Scripture Focus (Exodus 13:17-22) – “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” [18] But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. [19] Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” [20] And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. [21] And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. [22] The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”
I. God Wisely Protects Us From Our Own Weaknesses (Exodus 13:17)
“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.”
Quick and convenient was not on God’s radar from Israel. They were not yet ready for the battles that would await them if God let them take the fastest route. When we reverse engineer what God did here, we come away with the principle that:
1) God does not allow us into battles for which we are not prepared and
2) if God DOES allow a battle to find us, then He deems that we are fit to win it.
The danger from God’s view was that the immediate presence of enemy warfare would have caused the newly delivered Israel to give in to fear, change their minds about what God had done for them, and then choose to go backwards into the place of their bondage. God protected them from that awful possibility by leading them in a direction away from the wars they were not yet ready for. He did not allow their weaknesses to be tested before they could pass those tests.
II. God Wisely Chooses Different Routes Than We Would Choose (Exodus 13:18)
“But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.”
Though they were outwardly equipped, they were not inwardly ready. They were gifted, but they were not permitted. So God took them the long way into the wilderness and made them wait within His plan. Israel ended up in a cul-de-sac, trapped between the impossible Red Sea and the intimidating army of Pharaoh. THIS WAS ALL GOD’S DESIGN.
III. God Wisely Worked to Fulfil Israel’s Prophetic Destiny (Exodus 13:19)
“Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.”
Superintending this entire deliverance, exodus, and pathway into their destiny as a nation was a prophetic declaration from their ancient forefather, Joseph. “God will surely visit you…” This covenant people were not destined for slavery, but for sonship. God would not be leaving them in Egypt or stuck at the Red Sea. There was a land promised to them and God would get them into it…but He would lead them according to His way, not their own. The Lord is not obligated to explain to us in every difficulty how it all fits with His overall plan for our lives. We, however, are expected to look at each challenge, obstacle, opposition, and difficulty through the lens of faith, trusting that God’s plan for us is being accomplished as we trust Him and faithfully complete our part of each step of the way.
IV. God Wisely Trained Them that His Presence Precedes His Power (Exodus 13:20-22)
“And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. [21] And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. [22] The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”
Jewish tradition says that the time from the initial departure from Egypt to the 1 million+ people arriving at the Red sea took three days. When the sun was out and all was illuminated, God manifested His presence to Israel in a cloudy pillar. When the pillar moved in the daylight, Israel followed the manifest presence of God. When darkness fell and Israel could see nothing, God manifested His presence as a fiery pillar. They knew He was near in their darkness. When Pharaoh’s army approached soon after, the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire got between Israel and their enemies. God was training His people to discern and trust in His presence. His undeniable power would soon be put on full display as He split the Red Sea, delivered Israel fully out of Egypt, and drowned the enemy that dared to pursue them into the land of their inheritance.