Exodus 13: 17-22: “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: 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. 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. And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. nd 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: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.”
The Lord dealt graciously with Israel when they came out of slavery. Even though the Lord had promised them the Promised Land many years before He didn’t take them there by the shortest route available because they would have had to pass through the land of the Philistines. The Philistines were a fierce and warlike nation with giants. The Lord knew that Israel would be afraid of these warlike people and the giants and they would probably want to go straight back to Egypt as soon as they saw them so He told them to towards the east rather than north east along the coast. The Lord also knew that deserts are hot in the day and cold at night so He guided Israel by a cloud during the day to give them shade and relief from the burning heat, and a large fire by night, to give them warmth and a sense of security at night. There was one final duty and that was to bring Joseph’s bones back to his homeland. He was an important man in Egypt when he was alive and had been embalmed and mummified there but Joseph knew that he belonged in the Promised Land so he made his descendants promise that they would bring his bones back to the Promised Land.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
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