The Bible Study Podcast, episode 31. Today, the Bible Study podcast goes back to the story of Exodus, including the parting of the Red Sea and a whole lot of complaining.

Welcome to the Bible study podcast. I'm your host, Chris Christensen.

Today we go back to the Book of Exodus to chapter 13 as we pick up the story of Moses and the Israelites.

When we left them last, they had been driven out of Egypt finally after God had sent the Egyptians 10 different plagues finally culminating in the plague of the firstborn

and Passover. And we're going to pick this up in Chapter 13 of Exodus. When the Pharaoh let the

people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter.

For God said if they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt. So God led the

people around by the

desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle. Moses took the

bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He had said,

God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.

After leaving Sukkoth, they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.

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.

Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night

left its place in front of the people.

There's all sorts of jokes about why did the people of Israel spend so much time wandering in the desert

because Mosos was a man and didn't stop and ask for directions.

But these verses deal with the real story there, which is they weren't ready to go in the

promised land yet, and God knew it.

They weren't ready to face opposition yet. They weren't ready to go in the promised land yet, and God knew it. They weren't ready to face

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