Wouldn’t it be nice to have a visual representation of God to guide us? The Wilderness Wanderers had the pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. This devotion looks at what pillars God uses now to guide us on our wanderings.
Nuggets
- The Israelites really were led out of Egypt by a pillar of cloud and pillar of fire, not Moses.
- God was calling the shots.
- This time, the wilderness wanderers obeyed and followed God’s lead.
- We still have pillars: the Bible, the Spirit, and Jesus’ example.
The Wilderness Wanderers had it easy. They didn’t have to guess where they were going. They were led around by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
When the tabernacle was built, the cloud inhabited the tabernacle. But what does all this mean?
The Pillar Explained
“Now on the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the Testimony; from evening until morning it was above the tabernacle like the appearance of fire. So it was always: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night” (Num. 9: 15-16 NKJV)
Just think about how the Israelites felt. God was pleased with the tabernacle they had built for Him. He blessed it with His Presence.
No, this isn’t the first time the Israelites has seen the cloud and fire. “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people” (Ex. 13: 21-22 NKJV). Whenever wilderness wanderers camped, the pillar hung out.
Let’s back up a second.
The Israelites had been in Egypt for “… four hundred and thirty years” (Ex. 12: 40 NKJV) before they came the wilderness wanderers. During the end part of that time, they probably felt that God had abandoned them.
“Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them” (Ex. 12: 23-25 NKJV).
God hadn’t left them there to rot in Egypt. He sent someone to lead them out and start whipping them to becoming a nation.
That someone couldn’t have been more important God Himself being present. And not just sometimes. But. All. The. Time. 24/7/365. The pillar was there all the time.
Okay, moving on — literally.
GPS Pillar Style
“Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, after that the children of Israel would journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would pitch their tents. At the command of the Lord the children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the Lord they would camp; as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped. Even when the cloud continued long, many days above the tabernacle, the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not journey. So it was, when the cloud was above the tabernacle a few days: according to the command of the Lord they would remain encamped, and according to the command of the Lord they would journey. So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, they would journey. Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey” (Num. 9: 17-22 NKJV)
The Israelites really were led out of Egypt by a pillar of cloud and pillar of fire, not Moses. The pillar was more than just a symbol of God’s Presence. It was their guide.
It moved, they moved. It stayed put, they camped out.
No one yelled from the back seat, “Are we there yet?”
From a human standpoint, I can see good and bad in that.
If Levi wasn’t feeling well one day, it didn’t matter. He could not be left behind when the cloud moved.
If Sarah really would have liked camping out by the lake a little longer, it didn’t matter. The lake was not the Promised Land.
If the cloud stayed an extended period of time, it did Matthew no good to be longing at his watch wondering when they were going to get to the Promised Land.
God was calling the shots.
It is kind of like when Adam and I were meandering our way back from our mission trip in Canada. When I asked him where we were, he said, “All you need to know is we are somewhere in Pennsylvania.”
I didn’t need to know where or when. I didn’t need to know three turns from then.
It was up to the Israelites to follow God and not ask questions. It is up to us to follow God and not ask questions.
Did the Wilderness Wanderers Let God Lead?
“At the command of the Lord they remained encamped, and at the command of the Lord they journeyed; they kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses” (Num. 9: 23 NKJV)
Yes! This time, the wilderness wanderers obeyed and followed God’s lead.
Good thing! The wilderness wanderers didn’t have the plan or a GPS. And they were out in the middle of nowhere.
Making the Connections
We still have pillars. We have the Bible, the Spirit, and Jesus’ example.
Holmes made a very important observation when he talked about us seeing the pillar in the Bible. “The Bible has not a precept for every emergency which can arise in daily life, so that at such a point you can see a guide-board, like the signs pointing to the old cities of refuge; but it is full of general principles which, if obeyed, will direct without mistake to the promised land.”
We may wish we had chapter and verse to pinpoint exactly what God wants us to do in a specific situation. We have something better — the Spirit.
I know. We can convince ourselves that it isn’t the Spirit talking to us. Or that He is saying something different than He is.
We don’t want to do that. If we do that, we aren’t following the pillar.
That’s not good.
Something Henry said slammed home for me. “There is no time lost whilst we are waiting God’s time. It is as acceptable a piece of submission to the will of God to sit still contentedly when our lot requires it, as to work for Him when we are called to it.”
When we are waiting for God to work, we can’t be trying to move Him forward. We have to let God work.
No, I am not saying don’t pray. What I am saying is, don’t go rogue. Sometimes we take a job or hook up with someone new because we are trying to get God to answer our prayers now – usually our ways.
Oh, yes. I’ve justified it in the past by saying I was just trying to put myself into position for when God answered. “Be still, and know that I am God! …” (Ps. 46: 10 NLT).
But isn’t that so God? He doesn’t tell us the whole plan before we get started. He doles it out to us as we go.
Why? By doing it that way, God keeps us focused on Him. It keeps us dependent on Him.
How Do We Apply This?
Let’s just do bullet points.
- Follow our pillar; don’t try to lead.
- Follow our cloud whether it rains or shines.
- Keep up with the pillar.
- Don’t take the scenic route; go where the pillar tells you to go.
- Use the time when our pillar doesn’t move to prepare for when it does.
- Trust God’s plan for our lives.
- Let Him take care of us.
- Don’t argue; just do it.
- Stand on His promises that He will provide for us.
Father God. You are with us always. You never leave us (Deut. 31: 6). Instead of visible pillars, You are inside us. Help us to follow You and the guidance of Your Spirit in all we do. May we never try to run ahead of You or lag behind. May we always be instep with You, doing Your will. Amen.
What do you think?
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