By the Desert Road
Text: 17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.” 20 After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 21 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
Scripture: Exodus 13:17-22
Introduction: We all know more or less the story of the Israelites, the chosen people of God. They went to Egypt in search of a better life because a famine was in their land. They were well received and treated properly under the leadership of Joseph. However, after the passing of Joseph and the arrival of a new Pharaoh, they were all employed as slaves in the land of Egypt. It took 430 years for God to deliver them, with the promise to bring them back to the promise land (Canaan). In preparation for that journey, God made a decision that doesn’t make sense to any traveler. He chose the long way instead of the shorter one. Many of us probably find ourselves walking the desert road for a long time. This year was no different in our long journey than the past years.
A. Shortest way through the land of the Philistine.
According to the cartographers (people who design maps and study distance), it would take between 11 to 21 days to reach Canaan via Philistine. However, God didn’t lead the people through the shortest way but He preferred the desert and the longest road. In our walk with God, we sometimes ask a lot of questions concerning the desert and the long road that we find ourselves in.
*We are facing a situation in life that we expect to be resolved quickly but it seems like an eternity. We expect to get married at such age and have all our children while we are still young – We expect our financial situation to be better after a certain years – We set goals for our children to do better in life and for our relationship to be more cordial. Sometimes, we see time is going by and by and our lives seem to drift away from our expectations. We wonder what we are doing in that desert road. Why God doesn’t take us to a different road?
*It is said: “The shortest way is not always the best way.” V.17 God loves the children of Israel to the point of going to battle with Pharaoh to set them free. As Christians, there can be no doubt as far as the love of God
for us. The fact that He takes with us the desert road is not an indication that He loves us less. The question today is: Can we trust God.
B. By the desert road V. 18
When we read the story of the children of Israel spending 40 years in the desert, we may think that God took them there to destroy them. That is not true at all!
Why would God deliver them from the hand of Pharaoh if He wanted to destroy them? There are many reasons why God led His people by the desert road:
- For their own protection V. 17b
- To experience His presence and His love. V. 21-22
- To experience His power (Road through Red Sea). Ex.14:16
- To prove that He is a good provider even in the desert. 15: 25, 27. Transformation of water at Marah and the twelve springs of water at Elim – Food from heaven (Manna and Quail) Ex.16:4, 11-13
Lesson for today: God didn’t say the desert road would be longer. He is God; He could make it even shorter than going through the land of the Philistine. But the grumbling, rebellion and the complaining made the journey last 40 years. The sad part of the story is the fact that all the people that left Egypt didn’t see the promise land, only two of them, Joshua and Caleb. The same God that delivered the children of Israel from Pharaoh is the same God that is leading you in the desert road of life toward heaven. You can trust Him; He knows what He is doing.
Conclusion:In the Epistle of Paul to the Romans, we find a well-known verse: “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom.8:28). The shortest way may have things that you may not be able to handle. Have you ever thought that if everything came as you had planned it, where would you be now?