Finding the Third Way

It had been a long day. Truth be told, it had been a long week—though it was only Wednesday—and a long month, too. After spending a week at camp meeting, followed immediately by Vacation Bible School (VBS) at our church, my family was starting to feel the strain. The day began with frustration over a project my son was having difficulty with when he was supposed to be putting his shoes on to get out the door for summer day camp. That evening, when it was time to go to church for VBS, the struggles with listening continued, leaving two boys and one mom frustrated with each other and silently stewing on the drive to church. It was summertime, the most glorious time of year where we live, in terms of weather; yet it felt as if our life was so full (of admittedly good things) that we didn’t even have the space to appreciate the season.

Moods had improved, and things were on track for an early bedtime that would hopefully reset all of our attitudes overnight. My husband had just left town to visit some out-of-state family and called to check in on us while he drove. As we chatted, I walked out the front door of our house to water the flowers on our front porch. Long story short, both boys followed me outside, and in classic mom fashion, I ordered them to shut the door so that bugs would not get in the house. But I did not know that they had locked the door. A quick check of our other door and the windows revealed we were completely locked out.

I was so frustrated. The day had started with a struggle with the boys, but had finally improved. But now it felt as if things could not get any worse. My husband, still on the phone, told me he had already turned around and was on his way back to let us in the house.

As we waited, and I reflected on our predicament, I thought about the experience of the children of Israel as they realized that Pharaoh’s army had followed them to the shores of the Red Sea. That is, I thought about the moment just before God worked the greatest miracle of the Old Testament. 

The Israelites saw that Pharaoh and his army were pursuing them and were afraid. They wanted to know if Moses had led them out to the wilderness just to be killed by the Egyptians. And finally, they revealed a deep truth about their spiritual state when they said:

“Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness” (Ex. 14:12). 

At this point there appeared to be only two options: bondage or death. They were blind to the possibility of a third way. 

This is such a relatable reaction, especially when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances. It’s easy to seek confirmation for what we already believed—that this was a bad idea, Lord—and fail to see that perhaps we are on the cusp of a breakthrough.

Yet in that moment the children of Israel possessed a physical reminder that should have brought them the courage they needed to trust that there was a third way—something other than bondage or death. Something that should have brought them the confidence to realize that sometimes the only way out is through.

As the reality of their current circumstance crystallized, one thing became abundantly clear: while their bodies had left Egypt, their hearts and minds had yet to catch up.

Don’t Forget Joseph

After the tenth plague brought Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave their involuntary servitude in Egypt, they quickly prepared for the journey. 

Our family enjoys a good road trip, and one of the things I do to ensure that the trip goes smoothly is to develop a checklist—or two—of everything we need to pack and do before hitting the open road. 

The Israelites seemed to have their own checklist. They made sure to do what God had told Moses to tell them to do: ask for gold, silver, and clothing for the trip. And the Egyptians gave it all to them. 

But that was not the only thing they were told to remember to pack: “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, ‘God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you’ ” (Ex. 13:19). 

It’s true. Back in Genesis 50:25 Joseph made the children of Israel promise to take his bones when they left Egypt. But why would Joseph do this? 

It appears that Joseph, the favorite son of the patriarch Jacob, remembered what his great-grandfather had been told—that Abraham’s descendants would be strangers in a foreign land and would be mistreated. But after 400 years God would judge the land, lead Abraham’s descendants out, and they would bring along great possessions (see Gen. 15:13-16).

Joseph believed this. It was believing this word that gave him courage to cling to his faith when his brothers sold him to the Ishmaelites. It was believing this word that gave him strength to excel in his service as a slave in Potiphar’s home. It was believing this word that gave him patience to endure serving a sentence for a crime he did not commit. It was believing the word of God that taught him to maintain his faith through fierce trials and gave him hope that the word was true and his people would one day go home. 

Even after rising to the pinnacle of power in Egypt, Joseph knew his ultimate dream had yet to be fulfilled. Just before he died, Joseph was clear-eyed enough to recognize the significance of where his people stood in their history. He knew they would suffer. But he also knew they would emerge victorious on the other side. So in an act of faith in God’s promise he told them to carry up his bones (Gen. 50:25). 

It is this act that defines Joseph’s faith. Not being able to interpret dreams, or lead a world superpower, or even standing true to principle when fiercely tempted. It was Joseph’s stalwart faith in God’s promise that landed him in the hall of faith: “By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones” (Heb. 11:22). 

Joseph simply believed what God had told Abraham. If I can have that kind of wholehearted confidence in the Word of God, such faith will result in actions that move me toward what God promised, not in my strength, but in God’s. 

Moses honored Joseph’s dying wish. He personally took the bones of Joseph with him as they left Egypt with pockets and wagons full of treasure—just as God said they would (see Ex. 13:19; 12:35, 36; Gen. 15:13-16).

Walking by Faith

Back to the children of Israel, filled with anxiety over the presence of Pharaoh and his army. Why were they so filled with fear? Hadn’t they just seen the wonders of God as He sent plague after plague on the Egyptians? How He had protected their firstborns when they displayed their faith by painting their doors with the blood of the lamb, while the firstborns of the Egyptians died?

It appears that the children of Israel were in shock over everything that had occurred in the time leading up to their exodus from Egypt to the extent that they had not yet processed what they had experienced. As the reality of their current circumstance crystallized, one thing became abundantly clear: while their bodies had left Egypt, their hearts and minds had yet to catch up.

The funny thing is, this is exactly the reason God led them to this point: “Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, ‘Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.’ So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea” (Ex. 13:17, 18).

God led them to a place where they had no other option but to rely completely on Him and trust that He would provide a way out.

Moses told them, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Ex. 14:13, 14).

And something, something, must have sunk in with the Israelites by that point, because they believed Moses. No—they believed in God and His power. They crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, only to have the Egyptian army buried in a watery grave behind them (see Ex. 14:21-31).

Perhaps Joseph’s bones helped them remember to have faith in God when things seemed hopeless, because He has a better way. The fact that they are listed in the hall of faith with Joseph suggests that they possessed the same faith he did as they made their journey through the divinely provided channel. “By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned” (Heb. 11:29). In the end it was faith that distinguished the Israelites from the Egyptians—and that faith resulted in the salvation of the former and the destruction of the latter.

Finding the Third Way

That Moses, Miriam, and the children of Israel sang a song of praise after their final and ultimate deliverance from the Egyptians is not surprising. But that act of praise also provides a reminder that we can take on our journey through this life. Take a moment and reflect on the good God has done, even when the good is mixed with the complexities and difficulties of life on this earth, and praise Him for His goodness. Put more simply, choose what to focus on, and focus on those things that lead you to praise God.

As my boys and I stood barefoot and locked outside of our house, waiting for my husband, I was tempted to panic, thinking about how far behind in our evening schedule we were falling. But then it occurred to me. We could simply have our evening worship outside. And we could read bedtime stories outside, too. All on a porch swing we had not really enjoyed enough.

What started as the pinnacle of a bad day had the potential to be something very different. As we sat on the swing singing worship songs, reading from Scripture, sharing our highs and lows from the day, and enjoying a story together as the sun set in our neighborhood, I felt deeply content.

“Look, Mama, lightning bugs!” my older son pointed, our first sighting of the season. What a blessing that it was a warm, but not too hot, summer evening, that it was not raining, and that while we were locked out of the house, I still had access to the garage and bug spray to keep us comfortable and safe while we waited for my husband’s return. We were finally getting what my heart had been longing for: a quiet moment to enjoy the beauty of a Michigan summer as a family.

What seemed like a disaster, my son dubbed a (good) core memory as he got into bed that night. And I’m so thankful that remembering how shortsighted the Israelites were just before they crossed the Red Sea helped me remember to look for the third way out of our difficult situation and find contentment in exactly where we were.