Exodus 13:17 – 22 “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road through the land of the Philistines, though it was shorter. For God said, “If the people face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt arrayed for battle. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear a solemn oath when he said, “God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones with you from this place.”
They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. And the LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud to guide their way by day, and in a pillar of fire to give them light by night, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place before the people.”
If God wanted to get the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land quickly, He should have sent them along the coast. There was likely a good road and traveling conditions would have been easy. But just up the coast a short distance was the land of the Philistines. Remember that among the Philistines there were still giants, and the Philistines had organized armies. Even though the Israelites were leaving Egypt dressed for battle, these people hadn’t fought anyone in 430 years. For much of that time, the Israelites had been slaves and still had a slavish mentality. No, if God sent the Israelites straight up the coast, they were going to take one look at the Philistines, turn around, and high tail it back to Egypt, begging Pharaoh to take them back as slaves.
APPLICATION:
Before the Israelites could successfully enter the Promised Land, they were going to have to undergo mental, emotional, and physical changes. Sure, these people had been working as slaves in Egypt, but they also had had decent food and they had been living in the best part of Egypt as far as grazing for animals was concerned.
The Israelites NEEDED the wilderness! This group of people needed to learn to depend on God and to follow His leading, no matter what. Had Moses led these people along the coast, they would have trusted to their own thoughts; as it was, the wilderness forced them to choose to follow God and not their own inclinations. The Israelites needed to become far stronger physically and spiritually. They needed to learn how to cope with extreme conditions, the likes of which they had not seen since their arrival in Egypt. They needed time to learn who God really was and to learn how to serve Him. And harsh as it might seem, some of the Israelites were going to have to die off because they would refuse to follow God and would have only served to drag their friends and relatives down.
DOES GOD HAVE YOU IN A HARD PLACE??? DO YOU WONDER WHY YOU ARE SUFFERING??? God never wastes anything in our lives. If you are struggling right now, rest assured that God is in the midst of this struggle and that He will bring you through it. Your job is to ask God to teach you everything you need to learn so that when your current trial has ended, you will be shaped into the person God wants you to be.
The COVID experience has forced many people to re-evaluate those things that are most important in their lives – friends, family, community. While COVID has brought suffering to many, it has also helped many to clarify those things that are truly important.
PRAYER: Father God, help us to accept our trials and to search for your perfect will and your leading in the midst of them. Help us to learn everything you want us to learn and help us to follow hard after you all the days of our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment