“. . . Who led them through the deep, as a horse in the wilderness, that they might not stumble?”
—Isaiah 63:13
The passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea was a watershed moment (pun intended) in the history of Israel, and the Bible, especially the Old Testament, frequently refers to it as a reminder of God’s gracious deliverance of His people. The passage in which Isaiah 63:13 appears is a remembrance of God’s mercy and loving-kindness toward them, despite their frequent rebellions. He brought them safely out of Egypt, and when the Egyptians tried to renege on their permission to leave, God saved them by splitting the Red Sea with the east wind, and the people walked through to the other side on dry land.
Verse 13 describes the way God led them. The illustration conveys the image of a restless, frightened horse, ready to bolt into the surrounding countryside at the slightest provocation. But God, like a concerned rider, grabs the bridle, and with calming words and gentle strokes of reassurance, walks beside His terrified mount through the scary passage until they arrive without a stumble to the other side. He knew what they were going through—the height of their fear and dismay—and He tenderly accompanied them until their deliverance was complete.
Earlier in the context, Isaiah uses similar metaphors for God’s tender care of the Israelites in their need. In Isaiah 63:8-9, he depicts God as a loving parent, carrying them in His arms as if they were babies, unable to walk on their own. Verse 11 switches to a shepherd tending His flock, leading them to water and pasture. In verse 12, returning to an illustration of human childhood, He is shown leading “them by the right hand of Moses,” as if they were toddlers, unsteady on their feet yet able to propel themselves forward. In every case, God is depicted as a perfect and loving caretaker, helping and leading expertly through every situation and danger, bringing Israel to safety in spite of the odds against them.God is depicted as a perfect and loving caretaker, helping and leading expertly through every situation and danger. Click To Tweet
Note, however, that these illustrations become progressively less “helpful” on God’s part. He is still willing to help and quite tender and loving in the help He gives, but He is doing less of the work. The first illustration is that of a helpless child who must be carried. After this depiction, Isaiah inserts the fact that “they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit” (Isaiah 63:10), resisting His commands and running off to do their own things. God must now deal with them as with disobedient children.
His actions toward them become somewhat more distant. Though He does not diminish His love for the Israelites, He inserts Moses between Himself and them, allowing the man to lead them under Him. Moses leads them as a shepherd leads sheep, tenderly as if guiding them by the hand, but God is at a remove. The relationship has moved beyond infancy and into the often-tumultuous toddler years.
The final illustration, our focus, completely drops human imagery to employ the relationship between a rider and his horse. God may be suggesting the trajectory of His relationship with Israel: that the Israelites at some point (even as early as the Red Sea!) began to behave more like animals than human beings. Metaphorically, God had to treat them like beloved pets and working animals rather than people with whom He could have a cooperative relationship.
The next verse seems to support this: “As a beast goes down into the valley, and the Spirit of the LORD causes him to rest, so You lead Your people, to make Yourself a glorious name” (Isaiah 13:14). It is a sad fact of history that the people of Israel resisted God and His purpose to such an extent that God was forced to pull away from them (Hosea 5:6), and as prophesied by the name of Hosea’s third child, Lo-Ammi (literally, “Not My People”), cast them off (Hosea 1:8-9).
But He is not done with them. Hosea’s prophecy goes on to say that at some future time, “It shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there it shall be said to them, ‘You are the sons of the living God'” (Hosea 1:10). At a better time, when their attitudes are not affected and set by Satan’s powerful influence (Ephesians 2:2-3), He will once again call Israel to Himself and set them on a path to salvation (Romans 11:25-33).
