The Israelites could not miss, ignore, or misinterpret God’s guidance on the journey from their Egyptian homes to the Red Sea.
He physically inhabited the pillar of cloud and fire that guided them day and night. He audibly conveyed specific instructions to Moses, and his angel accompanied them.
The shortest route to the Red Sea was a straight line east from the Israelite villages to the seashore, but that course would have required the caravan to pass through hostile Philistine territory.
God knew the Israelites might return to their Egyptian homes if they confronted war, so he led them to the Red Sea crossing point via an indirect route. This longer itinerary gave Pharaoh’s army time to overtake the caravan.
God Respects Our Will
God’s indirect route illustrates the importance of his salvation plan and the premium he places on our will.
God wanted the Israelites to establish a new nation east of the Red Sea. It was a key element of his strategy to save the world through Jesus.
However, the Israelites were not automatons. They had the volitional freedom to make choices they perceived to be in their best interest, independent of God’s preferences.
For example, the Israelites could have stayed in Egypt after the tenth plague. They would have remained enslaved, but their daily lives would have been familiar and predictable.
Instead, they took advantage of the opportunity to leave for their ancestral homeland despite fear and uncertainty.
On their journey to the Red Sea, the Israelites could have charted a different course to the crossing point, selected an alternate destination, or returned to Egypt.
Instead, they followed the pillar of cloud and fire, unaware of the danger ahead.
God had already decided not to intervene if the Israelites encountered the Philistines. He would not defeat this enemy for them as he did later at the Red Sea. Instead, he would let his people retreat to Egypt.
God considered all these potential outcomes when planning the Israelite escape.
He decided to lead them on a circuitous route through the desert, which averted a Philistine confrontation and reduced the likelihood of their retreat to Egypt.
God’s lengthy itinerary kept his salvation plan intact while concurrently respecting the will of his people.
God’s Wisdom Is Not Always Obvious
The wisdom inherent in God’s itinerary was lost on the Israelites when they reached the Red Sea.
They only knew that following his clear directions had left them trapped between the water and the Egyptian army. They were confused, angry, and doubtful about his character, compassion, and competence.
We sometimes find ourselves in the same predicament as the Israelites.
We are sure we are where God wants us to be, doing what he wants us to do. However, the purpose and wisdom of his plans are not apparent.
We know only that carefully following God’s clear guidance led us to a place of severe stress and agonizing disappointment. As a result, we became angry at him and full of doubts about his existence, power, and benevolence.
God Has Multiple Purposes
God intended the Israelites to live free in their ancestral homeland east of the Red Sea, but he also had other goals.
God wanted the Israelites to recognize his greatness, trust his goodness, and understand the uniqueness of their relationship with him. He wanted them to realize that their future success would be primarily his doing, not theirs. He wanted them to avoid self-sufficiency.
God also wanted to establish a legacy that would justify faith in him forever. He wanted future Israelite generations to remember how he rescued their forefathers so they would trust him amid their afflictions.
God used the Israelites’ journey out of Egypt and their subsequent distress at the Red Sea for these purposes.
Likewise, God uses our suffering to fulfill multiple purposes.
He wants us to succeed— according to his definition of success—as we fulfill our divine destiny, but he does not want our ascendance to lessen our dependence on him.
God wants us to understand the eternal significance of our relationship with him, revere him beyond a superficial level, and love him unconditionally.
He wants us to recognize that he is ultimately responsible for our achievements, not us, so we avoid self-sufficiency.
God also wants to instill in us a message about his trustworthiness that we can share with those within our circle of influence.
He wants them to know about his faithfulness to us so they will trust him during their distress.
God fulfills one or more of these purposes as we walk in harmony with him amid affliction.
