| The Christian Life | May 1942 |
Israel’s Wilderness Journey
Exodus 12:37-39; 13:17-22; 14:1-31; Numbers 33:5-8
FOLLOWING the death of Egypt’s firstborn and the passing over of Israel’s firstborn, Pharaoh decided to let the Israelites go. The morning after the eventful passover night they gathered at Rameses to start their journey toward the Canaan which God had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In I Corinthians 10:11 the Apostle Paul says, “But these things occurred to them typically, and were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.” (Diaglott) It is not necessary, of course, to suppose that every little detail of Israel’s experiences was intended by God to be a type or shadow of similar events in the experiences of spiritual Israel of the Gospel age, but we can draw lessons from God’s dealings with these ancient people which should help us to avoid the mistakes which they made and to exercise greater faith in God’s care over us than did they.
Rameses was one of the “treasure cities” built for Pharaoh by the Israelites. Rameses was also the title of the Pharaoh of the oppression, and it becomes a most fitting name for the city from whence the Israelites were to start their journey toward the Canaan of promise. The Egyptians were sun worshipers. Their sun god was Ra. It is not surprising that this particular Pharaoh took unto himself the title Rameses, which means “child of the sun.” We know, of course, from the standpoint of the truth, that Rameses was not actually a giver of light either to Egypt or to the Israelites. It was he who had so enslaved the children of Israel that they cried for deliverance, and their God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, heard and delivered them.
There is an interesting correspondency in this respect in connection with God’s dealings with spiritual Israel. We, too, as it were, have a Pharaoh of our oppression. His name is Lucifer, which means shining one. Like Pharaoh of old he has been far from a true light; yet he has, indeed, through his various deceptive methods, appeared as an “angel of light.” It has been true of the Gospel age that under the direction of Lucifer, God’s professed people have been led to build treasure cities—great church systems which have masqueraded as true cities of God. Let it be noted, however, that all who left Egypt by way of Rameses partook of, and shared in. the benefits of the passover lamb while still in Egypt, and it was not so much the nine plagues as it was the tenth which brought deliverance. Let it also be noted that Egypt does not merely represent the great church systems any more than those two cities, Rameses and Pithom, constituted all of Egypt. (Ex. 1:11) Egypt more particularly represents the world or kingdom of darkness and death in which, at one time or another, all of God’s spiritual Israelites have been enslaved.
There wasn’t anything that the enslaved of Israel could do about their own deliverance. Deliverance from Egypt, in the type, was accomplished by God. So, too, antitypically, it is God through His overruling providences and by way of the shed blood of the passover Lamb, who brings about our deliverance, our redemption. It is also well to note in this respect, that although the passover blood brought the deliverance of typical Israel out of Egypt, it did not necessarily bring them to the promised land; so, too, it is with the antitypical Israelites. God has delivered us by way of the blood, but continued faithfulness to the conditions of our call is necessary if we are to finally enter into the heavenly Canaan.
Continued faith in the God who had delivered them by way of the passover blood was the only surety the Israelites had of final entry into the land of Canaan. This exercise of faith in the blood by sprinkling it upon their lintels and door posts was accounted by God as a manifestation of their obedience. Failure to continue to exercise this same degree of faith was accounted by God as a manifestation of their disobedience. True, God remembered their frames that they were but dust and continued to strive with them for a while, but their persistence to doubt and to forget God caused Him finally to cease His strivings with them. For this failure to continue faithful and obedient, He turned them back, not into Egypt, but into the wilderness to die. Beloved, let us remember well the words of the apostle in which he tells us that what happened to Israel happened to them for ensamples. May this example of unbelief and disobedience be a warning to help us walk more faithfully and more obediently in the narrow way wherein we are called.
Let us not presume upon God, nor account the things He has done for us as being ordinary and commonplace. Let us not take for granted that because He once dealt with us while we were yet in our sins, giving us deliverance through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the antitypical passover Lamb, that He will continue to deal with us without our showing any evidence of an ever increasing appreciation and faith. It is through our faith and obedience to God that we show our appreciation of what He has already done for us. Undoubtedly this is what the apostle means when he says “without faith it is impossible to please Him.” (Heb. 11:6) It is not reasonable to suppose that God will continue to shower His blessings upon us if we do not use them as a means of strengthening our faith in Him and increasing our zeal for Him.
“NO CONTINUING CITY”
All the Israelites were ready to start for the promised land; ready to accept the deliverance which God was offering to them. Accordingly, the met at Rameses, and from there they journeyed to Succoth. The name Succoth means “booths” and is a good reminder of the fact that their journey toward Canaan, while giving to them liberty and freedom from servitude in Egypt, was, on the other hand, a call to them for the self-denial of many of the conveniences and necessities which their homes in Egypt undoubtedly supplied.
No longer were the Israelites to enjoy the protection of houses and roofs over their heads. From then on they must live in tents until they reached the promised land. There is in this the suggestion that for spiritual Israelites who have started their pilgrim journey toward the antitypical and heavenly Canaan of rest there can be no “continuing city” which shall afford them protection from the hardships of the way. As spiritual sons of a Heavenly Father, travelling on in the narrow way, we do not look to material sources for our protection but to what we might call the “little booth” over which God watches—and we have the assurance that He neither slumbers nor sleeps. His precious promises of grace and protection for every time of need furnish a blessed canopy between us and the storms and fiery trials which otherwise would overwhelm us.
The typical Israelites traveled on under the canopy of heaven which to us in our experiences might well remind us of the boundlessness of God’s grace with which we are surrounded and under which we have our protection and blessing. This grace must not be hindered nor handicapped. No earth-born cloud should be permitted to come in between us and our God. We should be able at all times to look up to the sunshine of His grace and love and thus to realize an ever-increasing sense of His mercy and care. We should remember, however, that God’s love and grace toward us are not always manifested in the pleasant experiences of life. The trials, the persecutions, the chastenings which the Lord permits to come upon us are equally manifestations of His love because we need these various experiences in order to grow strong in Him ‘and in the power of His might.
Take as an illustration two plants of the same kind. Let one be grown in the cellar, where light and fresh air are excluded; and let the other be grown in the open garden. After a few weeks note the difference in the two plants. One will be healthy and strong, the other weak and frail. True, the plant in the cellar may be protected from the winds and the rains but it is this very protection that prevents it from growing strong and hardy. On the other hand, the plant that is grown in the open air becomes strong in its struggles against the elements, being aided by those vitalizing elements provided by the sun’s radiance. Under this great canopy of heaven the plant thrives because of all the various elements and factors which contribute toward its development and strength.
It would seem, then, that the “booth” life gives the thought of exposure, inasmuch as the booth does not afford the natural protection from the elements that is furnished by a house. To the true spiritual Israelites this booth life may well represent all of the phases of God’s grace under which and by which we grow up into Him in all things. This exposure, this homelessness of the saint of God, is what really makes him strong. It is the adverse winds blowing upon a tree which cause it to become stronger and stronger as it shoots its roots correspondingly deeper in the earth. Yet it should be kept in mind that it is the sunshine which is the vital means of its sustenance and life, thereby affording it the ability to withstand the storms; for apart from it, it could not be. We, too, grow strong through our resistance to the storms of life, yet it is by means of the sunshine of God’s favor that we are given the encouragement and ability to resist, even unto death.
The zeal with which the natural Israelites started their wilderness journey did not continue. In this we have a very vivid illustration of what may occur in our own individual experiences if we do not carefully watch ourselves. There is the possibility, yea, the danger, of losing our “first love.” According to Numbers 33:6, the Israelites seemed first to have moved northward and then eastward to Etham where suddenly they were directed to turn southward. The most natural thing for them to have done would have been to continue going eastward, for then would they have come to the little fords lying north of the Red Sea, which surely would have been much easier to cross and more directly in line with Canaan, their goal.
This course seems to have been inconsistent, for instead of it increasing the distance between themselves and the domain of Pharaoh they were virtually shortening it. Not only so, but they were increasing the barrier between themselves and the promised land. However, the explanation is that this move was God-directed. How wonderful! The account reads, “And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped … on the edge of the wilderness; and the Lord went before them … to lead them the way.”—Exodus 13:20,21
FOLLOWING GOD’S DIRECTION
To spiritual Israelites there must be many of these “Ethams” where God directs, not in ways of progress according to the flesh, but in the very reverse direction, so that the demonstration of God’s grace and power may be the greater. We must not choose our own way, but must ever let God direct our course, even though, at times, this course seems most hazardous. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof” is not the full and complete deliverance for which we hope, but is death.—Proverbs 14:12
If left to choose our own way we would be inclined to follow our natural tendencies. The way of the flesh is to follow the line of least resistance. But in this way God cannot be glorified nor can our faith be properly demonstrated. It is easy thus to have faith while we can see the farther shore, but when the fogs set in, hindering our natural vision, then it is that we need to exercise strong faith in God.
When traveling by boat on a clear, sunshiny day one hardly ever gives a thought to the skill and competency of the pilot. But when a thick fog sets in and the old, familiar landmarks are no longer visible, it is then that we appreciate the pilot and his ability to bring us safely to our desired haven. Under such circumstances there is nothing that one can possibly do except to put full trust in the pilot. Our uneasiness, our nervousness, our misgivings and fears, our doubting and fretting would not help in the least—we must stand by, while the pilot brings us through.
How true this is of our spiritual journey! There are times when, in the providences of God, we can do nothing to extricate ourselves from a difficult situation. At such times, there is nothing that we can do except to put our trust wholly in God realizing that He is the one who is able to bring us through. It is then that our extremities become God’s opportunities.
God brought the Israelites through an extremity in order that they might have an opportunity to stand still and see His salvation. He changed their course from Etham and brought them down to Pi-hahiroth, which latter means “where sedge grows.” This was truly a place where, according to the flesh, their hearts would fail them for discouragement—a place where, instead of finding their deliverance from Egypt complete, they found themselves in an apparently worse condition than when they first undertook the journey. Did they then remember the God who had already done so much for them? No! They murmured and cried. They saw only the Red Sea before them and the Egyptians behind them. They saw no way of escape because they neglected to put their trust in God.
Perhaps we, too, as spiritual Israelites have reached our extremities in the entangling “sedge” of Pi-hahiroth and have seen before us what appeared to be insurmountable obstacles. Perhaps the Lord may lead us, as it were, to the Red Sea, where every visible means of escape seems to be cut off. At such times do we fear and quake at the apparent impending doom? We should not, because it is here that God is afforded His great opportunity to give us deliverance. It is through such experiences that we learn the much-needed lesson that deliverance is not of ourselves but of God. It is at such times that He says to us as He did to Israel of old through His servant Moses, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.”—Exodus 14:13
It is at such times that God, if we let Him, becomes our tower of refuge, our tower of strength. Literally speaking, how good it is when we have lost ourselves in the woods and no longer know our way out to suddenly see a familiar tower, marking a spot, which, if we can but reach it, will mean safety for us. God is just such a tower of strength and deliverance, bringing salvation to us in our greatest times of need. Without Him we would be hopelessly lost in the wilderness of despair.
The account tells us that God directed the Israelites to Pi-hahiroth “between Migdol and the Sea.” (Numbers 33:7; Exodus 14:2) Migdol means “tower.” How significant! It was here that God revealed Himself to the Israelites as a tower of refuge. He instructed Moses what was to be done under the circumstances and obedience to these instructions brought deliverance through the very sea which only a short time before had presented itself as a most impenetrable barrier to their escape. The cloud that went before them, which was called the angel of the Lord, took its position at the rear of the camp becoming a pillar of darkness to the Egyptians and a pillar of light to the Israelites, preventing the Egyptians from marching in upon the Israelites throughout the entire night. In the morning, the Red Sea opened up and they passed through to safety.
Spiritual Israelites oft-times have these experiences by which their faith is tested. How else could we ever learn the lesson that “by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast”? (Eph. 2:8,9) It is most important for us to realize that it is not by our own strength that we gain deliverance. It is very necessary that we, at times, stand still and see the salvation of God. This does not mean a listless or disinterested attitude, but it does mean a calm confidence in Him—a confidence born of faith, that greater is He who is for us than all those who be against us. By thus putting our confidence in Him and cooperating with Him as He directs our paths, victory and deliverance are sure.
To have full faith in God means that we will trust Him under all circumstances. We will trust Him when He says to stand still and we’ll trust and obey when He commands us to move forward. Not to move when the Lord gives us marching orders would manifest a lack of faith, as much as it would not to stand still when He asks us to do so. However, whether standing still or going forward at His command, our hearts should always be in repose, for we even now rest in the realization of His completed work. It is only thus that we can enter into the rest which is provided for us by faith in Christ Jesus. All our work for the Lord, all our marching forward in the narrow way should be based upon and in harmony with this quiet, trustful repose in Him and His promises which give us the assurance that no matter what may happen, all things are working together for our good. Thus in anticipation of the final end of the way, and the Canaan of rest that will be found there, we can, even now, amidst the strife and the difficulty of the way, give thanks to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.