After the ten plagues Pharaoh finally released the Israelites from captivity, including over 600,000 men (20 years old and above), women, children, and a “mixed multitude” of non-Israelites (= over 2 million people), plus their belongings, provisions, flocks, herds, and livestock (Ex. 12:37-38; cf. 30:14; 38:26).
If we allow merely two square feet per person, the mass of people alone would have covered nearly 92 acres. Every time they set up camp, it would have required an estimated area of nearly 750,000 acres and approximately 4,000 tons of firewood. Each day the people (not counting the animals) would have needed about 1,500 tons of food and around 10.8 million gallons water.
Now Moses was educated “in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22),1 one of the most developed civilizations at the time, including significant advances in mathematics and geometry. If Moses had calculated the logistics involved in the enormous task set before him, no wonder he made excuses! But from the very beginning God promised, “I will certainly be with you …” (Ex. 3:12).
The Route Taken
The first leg of their journey was from Rameses to Succoth, then on to Etham (Ex. 12:37;13:20). [For a detailed itinerary of the entire trek, see Num. 33:1-49]. Since they were headed to “wilderness” rather than a heavily traveled region, with place names varying, changing, and disappearing through the centuries, it is extremely difficult if not impossible to now trace their route. Other than traveling eastward, at least three general routes have been proposed (northern, central, and southern), with multiple alternative possibilities included.
Far more important than geographical specificity is the One directing the way: “So God led the people …” (Ex. 13:17-18). From a mere human perspective, the shortest, quickest, easiest way was northeastward, along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. But this was the “way of the land of the Philistines” (v. 17), a trade and military route controlled by the Egyptians, which would have left the Israelites susceptible to inevitable conflict (cf. 14:10). Instead God led them in a more grueling direction, the “way of the wilderness of the Red Sea” (v. 18). God’s way is not always the easiest, but it is always the best!
About four centuries earlier, Joseph (at age 110) prophesied that God would lead his people out of Egypt to the Promised Land, and Joseph’s “bones” (or mummified body) were to be taken with them (Gen. 50:22-26). Joseph’s words were spoken “by faith” (Heb. 11:22), based on the revelation and promise of God. It is amazing that this was not only remembered but kept four centuries later (Ex. 13:19). Traveling from Rameses to Succoth to Etham, they set up camp “at the edge of the wilderness” (Ex. 13:20).
God Takes the Lead
“And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people” (Ex. 13:21-22). Note how God leads through various means: Moses (3:10; 32:7; 33:1) and Aaron (6:26-27), an Angel (14:19; 23:20-23; 32:34), and a pillar of cloud and fire (13:21-22).
The “pillar of cloud” and “pillar of fire” appears to have been a single pillar rather than two (cf. Ex. 14:24; Num. 9:15-16). The word translated “pillar” essentially refers to a “column” (something that stands upright); not a funnel cloud but more cylindrical. It led them “by day and night” (Ex. 13:21), not that they journeyed 24/7 but during periods when temperatures were most conducive to travel, avoiding extreme heat. The desert region east of Egypt (part of the Sahara Desert – the world’s largest hot desert) has an arid climate with comparatively little rainfall. God directed his people in this manner “throughout all their journeys” (Ex. 40:38).
The Fourfold Purpose of the Pillar of Cloud and Fire
· Reassurance (Deut. 31:6): a perpetual sign of God’s presence (note Ex. 3:12).
· Guidance (Ex. 13:21): it would hover over the area they were to set up camp and move on when it was time to leave, sometimes overnight, a couple of days, a month, or a year (Num. 9:15-23).
· Provision (Deut. 2:7): they lacked nothing. They were led to places in the wilderness where necessary resources were available or provided.
· Protection (Ex. 14:19-20, 24-25, 30-31): when the Egyptian armies pursued, the Lord through the pillar stood between his people and their enemies.
Lessons to Learn2
· God’s way is not necessarily the easiest way but is always the best way (Prov. 3:5-6).
· God still offers guidance and the assurance of his abiding presence (Psa. 119:105; Heb. 13:5).
· God will not allow us to face anything that cannot be overcome (1 Cor. 10:13; Heb. 13:6).
· God still provides (Phil. 4:19).
--Kevin L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 Unless noted otherwise, scripture quotations are from the NKJV.
2 In Isaiah 4:2-6, in the context of warning the people of Judah of impending judgment (ca. seven centuries before Christ), there is hope for the future in the Messianic Age. Just as God was with his people in the days of the Exodus in the pillar of cloud and fire, so he is always with and provides for his faithful ones.
*Originally developed for an adult Bible class at the Estes church 26 June 2022.
Related Posts: Moses: a Husband of Blood
Image credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_pillar_of_fire,_by_Paul_Hardy.jpg
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