Exodus 13:17 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:
18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.
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.
20 And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.
21 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:
22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
The LORD knows the way that we should take. Sometimes we look at a map and we look for the shortest route to a destination. Sometimes we look for the scenic route. We use our own preferences to determine the route we take. Man does the same thing with life. Oftentimes we have no good counsel because we do not seek it. We choose a course in life that leads to a dead end. We need the Lord to guide and direct us.
In our text we see that God knew the path the Hebrews needed to take as they left Egypt. He knew there was a shorter way to go, but He knew that land was occupied by the Philistines. The nation of Israel would have many encounters with the Philistines in the future. They were a hostile nation. They did not know the true God and they did not want to know the true God. They despised the Jews and were a constant threat against them.
God knew the Hebrews were not prepared for the opposition the Philistines would raise against them. They were not currently very trusting in the LORD. He had demonstrated His power over Egypt, but the Hebrews were still fond of that which was familiar, rather than trusting in the LORD. Thus the LORD chose to lead the people through a longer distance to keep them away from the Philistines. He was well able to fight their battles for them, but He does not always do that. He wants His people to know how to stand in the midst of difficulties. Since the fall of man, there has always been much resistance against truth. The devil is behind the resistance and he uses different methods to try to silence truth.
The LORD took the nation through the wilderness of the Red Sea. We read that the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. The word “harnessed” speaks of being equipped for battle. Israel was equipped for battle in the Lord. They had no weapons of war. They were not trained to fight. However, they were to be dependent upon the LORD for their victory. He had delivered them from the clutches of Pharaoh all by Himself. They had only been there to accept the donations given to them by the Egyptians. As we will see, the Hebrews were not very confident in the LORD’s leadership at this time. In fact they were seldom confident in His leadership. Trust in the LORD requires knowing Him.
Moses also honoured the request of Joseph in taking his bones with them out of Egypt. Joseph was a man of God. In essence, it does not matter where our bones are buried. When a person dies, he does not know anything. Yet there are people that have chosen a specific place of burial or they want to be buried by family members, etc. The important factor is to be saved and know there is a home in heaven for you. Joseph wanted his bones removed from Egypt and taken to the land of Canaan to be reburied there. God honoured that request, and Moses took his bones with them.
As the nation travelled, the LORD provided protection for them. He provided a pillar of cloud in the daytime to obscure them from their enemies. He provided a pillar of fire at night to keep the enemies away. God again demonstrated His power over them. They had nothing to fear as they travelled. They had the best guide for their journey. He not only knew the best route for them to take, but He also made sure they were safe all along the way.
We read that the pillar of the cloud never left them during the day, and the pillar of fire never left them at night. There was no concern of creating too much heat at night or it being too cool in the daytime. The nation was travelling. They were not farming. They needed protection from their enemies. The greatest enemy they had was not the Philistines. It was their own lack of faith in the LORD. God would show them that He can handle all exterior enemies man faces. He can also handle the internal enemies we face. The important factor is to trust in Him. God can satisfy the longing of the heart, but He does not force His peace upon anyone. He shows us that He can provide peace. He also shows us the way of peace. His peace is available in the midst of the storm at times. Sometimes He removes the storm, but not always. He is that shelter we need in the midst of the storm.
In Psalm 23 we read that He prepares a table in the midst of our enemies. He provided the cloud during the day and the fire by night. He does not always remove the threat, but He shows us how to manage the threat and succeed in the midst of it.
Israel is facing threats from many different place right now. Their enemies are not only those close at hand, but even from a distance. Canada is a threat to the security of the nation of Israel. Our country wants to interfere with the affairs of a sovereign nation. They do not want the U.S. inferring with our affairs, but they think they are smarter than the Jews in running that nation. Canada does not know how to govern this land, never mind interfere with others.
Mr. Carney marched in the sodomite parade in Vancouver recently. He has a daughter who has chosen to adopt the lies of that community. Mr. Carney does not know which end is up when it comes to things that matter. He knows how to accumulate wealth at the expense of others, but he will not take any of that with him when he dies. What he needs is lacking from him. He has no interest in the well being of his soul. Unless he gets saved, he is in for a big shock when he takes his last breath. The same is true for his cabinet and many others in this country.
It is important to know the LORD and walk in the fear of the LORD. He knows the enemy and He knows how to lead each one of His children safely through enemy territory and into His eternal home in heaven.
Pastor Bartel
