There was a much shorter way to Canaan than the way by which God took His people, but He knew what was best for them and He led them in His way — “the right way” (Psalm 107:77And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. (Psalm 107:7)). We know that we have been ready to go to heaven from the very moment of our salvation, but God has a purpose in leaving us here. We are in His school, where there is much to learn, just as the children of Israel learned the ways of God in their forty years of wilderness life.
Long before this time, when Joseph was dying, he had requested that his bones would be carried out of Egypt and buried in Canaan — the land of promise — and so the children of Israel took them along with them. He had died in faith, trusting in God’s promises, but now we know that God has something better for him than an earthly Canaan, and he will receive heavenly blessing (Hebrews 11:1616But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:16)).
Guidance
As the Israelites journeyed along to Canaan they needed guidance, and so God Himself went before them in a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. And we need guidance too! We cannot choose our own path through this tangled, evil world without making many mistakes, and so God has given us guidance for each step in His own precious Word. “His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:33According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: (2 Peter 1:3)). Yes, we have all we need in Him, and let us not try to take one step without guidance from above.
Satan’s Attack, God’s Defense
Before the children of Israel were safely out of the land, Pharaoh made another attempt to bring them back into slavery. How often we find Satan making just such an attack, especially on those who are recently saved. Pharaoh could not see any way for them to get across the Red Sea. If they did cross, what a hard journey it would be through the wilderness! Did the devil ever tell you about what you have given up for Christ, and that you are having a hard road? Has he tempted you to return to this Egypt-world and build his treasure cities again? Let us look beyond this world of tribulation and see the glorious end of our journey, for it is far brighter even than Israel’s blessing in Canaan. God has saved you and me for His own glory. Our deliverance is sure, and the future is as certain as God Himself. God would not allow Pharaoh to take one of His people back to Egypt; neither will He allow anyone to pluck a single sheep from His hands of love.
God’s Word to the children of Israel at this time was, “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord” (ch. 14:13). God must bring each one of us to the point where we feel our own helplessness. The enemy was behind, the sea was ahead, and the only thing the Israelites could do was to stand still and wait for the Lord to open the way. They were thoroughly cast on Him, and He undertook their whole case. Moses said, “The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” (ch. 14:14). Once we have learned this, then the word is “Go forward” — God will open the way for us. Just as God used Moses’s rod to make a path through the sea for the Israelites, so Christ bore the “rod” of God’s judgment for us, and the victory is ours. Let us rejoice in it, and sing His praises as they did on the far side of the Red Sea.
Further Meditation
1. Will Satan ever give up attacking God’s people as long as he has the chance?
2. What other examples are there in Scripture of God delivering a trapped people?
3. God’s guidance is a very important topic and a lot has been written about it. One pretty good pamphlet that will help you to continue studying this subject is How to Know the Will of God for Your Life: Part 1, The Crossroads—the Place of Decision by B. Anstey.