“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.’ So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.” Exodus 13:17, 18
I was once in a Bible study where we got stuck on these verses. Why would God do this to the Israelites? Why wouldn’t He take them straight to the Promised Land? One participant in particular kept going back to the map of the route the Israelites took. She just couldn’t understand why God would take them on such a circuitous route. And we hadn’t even gotten to the 40 years of wandering yet!
These verses cause praise for God to well up inside me. How often does God take us on the round-about route? And we just can’t figure out why He would do that. We’re concerned about getting to our goal as quickly as possible, but not God. His concern is keeping us out of slavery – slavery to sin, to the world, to self. So what does He do? He leads us to the desert. That doesn’t sound like a very nice thing to do, does it? And where was this desert road leading? To the Red Sea. Again, that doesn’t seem to win God any awards for being Mr. Nice Guy. But that was the setting for one of the most amazing miracles in the history of the Israelites, the miracle that cemented them as a nation.
God knew what was coming for them. He knew all about the 40 years of wandering. He also knew what they would be facing when they finally did enter that Promised Land. There would be enemies there they would need to face as well as some miscommunication and in-fighting among themselves. They were going to need the experience of the Red Sea crossing and God’s deliverance from the Egyptians to give them the courage and perseverance for what was coming their way.
Are you on a long road right now? Has God led you into the desert? Are you trying to figure out what in the world He’s doing? Hang in there! His deliverance is coming and it may be in a way you can’t even fathom! In the meantime, let’s praise God for the fact that He’s probably protecting us from dangers of which we are completely unaware. He knows what He’s doing and following Him is never a mistake!