Numbers 9:15-23 The Guidance of the Cloud
Our province continues to be in a lockdown for the most part. Although people across the country and around the world are starting to retake their freedom. It’s just a matter of time before we get it all back. What is scarier is the thought of what happens with the next virus or pandemic now that they have got us used to living like prisoners in our own homes. But this morning I rejoice in the fact that “God’s got this!”. A friend of mine sent me this short reminder from Romans 11:33-36:
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them? For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.
What a comfort that was and is to me this morning. So, we press on learning more about how we should live using the teachings of God to the Israelites in the desert.
The Passage
15 Now on the day that the tabernacle was erected the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony, and in the evening, it was like the appearance of fire over the tabernacle, until morning. 16 So it was continuously; the cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would then set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel would camp.18 At the [a]command of the Lord the sons of Israel would set out, and at the [b]command of the Lord they would camp; as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped. 19 Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, [c]the sons of Israel would keep the Lord’s charge and not set out. 20 If [d]sometimes the cloud remained a few days over the tabernacle, according to the [e]command of the Lord they remained camped. Then according to the [f]command of the Lord they set out. 21 If [g]sometimes the cloud [h]remained from evening until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning, they would move out; or if it remained in the daytime and at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out. 22 Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they did set out. 23 At the [i]command of the Lord they camped, and at the [j]command of the Lord they set out; they kept the Lord’s charge, according to the [k]command of the Lord through Moses.
Footnotes:
- Numbers 9:18 Lit mouth
- Numbers 9:18 Lit mouth
- Numbers 9:19 Lit and the
- Numbers 9:20 Lit it was that
- Numbers 9:20 Lit mouth
- Numbers 9:20 Lit mouth
- Numbers 9:21 Lit it was that
- Numbers 9:21 Lit was
- Numbers 9:23 Lit mouth
- Numbers 9:23 Lit mouth
k. Numbers 9:23 Lit mouth
Thoughts on the Passage
God’s guidance of the children of Israel through the cloud started the day the tabernacle was first erected. I can imagine the beautiful sunset on that first evening that perhaps caused the cloud to have the appearance of fire over the tabernacle. But what was miraculous was that this effect stayed “until morning” the Scripture says. So that were God’s natural laws of sunlight causing such appearance ended, the cloud was indeed miraculously maintained by God’s very active control. Surely the Israelites noted that and thus had no trouble following that cloud. Cloud by day, cloud that appeared like fire by night.
What is also of interest here is that whereas with respect to what God wanted the Israelites to do, we almost always have the phrase, “And God spoke to Moses to speak to the Israelites . . .”. But with respect to the “cloud to be followed” there was no such spoken word by God. The people were so struck by the magnificence of that first night, that it was obvious to them that they had to move with the cloud. That God was indeed in that cloud and He was leading their path through the desert. You will also remember that they had just celebrated the Passover which brought memories of God passing over their dwellings when they were in Egypt so that their first-born would not be killed. They needed no other encouragement to follow the cloud. I would, however, point out that at the very end of verse 23, we are told that they did all this “according to the command of the Lord through Moses.” So, it is possible that this all came about the same way as other instructions, but not necessarily. [And that is what is amazing about Bible studies. We need to be able to identify what we know for sure and what we don’t know for sure. We need to be careful that we don’t assume certain things as fact to suit our own beliefs or preferences.]
So, when the cloud moved, they would follow it. When it settled down, they would set up camp again. One wonders whether the cloud just moved horizontally or actually climbed higher and then lowered itself so that there was no mistake about where to camp. Verse 17 seems to imply clearly the latter as it was in fact “lifted” from over the tent. This verse also reminds us that the cloud likely did not cover the entire camp, but was primarily over the tent of the tabernacle.
And the passage tells us that sometimes it stayed in one place for two days or a month or a year. And they stayed put until it moved. Two things come to mind here. First, how and why did God determine the length of each stay? I guess we will never know that. Suffice it to say that the passage from Romans 11 shared in the introduction to this particular study is all that we have to go by.
Secondly, I wonder how many Israelites that were in a hurry to get to the promised land, would, especially when the cloud didn’t move for weeks, or months, would get very impatient with God. Try to put yourself in that situation. How would you react? How long would your trust and faith in the Almighty last? [Well, it seems that with this coronavirus experience we are all undergoing, we have a chance to test that.] Matthew Henry, commenting on this very thing says,
“He that believeth doth not make haste. There is no time lost while 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.”
David Guzik’s commentary adds to the richness of this passage. He tells us the fire at night was “obviously a comfort to Israel in the midst of a dark wilderness, and the cloud by day would be a shade from the hot wilderness sun.”
He goes on to say, even though Israel had been organized, and cleansed or sanctified, they still had to be guided by God each step of the way to the Promised Land. That makes me think about our journey to heaven. It’s not just about becoming a Christian and taking communion, or even being baptized. It is about living each moment being led by God in all of our actions, totally depending on Him.
Matthew Henry’s points us to the fact that sometimes they had to move in the middle of the night (vs. 29). Can you imagine how much grumbling that may cause for some people? I wonder how we would react to such guidance in the middle of the night. Henry says,
“. . . probably there were some appointed to stand sentinel day and night within sight of it, to give timely notice to the camp of its beginning to stir, and this [is] called keeping the charge of the Lord. The people, being thus kept at a constant uncertainty, and having no time fixed for stopping or removing, were obliged to hold themselves in constant readiness to march upon very short warning.”
Are we keeping that charge of the Lord? Are we, as Henry puts it,
“kept at uncertainty concerning the time of our putting off the earthly house of this tabernacle, that we may be always ready to remove at the commandment of the Lord [for heaven].”
We should note as Henry did that it is uncomfortable to remain in place when God has departed, but very safe and pleasant going forward when we see God has gone before us and then to be resting when He commands us to rest. That is the life of action and peace that we should all seek. In this passage God clearly shows us once again that He cares for us.
It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.
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