Here is something I’ve learned about myself over the years: I tend to have a certain way I like to do things! I have a routine, a set pattern that I believe is the best and fastest way to get from Point A to Point B. If someone or something tries to move me off that route, well…let’s just say I get a little impatient. In times like these, God often has His way of gently guiding me down a better path, often using lessons from His Word to do so. One great example of this in Scripture is the account of the Israelites in the desert wilderness.
“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter.” (Exodus 13:17a, NIV)
When God led the Israelites out of Egypt, he didn’t take them the quick route. The shortest route to where God was taking them—the land of Canaan—would have been to take a road called “The Way of the Sea.” They could have cut almost due north to the Mediterranean and then skirted along the edge of the sea all the way to the Promised Land.[1] Historical records indicate this was probably the most commonly used route to get from Egypt to Asia.
And if the Israelites had taken the quicker road, they would have arrived in Canaan in approximately two weeks on foot. Two weeks, rather than the forty years it eventually took them![2]
“If the Israelites had taken the quicker road, they would have arrived in Canaan in approximately two weeks on foot.”
But even though this was the shortest route, that wasn’t the way God took them. Why not? It turns out that the shortest path is not always the best path, and thus it wasn’t God’s path for them. Here’s what Exodus 13:17-18 (NIV) says:
“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, ‘If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.”
It turns out that God knew some things the Israelites did not know—about both the road and themselves.
What God Knew
First of all, the “Way of the Sea” was heavily guarded by the Egyptians. It was like a militarized zone, for the Egyptians had outposts set up all along that route. So, if the Israelites had gone that way, they would likely have faced fierce resistance, not only from the Egyptians but also from the Philistines who lived in the region.[3]
God also knew the condition of the hearts of his people. “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt” (Exodus 13:17b, NIV). God’s people were in no condition to fight, either physically or spiritually. They weren’t ready yet for that type of opposition.
Now, I realize it says at the end of verse 18 (NIV), “The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.” But, based on the original language, it seems that’s most likely just another way of saying they left in an orderly, military-like fashion rather than with swords in their hands.[4] (Exodus 12:51 says they left Egypt “by their divisions,” which also has the ring of military language, even though it’s simply a way of saying they left in calm, orderly formation, in the same way an army would be on the move.)
And yet, even though they may have been calm and organized, God knew the moment they faced opposition their calm would disintegrate, and they would actually want to run back into slavery (which is exactly what happens as early as the next chapter; see Exodus 14:10-12). God knew the hearts of His people better than they knew themselves; so right from the start He was protecting them.
“God knew the hearts of His people better than they knew themselves; so right from the start He was protecting them.”
Sound at all like a familiar story? It often doesn’t take much opposition or inconvenience to transform calm and collected into angry and argumentative. God knows our hearts, and He knows the best path for growing us in degrees that don’t devastate us.
Leading Our Hearts
Knowing the best path, God ended up sending the Israelites in the opposite direction they were headed. Rather than leading them north, He took them in a southeasterly direction. Again, it wasn’t the shortest or most direct way, but it was the best way. God knew what His people could handle and what they couldn’t. He knew what He was doing, just like He always does, even though the Israelites would end up doubting that a lot in the weeks, months, and years ahead.
For me at least, this sounds like a very familiar story. How many times have I looked at what I thought was the shortest and clearest path, and then God ended up taking me the long way instead?
You see, God knows our hearts just like He knew the hearts of the Exodus generation. In fact, He knows us much better than we know ourselves. He knows what we can handle and what we can’t. So sometimes He ends up taking us down the longer road because He’s protecting us from danger or pain. Or He may even be protecting us from ourselves. At the same time, He’s constantly teaching us to rely upon Him and His timing rather than our own.
“He’s constantly teaching us to rely upon Him and His timing rather than our own.”
Trusting the Best Path
Proverbs 14:12 (NIV) says, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” Yet this is often the way we choose. As for God’s path, as Paul describes in Romans 8:28, “In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Trust Him and submit to His path. Instead of insisting on your agenda and timetable, let Him humble you, teach you, and grow you.
Even when the path is hard, even when it’s not at all the path we would have chosen, even when we’re tempted to doubt where God is taking us, we are still called to trust that He knows what He’s doing. We’re called to believe that God’s path really is the best path.
Sometimes we might wonder, “Okay, maybe God’s path is the best path. But what exactly is it?” And such a question is close, but not quite there. God’s path has always been more a who than a what. When Philip asked Jesus, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus assured him, “I am the way” (John 14:5-6a, NIV). You can trust God’s path because the path is a Person who has proven His faithfulness time and time again.
[1] John D. Currid, Exodus, EP Study Commentary (Evangelical Press, 2014), 271.
[2] Philip Graham Ryken, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory, Preaching the Word (Wheaton: Crossway, 2015), 348.
[3] Christopher J. H. Wright, Exodus, The Story of God Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2021), 266. See also Ryken, 348 and Currid, 271.
[4] Currid, 273.
