Exodus 13:17b For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." (As the Lord led His people out of Egypt, He led them in an opposite direction of their promised destination, a path that seemed counter-productive to the destination God had promised them. God's purposes were many. He knew this inexperienced people who had been slaves for over 400 years were not ready emotionally or physically to engage a powerful and practiced army of Philistines. Neither were they ready spiritually. They had not yet matured into full trust in their God and had spiritual lessons to learn. The Lord knows our tendency to try to take what looks like the easy way out when we are faced with challenges. He knows how we tend to fall back into what is familiar, no matter how difficult the past situation, rather than advance into what is unfamiliar, no matter how rewarding the promise seems that looms on the other side of the present challenges. The unknown and undeveloped, too often, look far more challenging than the familiar and practiced, even though those past habits of old are known to be destructive and tragically, too often, resulting in returning to bondage. As He did with Israel, He provides a path for us today that takes us away from the temptation to return to the Egypt in our lives.)
