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. (Numbers 9:23)

Follow That Cloud

The journeys of the nation of Israel were guided in the most unusual manner. Moses led the people out of Egypt by way of the Red Sea, where God showed His power in dividing the waters and the Hebrews walking through on dry land. Turning to a southward journey, the Hebrews came to Mt. Sinai where God gave them a law and made them His nation. When the Tabernacle was completed, the presence of God overshadowed the tent with a cloud by day and the appearance of fire by night. During the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, Israel obeyed the cloud and the fire as it moved or stayed. Whatever the cloud and the fire did, so Israel obeyed.

Whenever the cloud was taken up from the Tabernacle, the people prepared to leave. The Levites struck the Tabernacle, the people gathered their possessions, and in an orderly fashion each tribe fell into line with the tribe of Judah, who would break camp first. As each tribe camped around the Tabernacle, they would assemble to break camp and follow their standards in accordance with the law of God. The tribes on the east side would break first, followed by those on the south, west, and finally the north. Those in the tribe of Levite were not counted, as they were in charge of the Tabernacle and its belongings.

Every move the nation of more than two million made was directed by the hand of God. If the Lord wanted the people to remain in a place for two days, a month, or a year, His cloud would remain over the Tabernacle (including the fire at night). When it was taken up, they would journey. The cloud of the Lord governed the forty years of wilderness wanderings. Israel camped or traveled at the Lord’s command, and they did whatever the Lord told them through Moses. With all the failures of the people toward the will of the Lord, the one constant was keeping the word of the Lord by the movement of the cloud over the Tabernacle.

Israel no longer journeys according to a cloud or a fire by night. The Israelites broke the covenant with God, and He replaced it with the law of Christ. There is no physical nation of God, but the spiritual house of God bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. The cloud that covered the Tabernacle bears the resemblance of the word of God to guide, protect, inform, and instruct the people of God. Everything the Lord desires of His people is found in the Bible. Each word is a particle of the divine cloud that will direct the steps of the Christian to either move or stay.

Life is a journey, and in that journey is a need for guidance and direction. People are looking for answers. The world is a cold and dark place. Hearts are seeking hope. Lives without purpose long for direction. No message will bring one to the throne of God but His word. Like the cloud of long ago, God has put His presence in the world to let everyone know what they must do to be saved. Looking to the cloud provided by God will help one know what to do and why. Israel framed their lives according to a cloud. The Christian must do the same. Everything in life is measured by the will of God. It takes faith to follow a cloud. Faith comes from hearing the word. Follow that cloud.