The Return to Egypt

Deu 17:16 KJV But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

Tucked away in Deuteronomy is a command that many a future king of Israel and Judah would fail to observe. Speaking of the time when the people would select a king, the Lord was laying down the guidelines for the king in order to have the blessing of God upon both himself and the people.

One of those directives was: “Do not cause the people to return to Egypt”. As further proof of the command, Moses states, for Jehovah has said to you, You will not return any more! Simplified of course.

That statement: Ye shall henceforth return no more that way, is found back in Exodus 14:13, where the people find themselves between the Red Sea and the army of Pharaoh, and Moses declares to them, “The Egyptians who you see today, you will see no more forever!”

It’s a fascinating look at the depth of God’s directions to His people. In what was a promise of rescue and salvation, was also an inherent command to ‘NEVER return to Egypt’.

Indeed, on this command of ‘not returning to Egypt’ is one such place where Solomon tripped up that David his father never did, marrying the daughter of Pharaoh and fostering an alliance. Many years later, the prophet Isaiah speaks to the people saying, Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help!

The return to Egypt was a present and real threat to the people of God, from the moment they escaped from Egypt and tyranny, they would repeatedly look back in their sojourn in the wilderness, much to God’s dismay. And even after they had reached the Promised land, they would find themselves back in the arms of Egypt, finally culminating with the remnant at Jerusalem fleeing to Egypt against the direct word of God (Jeremiah 42,43)

Inside of this idea is the concept that Israel in some sense originally was ‘birthed’ in Egypt. Egypt was very much the origins of the nation, for Jacob and his group that came down to Egypt was a mere 70 people. What emerged was hundreds of thousands. In many senses, Egypt is the birthplace of the nation of Israel, but it was not where Israel was meant to stay, nor return.

Time and again, the allure of ‘safety’ in Egypt would pull the people of God away and cause them to fall. It’s not mentioned directly, but Solomon made a major mistake in his alliance with Egypt, and almost every king after him would slip and fall in the same place.

There is an application for the Christian today as well. In many senses, the flesh is Egypt. It’s where we are born, but it’s not where we’re meant to stay. Our mortality is what we begin with, but immortality is what we seek. When we are born again, born the second time. When we emerge out of Egypt in search of the Promised Land, there is an accompanying directive to ‘never return to Egypt’. Oh, but how often do we, after being filled with the Spirit of Christ, fail to look to Him for deliverance and safety? How often do we look to our flesh for salvation?

Don’t return to Egypt.

Note:
It’s fascinating to me how this directive is mentioned once in Deuteronomy, and is based of a seemingly unrelated statement before crossing the Red Sea, a statement that one would probably not see as a command, yet, inside of the encouragement/promise, was a command. Do not return to Egypt – EVER. Oh what pain and misery would emerge because kings, advisors, and the people ignored this command of the Lord. It highlights how big somethings so brief and mentioned so little can truly be. It’s a potent warning to us to search the Scriptures and treat them with reverence, that not one jot or tittle would fall.