Exodus 13:17-22
~14 min read
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus 13:17-22. Finally, the Pharaoh decided to let God's people go, but it was not as if he was willing. But rather, he had no choice; he was forced, in a sense. He was afraid because all the firstborn of Egypt had already died, and if he still did not let the people go, he was unsure of what would happen next.
As the Israelites left Egypt, they did not know what was ahead of them. They did not know what would happen. Neither their leaders, Moses and Aaron, knew which direction to move forward. There was only one person who knew exactly what would happen and who was in control of everything, and that was God Himself. So, the time had come for God to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. There are three important lessons for us to learn about God and how He led the Israelites out of Egypt.
Firstly, God always knows what is best for us. God is always faithful, and God will always guide us. I've adapted the title of our message from the popular hymn we used to sing, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand.” If God always knows what is best for us, if God is always faithful, and if God will always guide us, then you and I ought to say, 'Precious Lord, take my hand.'
I. God always knows what is best for us
Our first point is, “God always knows what is best for us”. Let us begin with verse 17, “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt”.
When the Pharaoh agreed to let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the way of the sea, even though that was shorter because God said the Israelites, if they were to face war, they would change their minds and return to Egypt. So instead, God led them through the desert road toward the Red Sea. If you understand the geography of that region, you would expect the Israelites to move north along the way of the sea because the Coastal Highway was the most obvious escape route. In fact, if the Israelites had moved along the Coastal Highway, they would have reached the Promised Land in less than two weeks, rather than the 40 years it eventually took.
Indeed, that might be the shortest way, but it was not the best way because it was not God's way. God knew that if the Israelites were to travel by the Coastal Highway, they would face strong resistance. History tells us that the Egyptian Army had maintained a very strong military presence along the coastal region, protected by strong fortresses and a long canal. On top of that, there were the Philistines to consider. Even if the Israelites somehow managed to fight their way through, they would still have to face the Canaanites when they reached the Promised Land. Most certainly, they were not ready for it at this point in time.
But the second part of verse 18 says, “the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.” The word “harnessed” means to be fully equipped. Although the Israelites were fully equipped, they were not ready to fight. They were not prepared to face such opposition. God knew that they would turn and run back to Egypt at the first sign of danger.
In fact, later on, even after spending 40 years in the wilderness, when they finally reached the Promised Land on the first year, as soon as they saw the enemies were so strong, they were completely broken, completely demoralised. Numbers 14:4 tells us, “And [the Israelites] said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.” So, they wanted to choose another leader who would lead them back to Egypt at the first sign of danger. They wanted to return to Egypt. That was the reason why God did not let the Israelites take the shortest way. Instead, He led them in the exact opposite direction.
The first part of verse 18 says, “But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea”. So, humanly speaking, it might not be the most obvious way, it might not be the shortest way, it might not be the most direct way. Nonetheless, it was the best way simply because it was God's way. God knows best. He knew what was best for the Israelites. Dear friends, God knows what we can or cannot handle. He knows whether or not we are ready. Sometimes, the way God leads us may seem to be the opposite of what we perceive in our minds to be the most obvious, shortest, and direct way. Sometimes, God's way may be long and winding. It may be filled with many trials and tribulations. But one thing we must bear in mind is that God knows what He does. He is omniscient. He is our all-wise God, and He knows what is best for us. It may not be the best way at the moment or humanly speaking, but we know that if God has led us into this path, if He allows certain things to happen in our lives, it is His will, and it must be best for us. Remember Romans 8:28, we often memorise this verse, “[For] we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” God has a sovereign purpose. He knows what is best for us.
Let us take a moment and consider the lives of Moses and Aaron and the children of Israel. For Moses and Aaron, when God first called them, they were apprehensive and reluctant. But slowly, they learned to trust and obey God, and then they were mightily used by Him. For the children of Israel, initially, they refused to take the first step, to trust in God's servants, Moses and Aaron. But slowly, they learned to trust and obey, especially after they witnessed the powerful demonstration of the almighty God in the ten plagues. Now they were ready, or at least they thought they were ready. But God knew that they were far from being ready.
Dear friends, often times, we think we are ready, we think we are prepared, especially after we have just experienced a spiritual victory. Perhaps we have just brought a lost soul to the Lord Jesus Christ, or we have just successfully organised and led a spiritual program, or we have overcome a great temptation, or we have just finished an intense study of God's word and reached a certain level of spiritual heightening. And we thought to ourselves, 'We are ready, we are prepared.' We think we are in the middle, or at least we are probably halfway or even at the tail end of our spiritual walk with God. But the reality is that we are just at the beginning, like the Israelites having to go through the wilderness for 40 years.
God may lead us into uncharted territories. He may lead us into a long and winding path, not without any purpose, but to teach us that it is not about us; it is all about Him. He knows what is best for us. So, just before the Israelites started their journey, God reminded them of a very important lesson, a very important thing: that He was always faithful to keep His promises.
II. God is always faithful
This brings us to our second point, “God is always faithful”. We have already seen how the Israelites did not leave Egypt empty-handed. They were given jewels of gold and silver by the Egyptians. God would not let His people be short-changed. So in a sense, they were paid for all the hard work they had done in Egypt. But gold and silver were not the only things the Israelites carried out of Egypt. They carried another thing. Look at verse 19, “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you."
This has to do with an oath that the children of Israel took several centuries ago when the patriarch Joseph was still alive. If you have your Bibles, maybe you can turn with me to Genesis 50:24-26. Let me read for you Genesis 50:24-26. “And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.” Some people may think, 'Well, this is no big deal. The Israelites were just fulfilling their promise to take Joseph's bones along with them. What's the big deal?' But notice what Joseph said: “God will surely visit you, and He will bring you out of this land”, which land was that? Egypt. “And unto the land which He sware to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”, which land was that? The Promised Land.
And then Joseph repeated again: 'God will surely visit you, and when that happens, you shall carry up my bones from Egypt.' In the New Testament, Hebrews 11:22 explains to us that it was by faith Joseph said those words. By faith, Joseph, when he died, mentioned of the departing of the children of Israel and gave commandment concerning his bones. In other words, Joseph believed in the prophecies which God revealed to his forefather Abraham. That their descendants would become slaves in Egypt for 400 years, he believed in that. He also believed that one day, God would deliver the descendants out of Egypt and bring them into the Promised Land. He was so sure about that fulfilment of the prophecy that he made the children of Israel promise that when it happens, ‘you must carry my bones out of Egypt.’
So, verse 19 was a very solemn occasion whereby Moses and the children of Israel remembered the prophecies God made to Abraham and to Joseph. And now, when they witnessed the fulfilment of those prophecies, they remembered the promise they had made to Joseph. Therefore, they carried his bones all the way throughout the 40 years in the wilderness. Imagine carrying those bones throughout the whole journey until finally they were laid to rest in the family burial plot at Shechem. You can read about that in Joshua 24:32.
What lessons can we learn from here? We have seen the fulfilment of many prophecies in the Bible regarding the Messiah, that Jesus would come, He would be born of a virgin, that He would die on the cross, He would be the suffering servant. We have seen the fulfilment of the dispersing and regathering of the Jews, how they were dispersed throughout the whole world and then they were regathered again. We have seen how Israel returned back to the land. But there are other prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled, like the rapture, the resurrection of the dead, the Bema judgment seat of Jesus Christ, the millennial kingdom, the new heavens and the new earth. All the prophecies of the Bible, whatever God has promised us in the Bible, will surely come to pass. Do you believe that? That all the prophecies in the Bible will surely come to pass? If we do, then we ought to say, like Joseph, “God will surely visit you.”
III. God is always guiding us
Our third and final point is, “God is always guiding us”. Let us move on to verse 20, “And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night”, verse 22, “He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.”
At this point in time, the Israelites were already a great multitude. There were about 600,000 men, excluding the women and children. So, all together, there could be easily two or three million Israelites. As they were led out of Egypt and into the wilderness, the weather in the desert could sometimes be as high as 100 degrees in the daytime or below freezing point at night. In those circumstances, they would have perished. Those extreme weather, two or three million people in the wilderness, they will never survive if God had not led them. God provided this pillar of cloud by day as a shade from the hot sun and a pillar of fire at night to keep them warm.
We have learned in our Sunday message that as the pillar of cloud moved, the people moved. When they stopped, they stopped. So, they moved according to where God leads. And God leads them by this pillar of cloud. You can imagine how the people would have followed the pillar of cloud. Sometimes, the pillar of cloud would move; often, at other times, it would not move at all.
And take a moment and consider this. There would be times when Israelite families would come to a stop under the guidance of the cloud in the middle of a hot afternoon. And then they would start to set up their tents, unpack their things. Then all of a sudden, they look up into the sky. The cloud starts to move, and then they have to dismantle the tents, repack their things, and move on. An hour later, the cloud might stop, and they would be thinking, 'Should we unpack, or should we just wait and see?' This time, the cloud might stop for the whole day, and even the next day, and the whole of the week. And just when they thought that they would stay there for good, suddenly the cloud would start to move again, and they had to repack their things, dismantle their tents, and move on.
Do they know where the cloud would lead them? No, they don't. Do they struggle each time they think the cloud would stop for good, but suddenly it moves again? Do they struggle to pack and unpack their things? More certainly. But one thing they know: they must follow the cloud because that was how God would lead them. They had to follow. And do you know what God was teaching the Israelites? Obedience. God was training them to obey His leading, step by step, moment by moment, until one day they would reach the Promised Land. So, for 40 years, they learned this hard lesson, to trust God as He leads, they follow. As He leads, they follow, until finally they reach the Promised Land.
Dear friends, often times, we think how wonderful it would be if God were to reveal to us ahead of time what is going to happen to us. Do you really think it is good? Let's say God were to reveal to us, 'This is where you will be going, this is what is going to happen to you, this is going to be your future. You are going to be a missionary; you will be serving in this foreign country. You will not have any converts for the first 10 years, so you may work very hard, but there will be no converts at all. You will face persecutions, hostilities, opposition every day while you are in the foreign land. You will be falsely accused of things you did not do. You will even be put into prison. Or let's say you are a parent, and then God reveals to you that you will lose your job, you will not be able to put bread and butter on the table, you will not have a permanent roof over your head. You have to bring your children along with you as you travel from place to place, and your child will be sick every day of his life, and eventually, you will lose your child. Or God reveals to you that you only have one more year to live; you will have cancer, there will be no cure, and you will die.’
Do you know what will happen? We will be paralyzed with fear. We will be so consumed with the anticipation of facing those trials. We will not be able to take the next step to move forward. Do you think we will be able to live our Christian life faithfully and serve the Lord effectively? No, we cannot. That is not how faith works. God does not reveal to us everything, only enough for us to know, because God knows we will be just like the Israelites. We will turn and return to Egypt. God does not want that to happen. So, He wants us to trust in Him at every step of the way. He wants us to believe in Him, that He will always guide us, He will always lead us.
There may be times we do not understand where God is leading us. Why would He lead us to this church and then move on to another church? Why would God allow certain things to happen in our lives? Why would God allow us to fall sick? Why would God lead us into certain new paths? We thought we are here to stay for good. We thought this is the best place for us to live in, and then all of a sudden, we have to move. And then we have to move again. Yes, we may not understand, we may struggle, but like the Israelites, where God leads, we follow. And as we follow, God is teaching us to obey Him, and He is training us spiritually, that you and I will trust Him at every step of the way until one day we will reach our final destination, and that is our promised land in heaven.
So, although at times we may not understand, we may struggle, but we know that nothing happens by chance or coincidence, but by God's appointment. If God allows this thing to happen, it is His will for us. So you and I should humble ourselves and pray, 'Lord, I do not naturally understand Your will, and sometimes I struggle with it. But one thing I do know: You always know what is best for me. You are always faithful, and You will always guide me. So, I will submit, I will obey, and I will follow.' And so, we say, like the title of the hymn, 'Precious Lord, Take My Hand, and lead me on.’ Will you do that? I pray that all of us who knows that God always knows what is best for us, He is always faithful, and He will always guide us, will say in our hearts, or even sing in our hearts, 'Precious Lord, take my hand and lead me on.' Let us pray.
THE BOOK OF EXODUSGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassExodus 1:1-7
From Prosperity to PersecutionFrom Prosperity to PersecutionExodus 1:8-14
God’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesGod’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesExodus 1:15-21
The Faith of JochebedThe Faith of JochebedExodus 1:22-2:10
Moses in EgyptMoses in EgyptExodus 2:11-15
Moses in the Desert of MidianMoses in the Desert of MidianExodus 2:16-25
Moses and the Burning BushMoses and the Burning BushExodus 3:1-9
Who Are You?Who Are You?Exodus 3:10-15
Who Am I?Who Am I?Exodus 3:10-15
God’s Message to Israel and EgyptGod’s Message to Israel and EgyptExodus 3:16-22
What If They Still Don’t Believe?What If They Still Don’t Believe?Exodus 4:1-9
Send Someone ElseSend Someone ElseExodus 4:10-17
Moses’ Return to EgyptMoses’ Return to EgyptExodus 4:18-20
When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseWhen Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseExodus 5:10-21
When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesWhen We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesExodus 5:22-6:5
Having to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceHaving to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceExodus 6:6-12
Faithful or UnfaithfulFaithful or UnfaithfulExodus 6:13-27
What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceWhat God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceExodus 6:28-7:7
The First Plague - The River of BloodThe First Plague - The River of BloodExodus 7:14-25
The Second Plague - The FrogsThe Second Plague - The FrogsExodus 8:1-15
The Third PlagueThe Third PlagueExodus 8:16-19
The Fourth PlagueThe Fourth PlagueExodus 8:20-32
The Fifth PlagueThe Fifth PlagueExodus 9:1-7
The Sixth PlagueThe Sixth PlagueExodus 9:8-12
The Seventh PlagueThe Seventh PlagueExodus 9:13-35
The Eighth PlagueThe Eighth PlagueExodus 10:1-20
The Tenth PlagueThe Tenth PlagueExodus 11:1-10
The First PassoverThe First PassoverExodus 12:1-13
The Feast of the Unleavened BreadThe Feast of the Unleavened BreadExodus 12:14-28
Departure From EgyptDeparture From EgyptExodus 12:29-42
This Do In Remembrance of MeThis Do In Remembrance of MeExodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
Redemption and ConsecrationRedemption and ConsecrationExodus 13:1-2, 11-16
Precious Lord, Take My HandPrecious Lord, Take My HandExodus 13:17-22
Between the Desert and the Red SeaBetween the Desert and the Red SeaExodus 14:1-14
Crossing the Red SeaCrossing the Red SeaExodus 14:15-31
The Song of PraiseThe Song of PraiseExodus 15:1-21
Will You Obey Or Not?Will You Obey Or Not?Exodus 15:22-27
The Danger of a Complaining SpiritThe Danger of a Complaining SpiritExodus 16:1-3
God’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsGod’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsExodus 16:1-10
The Test of FaithThe Test of FaithExodus 16:11-20
Lessons About the SabbathLessons About the SabbathExodus 16:21-36
Do Not Test GodDo Not Test GodExodus 17:1-17
Lift Up Your HandsLift Up Your HandsExodus 17:8-16
The Blessedness of ReunionThe Blessedness of ReunionExodus 18:1-12
Why Do We Have Leaders?Why Do We Have Leaders?Exodus 18:13-27
I Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsI Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsExodus 19:1-6
Approach God Fearlessly or FearfullyApproach God Fearlessly or FearfullyExodus 19:7-15
God Reached Out And SpokeGod Reached Out And SpokeExodus 19:16-25
Thou Shalt Have No Other GodsThou Shalt Have No Other GodsExodus 20:1-3
Thou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesThou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesExodus 20:4-6
Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameThou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameExodus 20:7
Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayThou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayExodus 20:8-11
Honour Thy Father And Thy MotherHonour Thy Father And Thy MotherExodus 20:12
Thou Shalt Not KillThou Shalt Not KillExodus 20:13
Thou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryThou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryExodus 20:14
Thou Shalt Not StealThou Shalt Not StealExodus 20:15
Thou Shalt Not LieThou Shalt Not LieExodus 20:16
Thou Shalt Not CovetThou Shalt Not CovetExodus 20:17
The Response To The Ten CommandmentsThe Response To The Ten CommandmentsExodus 20:18-21
How God Wants Us To Worship HimHow God Wants Us To Worship HimExodus 20:22-26
Why Would God Allow Slavery?Why Would God Allow Slavery?Exodus 21:1-11
The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeExodus 21:12-17
The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeExodus 21:18-36
The Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsThe Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsExodus 22:1-15
The Character Of GodThe Character Of GodExodus 22:16-20
Reaching Out To The Down-And-OutReaching Out To The Down-And-OutExodus 22:21-24
The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodThe Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodExodus 22:25-31
Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthTruth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthExodus 23:1-9
Remember Who God IsRemember Who God IsExodus 23:10-19
What Must We Do To Have VictoryWhat Must We Do To Have VictoryExodus 23:20-33
How We Ought To Worship GodHow We Ought To Worship GodExodus 24:1-4, 7
On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?Exodus 24:4-8
Responding To God’s InvitationResponding To God’s InvitationExodus 24:9-18
The Right Attitude Of GivingThe Right Attitude Of GivingExodus 25:1-8
There I Will Meet YouThere I Will Meet YouExodus 25:9-22
Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Exodus 25:23-30
If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceIf Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceExodus 33:12-23
