How God Cares For His Children. (Exodus 13: 17-22)

As every parent knows, mothers and father both know that when you have a new-born baby, you must be very careful to take care of that new-born. Well, God is a father who has children. As a matter of fact, I looked up all the times that the Bible talks about God being a father, and I discovered. He is the father of those who believe in Jesus Christ.

He's the father of Jesus Christ Himself. He also called Israel His son, so he is also the father of the nation of Israel.

The question then becomes, when was Israel born? And the answer that is very often given is in Exodus when they were delivered from Egypt. In fact, someone pinpointed it in Chapter 12 or Chapter 13. We've been going through the book of Exodus, and we've come to that passage where it could be said that Israel is now a newborn. They have been given permission to leave Egypt. They are now a new nation to themselves. And what happens next is the Lord, as a father, taking care of them. 

Here's the question: how does God the father take care of His children? And what is particularly interesting about this is that the passage we're going to, and many passages that come after this, are referred to in the New Testament. And that is because we are told that this is an example for us. So, whatever is happening here, we are told, is directly related to us.  If that is so, we can then see How God the father takes care of His children? And because of that since we are His children, it would include us. I have a couple of things to say, but let's just look at the passage. Turn with me to Exodus chapter 13, Vs 17:

17 Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.

19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”

20 So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Eltham at the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.

(Exodus 13: 17-22)

And this is a very short and frankly simple episode in the book of Exodus. They have been given permission by Pharaoh to go, and what this passage tells us is basically two things: the Lord told them not to go one way, but to go another way and that's the point of the passage. So, let's look at that in a little more detail. God tells them not to go by the way of the land of the philistines although that was near.

If you will recall, they were in Goshen, which is in the northern part of Egypt. From Egypt, there were three trade routes out of Egypt, up through Palestine and into the Middle East. What this passage is saying is that the Lord did not lead them in the northernmost route, which is through the land of the Philistines. The Philistines' land was the land that hugged the Mediterranean. So, instead of going straight from Egypt to Palestine, the Lord did not take them that northern route even though it was the nearest and shortest route. He could have taken them directly to the land. It was near, and they could have done it in a short period of time. But he chose not to, and that is what I think is instructive. In fact verse 17 explains why God did not go that way was because he thought the people might change their minds if the saw war and they might want to return to Egypt." 

Many suggest that a retinue of the Egyptian army was based in that part of the land, but the wilderness route contained no one at all. Had they gone through the northern route, they would have encountered this Egyptian army. and Pharoah might change his mind again and issue an order for the army to stop them. Here is this new-born nation, and the Lord is directing them, but what he doesn't do is allow them to go straight into a war situation. Interesting, interesting. Keep in mind, I will show you a passage in the New Testament. It says all this is written for our instruction, and we're to learn spiritual stuff out of all of this. 

It seems to me that the Lord does that all the time still with new believers. I think I've seen this kind of thing happen over and over and over. Somebody comes to Christ, they're newly born into the Kingdom of God, and the Lord deals with those people differently. I've seen young Christians, I mean just get saved, and the Lord answers their prayers quicker than He does mine. It just seems to me, I saw years ago, and it's proven over and over again, that when somebody comes to the Lord and they have a good heart and want to, the Lord just deals with them in a special way.  I believe God doesn’t want to take the new-born nation and throw them into a scuffle. But later, when they leave the playground so to speak, they will get into all kinds of scuffles. I think that the Lord's hand is on new Christians in a unique way. At least it seems to me that I've seen that over and over again, and this, I think, is an indication of that in the text. He protected them from being overcome by things they could not handle yet. 

Next God led the people around the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea and out of the land of Egypt. 

There are a couple of things going on here. First, it says he led them around the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. If you have a  map in the back of your Bible, you will see that the Sinai Peninsula is marked with a desert symbol, and it was an absolutely desolate wilderness. Nothing for miles except cactus and rocks. There's nothing else there, so, that's the way he took them. There was no danger, at least not from war. And it says they went by the wilderness of the Red Sea. The text gives us the number of men, and I've talked about this. When you add in wives, assuming marriage, and children, the estimate that conservative scholars give is that there were up to 2 million people who left Egypt.

Verse 19 mentions that Moses took the bones of Joseph, if you recall as we went through Genesis earlier before we got to Exodus. Joseph made them promise that he would take his bones with them when they left Egypt. Now, the significance of that is it indicates that Joseph believed the Lord was going to give them the land. So, here their bones are, and the text points out that Moses took them. Way back in Genesis 50, he made them promise that he would do it, and they did. We will be told much later in the Book of Joshua, chapter 24, verse 32, that they buried him in the land in Shechem.  Just as a footnote, they took the bones of Joseph with us. He wanted to be buried in the land.

What is even more significant is verse 21 which says, "And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and by night. 

How many of you, in all your life, have heard of the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire? But would it surprise you if I told you there weren't two clouds? There was only one, in chapter 14 it clarifies that in verse 24 says, 

"Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud."

It was the pillar, (singular), of fire and cloud. Therefore what is being talked about here? Apparently, there was one cloud, and God changed it. It was fire by night, and it was a cloud by day. 

In verse 21 it says. "And the Lord went before them in the pillar of cloud to lead them by the way, and by night in a pillar of fire." So, it was overcast by day, and it was lit up at night. And this is the way he led them through the wilderness. And while we're looking at it, let me just point out that this is now the introduction of the cloud, and it's going to be with us all the way until we get to Canaan. That's the point of the next verse which says he did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people. Verse 21 says he gave it to them, and the final verse we read v22 says he didn't take it away. 

As we look at the rest of the text, we will see that he used this cloud until they got all the way to Canaan. So, wat is the purpose of the cloud? Well, let me suggest, obviously, he used it to lead them, did he not? So, there was guidance here. The Lord went before them by day in the pillar of cloud and led the way. So, the Lord was interested in leading them, it’s in the text.

“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them so the Lord’s presence was in the cloud.

That's the point: He led them by the cloud. But that cloud represents the fact that he is with them, wherever they are going. As we get into the rest of the Pentateuch, not necessarily in the Book of Exodus, but later, the Lord speaks to them out of the cloud. That's in Numbers chapter 12, verses 5 and 6. So that's another indication, not only Exodus 13:21, but even that passage in Numbers 12:5 or 6. The Lord was in the cloud, because He speaks out of the cloud.

There is a third thing. He used this to guide them, He used this pillar to be with them. And He used this to protect them. 

Later in the next chapter we will see the pillar of cloud come between them and the Egyptians. Thus, it was a cloud in the daytime and obscured them when necessary, and when darkness fell, as a pillar of fire, it gave them light. Excessive heat made it necessary for Israel to march at night. The light of the fiery pillar was enough to light the way. And when in the day the scorching glare of the sun was blinding, the cloud itself would probably have not only obscured them but acted as a shade against the sun. The point is the Lord used a pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire to protect them.

I think that's particularly true with all new-born believers. The Lord protects us still today. He is with us. In the New Testament, we are told when you trust Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up His residence in believers, and the Lord protects us. So, in summary God takes care of this newborn nation by not allowing them into conflict too early in their experience and providing guidance, presence, and protection. 

Now I want to talk about this for a minute, and one of the things I want you to do is turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 10. I'm just fascinated by the way the New Testament authors use the Old Testament. Many years ago, when I was studying theology, I took a whole course on the subject. It has fascinated me ever since. The course was about "typology and symbolism," and the point was that there is something called a "type" in the Old Testament. It is an example, an illustration. What I was taught back then is that the Old Testament contains intentional illustrations by God, and those are types. We may not fully understand them until later, but as we read the Old Testament, it is written to be a type, an example for us. I think that's what goes on in the writing of Scripture. There are God-intended illustrations in the Bible, and we don't fully understand them until we get to the New Testament. Let's turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 10. In verse 1, it says, 

"Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud and passed through the sea."

(I Cor 10: 1)

This verse of course refers to Exodus chapter 13 and continues through Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and until Deuteronomy. After that, Moses dies and Joshua takes them into the land, and at that point, the cloud disappears. But it starts in Exodus 13, and Paul points to that. He continues,

"Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud and passed through the sea."

(I Cor 10: 2)

They were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. The word "baptized" means to identify. They were identified with Moses. It continues.

“All ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink. They drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. But with most of them, God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.” Now, these things became our examples, our types, in order that we should not do what they did. lust after evil things as they also lusted. Do not become idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play." Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day, 23,000 fell. Nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted and were destroyed by serpents. Nor complain, as some of them also complained and were destroyed by the destroyer.Now, all these things happened to them as examples, as types, and they were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the age have come. Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man. But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. But with the temptation, He will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”

(I Cor 10:3 – 11: 1)

The reason I read this passage is that back in verse 1, it says they were under the cloud, and the rest of this passage traces what happened to them from being under the cloud in Exodus 13 all the way through the wilderness. It lists one thing that happened to them after another.  To cover all of this, we would have to cover the rest of Exodus and, for that matter, Numbers.  Paul chose to list a whole load of things from across all these books and says they all happened a as a warning and an example to us.  This is just one of many New Testament passages that give us the warrant to go back to the Old Testament and say, that what's written about the Jewish people back then, but it's for us still today. Since we are at the moment in  Exodus 13, I want to remind you that the Lord guided them, was present with them, protected them, and what happened to them is an example to us, but today the Lord wants to guide us through His Word. The Lord is with us, protects us. So, what can we learn from this passage today, We learn that the Lord is with us, that He cares for us, and He's able to do something for us. That's really what the song is about, in fact it is what over 50% of all the Psalms are about, over half of the Psalms are called laments which is about helping us trust in the Lord and cry out to him when we are in need. It's about trusting the Lord despite all that's going on in our lives. But by the very fact is the Psalms are written they are saying,  praying, 'You're there, and you care, and you have the ability to solve this problem.'"

That's what I want you to put in your pocket. Whatever you're going through, remember that the Lord cares, He wants to protect you, and he wants to give you guidance, and is always able to do that, day or night.