The story of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are interwoven with the story of the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt. God promised them “a land flowing with milk and honey.” But those who have been to Israel know that it’s about 30 percent fertile agricultural land and about 70 percent barren desert. Can we reconcile that with God’s promise, or is there considerably more to the story that we don’t grasp? The answer is tied up in understanding why God had Israel wander in the desert 40 years, why He gave them so much desert land, and why so many giants of faith in the Bible spent so much time in the desert—and it has major implications for us today.

Scott Ashley

United Church of God Pastor, Beyond Today Managing Editor

Scott Ashley is managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado. 
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he has worked for 50 years.