The way of the wilderness. Exodus 13:16-22 The Lord desires to be with His people. He wants to live with them, teach them, guide them, protect them, and, when needed, correct them. Sharing life with Him is the most important relationship a child of God and God's people can have. It was necessary for the Israelites and us to take “the long way around” to avoid the Egyptians' fortresses and enemies in the world.
The desert road is a much safer way to travel than following the well-used paths of the world. It is where we will learn important lessons about living effectively as followers of our Lord. On this road, we gain some insight into what to expect in the future. We also enjoy fellowship with other believers when we come together in obedience to our Gracious Heavenly Father. Additionally, on the desert road, we discover our own limits and how much we rely on God for everything. Times of learning are not wasted, even if it takes longer to reach our destination.
The disciplines of God take time and must be learned repeatedly until we truly internalize the truths we have been taught. Delay and detours are often necessary to bring about the real change needed for those God has saved by His grace and power, delivering them from the world's grips. Like the Israelites, we must be tested, tried, and humbled before the Lord to become the people He can use and share eternal life with. Our God is not merely an idol or a god of the world system but a living, loving, gracious Father who is using this time in our lives to train us and prepare us for the future, reigning with our Lord Jesus Christ.
The visible symbols of God's presence were the cloud that provided shelter from the scorching heat during the day and the pillar of fire that illuminated the entire camp at night. God was showing them that He would not leave or forsake them. He would be with them on their journey through the desert to the land He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants.
We can recognize the presence of God when we realize He is protecting us by shielding us from all enemies who oppose those who belong to Him. He permits difficulties and persecution to come upon those who live righteously in Christ Jesus as a witness to His saving grace and sustaining power. The cloud of His presence guards us from the burden and heat of the day we face. The fires of divine truth reveal hidden darkness that can cause us to stumble or fall. We will face temptations from the world, the flesh, and the devil, but God's truth shows us the way to escape those temptations.
God doesn't always work in ways that seem best to us. The shortest route is not always the best path to His chosen destination. God sees the end from the beginning and guides us according to His will, wisdom, and way. He has given us the assurance that we will reach the "promised land." The Bible assures us that He will lead us Himself today in the same way He led His people through the wilderness. The Cloud and Fire were to Israel what the Word of God and the Spirit of God are to us.
The wilderness was the land between the mountains and the desert along a valley with pasture for flocks and herds. This is the way God led His people. Lessons had to be learned in the wilderness. God had to deal personally with His people. There was the law to be given. There was a tabernacle to be made where God would dwell with His people. Through that same tabernacle, He would teach truths about our Lord Jesus Christ by types that have instructed God's people throughout generations up to this day.
It was a large company of Israelites who left Egypt, moving in orderly ranks likely of fifty people to prevent chaos or confusion about who belonged where. This helped keep families and those of the same origin together. Joseph's bones were also carried with them as a reminder that, four hundred years before, he left the place they were returning to. One teenage young man went to Egypt, but a nation of people was leaving. God always keeps His promises.
In the years ahead, the Lord would defeat the Philistines in His own way and time. At the time of the exodus, He did not lead them through the Philistine territory because they were not prepared for the battles they would face. Some of the obstacles we encounter in life might be our greatest blessings. In those challenges, courage and commitment are essential as God goes before us to straighten the crooked paths and smooth out the rough spots if He chooses. The ultimate goal of God's people is to glorify God.
In all that happens to us, God is training us for the future ahead. Without testing times, qualities like character, allegiance, loyalty, honor, integrity, and other traits of God's people would never develop enough to be a testimony to the world the way God intended. All the people of faith we read about in the scriptures and know from past generations stand out because of what they have learned 'by way of the wilderness."
There have been those in history who heard the Lord say, "Follow Me," and responded with their heart, mind, and soul. Today, that call still reaches those willing to obey. Some obstacles we create ourselves when we act in the flesh. A harvest doesn't come until winter and spring have passed. The sowing is done in tears. Joy comes in the reaping time. Our education in the school of God may seem like barriers to our progress at the moment, but barriers do not mean the way to fulfill God's will is permanently closed.
In the case of Israel leaving Egypt for the Promised Land, God chose to take them the long way around. The Lord Himself was taken into the wilderness to demonstrate the reality of His character. In the wilderness, the children of Israel had to learn who they really were. They had been strangers in a foreign land for four hundred and thirty years. It was necessary for them to remember the ancestors to whom God had made promises. Once they understood who they were to God and why He was leading them the way He did, they would begin to hold themselves in respect and reverence for the Lord's sake. This required self-control on their part.
No matter what others around us do, we must remember who we are and act in reverence of God without compromising truth, righteousness, and respect. Overcoming temptation, failure, and fear requires self-control.
“The Lord went before them.” This is the best guidance any nation, assembly, and family could have. Christ was with “the church in the wilderness,” leading them through various difficulties and keeping them safe. He knows the way through the wilderness we are traveling, and we can be confident that He will bring us to our promised land in His timing.
The one who guided Israel with the cloud and fire is the same Lord who guides His people today through the Spirit and the Word. The cloud was a sign of God's presence. It reminds us that our Lord Jesus Christ was clothed in human flesh and "dwelt among us." The fire is clear evidence of His deity that cannot be overlooked. These two symbols remind us of His promise, "Lo, I am with you always." The cloud and fire testify that our Lord is our Sun and Shield. He truly stands with us. He is our Guide and our Protector. May we remain committed to following Him wherever He leads.