The Mercy in a Long Road

“17 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." 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea/Sea of Reeds. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.” - Exodus 13:17-18 9NIV]

When I prepare sermons my focus centers on the primary message of the text and I don’t usually dwell too much on secondary reflections - but I do so here. In the case of the crossing of the Red Sea, we see God’s glory revealed by the demonstration of his absolute power to deliver Israel from Egyptian slavery. The passage reveals who God is and invites us to trust in him.

The most obvious instance that called for trust is when the Israelites encountered the Red Sea. However, even from the beginning, we see how they are invited to trust God when he leads them on the longer road, rather than the shorter one through Philistine country to Canaan. They were dressed for battle, but God knew they were not prepared to face down an enemy army at that time; his path was the best path for them.

I find these details to be a comforting reminder. We are often perplexed by the path that life takes us – we wonder why things can’t be always straight forward, why we can’t just cut right across to what God would seem to desire for us. Sometimes we forget that God’s plan is to lead us to himself, that we find our better country in his presence. And so, sometimes our course in life will postpone certain stops we hoped to quickly reach or not include them at all.

God only knows all the reasons for our winding path, and I wouldn’t venture too much in guessing at those reasons. The point, as this text reminds us, is that we can trust in God’s good purpose for us, even when things take an unexpected direction.

Scripture quotations are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®
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Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Rev. Tom Loghry

Tom Loghry is the senior pastor of Rockland Community Church in North, Scituate, RI. He is a graduate of the Berkshire Institute for Christian Studies, Toccoa Falls College (B.S. Pastoral Ministry), and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (M.A. Theology). He is continuing his graduate studies in the area of “Ethics & Society” at GCTS.