Exodus 13:17-22 - Led by Pillars of Cloud and Fire

Exodus 13:17-22

The Wilderness Way (Exodus 40:34–38; Numbers 9:15–23; 1 Kings 8:10, 11)

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 Etham 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.

Israel had been granted freedom from bondage after over four hundred years in captivity in a foreign land, having had been fruitful and multiplied greatly there as fulfilling the command (Genesis 1:22) in the beginning to Adam and Eve and reiterated to Noah and then Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 9:1, 17:2-4, 28:3, 35:11-12).  God led His people out of captivity to as if bondage to sin and brought them through the wilderness of Sinai by way of the Red Sea to keep them from turning back if they saw the wars in the direct route through Philistine country.  So far, the people followed Moses and Aaron in an orderly manner arranged in ranks as if an army (which they have been referred to already in Exodus 12:41).  The descendants of the twelve patriarchs kept their promise (Genesis 50:24-25) to take Joseph’s remains to bury in the promised land in their faithfulness as they left the land where they were brought by Joseph to escape the famine and have a good start in life as a nation before the situation turned against them and they were enslaved those four hundred and thirty years.  They kept their promise as God had kept His.  All along the way, the LORD led them by pillars of cloud by day and fire to see by night, all the while allowing them to clearly follow their He was leading them without any doubt.  We are no longer led out of darkness and into His light in Christ our Passover by these pillars, but are led by His word and Spirit in us to first see clearly the way to go as we grow in faith in Christ through the wilderness of this world.  We are tested along the way as Israel was in the physical wilderness in their wandering, but we have the word made certain to us as our map through life.  We are given the directions which do not always seem to be the most direct way to sanctification, but know He is working in us (Romans 8:28, Philippians 1:6) to complete our journey to conformity to His Son (2 Corinthians 3:18) and can march on in confidence (Philippians 3:12, 13-14) even when the direction of the pillars given to guide us are not clearly seen or followed.  This is an analogy of being led out of the wilderness of the world and our sin into the light of fellowship with Him, with the direction along the street we could call Sanctification Way, is encouraging to we who are called out to continue following the guidance of God laid out in His word as we are led by His Spirit (Isaiah 30:21) along the narrow way as pillars of cloud not always clear in the day and fire in the darkness of night to illuminate our way.  In this way of thinking, we are also led by pillars of cloud and fire to the promised land which is the heavenly country (Hebrews 11:16) to come by God’s certain promise.  Let us therefore journey through this world’s wilderness with that goal in sight as the direction of our life.