

I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. 349s

I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you, I will curse and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 356s

Here is the great Abraham covenant that God has made and just a member a little side here. 369s

We know him here as Abram. We know him later as Abraham. 375s

Just a little side about Abram. There is nothing in Abram that caused God to choose him. 378s

In fact, Abram was a moon worshiper. God transformed his heart and he makes the great promise to Abram. 385s

That indeed there is going to be land, there is going to be offspring and there is going to be blessing. 396s

The land of Canaan was strategically located in the center of major cities in the day. 403s

And God wanted the promise of the promised land. 413s

He wanted that land to be that land of rich blessing, this beautiful land, this land that is rich in harvest. 417s

And Moses pictured the future of God's people in this land, provided that indeed they were obedient to God, what the future would look like. 427s

Let's go to Deuteronomy, please, chapter 28. 440s

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and then Deuteronomy. 443s

Deuteronomy, chapter 28. 448s

We'll pick up in verse 3. 451s

And here is the picture that God gives to Moses with regard to the land and what the land will be like for the people, as they are obedient to the Lord. 461s

So Matthew, or Deuteronomy, chapter 28, verse 3. 475s

Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 480s

Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your livestock, both the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock. 488s

Blessed shall be your basket in your needing bowl. 500s

Blessed shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out. 505s

The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. 511s

They shall come out against you one way and flee before you, seven ways. 517s

The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your barns, and in all that you undertake, He will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 523s

The Lord will establish you as His holy people, as He has sworn to you. 533s

If you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways, all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord. 539s

And they shall be afraid of you. 552s

The Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give you. 555s

The Lord will open for you His rich storehouse, the heavens, to give the reign of your land in its season and to bless all your undertakings. 572s

You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. 585s

God gives through Moses this picture of this land, calling the people into obedience. 596s

But as you look at the history of the Old Testament, as you look at the stories that you read there, the history of the Old Testament contains this expression of the rebellion of God's people. 604s

Against God Almighty. 622s

Now, there are certain examples of people that loved God and were faithful to Him most certainly. 626s

But for the most part, the beautiful garden that God had promised and given to His people of Old, the beautiful garden became a desert. 633s

Before we turn to finding the flowers in the desert, what I want to focus with you today on is looking at the desert itself in its starkness and seeing the beauty in the desert. 652s

I remember the call committee chair after he had shared that it's a little different here than over in the Seattle area. 672s

He also said this, but the desert can be beautiful. 683s

The desert can be beautiful. 690s

So let's focus this morning before we get to the flowers. 695s

Let's focus on the starkness of the desert and see its own unique beauty. 698s

God's warnings to His people went unheeded. 708s

So God makes the covenant with Abraham and Sarah through this line of people is going to come the Messiah. 716s

God makes the promises. 726s

God calls for obedience and God warns His people with regard to disobedience and those warnings were unheeded. 730s

Let's start in Jeremiah the 40th chapter. 738s

Now a good way to find Jeremiah is just go to the book of Psalms. 742s

It's in the middle of the scriptures and then turn right. 745s

Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Son of Solomon, Isaiah, and then Jeremiah. 749s

Jeremiah chapter 40 verse 1. 756s

Isaiah chapter 40 verse 1. 768s

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebazaradan, the captain of the guard, had let him go from Rama. 777s

When he took him bound in fetters along with all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. 788s

The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him, 797s

The Lord your God threatened this place with this disaster and now the Lord has brought it about and has done as he said because all of you sinned against the Lord and did not obey His voice. 802s

Therefore this thing has come upon you. 824s

Now look I have just released you today from the fetters on your hands. 830s

If you wish to come with me to Babylon, come and I will take good care of you. 835s

But if you do not wish to come with me to Babylon, you need not come. 840s

See the whole land is before you. Go wherever you think it good and right to go. 845s

Here is the correct assessment. 853s

Jeremiah knows that indeed the people here have heard the warnings and the warnings of God with regard to the ramifications of their disobedience. 856s

The warnings went unheeded. 868s

Let's go to Jeremiah chapter 44. 871s

Jeremiah 44. 875s

Picking up in verse 4. 882s

Yet I persistently sent to you all my servants, the prophets, saying, 889s

I beg you not to do this abominable thing that I hate. 896s

But they did not listen or incline their ear to turn from their wickedness and make no offerings to other gods. 903s

So my wrath and my anger were poured out and kindled in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem and they became waste and a desolation 912s

as they still are today. 924s

The warnings of God went unheeded. 928s

Let's go to Amos the fourth chapter. Amos keep moving toward the New Testament. 932s

I'm going to cross over lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, and then Amos. 939s

Amos chapter 4, verse 6. 950s

Amos chapter 4, picking up in verse 6. 967s

I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities and lack of bread in all your places. 972s

Yet you did not return to me, says the Lord. 981s

And I also withheld the rain from you when there were still three months to the harvest. 985s

I would send rain on one city and send no rain on another city. 991s

One field would be rained upon in the field on which it did not rain withered. 996s

So two or three towns wandered to one town to drink water and were not satisfied. 1002s

Yet you did not return to me, says the Lord. 1008s

I struck you with blight and mildew. 1015s

I laid waste your gardens and your vineyards, the locust devoured your fig trees and your olive trees. 1017s

Yet you did not return to me, says the Lord. 1024s

I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt. 1031s

I killed your young men with the sword. 1034s

I carried away your horses and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils. 1036s

Yet you did not return to me, says the Lord. 1043s

I overthrew some of you as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and you were like a brand snatched from the fire. 1049s

Yet you did not return to me, says the Lord. 1057s

Therefore, thus I will do to you, O Israel, because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel. 1062s

The warnings of God went unheated. 1073s

And God's judgment was righteous. 1079s

God's judgment and outpouring of his wrath upon his disobedient people was indeed righteous. 1087s

Let's go to Isaiah chapter 5. 1100s

So turn back Isaiah chapter 5 verse 1. 1102s

Isaiah chapter 5 verse 1. 1111s

Psalm's Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Ben Jeremiah, Isaiah chapter 5 verse 1. 1117s

And the righteousness here that God expresses in his judgment chapter 5. 1130s

Let me sing from my beloved, my love song concerning his vineyard. 1137s

My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 1142s

He dug it and cleared it out of stones and planted it with choice vines. 1144s

He built a watchtower in the midst of it and hew it out and hew it out a wine vat in it. 1149s

He expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. 1155s

And now inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah judge between me and my vineyard. 1163s

What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? 1169s

When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? 1175s

And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. 1180s

I will remove its hedge and it shall be devoured. 1184s

I will break down its wall and it shall be trampled down. 1187s

I will make it a waste. 1193s

It shall not be pruned or hoed and it shall be overgrown with briars and thorns. 1195s

I will also command the clouds that they reign no rain upon it. 1200s

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting. 1206s

He expected justice, but saw bloodshed righteousness, but heard a cry. 1214s

God's judgment upon Israel was righteous. 1226s

Let's go to Jeremiah, chapter 2. 1230s

Very next book, Jeremiah, chapter 2, verse 5. 1235s

Thus says the Lord, 1251s

What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they went far from me and went after worthless things and became worthless themselves? 1254s

They did not say where is the Lord who brought us up from the land of Egypt who led us in the wilderness, in the land of deserts and pits, in the land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that no one passes through where no one lives? 1265s

I brought you into a plentiful land to eat its fruits and its good things, 1282s

but when you entered you defiled my land and made my heritage in the combination. 1290s

Catch that verse again in 7. 1296s

I brought you into a plentiful land to eat its fruits and its good things, 1298s

but when you entered you defiled my land and made my heritage in a combination. 1304s

The prophets thoroughly described the depth to which God's people had fallen and point out God's righteous judgment in punishing them. 1313s

God gave them the promises and fulfilled them. 1328s

God gave them the land that He had said what would and they defile the land. 1331s

He points them to a Savior that would come and to forgive them and the Israelites take these blessings of God and they throw them back into the face of God. 1337s

God's judgment on Israel was righteous. 1353s

Notice in the desert here the starkness of it, the pronouncement on the punishment on His people. 1362s

There is a beauty in the starkness of the desert because it is revealing the righteousness of God. 1377s

Amidst all of the threats, amidst all of the living out of the threats against the Israelites because of sin. 1391s

This righteous word of God and these righteous actions of God give this beauty that arises. 1397s

It is landing in Phoenix, taking the bus to the rental facility and noticing. 1411s

I don't think I've seen this many cacti in one place and then traveling to the conference site saying, you know, on one aspect, it's kind of ugly here. 1421s

But when you look at it again in all of its starkness, there was this beauty to it. 1440s

So here you have the stark landscape of God's judgment on His people. 1451s

But there's a beauty there, isn't it? 1457s

Because what is shining through is the righteousness of God that indeed God is righteous, the people are not God, does not compromise His righteousness. 1460s

One I ode and there is a beauty in the starkness of the desert. 1474s

Another aspect of the beauty in the starkness of the desert is the preservation of God's honor, the preservation of God's honor. 1485s

Go to the book of Ezekiel. 1497s

So keep turning now, you're in Jeremiah. 1499s

Keep turning toward the New Testament. 1501s

Isaiah, Jeremiah, lamentations and then you hit Ezekiel. 1503s

Ezekiel chapter 7, verse 4. 1509s

Ezekiel chapter 7, verse 4. 1513s

There's a reoccurring phrase in the book of Ezekiel. 1521s

It occurs 27 times. 1524s

This is one example of it. 1526s

Ezekiel chapter 7, verse 4. 1528s

My eye will not spare you. 1534s

I will have no pity. 1536s

I will punish you for your ways while your abominations are among you. 1537s

Here it comes. 1542s

Then you shall know that I am the Lord. 1544s

In the expression of God's justice and righteousness, what is revealed to the people is that He is God. 1552s

And they will know that He is the Lord. 1561s

Ezekiel was speaking to the Israelites who were living in Babylonian captivity. 1566s

They thought that the promises of God would still be fulfilled despite their rebellion. 1570s

In fact, even after the first wave of the exiles had gone there, they were still maintaining. 1576s

Things are going to be fine. 1582s

Things are going to be fine. 1583s

It doesn't matter if we rebel against God. 1584s

Things are going to be just fine. 1587s

And Ezekiel told the exiles, indeed, what to expect in the days leading up to the final destruction of Jerusalem. 1590s

And what the exiles discover is that what Ezekiel is saying is absolutely right. 1600s

Look at verse 9 in Ezekiel 7. 1609s

My eye will not spare. 1616s

I will have no pity. 1619s

I will punish you according to your ways while your abominations are among you. 1621s

Then you shall know that it is I, the Lord, who strike. 1627s

It's the starkness of all of this. 1636s

And it's the starkness is this beauty of God who is still in control. 1640s

Despite the rebellion of the people, God is still in control. 1647s

And God is sovereign. 1654s

We see that indeed his warnings go unheeded. 1659s

We see his righteousness. 1664s

And we see the preservation of his honor. 1667s

In other words, God will not compromise who he is. 1674s

In Richland, I was told that one day I have to take a day trip out to see this mountain. 1681s

Said, what mountain am I going to see? 1690s

And they said it's Rettlesnake Mountain. 1693s

Well, I could tell right then I was going to be seeing that from the car. 1697s

As we drove by what they said, the reason why you have to see it is because it is the tallest mountain in the continental United States without a tree. 1703s

Well, there you go. 1715s

Now you look at that and you go, that's one ugly mountain. 1717s

Really, it was just an ugly mountain. 1721s

But then you keep looking at it. 1724s

And there was kind of a beauty to it in its oddliness. 1726s

In fact, one of the members of the congregation, I still have it to this day, gave me this picture that was taken of it. 1731s

And he had it nicely framed. 1738s

It was really kind of him to do. 1740s

And it was a picture. 1742s

He gave it to me on the day I left that congregation and took the call to Cedar Hill. 1743s

He gave me that picture and it was a Rettlesnake Mountain. 1749s

And he said, this will be kind of a memory for you here of this call. 1754s

It was stark, but there was the beauty. 1761s

When we read of God's judgment on sin, the expression of His righteousness, the desert yields a certain beauty, doesn't it? 1767s

So what you see is the righteousness of God. 1776s

You see His honor being preserved. 1780s

So we're going to walk through the starkness of the desert in these weeks ahead. 1785s

What we're going to see is amidst the desert, we're going to see flowers. 1788s

But what I want us to appreciate today is I want to appreciate the desert for what it is. 1794s

The desert isn't the garden. 1801s

But amidst the desert, when you hear of the righteousness and the holiness and the otherness of God, 1804s

a God who will not compromise His honor, a God is steadfast, a God who does not change, 1813s

amidst the starkness of what He's saying. 1820s

There is that beauty. 1824s

God will not be mocked. His purposes will not be thwarted. 1828s

The powers of unbelief will not prevail. 1833s

Itals will not displace Him. 1837s

He shapes history in accordance with His plan. 1841s

And He forms the destiny of those who oppose Him. 1847s

So as you appreciate the desert in the weeks ahead, notice the flowers. 1854s

Notice what they smell like amidst the desert. 1862s

Breathe in the fragrance. 1868s

For amidst the expression of the righteous judgment of God who will not allow His honor to be compromised, 1874s

you see these flowers of His grace popping up all throughout the desert. 1882s

We're going to travel through the desert and we're going to breathe in the flowers. 1895s

I look forward to traveling with you in these weeks ahead. 1901s

I look forward to traveling with you in these weeks ahead. 1921s