Monthly Archives: August 2022

Bible, Israel

God sometimes takes unusual ways

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When Israel leaves Egypt, God lets his people walk along the trade route towards modern-day Eilat. The goal was taking them to the mountain of God in Midian, as He promised Moses in Exodus 3:12: “When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

The area of Midian is today where the place Neom arises. Neom should also include the mountain of God (Jebel al Lawz) or reach to its edge.

Now there is an unexpected turn. God is leading them to an impasse on the left bank of the Gulf of Aqaba, to the Sinai in the Red Sea desert.

They stayed near Nuweiba. The Pharaoh thinks: They are lost. Therefore, I can bring them back. I deliver them from Moses who is leading them astray.

But behind all of it is God, who brings together piece of piece to show his glory. God has a clear purpose. We read in Exodus 14:4: “I will show my glory to Pharaoh and to all his army, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.”

God sometimes takes unusual ways. Some we never understand, others we later understand what God intended. It’s the challenge of faith to endure.

Bible

sometimes an unexpected extraordinary path

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God does not always act as we expect, but in ways that increase our trust in God. One such story is the Exodus from Egypt.

There is a direct route from Egypt into the land where milk and honey flow. The way to Gaza. But the Philistines were a strong war nation. They came from Crete and had tried to conquer the Egyptians. Since Pharaoh managed to stop them, he made a deal with them. They defended the north flank for him and he gave them wheat in return.

This is how we can understand Exodus 13:17: “God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.”

This was the risen God let Israel take a detour. God knows what he can lay at us. That is why he sometimes lets us take an unexpected, extraordinary path.