Why did God lead the people around

by the desert road that was far?

Why did God lead the Israelites around by the desert road

even though there was shorter way which was the road through the Philistine country?

(Exod. 13:17-18) 

I think there are at least three reasons:

1. In order for God to gain glory for Himself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians would know that He is the Lord (14:4),
2. In order to give the Israelites the words of the covenant – the Ten Commandments (ch. 20; 34:28),
3. In order “to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.  He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (Deut. 8:2-3).

When I think of these three reasons,

God didn’t only lead the Israelites around by the desert road that was far

but also God is leading the church of God, that is those who believe in Jesus Christ,

around by the desert road that is far.

And the reason why God is leading us like that is because He wants to humble us

so that we may obey the Lord’s twofold command of “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt. 22:36-40). 

Then why does God want us to live in obedience to the twofold commands of Jesus

by leading us to the desert-like world

in order to lead us to the true Promised Land that is Heaven?

The purpose is to receive glory from us by making us to be heavenly citizens (Phil. 3:20)

and to enter into Heaven.