We pick up today in Exodus 12:37-51 and Exodus 13:17-22. Yesterday we ended with Joseph and his family arriving in Egypt with seventy people. After 430 years of oppression in the land of Egypt, the Israelites are on their way toward freedom and the land that God promised Abraham. This is after God sent Moses to the Pharaoh and brought the ten plagues upon Egypt. After the Egyptians release the Israelites, and urgently ask them to leave, the Exodus begins.
This first passage in Exodus 12:37-51 tells us that the Israelites leave with about 600,000 men, plus women and children. They have all of their possessions, livestock and the treasures they collected from the Egyptians. The Israelites left Egypt like a victorious army who had plundered its enemies. This fulfilled what God told Abraham in Genesis 15:13-14.
God could have taken His people on a direct route from Egypt to the land of Canaan by traveling along the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. However, He chose to take them on a long journey and cross the Red Sea. Why would God bring His people out of Egypt, with no provisions, and lead them on a path that put them at the edge of a body of water they could not possible cross on their own? One reason was mentioned in Exodus 13:17. A journey along the edge of the Mediterranean Sea would have sent them directly through the land of the Philistines. The other reason would seem to be to teach them a lesson on faith and dependency on Him.
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him as they travelled. Joseph had given instructions that his bones were to go with the Israelites when they left Egypt. This was the final act of Joseph that was recorded before his death. Joseph believed that God would lead His people out of Egypt. Joseph knew that God had something greater in store for His people than remaining slaves in a strange land. What do we learn from Joseph’s final recorded actions? What do they tell us about Joseph’s faith in God, and belief in God’s promises? What should Joseph teach us about our own faith and belief in God’s promises?
We see God lead His people on their journey in a pillar of cloud, as well as a pillar of fire. We are told that the pillar did not depart from before the people. How should we be comforted when we think about Exodus 13:21-22?