In the Hebrew Bible, the book we call Numbers is originally named Bemidbar, meaning “In the wilderness.”
This name alone offers a clue: the wilderness is not just a physical desert, but a symbolic state of mind each of us must pass through on the way to the Promised Land of our fulfilled desire.
The Wilderness as a Psychological State
According to Neville Goddard’s Law of Assumption, every external experience reflects a state of consciousness. Egypt represents bondage — the state of being enslaved by appearances and past conditioning. 'The Devil' Tarot card is a pictorial image equivalent.
When you decide to adopt a new assumption (“I AM successful,” “I AM loved,” “I AM free”), you symbolically leave Egypt.
However, you do not arrive immediately in the Promised Land. You enter the wilderness: that uncertain, in-between place where old beliefs still echo, and the new state has not yet fully solidified.
"The wilderness is the space where the old self dies and the new self is born."
Why the Wilderness is Necessary
In the wilderness, the old self dies. You release old reactions, cravings, and dependencies.
The Israelites constantly wished to return to Egypt for familiar foods and safety — a perfect image of the mind tempted to slip back to old assumptions when outer evidence has not yet changed.
The wilderness tests your commitment to your new state, asking whether you truly believe in the unseen.
The wilderness is where you learn to rely on “manna from heaven” — inner sustenance, daily faith, the invisible supply of your new assumption rather than external proofs.
In the Beginning: The Word and the Wilderness
The Book of Numbers stands as a living testimony to the process between assumption and fulfilment.
“In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1) — the first assumption. But between that Word and its manifestation lies the wilderness.
It is a necessary psychological passage where you embody your chosen state regardless of appearances.
"Between 'I AM' and its fulfilment stands the wilderness — your inner proving ground."
Jesus, too, entered the wilderness after his baptism. Before he could embody his ministry fully, he faced temptations and had to affirm his identity in solitude. His forty days symbolise the same inner process: dying to old limitations and holding firm to the new self-concept.
Crossing Over
Neville reminds us that “persistence in assumption” is the secret to crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land.
The wilderness is not punishment — it is purification. It is the process of dying to Egypt so that only your new self may enter the land of promise.
"Your persistence is the bridge from wilderness to fulfilment."
Conclusion: The Inner Exodus
The book of Numbers, or Bemidbar, is an inner map. It describes the transitional journey between the old and the new, between bondage and freedom, between sense-based living and imagination-based creation.
Your wilderness is sacred. Honour it, persist in your assumption, and you will cross over.
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