seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Exodus 13:20 After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 21 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
It wasn't like it is today. They just couldn't put on the headlights and keep going. There were a couple of million people who had been slaves their whole life. They couldn't take the straight route through the territory that belonged to the Philistines. They would have had a battle on their hands.
This is from GodVine.
As for the reasons assigned on Exodus 13:17, God would not lead the Israelites by the way of the Philistines' country, he directed them towards the wilderness of Shur, Exodus 15:22, upon the edge or extremity of which, next to Egypt, at the bottom of the Arabian Gulf, lay Etham, which is the second place of encampment mentioned.
The Lord Himself did for the Israelites by preternatural means that which armies were obliged to do for themselves by natural agents. The Persians and Greeks used fire and smoke as signals in their marches, and in a well-known papyrus, the commander of an Egyptian expedition is called "A flame in the darkness at the head of his soldiers." By this sign then of the pillar of cloud, the Lord showed Himself as their leader and general Exodus 15:3, Exodus 15:6.
A couple of the commentaries talk about how long the cloud and pillar stayed with the Israelites. For now, though, the Israelites need to put as much distance between them and Pharaoh as they can.
It intrigues me that they traveled on foot day and night. I don't know about the Israelites, but I would need to rest after walking all day long. They would have had to eat and feed their livestock. When did all that happen. Which leads me to another thought.... maybe with God leading them... they didn't need to eat on a regular schedule. Maybe He fed them when they needed to be fed and maybe He energized them so they didn't need to sleep.
