14 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. 3 Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ (Exodus 14:1-3)
Have you ever said, “How did I end up here?” God’s way is always an unlikely way, and an unlikely choice. The path he chooses is always surprising. When Israel was waiting for a Messiah they expected a King, Jesus came as an infant. Sarah was 90 when Isaac was born. When God was leading the Israelites, he chose the most unlikely path. There were two ways from Egypt to Canaan, and God chose the long way through the wilderness.
“Therefore, even the seemingly erratic route described by 13:20 in combination with 14:1-3 could be trusted because Yawheh was directing them on it. Yawheh chose the odd route not they” (Douglas Stewart-The New American Commentary: Exodus)
When God was leading the Israelites out of Egypt, he could have chosen the journey that took a few days. Instead, he brought them through the wilderness. In Exodus 14:1-3, God actually tells the Israelites to go South instead of East, he directs them the long way. Moses himself questioned God, but he obeyed. Then God asked Moses to bring the Israelites through the Red Sea. They walked through parted waters. How incredible and scary would that be? Yet, it would be magnificent to witness such a thing. Then God took Pharaoh and all his chariots by crashing the waters of the red sea around them.
What an unlikely route, what an unlikely story. God chose a magnificent display of his splendor. It was a testament of Faith to follow God on his, “erratic route” through the red sea and the wilderness. Are you willing to follow God no matter where he leads? Are you willing to let him work his magnificent displays of splendor on the way? Or, will you settle for less?
![Has a post on social media ever made you immediately frustrated? Maybe you even started to think ill of the author of the post. You feel your chest tighten and wonder, how could they have said that? You are so mad you want to click the unfollow button.
[save for reference for when you’re offended]
An offense can happen when someone sins against us, or even if someone just rubs us the wrong way! Often, it comes out of a “right versus wrong” mentality. We get offended and harbor bitterness. Wounds and resentment create rifts and divisions and we find ourselves clutching our anger tightly in our fists to prove we are right.
It’s okay to feel upset when you are offended or sad, but we can’t let bitterness take root. Instead, we must be quick to forgive. As believers, holding a grudge inhibits our ability to reconcile. And when we avoid reconciliation, we miss out on what God wants to do in and through us.
Typically for me, offense stems from pride or self-righteousness. I have received some pretty offensive comments over time, and my feelings do get hurt. But as Christians, we need to be able to “overlook an offense” just like it says in Proverbs.
This passage says it is “one’s glory to overlook an offense.” #chasingsacred (read the rest of the article on @hosannarevival)](https://www.chasingsacred.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
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