Formed on the Way
Old Testament: Shemot (Exodus) 13:17–22
New Testament: Ephesians 4:4–16
“God does not rush people He intends to keep together.”
New Testament
Ephesians 4:4-16
A Community of Oneness
4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
5
There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
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one God and Father of all,
who is over all, in all, and living through all.
7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say,
“When he ascended to the heights,
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”
Old Testament
Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 13
17 Since Pharaoh had to send the people out, God did not lead them via Philistia, because it was nearby, for God said, “The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.”
18 So God led the people via the desert road toward the Sea of Reeds. The Israelites were armed when they went up from Egypt.
19Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had bound the sons of Israel by an oath that they should bind their descendants by an oath, saying, “God will surely remember you, and you must take up my bones from here with you.”
20 They moved on from Sukot and encamped at Etam, at the edge of the desert.
21 God went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to guide them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel day and night.
22 He did not remove the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people.
CHIASTIC SPINE
Exodus 13:17–22
A — Short road refused
B — Armed but unready
C — Memory carried (Joseph)
D — Movement without clarity
C′ — Presence governs pace
B′ — Fear anticipated, not punished
A′ — Long road sanctified
Ephesians 4:4–16
A — Unity declared
B — Gifts distributed
C — Leadership for formation
D — Until maturity
C′ — Immaturity warned against
B′ — Each part supplies
A′ — Body held together
STRUCTURAL PARALLEL
1. Freedom Before Formation
Exodus says the people are free, but God slows them down because they are not ready for war.
Where do you see freedom today being celebrated faster than people are actually prepared to live it—personally, socially, or spiritually?
2. Unity Without Agreement
Paul declares “one body” before the church is mature or unified in thought.
What is the difference between unity and agreement—and why do we keep confusing the two?
3. Presence vs. Precision
In Exodus, God leads by a pillar, not a map. In Ephesians, growth happens “until” maturity, not instantly.
Why do we often demand clear answers and quick fixes from God instead of sustained presence and shared direction?
4. Holding Together Under Pressure
Psalm 133 says blessing is commanded where people dwell together.
What pressures today make it hardest for communities to stay together once tension rises—and what usually gets sacrificed first: patience, trust, or direction?
Pardes - Reflection
Peshat:
Israel walks the long road; the church grows together.
Remez:
Speed exposes immaturity.
Drash:
God slows communities to save them from themselves.
Sod:
Freedom is not escape—it is re-patterning identity in motion.
RESPONSE
Leader: When the road is longer than expected—
People: God is still leading us.
Leader: When unity comes before understanding—
People: God is still forming us.
Leader: When growth feels slow—
People: God has not left us.
Word Study
1. נָחָה — Nāḥāh (to lead gently)
Used for shepherding, not marching.
God guides Israel as something fragile, not expendable.
Takeaway:
Leadership that rushes people risks losing them.
2. אֶחָד — ’Eḥād (one)
Unity that allows plurality.
Same word in the Shema.
Takeaway:
Biblical oneness is relational, not identical.
3. קָשַׁר — Qāshar (to bind, join)
Implicit in Eph. 4:16.
Binding is protective, not restrictive.
Takeaway:
Connection stabilizes movement.
