Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director, RFTH
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by sea…’”
Exodus 14:1
I’m not much of a camper.
In fact, I can count the number of times I’ve slept in a tent on one hand. Camping just isn’t my thing. Despite my lack of expertise in the great outdoors, I don’t think I would’ve chosen to camp by the Red Sea. I mean, I could’ve found a better spot.…
With rocky, cavernous walls on each side and a massive sea in front of them, this was no way for the Israelites to begin their journey out of Egypt. It looked like they were setting up camp in the middle of a trap. Plus, backtracking to the Red Sea meant going towards Egypt, not farther away. It couldn’t have made sense to them!
However, this was precisely where the Lord wanted them to be.
But then things got worse.
Much worse.
Pharaoh and his murderous army of charioteers sped towards the Israelites with cruel intentions (Exodus 14:6,7). Even if they somehow survived, they would be forced back into a life of slavery.
Why would the Lord lead them into the desert only to watch them get slaughtered in the sand?
Remember, the Israelites had:
Stepped out in faith.
Walked in obedience.
Followed “the pillar of fire at night and the pillar of cloud by day” (Exodus 13:21,22).
And where had they wound up?
Between a rock and a hard place.
(No, that’s not quite right.)
Between some rocks, a sea, and an army.
(There…that’s better.)
Maybe you find yourself in a similar, desperate situation.
Let’s face it.
The Lord’s guidance doesn’t always make sense to our finite minds.
In his book, The Red Sea Rules, Robert Morgan writes, “The Lord gave {the Israelites} specific, step-by-step instructions leading them to camp by the sea, a place of apparent ruin. He occasionally does the same with us. Leading us into hardship, teaching us His wisdom, and showing us His ways. When you are in a difficult place, the Lord either placed you there or allowed you to be there for reasons perhaps known for now only to Himself. The same God who led you in will lead you out.”
Consider three practical implications of Morris’ words:
• To reach our destination, the Lord might lead us backward before He leads us forward.
• Our current location is not random or unplanned. The Lord means for us to be exactly where we are.
• There is more going on than meets the eye. The Lord has a purpose for every place on our journey.
In this instance, the Lord led the Israelites by the Red Sea so that Pharaoh would think they were “confused” and unable to navigate the desert (Exodus 14:3). While it looked like they had stumbled into a trap, the Lord was actually setting a trap for the Egyptians. Indeed, the Lord intended the Israelites to camp by the sea not for their demise but for their deliverance.
Maybe He’s doing the same thing with you and me.
Think about this: when Jesus was on the cross, a horrible, desperate place, if there ever was one, it looked like evil had won. But three days later, everything changed. The cross transformed from a symbol of defeat to a symbol of deliverance.
So, if you’re currently confounded by how the Lord is guiding you, ask yourself:
Will I continue to trust and obey Him even when I question the wisdom of His leading? Even when I’m ‘camping’ in a complicated and desperate place?
Unlike the Israelites, we may not get a miraculous deliverance from our situation. But the Lord has promised that if He doesn’t part the waters, He will carry us through the waters.
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.” (Isaiah 43:2).
Even I can camp out in a truth as glorious as this!
DIG DEEPER
Read “Trusting God in the Tough Times” by Bryant Wright
