Exodus Chapter 13 Verses 17-18  

:17 “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: 18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.” 

The children of Israel had been slaves in the land of Egypt.  Now that they have come out of the land of Egypt, they were not prepared for warfare.  God was their leader and he knew best what they needed.  Thus, the Lord led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines.  The Philistines would have come and had war with them and the children of Israel would have sought to return to Egypt.  Instead the Lord led them through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea.   

“And the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.”  While the children of Israel were not ready for war, yet they were still an army.  It was an army in training.  Marching is a part of an army’s training.  The fact that they were harnessed indicates that they were marching in ranks and armed.   

Verses 19-22 

:19 “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you. 20 And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.”   

 “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.”  When the children of Israel came to sojourn in the land of Egypt during the days of Joseph, Joseph told them that the Lord would deliver them out of Egypt and bring them to the land he had promised to them.  Joseph made his brethren sware that they would not leave his bones in Egypt, but would bring them up with them and carry them into the promised land.  Moses was honoring the request of Joseph and thus honoring him for the deliverance from famine the Lord had made through Joseph.   

“And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.  And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.”  There were two great things the children of Israel needed at this time when they were journeying in an uncharted wilderness.  They needed a guide or leader.  They also needed light by night.  The LORD became both of these for them as he went before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them the way and as a pillar of fire by night to give them light.  In like fashion, we have the Holy Spirit as our guide in this wilderness world in which we live.  As we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit we can safely say that He is the best guide we could possible have as we navigate the wilderness of life.  Moreover, the Holy Spirit give us light as we face the darkness of this flesh nature the enemies of the truth that abound about us.  We have light as a result of God’s eternal judgment and his timely judgments upon us and the world in which we live. 

“He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.”  Therefore, the children of Israel had a sure guide throughout their journeys and had light each night they were in the wilderness. We have the same thing today in the person of the Holy Spirit.