When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was near. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” – Exodus 13:17
Who were the Philistines? Theories vary, but most scholars believe that they were originally from Greece and/or Crete, since their pottery looks very much like that of Mycenae. They were a non-Semitic people, city dwellers who lived in five cities along the coast: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron.
They were known as iron-workers, and if they were the descendants of Mycenae they were the heirs of Agamemnon, the victor-king in the Trojan War story. They would have been scary opponents for a gaggle of runaway slaves traveling with elders and children.
The Exodus writer tells us that the Israelites were not ready to face such formidable opponents, so instead God sent them home by an indirect route. Midrash suggests the Israelites needed time in the wilderness to toughen up before they faced their ultimate challenges in the land of their ancestors. Another midrash suggests that without Torah, they would have been unequipped to live in the Promised Land, so the apparent “detour” was actually the best route.
Somewhere around middle age, many of us look back over our lives and wonder what we were thinking as young people. Why the youthful marriage that was doomed from day one? Why the unfinished education? Why the “wasted time” and the “false starts?”
Maybe we weren’t ready. Maybe there were lessons to learn without which we could not become our best selves. Maybe something we did along that circuitous route was very important, as it was important for the Israelites to visit Sinai and accept the Torah.
Perhaps, as the poet Robert Frost wrote. the road we took “has made all the difference.” I would not be the person I am today without the twisting path of my life. You would not be the same person had you made different choices in your youth.
We can’t redo the past and take a different route, and who is to say that it would truly have been better?
What we have is today. What we have is the person we have become. The question is, what are we going to do now?
Ruth, how poignant and thought provoking this entry is today. I am reminded of all the detours I have taken along my way to today. I am definitely a result of all those off-road adventures and mishaps, and as I have been thinking about them, I wouldn’t have missed a one. You are so right when you write, What we have is today. What we have is the person we have become. The question is, what are we going to do now?” So much more to do as I continue along my life path.
Glad it connected for you, Sheila!
Great post, and yes, NOW is what matters!
“They would have been scary opponents for a gaggle of runaway slaves traveling with elders and children.”
They were ALL “runaway slaves”–right?