God Leads That We Might Follow

A young boy was playing "Indiana Jones" in the yard. He pretended to be a great explorer searching for ancient treasures. Gathering a rope for a whip, a hand shovel, and a walking stick, he set out in the neighborhood to find his treasure. His father noticed the boy wandering off toward the woods. "Stay on the path I cleared! The woods are dark and overgrown -- it's easy to get stuck or lost!" The young adventurer continued on. But the wise father secretly followed behind him.
Imagining a gold treasure awaited his precise digging at a particular spot, the boy wandered off the path into the deep woods. Before too long, he found the perfect spot to dig. Amazingly, he dug up some old coins that had been abandoned there a century before. He stuffed them in his pocket and hurriedly got up to leave. He wanted to show his father what he had discovered. But as he looked around, he saw no path. It was dark, spooky, and there were lots of creepy creatures crawling around. He took a few steps one way, then another, but it was no use. He was trapped in the darkness of the woods.
As the tears began to well up in his eyes, he heard a familiar voice, "Over here, son!" The young boy ran toward the voice and eventually saw his father, standing on the path. He had been watching the boy all along. "Are you OK, son?" asked the father. "Yes sir," he said, "the path just stopped and I wasn't sure how to get home." The father grinned and replied, "Well, maybe next time when the path stops, you can let me know and I'll go with you to clear out a new one, OK?" And they walked the path back home, together.

How many of you are like the wise father? Most of us would have to admit being more like the young boy than the wise father. Why is that? Because a part of our fallen nature is a tendency to stray -- to go along our own path. But God wants us to follow Him, to go along the good path. He knows our tendency is to stray. As a result, God provides us the leadership we need that we might "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls..." (Jer 6:16, NKJV)

Scripture: Exodus 13:17-22
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Main Thought: God provides each person with leadership needed to live a righteous life filled with His direction, wisdom, and protection.

God will definitely lead you in the way you should go. (v.18-20)

God will definitely lead you in the way you should not go. (v.17)

God provides visible direction to show you the way to go. (v.21)

God provides wisdom and insight to use along the way. (v.21)

God will be with you all the way to protect you on the way. (v.22)

18 So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt. 19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you." 20 So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. (Exodus 13:18-20, NKJV)

1. God will definitely lead you in the way you should go. (v.18-20)

The dangerous trek from Eqypt: The Israelites had departed from Egypt and were traveling along an unknown path toward a unknown land that was not yet their own -- it was only a promise. Theirs was a frightening trek filled with danger and peril. Which was should you go in the wilderness? Left on their own, they would have gotten lost, discouraged, or killed.

I see this each week with the young boys in our Royal Ambassodors training. After the chapel time, each boy must go with others his own age to a classroom. But it is not enough to just tell the boys to walk to their classroom -- they go off in every direction. Each group of boys needs a leader to actually arrive in the classroom.

God led the Israelites: So God Himself led the Hebrew people in the way they were to go. "God led the people around" (v.18). He did not leave them abandoned in the woods. His freedom from bondage did not mean they were then left on their own. God Himself desired to lead them. And He Himself did lead them to bring them along the good path that would lead to the Promised Land. They continued from their first encampment at Succoth to "the edge of the wilderness" (v.20) at Etham. From there, they would cross the Red Sea and move on towards Canaan.

God will lead you today: Our life in Christ may seem a frightening trek on an unknown path toward a strange land. But this principle of God's leadership is clear: God definitely leads you in the way you should go. He desires to lead and has made known this desire in His holy word. He personally provides each believer with leadership that you might live a righteous life and accomplish His plan for your life. So rejoice in the truth that God desires to lead you in the way you should go. Make it you daily desire to follow His leadership.

17 Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, "Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt." (Exodus 13:17, NKJV)

2. God will definitely lead you in the way you should not go. (v.17)

The "Why" of God's Negative Leadership: The way to Canaan was NOT through the wilderness -- or so the Hebrew people must have thought. It was a few days journey to Canaan northwest through the Sinai peninsula. This seemed to be the most direct route. Why would God have prevented them from going this way? God must really want them to suffer...Such questions arise today:

When a job offer is not extended -- why must I stay in a job I hate?

When all attempts to move to a new area fail -- why doesn't God answer my prayer?

When other succeed through unrighteous methods -- why doesn't God reward my faithfulness?

Such questions arise when we forget that:

God leads us in the way we should go.

God does His best to prevent us from going in a direction that is not His plan for our lives.

The Benefit of God's Negative Leadership: Sometimes we go anyway and have to learn the hard way -- through painful consequences. A red traffic light is a great annoyance when you are in a hurry. Yet, you would not be so annoyed by the traffic light if another driver ran the red light and crashed into your car. You would be annoyed at the driver for failing to heed the order to stop. The traffic light functions to permit or restrict your activity according to what will be best for you and the other drivers.

God works this way in our lives through His leadership. He often permits some actions and restricts others. Many times we will not understand why until much later. Through the prophet Isaiah, God declares:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways...As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV)

The Response to God's Negative Leadership: When God says no to your plans, you need to be thankful for His leadership. For God desires your best. If He says no, it is because He has something far better in mind. Rejoice in the "No" answers to prayer for God is gracious and righteous in all His dealings with you.

And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way... (Exodus 13:21, NKJV)

3. God provides visible direction to show you the way to go. (v.21)

In this wilderness area, the Israelites needed clear direction in the way to go. God accomplished this through what is called a "theophany" -- an appearance of God. This was a visible intrusion of God into time and space, the physical universe. God, of course, is spirit by nature (John 4:24) and is everywhere-present, including the physical universe (Jer. 23:24; Eph. 4:10). Yet because He is by nature spirit He is invisible (Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. 1:17). So how do you follow an invisible God -- the Hebrew people had no Bible at this point?

God appeared to them during the day as a "pillar of cloud" (v.21). This is an awesome act of grace on God's part -- He chose to lead the Israelites directly through this cloud. In Scripture, this cloud often accompanied the glorious presence of God:

in the wilderness to confront complaining Israelites (Exo. 16:11);

at Mount Sinai when the Law was given (Exo. 19:9);

at the dedication of Solomon's temple (1 Kings 8:10-11);

at His appearance to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:4) and Daniel (Daniel 7:13);

at the transfiguration of Christ (Matt. 17:5);

at the ascension of Christ to Heaven (Acts 1:9);

and at the return of Christ to rule the Earth (Matt. 26:64; Rev. 1:7).

God knew their need and gave to the Israelites the visible manifestation of Himself that they might have no question who to follow or where to go. Today, God has manifested Himself to us in human flesh (John 1:1,14), as the writer of Hebrews states:

1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Heb 1:1-3, NKJV)

Therefore, we have Jesus as our King to follow (Matt. 21:5) and our example to model in daily living (1 Peter 2:21). God entered time and space through the person and work of Jesus Christ that we might have a visible sight to follow. Those who know the LORD will follow Jesus and walk as He did (1 John 2:5-6). The insights we gain from His earthly ministry and teachings are clear examples for us to follow today.

And the LORD went before them ... by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. (Exodus 13:21, NKJV)

4. God provides wisdom and insight to use along the way. (v.21)

As the Israelites camped during the night, God appeared to them "in a pillar of fire to give them light" (v.21). The whole camp was brightened by the presence of God. What an awesome sight this must have been to see in the distance the camp of God's people! There were all the people, approximately 2,000,000 at this point with a tremendous pillar of fire overhead for all to see. The fire provided light which allowed them to see clearly in the darkness.

God's light always has this effect -- to separate the light from the darkness (Gen. 1:3-4; John 1:4-5). God is, by nature, light in whom there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). The "light" of God figuratively refers to wisdom, insight, and revelation from God. It is said to lead us to God's holy hill and His temple (Psalm 43:3). The light of God cannot be overcome by the darkness of evil and sin (John 1:5). Isaiah prophesied that Christ would come as a light to His people, Israel, and to the Gentiles as well: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined" (Isa 9:2, NKJV). Clearly, the light of God, in a spiritual sense, brings salvation to anyone who responds to it, rather than turning away from it.

God's light is also that which provides us wisdom to live a righteous and godly life. As Jesus proclaimed boldly: "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12, NKJV). As the LORD provided light to the Israelites by the pillar of fire, Jesus assures us that if we will follow Him, He will provide abundant light for godly living.

Are you walking in His light? Are you pursuing a relationship with Him through His revelation in the Bible? Are you submitting your life to the light of His word, daily conforming yourself to the things God shows you? Remember, as the Apostle John stated, "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (I John 1:6-7, NKJV). God will lead you along the way with wisdom and insight -- walk with Him and enjoy the fellowship!

22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people. (Exodus 13:22, NKJV)

5. God will be with you all the way to protect you on the way. (v.22)

The pillar of cloud and fire symbolized the very real presence of Almighty God who had delivered the Israelites from slavery. In this verse, we see His unwavering commitment to leading them through the wilderness. "He did not take away the pillar" (v. 22). God was with His people to provide comfort and protection on the way to the Promised Land.

Interestingly, the cloud is referred to as a covering for the people. In its literal sense, the cloud would provide protection from the harsh sun. One can well imagine the difficulty of taking an entire family on a march through wilderness and desert terrain. The heat would have been unbearable. But "He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light in the night" (Psalm 105:39, NKJV). The pillar of cloud which covered the people was so immense it was said the people were baptized in it (1 Cor. 10:1-2). So it would have given them great relief and protection from the sun as they marched along with the cloud overhead. This has a figurative use also -- such is the way of God in caring for His people.

Those who wandered off, straggled behind, or sat still left the protection of the cloud. God said He would never leave nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). Yet His protection is provided as we follow His leadership. John wrote, "If we walk in the light..." (1 John 1:7, NKJV). So our spiritual protection is provided as we walk in the light of God's truth -- living life in accord with His design and principles. God leads and we follow, enjoying His protection from all spiritual dangers. Following His godly principles for handling money, raising a family, and working industriously we are protected from worldly influences and consequences. God's plan works to provide for us and protect us -- are you following Him?

Reflect on YOUR life: Have you reached a point in your life where you are easily led by God in pure thoughts, gracious words, and righteous conduct? It is clear that people must learn to be led. This is what God was doing with His people through the pillar of cloud and fire. He wants to teach you the same spiritual principle. When He tells you to do something -- follow His leadership and do it. When He holds you back -- follow His leadership and stay. For "Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you" (Psalm 128:1-2, NKJV). Seek His counsel and direction for all the affairs of your life. In all things,

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
(Prov. 3:5-6, NKJV)

Our Creator God loves you and wants you to know Him! If you would like to contact this ministry for further information or questions, please send your e-mail to:
Email: ministryrequest1@WordTruth.Com
Web Site: WordTruth.Com

Copyright 1999, Randy Lariscy.