Exodus 13:18-21

Exodus 13:18-21 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you. And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: Just before Joseph had died four hundred years earlier, he had given instructions not to leave his body buried there in Egypt. Joseph was a Hebrew and he wanted to be buried in the Promised Land with all of his relatives. So Moses took Joseph’s bones in a box when he left Egypt. Although Joseph had given those instructions four hundred years earlier, Moses was careful to honor the promise! A promise made should be a promise kept! But as the Children of Israel left Egypt, how would they know the way to go? God provided a wonderful GPS to lead them!  His divine glory went before them and led them! It took the form of a billowing cloud in the daytime and a fiery cloud of light at night. When the cloud stopped, they stopped. When the cloud began to move, they began to move. God was leading and they were following. I remember an old invitation hymn: “Where He Leads Me, I Will Follow”. That is what the Children of Israel did, and that is what we should do. Follow God’s leading. But how do we do that? By reading His Word, the Bible. God will lead us, but we must follow Him.