To the Promised Land via a Dead End

“And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their

eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were

very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the L ord ” (Exod.

14:10, NKJV).

Have you ever been set up, led into a trap or to a dead end? Sometimes

it can be nice, like walking unexpectedly into a room of waiting friends

who all shout “Surprise! Happy birthday!” At other times it can be quite

a shock, even a very unpleasant one. It may have been bullies when you

were at school or a work colleague who unexpectedly tried to make you

look bad.

From the day the Israelites left Egypt to the day they reached the

Promised Land, “the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to

guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light,

so that they could travel by day or night” (Exod. 13:21, NIV). Every part

of their journey was led by God Himself. But look at where He led them

first: to a place where the sea was before them, mountains were on either

side, and Pharaoh’s army was within eyesight right behind!

Read Exodus 14. Why did God bring the Israelites to a place where He

knew they would be terrified?

Following “the pillar” doesn’t assure us of constant happiness. It also

can be a hard experience, because training in righteousness takes us to

places that test our hearts, which are so naturally deceitful (Jer. 17:9).

During these difficulties, the key to knowing when we are truly follow-

ing God is not necessarily the absence of trials or pain but, rather, an

openness to God’s instruction and a continual submission of our minds

and hearts to His leading.

What lesson did the Israelites learn from this experience? Exod. 14:31.

Why is trusting God sometimes so hard, even though we may

know many of the wonderful promises He has for us? Recount

a difficult situation you believe the Lord led you into in order to

teach you to “believe” in and to “fear” Him.