Trusting God for the Journey

Art by Yoram Raanan

Weekly D'rash on Parashat Beshalach

This week, our Torah portion describes the escape from Egypt to the Red Sea and the beginning of the wilderness wanderings on the way to Sinai. The people do not understand the big picture. They complain every step of the way, yet God meets their needs. One interesting event is what happens immediately after the Passover and the first event upon leaving Egypt (Exo. 13:17–22). We read that God takes them on a circuitous route. They do not go the most direct and predictable way to the Sea.

If we were using a GPS, we would be rerouted over and over again! The route they took did not make sense! I would imagine that this is what they were all thinking, including Moses. However, the text tells us that God did this to confuse the Egyptians. We all have had times in our lives when the journey of life has seemed circuitous. For example, we may sometimes wonder why it took us so long to find the Messiah. We may wonder why we labored at a particular job when we really had something else in mind. God sees the big picture that we may not understand. This is why we trust him with our lives.

Last Shabbat, it was so edifying to hear Jim and Lola Klein talk about their journey which took them to many jobs, cities, and experiences. It is often not until we can look back that we see in retrospect how God was preparing and protecting us for the present and the future. In the Torah portion, God sent them the “long way” to protect them from the Egyptians who were chasing them. But also, He was protecting them from their own doubts. He knew that if they saw the Egyptians coming, they would give up and want to return to Egypt.

What a lesson of understanding that God knows us better than we know ourselves! No one comes ready-made. They were not prepared for this journey.  God kept them from discouragement along the way. God was mentoring them on what it means to follow Him wherever He leads. He did not have unrealistic expectations. He took them on a journey that would train them to trust Him for the outcome. As we read the text, they needed many lessons and they were slow learners—like you and me!

Another lesson we learn is that when they left Egypt, they were organized. In verse 18, we read that they were prepared for battle. Not all translations bring this out. In Hebrew, it says that they moved in groups of fifty, which in every context where the word is used means prepared for battle. Not only does God take the initiative to lead us on the journey for our own protection and benefit; but we must take the initiative to be part of an organized community moving forward together. Remember that we are on a journey together. We are sharing the journey together with our spouse, family, congregation—and, in a certain way, the entire community of faith. We are thankful at Beth Messiah that we are moving together in an organized fashion on the journey of presenting Yeshua to the Jewish community and growing Messiah followers in a Messianic worldview. We may wonder where God is leading us, but as we walk together on the journey we have an assurance of reaching the destination.

This was truly a new beginning for the children of Israel. But they honored their past. Verse 19 tells us that they took the bones of Joseph with them. Joseph died a few hundred years earlier and this generation did not know him. However, they recognized their heritage and that they were the recipients of promises God made long ago. We ourselves are links in the chain of covenantal promises and blessings. Remembering this helps us to stay on the course.

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1). Remembering the “cloud of witnesses” who came before us, let us run the race with vigor! In a sense we carry the bones of Joseph with us! God continued to lead them both day and night. It does not mean living perfectly, but rather not leaving the path. Having the Word of God as our guide, we read “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

Finally, there is an interesting play on words in verse 20. We read that when they left Egypt, they stayed at a place called Sukkot (12:37). Now, in 17:20, they leave Sukkot. We all know Sukkot! It is the name of a holiday that reminds us of the sukkah, a flimsy structure that reminded them of the protection of God. When they first came out of Egypt, they stayed in a place called Sukkot—a place of God’s protection. Now in our Torah portion they are leaving the physical town of Sukkot, but the protection of God travels with them in the pillar of cloud and light.

May we remember that wherever our journey takes us, God is leading us in the best way possible for us to reach the destination. We are part of a heritage of people who have walked this path and paved the way for us. May we stay unified and organized in the journey and always be sure to follow the light of God in Messiah Yeshua. He is the light of the world. May we keep our eyes focused on Him.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard