A nomadic life but with a purpose (Exodus 13)
Moses was eighty years old before God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Has God perhaps spoken to you in the past but it was so long ago that you've almost forgotten it, or you've come round to thinking that you must have been misunderstood or misheard Him? Well, the apostle Paul assures us that 'God's gifts and call are irrevocable'. (Romans 11:29) However, God will not use us until we are ready and, sometimes, it takes a while to prepare us for His service.
The Israelites were well-equipped when they left Egypt. They had followed carefully God's instructions about the Passover feast and had duly asked the Egyptians for additional supplies and resources. They were well prepared and organised, but God did not lead them directly to the Promised Land. That would have taken them through Philistine territory where they would have faced armed resistance. They were 'ready for battle' in terms of physical equipment but lacked training, specifically what it took to follow God's orders instead of relying on their own knowledge, skills and experience.
There were to be four stages to their journey; four stages of training and instruction. Those who left Egypt had their opportunity to enter the Promised Land, but they lacked faith in God and proved to be endlessly self-centred. When the time came for a small group of scouts to explore their potential homeland, all but two of them considered it too risky. As a result, the entire assembly of people turned back and spent fruitless years wandering through the desert in a kind of No Man's Land. So the four stages went as follows:
- Rameses to Mount Sinai;
- Mount Sinai to the Promised Land;
- Wandering in the wilderness;
- Return to the Promised Land.
From Rameses to Pi Hahiroth (Exodus 14)
As slaves, the Israelites had built Rameses with their own hand-made bricks, so they were glad to leave. They left, knowing that God had performed amazing miracles to obtain their release and they were in no doubt about His power. They travelled via Succoth to Etham where they camped before pressing on to Pi Hahiroth. Meanwhile, the Egyptians realised that their entire workforce had left, taking with them four hundred years' worth of skilled building experience. So Pharaoh chased after them in his chariots and caught up with them at Pi Hahiroth.
The name means ‘the opening to the crevice (or gorge) of a serpent’ or ‘the opening to the cell of a prison’. What a name! The Enemy probably thought that he had them this time! The Israelites were hemmed in on all sides with the Egyptians behind them and the Red Sea ahead of them. They were terrified. They looked at the natural possibilities but forgot what God had already done for them and with them. They cried out to Moses, so Moses cried out to God, but God simply told them to keep moving. The people were convinced that they were going deeper into a trap. But God had another plan: once again to demonstrate clearly His power and ability to the Egyptians, so that they would know that there is only one true God.
The angel of God (in the form of a pillar of cloud) moved from in front of the Israelites to their rear. This cloud had a strange property: on the Egyptian side it brought absolute darkness but, on the Israelite side, things were as clear as day. All through the night, the two sides were kept totally separate, one from the other. (In a similar way, there is a separation between Christians and everyone else; one group heading to eternal life with Christ, but the rest to an eternity without God.) (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)
As Christians, we worship the one true God of heaven and earth. The name by which He revealed Himself to Moses was 'Jehovah', literally meaning 'I am'. He was the same God who had shown Himself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as a God who was prepared to commit Himself to them in a legally-binding covenant: to be their God and to regard them as His people.
People throughout the world have developed many different ideas of a universal deity and used many different names (such as 'Allah', 'Buddha', Krishna and many others) to describe the object of their beliefs. But the Bible has been written and compiled over many years by many people as a record of the one true God revealing Himself and His nature to humanity. Even within the Bible, He is given many different names to describe different attributes and facets of His nature. In English, we have a single, simple word to describe a deity - 'god'. However, thanks to our Christian heritage and tradition, we are able to distinguish between peoples' general ideas and beliefs about a 'god' or 'gods' and the revelation in the Bible of one, true God (with a capital 'G').
In the Bible, God was first known as 'God Almighty' (El Shaddai) but introduced Himself to Moses as 'I am' (Jehovah). Later in the Bible, we discover that our God has a complex character: one God but comprised of three 'persons': 'Father', 'Son' and 'Holy Spirit'. Jesus is described as God's 'Son': God becoming a human being, born into our history and giving up His life as a ransom for human sinfulness. His name, 'Yeshua', means 'Saviour'. He was put to death, allegedly for the crime of 'blasphemy', effectively sacrificing His life for that of every human being that has lived (or ever will). For a fuller description of the character of God, click on the button below for a list of biblical references that describe what He is like.
Crossing the Red Sea
With the Egyptian army kept at bay by the angel of God, Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and a strong, east wind began to blow. As the night wore on, the waters of the sea were divided and a channel opened up, allowing God's people to walk across to the other side. Towards the end of the night, the Egyptians saw what had happened and followed them on their path through the water. The Egyptians had brought out their 'big guns': chariots, that were the equivalent then of tanks in our own time. Normally, on the plains of their home country, they would have run rings around the Israelites (probably literally) and decimated them. Unfortunately, on what had been until recently the sea floor, the wheels of the chariots quickly became bogged down and started to come off (literally).
It began to dawn on the Egyptians that the one true God was again fighting for the Israelites. They turned tail and fled back, but it was too late; the walls of water crashed down on top of them and covering them as the sea returned to its usual state. They were all drowned and their bodies washed up on the shore. God’s promise had come to pass.
On that day, the Israelites also saw at first hand what God had done and they too feared Him. They put their trust in Him and in Moses, His servant. The next chapter of Exodus is taken up with the celebrations that followed. Moses and his sister, Miriam, wrote songs to immortalise God's victory over the Egyptians and to exalt His power and goodness.
How many times have we seen God’s goodness and still, perhaps, we doubt His ability to deliver us? The Bible is full of examples to help us believe. As we read it, let's allow God to soften and to change our hearts. As we respond in faith, let's view things differently. Then we shall find it natural to begin to praise Him as troubles come our way, knowing that they are sent to test us and to strengthen us for the work God has for us to do. Take a moment to read the powerful song of deliverance in Exodus, chapter fifteen.
God's provision for His people (Exodus 15:22-27 and chapter 16)
The people set off through the desert of Shur but, during three days of travelling, they couldn't find any water. Then they arrived at Marah where there was water... but it was undrinkable. In just three short days after their amazing deliverance, the people had lost their confidence and faith in the God who was leading them. They started grumbling, not against God Himself, of course, but against His representative: Moses. He was equally at a loss to know what to do, but turned to God for help. God showed Moses a piece of wood and told him to throw it in the water. After that, the water became fit to drink.
It was at this point that God made a promise that rings true down through the ages to us and to our children: 'If you will listen to the voice of the LORD your God and obey it and do what is right, then I will not make you suffer the diseases I sent on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD who heals you.' (Exodus 15:26) This promise is later echoed by Jesus, who stood up and proclaimed: 'Let any who are thirsty come to me and drink. Those who believe in me - as Scripture has said - rivers of living water will flow from within them'. (John 7:37-38)
God knows that we need water to live here and now, but He also knows that we need spiritual healing and refreshment for our souls. He has provided that in Jesus Christ, His Son. Not only that, however; those who have spiritual life within them become a fountain of life-giving water to others. We are not supposed to keep our knowledge of God's goodness to ourselves but to share it with others.
God then led His people to Elim, an oasis in the desert, with palm trees and fresh water. God will always provide enough and more than enough for us, and for others through us, if we let Him. From Elim, they travelled on through the desert again towards Rephidim, just a few weeks out of slavery and into freedom. Nonetheless, their cry soon became: ‘If only we had died in Egypt!' This time, it was because they had nothing to eat.
God will never lead us out of slavery or anything else, only to turn around and abandon us. We might long to go back or choose to go back. But we can never blame God for not providing for us. He wants us to ask Him for what we need. He is leading us into partnership with Him and, as we realise our inabilities or shortcomings or needs, He will appear with His timely provision for us. He does this to encourage us as we begin and continue this lifelong partnership with Him.
So God provided meat for His people. They yearned for meat; they grumbled about the lack of it, but God was well able to provide for them. In short order, He gave them not only meat but also bread (or, at least, a plentiful substitute for bread in the form of 'manna'). That night, quail flew in and covered the camp. The following morning (and every morning for the next forty years until they crossed into the promised land), God provided Manna for them to eat. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like honey. It could be baked or boiled but, like fresh bread, it quickly became inedible. The people had to rely constantly upon God's daily miracle for fresh supplies. Except that, on the 'sabbath' day (set aside for rest and worship) no 'manna' appeared. The people were instructed to collect enough for two days on the previous morning and, on those occasions, the 'manna' stayed fresh until the end of the 'sabbath'.
A rock and a hard place (Exodus 17)
Eventually, they reached Rephidim and, despite their recent experiences, they immediately started complaining to Moses when they found that there was no water there. Why is it that we turn so quickly to blaming other people when things go wrong for us, instead of turning to God and asking for His help? How quickly we forget the blessings of God and His promises to us. It seems so easy to forget His goodness when we think we need something to which we feel entitled. In the middle of a dry problem, there is always a rock. That rock is God. He is our provision. God told Moses to take his staff and to strike the rock. As he did so, water came out of the rock for people to drink. God may do different things in terms of provision at different times.
Having given a fresh demonstration of His creative power, God decided that another test of the peoples' trust and faith was warranted. Whilst they were still at Rephidim, that Amalekites turned up and attacked them. This was the first occasion since leaving Egypt that the Israelites had faced a proper battle and they only overcame their enemies with God's supernatural help. Moses sent out Joshua with some selected warriors to combat the enemy whilst he climbed a nearby hill. At the top, he raised his hands in prayer to God. As he did so, the Israelites made ground against their enemy but, when he lowered his hands, they started losing. As Moses grew tired, Aaron and Hur provided a stone for him to sit on and then held his hands up until the Amalekites were defeated. To celebrate and mark the victory, Moses built an altar, calling it ‘The Lord is my banner’ (Jehovah-nissi).
Family reunion and national cohesion (Exodus 18)
At this point, God provided some welcome respite for Moses. His father-in-law, Jethro, had been looking after Moses' wife and family but had also been following the progress of the Israelites as they left Egypt and started heading through the desert towards their promised land. He now sends word to Moses and arranges a meeting 'near the mountain of God' to which he brings out all the family for a grand reunion.
It must have been a great celebration and an opportunity for Moses to share with his father-in-law all that God had done. Jethro also offered some wise advice on how best to organise and govern the Israelites. Some say that Jethro was the first management consultant. He saw the long lines of people waiting for Moses to dispense God's judgment over their petty squabbles and disagreements. So he suggested that Moses should select capable leaders from amongst the people and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. These officials were to share the load, bringing only the most difficult cases to Moses, whilst handling the simpler ones themselves.
The art of delegation is not always as simple as it sounds but it is an example that we do well to follow. Even as people put their trust in a leader, so leaders have to trust others to assist and support them in their work. We may not all be called to bear heavy responsibilities, but we can all serve each other in simple ways that make light work of the heaviest burden. In this way, all of us learn to depend on God for ourselves, rather than dumping everything on one person. Even though Moses had seen such amazing success up to this point, he humbled himself enough to accept Jethro’s advice and put it into practice.
'In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!' (Philippians 2:5-8)
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