Light for Night

Night for desert. No moon. No lamp. No road. But one whole nation dey move, families, animals and small children, and none of dem lost for di darkness. Because for dia front, one pillar of fire dey burn.

Israel just comot from Egypt. After di Passover night, Pharaoh finally let dem go. Now hundreds of thousands of people dey waka comot from slavery, with dia animals, dia bread dough still inside di bowls wey dem dey use knead am, and di gold and silver jewellery wey di Egyptians give dem as dem dey comot. Dem never dey free before. Dem never travel through desert. Nobody among dem don do dis kind tin before. Grandparents dey lean on walking stick. Children dey ride donkey or dey sit for dia papa shoulder. Where dem go go? Which road dem go take? And who go lead dem through di empty wilderness, for day and for night?

One short road dey. Di coastal road dey go north-east along di sea, straight to di land of di Philistines and then Canaan. But God no lead dem through dat way, even though e near pass. Exodus tell us why. God talk, “Make di people no change dia mind when dem see war, and dem go back to Egypt.” Di short road full with danger. Dis slaves wey just free never ready to face war. So God lead dem through di long way, through di road for wilderness wey dey go Red Sea. God know wetin dem fit carry, even when dem no know. Sometimes di longer road na di kinder one.

Moses carry one unusual tin for di journey: di bones of Joseph. Hundreds of years before, Joseph make im family promise am. “God go surely visit una, and una go carry my bones comot from here with una.” Joseph believe say one day God go bring im people go home. Now, at last, dem dey go, and dem keep dat old promise. Di people move from Succoth and camp for Etham, for di edge of di wilderness. Di edge. Beyond am na sand and rock and wide, empty sky.

And then di wonder. “Di Lord go before dem for day inside pillar of cloud, to lead dem for di way, and for night inside pillar of fire, to give dem light, so dat dem fit travel for day and for night.” For day, one big pillar of cloud, wey dey show di way and give shade from di hot sun. For night, di same pillar dey shine like fire, e light up di whole camp. And Exodus add one more line: di pillar of cloud for day and di pillar of fire for night no comot from di people front. Not even once. For good days and for days wey dem dey complain, God dey there for dia front. Long time after, Jesus stand for di temple for Jerusalem and talk, Na me be di light of di world. Anybody wey follow me no go waka for darkness.

Di short road wey God avoid na real road. Egypt records describe one military highway for di northern coast of Sinai, wey di Egyptians dey call di Ways of Horus. Pharaohs line am with forts and water stations, wey soldiers dey guard. Archaeologists don dig out some of dis forts for northern Sinai. For one crowd of slaves wey dey escape, dat road for mean say dem go march pass Egypt army posts straight.

Light for night. You go find am for Exodus chapter thirteen, verse seventeen reach twenty-two. One people wey no know di way, wey God lead every step, God wey go before dem. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When di road for your front dark or long, how you fit remember say God dey go before you?