Exodus 13:17 - Meaning and Application

Here is, first, the way God chose for them, in Exodus 13:17-18. He was their guide. Moses gave them directions, but only as he received them from the Lord. We should remember that a man’s way is not in himself (Jeremiah 10:23). He may plan his course and make his decisions, but in the end God directs his steps (Proverbs 16:9). Man may propose, but God disposes, and we must accept his rule and follow his providence.

There were two roads from Egypt to Canaan. One was a short route through the north of Egypt into the south of Canaan, perhaps only four or five days’ journey. The other was much longer and went through the wilderness, and that was the path God chose for Israel (Exodus 13:18). There were several reasons for this. The Egyptians were to be drowned in the Red Sea. The Israelites were to be humbled and tested in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:2). God had also given Moses a sign at the burning bush, “You shall serve God on this mountain” (Exodus 3:12). And since they had told Pharaoh again and again that they must go three days into the wilderness to sacrifice, they needed to march that way, or they would have looked like open deceivers.

Before they met their enemies, they needed time to settle matters with God. They had to receive laws, establish ordinances, seal the covenant, and confirm the original agreement. For that, they needed the quiet of the wilderness, the only private place for such a large people. The main road would not have been fit for those sacred matters. Deuteronomy 32:10 says he led them about, even hundreds of miles around. Yet Psalm 107:7 says he led them out by the right way. God’s way is the right way, even when it seems longer. If we think he does not lead his people by the shortest route, we can still be sure he leads them by the best route. That will be clear when we reach the end of the journey. We should not judge before the time.

There was also one reason God did not take them by the nearest way. That route would have brought them, after only a few days’ march, to the land of the Philistines, since that part of Canaan lay next to Egypt. But they were not ready for war, much less for war with the Philistines (Exodus 13:17). Their spirits had been crushed by slavery. It was not easy for them to change suddenly from brickwork to battle. The Philistines were fierce enemies, too strong for raw recruits. It was better that they first face the Amalekites and learn the hardships of the wilderness before entering Canaan’s wars. God measures his people’s trials to their strength and will not let them be tested beyond what they can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). God knows our makeup. He sees our weakness and fear, and he trains us with smaller trials for larger ones. He brought Israel out of Egypt like an eagle that stirs up its young and teaches them to fly little by little (Deuteronomy 32:11).

After these orders were given, we are told that they went up in good order, not as a mob, but as an army. They went up prepared for the journey, Exodus 13:18. Some think they marched by fives in a rank, others by five squadrons. They moved like an army with banners, and that gave them strength and honor.

We are also told that they carried Joseph’s bones with them (Exodus 13:19). Very likely they also carried the bones of Jacob’s other sons, unless, as some think, those had already been taken privately to Canaan as each one died (Acts 7:16). Joseph had especially commanded that his bones be carried up when God would visit his people (Genesis 50:25-26). So this was not only keeping the oath their fathers had sworn to Joseph. It was also a confession that God was fulfilling Joseph’s promise to them, that he would visit them and bring them out of Egypt. And it strengthened their faith and hope that he would also keep the other part of the promise, bringing them to Canaan. While they wandered in the desert, they carried these bones as a reminder that Joseph’s rest would come at last, and then theirs would too.

Moses is said to have taken these bones with him. Moses was now a great man, and Joseph had once been great in his day. Yet Joseph was now only a box of dry bones. That was all that remained of him in this world, and it could have reminded Moses of his own mortality. He had been told, “You are gods” (Exodus 7:1), but even he would die like other men.

Second, here is the guidance they received along the way. The Lord went before them in a pillar, Exodus 13:21-22. In the first two stages of the journey, it was enough that God told Moses where to march, since Moses knew the country and the road. But now they had reached the edge of the wilderness (Exodus 13:20), and they needed a guide. They had an excellent one, infinitely wise, kind, and faithful. The Lord went before them, in the shekinah, the visible sign of God’s presence, which pointed ahead to Christ, or in a prior appearing of the eternal Word, who in time would become flesh and live among us. Christ was with the church in the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:9). Now their King went before them, the Lord at their head (Micah 2:13).

Those whom God brings into a wilderness he will not leave there or lose there. He will lead them through it. Moses and the godly Israelites surely found great comfort in knowing they were under divine guidance. Those led in this way did not need to fear losing their path, being lost, or being left in the dark. They did not need to fear being robbed, because God protected them. Those who make God’s glory their aim, God’s word their rule, God’s Spirit the guide of their desires, and God’s providence the guide of their affairs may be sure that the Lord goes before them, just as he went before Israel in the wilderness, though not as visibly. We must live by faith.

They had clear signs that God was going before them. They all saw a sign from heaven in the pillar, which looked cloudy by day and fiery by night. What was a flame at night appeared as smoke by day. God gave them this visible proof of his presence because their faith was weak, and because the church was then in its early childhood and needed to be taught in a simple way. But blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed, trusting God’s gracious presence with them according to his promise. They also had real and helpful effects from God’s going before them in this pillar.

For one thing, this pillar led them through a huge, desolate wilderness with no road, no track, and no signposts. They had no maps and no guides, yet when they traveled, the pillar went ahead at a pace they could follow and showed them where to camp, as perfect wisdom saw fit. This kept them from worry and kept them safe, both while moving and while resting.

It also sheltered them from the daytime heat, which could be very severe in some seasons. At night, it gave them light when they needed it. In every way, it made their camp more pleasant and made the wilderness less frightening.

These were steady miracles, because the pillar of cloud was not taken away (Exodus 13:22). It did not leave them even when they seemed to need it less, such as when they traveled through settled areas. It also stayed with them when they complained and rebelled. It remained with them until it brought them to the edge of Canaan. It was a cloud the wind could not blow away. This mercy is later remembered with gratitude (Nehemiah 9:19; Psalm 78:14).

There was also something spiritual in this pillar of cloud and fire. The children of Israel were baptized into Moses in this cloud, and some think it even dropped dew on them (1 Corinthians 10:2). By coming under this cloud, they showed that they were placing themselves under God’s guidance and command through Moses. Protection wins loyalty, and this cloud was the sign of God’s care, so it became the bond of their obedience. In this way, they were set apart and brought under that rule as they entered the wilderness.

Some also see this cloud as a picture of Christ. The cloud of his human nature hid the light and fire of his divine nature. We find him clothed with a cloud and with feet like pillars of fire (Revelation 10:1). Christ is our way, the light on our way, and the guide along it.

The cloud also pointed to the special guidance and protection that Christ’s church has in this world. God himself keeps Israel, and he never sleeps or grows weary (Psalm 121:4; Isaiah 27:3). There is a defense around Zion, not only around its gatherings, but around every home in Zion as well (Isaiah 4:5, 6). In fact, every true Israelite is hidden under the shadow of God’s wings (Psalm 17:8). Even the angels, whose ministry was used in this cloud, are sent for their good and camp around them. Happy are you, O Israel. Who is like you, O people?