Then the Lord gave these instructions to Moses: “Order the Israelites to turn back and camp by Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea. Camp there along the shore, across from Baal-zephon.Then Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are confused. They are trapped in the wilderness!’ And once again I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after you. I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharoah and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” So the Israelites camped there as they were told. (Exodus 14:1-4)
On this day in history on the Biblical calendar, the Israelites were heading out of Egypt, following God’s instructions, and making their way to Pi-hahiroth. This was certainly not the most direct route for them to take for the purpose of worshiping God in the wilderness, but this was all part of God’s design. God had already sent plagues of blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock, hail, locusts, and darkness as signs and wonders to confirm Moses as God’s servant, conveying God’s own demands on Pharaoh and Egypt to release His chosen people so that they could worship Him freely. When those signs were not enough, God struck down all first-born Egyptian sons, after which the Egyptians begged the Hebrews to leave, and Pharaoh ordered their release.
In spite of all this, God’s sovereign power had not quite been sufficiently demonstrated, and He had not quite fully revealed His glory for all to see. So instead of causing things to get better for the Hebrews, God purposefully led them into a position even worse than the weak one that they were already in. God instructed them to go to Pi-hahiroth, a place whose name means the mouth of caverns, which was completely barren and uncultivated. Moreover, Pi-hahiroth is in the north while the wilderness they were headed to is to the east, so according to human logic, they were moving in the wrong direction altogether.
Pharaoh and the Egyptians pursued the Israelites aggressively with raised fists of defiance. The Israelites cried out in Pi-hahiroth, "Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”
Needless to say, it appeared that these God-followers were completely lost and hopeless. But this was all part of God’s plan, and it was the only way that Egypt and other onlooking nations would know the true power and supremacy of the God of Israel.
Many years later on this same day in history on the Biblical calendar, Jesus Christ was in the mouth of a cavern – a tomb – after being crucified to death on a cross. This did not appear to be the way that God would usher in His eternal Kingdom or give victory to His chosen Messiah in order for God’s chosen people to worship Him freely, but this was all part of God’s design. God had already performed signs and wonders through Jesus – so many that the world could not contain all the books that could be written about them – in order to prove and confirm that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, God’s chosen servant, and the Savior of the world, conveying God’s own words to all of mankind.
In spite of all this, God’s sovereign power had not quite been sufficiently demonstrated, and He had not quite fully revealed His glory for all to see. So instead of causing things to get better for Jesus, God purposefully led Him to willingly offer up His own life as a sacrifice. According to God’s eternal and sovereign design, the world struck down and killed God’s one and only Son. On this day, the cavern of Jesus’ tomb made it appear that His life was over and, from the perspective of human logic, it would seem that this would put an end to Jesus’ ministry and influence forever.
The enemies of mankind (namely sin, death, the world, the flesh, and the devil) defiantly raised their fists against the Lord’s anointed. Jesus cried out from His cross, quoting Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far away when I groan for your help?… Everyone who sees me mocks me… My enemies stare at me and gloat… They sneer and shake their heads, saying, ‘Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!’”
Needless to say, it appeared that Jesus and those following Him were completely lost and that their hope had been snuffed out. But this was all part of God’s plan, and it was the only way that all nations throughout history would know the true power and supremacy of the one and only God, the Father of Jesus.
Which bring us to today – this day in history. Perhaps you are in the confusion of the caverns in your walk of faith. Perhaps you have set out to do your best, be your best, or follow God to the best of your ability. Perhaps all you desire is to worship God with your whole heart but the more you follow Him, things only seem to grow worse and worse. Perhaps your enemies are pursuing you, or it appears that your enemies have overtaken you. You may feel that you are desperately lost and without hope. Maybe, it seems that your trust in God has been misplaced and that you are heading in the wrong direction entirely, even though you believe that you have been following God’s voice.
Be of good courage! You are in good company! God has experience navigating the confusion of the caverns, and they are all part of His plan. He knows what He is doing. Trust in Him and continue to follow Him when you hear His voice. When your hope and trust are in God, He will not allow you be put to shame, and He will do exceedingly and abundantly beyond all you could ever ask or imagine. He will demonstrate His Sovereign power and glorify Himself in your situation for all to see. Consequently, everyone around you looking at your life will know that He is truly God and that Jesus really is the Messiah and the Son of God and that you are rightfully following Him.
Mark these words and meditate upon them day and night. These are the inspired words of Moses to the people of Israel on this day, the second day, in the confusion of Pi-hahiroth, the mouth of the cavern, a situation which seemed to be their tomb and the end of them. Let these words inspire and encourage you in your cavern today. “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians [enemies] you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.”
Scripture References: Exodus 14, Psalm 22, Ephesians 3:20
Jesus on the Cross and in the Tomb: Matthew 27:45-66, Mark 15:24-57, Luke 23:47, John 19:18-42
Originally published as: "Confusion in the Caverns" - Reprinted from The Obedience of Faith Blog - Copyright © 2013 Wendy Bowen – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WORLDWIDE