From time to time, I share something that I have recently gleaned from my daily Bible reading. It is rarely anything “profound”, instead it is just some “golden nugget” that reminds me to keep my eyes on Jesus. This post is based out of the ninth chapter of the book of Numbers.
“15 And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. 16 So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents. 18 At the commandment of the Lord the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents. 19 And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord, and journeyed not.” Numbers 9:15-19
At this time in Israel’s history, the Israelites were blessed to know exactly what God wanted from them, exactly where God wanted them to be, what direction God wanted them to go, and when God wanted them to stop. It was all about the Law that the people received and the cloud/fire that guided them. There were no doubts, because they knew how to behave by the Law. There was no doubt about their location either because the cloud/fire showed them where to go and where (and when) to stop and stay.
That blessed period did not last forever, for when they arrived to the promised land, the cloud/fire disappeared, they still had the Law, but they could not follow something (like a cloud) to know the specific location that was the will of God for their lives. They arrived at the promised land, and the land would be divided by tribe, but beyond that, they did not know the physical direction they must take daily.
Today we don’t have the cloud. We can doubt sometimes if we are in the place where God wants us to be, but we do have God’s Word to guide us. As Christians, we also have the Holy Spirit living within us. We can trust Him, that He will guide us to the place He wants us to be, and we have His Word that shows us how we should live for Him. We are not left without direction, our God is still at work in us and still guides us as His children.
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