You’ve seen the Bible picture illustrations of the Israelites traveling through the desert wilderness led by a small column of cloud out in front of them. It was a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. What a miraculous experience it must have been to be led in such a way.
Many of us love to lay out in the sun, especially on a warm beach somewhere, but I’m more of a shade guy, I only want to be in the open sun for a short time. I remember thinking many years ago on a hot sunny day, if I were one of the Israelites traveling in the wilderness, I would want that cloud over the top of me shading me from that hot desert sun. It would be nice to have that pillar of cloud leading out front, but what would be really cool (literally) would be to have that cloud overhead.
And again, if I were one of the Israelites traveling by night, it would be so awesome if that pillar of fire was overhead, giving me light and warmth in the cold night air. That would be much like sitting by an open fire, which many of us love to do, especially on a cool evening, letting the fire warm our bodies.
Nice thoughts… That’s how I would have liked it. It’s too bad the Israelite’s had to suffer… I pondered these ideas for years, as they occasionally resurfaced in my wandering thoughts.
And then I found it… I found it! Studying through I Corinthians for Bible Quizzing one year. I Corinthians 10:1-2 says, “our fathers were all under the cloud.” They were not just behind it; they were also under it. Could it be that all the illustration pictures that I grew up with were wrong. Exodus 13:21-22 says, “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light… neither… left its place in front of the people.”
Just because the cloud was ahead and in front, it doesn’t mean it wasn’t also over the top of them. If the cloud was overhead, but moving…, it would still be leading them by extending out in front of them. It would be their role in following the cloud to keep pace under it. Simply put, they needed to stay in the shade by day or at night, to stay in the warmth of the fire. Only if the fire was overhead would it truly give them light to travel by.
Josh McDowell wrote in his “Right from Wrong” series how love is defined in a very practical way. Love protects and provides. When we love someone, we protect them and provide for them.
It seems sensible that’s what God did for his chosen people that He loved, as they walked through the wilderness, He protected them from the sun by day and provided a fire of warmth and light at night.
God does the same for us when we follow Him and live under the principles of His Word. He blesses us. He protects and provides in many ways we don’t always see. The problems come when we start to stray from God and wander away from what we know is right. We carelessly leave the covering of God’s protection and provision when we start messing around with the temptations of this world. There are consequences, not just sunburn, stumbling, and shivering such as when the Israelites wandered, but real-life heartaches, emotional scars and trauma. The list goes on… Yes, there can be forgiveness, but the effects of the consequences often remain. That’s why as Christians we also want to be led by a spiritual cloud staying under the covering of God’s blessing.
Psalms 18:2 says, “The Lord is my fortress and my deliverer.” Psalms 3:3 says, “But You, O Lord are a shield around me, my glory and the one who lifts my head high”. God protects us like a shield and provides a fortress of safety. Then He lifts our face to His and says, I love you, will you follow me?
Are we following God? Are we living under the principles of His Word? If we are, then we are living under the shade and warmth of God’s blessing.
I close with a song which is our prayer:
“Oh God, you are my God and I will ever praise you. Oh God, you are my God and I will ever praise you. And I will follow you all my days, and I will follow you all of my days, and step by step you lead me, and I will follow you all of my days.”
Blessings,
Pastor Vern