The Life of Moses (9)

The king of Egypt hardened his heart in spite of all the serious callings that had come to him. Then the last plague followed—all the firstborn in the land of Egypt would die, but for Israel there would be deliverance. The blood of the lamb was a covering against the sword of God’s justice. The Passover feast was instituted, “and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations.” The firstborn of the Israelites would be sanctified unto the Lord. “Sanctify unto Me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is Mine.” After the last plague Pharaoh had begged the Israelites to leave the country. They had to do that with haste. Thus, the wilderness journey of Israel would begin by God’s mighty power.

The divine Leader

The apostle speaks of the wilderness journey in 1 Corinthians 10:1: “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea.’’ In verse 6a he says, “Now these things were our examples.’’ Therefore, we want to consider a few events of this journey.

It was still night in the land of Goshen when a multitude was assembled of men, women, and children, more than two million, who would be led by Moses. It was about twelve o’clock. They had just eaten the Passover lamb, their loins girded, a staff in their hand, waiting behind doors when the angel passed through the land and the firstborn of the Egyptians were slain, and then the Israelites were free from the yoke of the oppressor in the house of bondage. Before they left, they demanded gold and silver and jewels—“they spoiled the Egyptians.” This was according to God’s promise in Exodus 3:22: “But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.” The Lord always fulfills His promises even if it goes through utter impossibilities.

It was night when they left their prison, traveling in an unknown way. What a responsibility for Moses to care for such a multitude of young and older ones, with only some unleavened bread upon their shoulders and perhaps a little water. Although the task was laid upon Moses’ shoulders, God Himself led His people. There was a cloud, a pillar of cloud and fire, and the Lord’s glory was in it. It was a token of God’s presence. This pillar of cloud was a gracious gift to guide, to give light in the way they should go. It provided light in the darkness of the night and a covering in the heat of the day. The pillar of cloud and of fire was never taken away all the years that Israel would be in the wilderness. He who guided them was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the covenant-keeping God who will never change what He once has spoken. It was the God who heard their groanings in Egypt. He was the same as the One who had appeared to Moses in the burning bush. He fulfilled the word already spoken to Abraham after four hundred years of slavery.

So, Israel was not just following a pillar of cloud and fire but God’s often incomprehensible, wise leading. The poet pleads in Psalm 25:4, “Shew me Thy ways, O LORD; teach me Thy paths.” His ways, which are often higher than our ways, are mysterious paths by which He leads the blind in a way that they know not.

The leading

It was indeed a multitude traveling through the wilderness. They were led by an old man, Moses, of eighty years. The best part of his life seemed to be gone. You may ask, why did he have to stay forty years in the wilderness as a useless man? Would not one year have been enough? No, the Lord is wise. At forty years of age, Moses was an easily angry, hot-tempered man, but now at eighty years he was meek. He had received divine instruction for his future task. Oh, how much patience would he need to lead a stubborn, complaining, easily wandering people. He would be a mediator for them, the mediator of intercession.

The people whom he led were a mixed multitude through intermarriages. The first to be disappointed with the manna were a bad influence sometimes on others. Israel was indeed a large multitude, but everyone above eighteen years would not come into Canaan. After two years God would say to the unbelieving people that all above twenty years would die in the wilderness. Yes, there were also others despite those stubborn and rebellious people. There was a remnant, the true Israel—Eldad, Medad, Joshua, Caleb, seventy men—upon whom the Spirit dwelt. The Lord would take care of Israel, not for their sake but for His own name’s sake.

His leading would be mysterious. The shortest route to Canaan from Goshen was ten days walking. That did not seem to be so very far. Initially, therefore, the people left Egypt with joy. The children leaped, the men were singing, the women were cheerful; they would go from strength to strength. Then something mysterious and incomprehensible happened. The Lord led them about; instead of northwest, they went to the south. After a few hours, they entered into Egypt again, but this was not a good road—they came to a valley where hills became mountains, and the mountains became even higher. Would this really be the way of the Lord? When the Egyptians heard this, they believed that the Israelites had lost their way.

It became very quiet in that valley. They came before Pi-hahiroth, and there they heard the noise, the rushing of water. It was the Red Sea. They were at a dead-end road. To their left on the top of the mountains was a fortification of the Egyptians, Migdol; to the right a statue of the idol Baalzephon which would prevent fugitives from escaping Egypt. The Israelites heard the trembling of the ground and soon cried out in terror, “Pharaoh is coming!” Was this God’s leading?

His delight

We read in Psalm 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and He delighteth in his way.” How could the Lord have a delight in a way like this—the cries of terror and fear, mountains beside them, Pharaoh behind them? God led His people. Yes, all our ways are in His Hand, also the paths of the unconverted. They may imagine that they are free and that God’s service is bondage, but they are still slaves to a cruel master, in the bondage of sin. God led His people; yes, there was also the mixed multitude who outwardly would live together with Israel but who perished in the wilderness. However, God led especially His own people in this mysterious way.

Thus, it still may be in the life of God’s inheritance. After all the cries and bondage, by the opening of the gospel there may be a sweet time, and then they are like Israel loaded with the spoil of the enemies and seeing the way so clearly before them. What they do not expect is the turning around, not to Canaan, but it seems back to Egypt. There are waters of impossibilities, and there is the time that the Prince of Darkness assaults them and they have no strength in themselves. The enemies are so close. However, God leads them forth by the right way to go to a city of habitation. Why did the Lord not choose the shortest route for Israel? It was best for them. He had respect unto their weakness, their timidity:

a) They were not prepared to fight the Philistines.

b) He also wanted them to discover their enmity—often they were rebellious against His leadings.

Do we understand this? God’s living Church will not merit Canaan because of their patience, wisdom, meekness, or anything in them. It will be His grace only. In this way He will make Himself a glorious name. We read in Isaiah 63:9: “In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bare them, and carried them all the days of old.” They often rebelled and were foolish, obstinate rebels, but He led them through the deep as a horse through the wilderness. “As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest: so didst Thou lead Thy people, to make Thyself a glorious name” (Isaiah 63:14). What a great privilege and an undeserved mercy it is if we are no strangers to His leadings with such unworthy people.

(To be continued)

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