cloud by day, fire at night
15 On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. 16 So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night. 17 And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. 18 At the command of the Lord the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they remained in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they set out. 21 And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out. 22 Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. 23 At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses.
Numbers 9:15-23
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I love a couple of things about this passage. First, I love that the Lord was literally with the Israelites day and night. How often do we hear the cliche phrase, "the Lord is always with you!", or some variation of that? But as cheesy as it might sound, it is nonetheless a great biblical truth of God for those in Christ. It's all throughout other passages of Scripture (Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:8, etc), but I love that it's shown here practically.
The Lord indeed was with the Israelites - how? Cloud covering by day, and fire at night.
There's a Spurgeon devotional I read recently that was really good and I think applicable in this sense as he was remarking on Genesis 1:5 where it says, "And the evening and the morning were the first day":
"...Observe that the evening comes first. Naturally we are darkness first in order of time, and the gloom is often first in our mournful apprehension, driving us to cry out in deep humiliation, "God be merciful to me, a sinner." The place of the morning is second, it dawns when grace overcomes nature. It is a blessed aphorism of John Bunyan, "That which is last, lasts for ever." That which is first, yields in due season to the last; but nothing comes after the last. So that though you are naturally darkness, when once you become light in the Lord, there is no evening to follow; "thy sun shall no more go down."
The evening times, as Spurgeon notes, is often times a place of mourning, a time of struggle within the self usually after a long day just simply living in this broken world. But just as fitting as the morning comes after the nighttime, the Lord provided a covering of the cloud so as to provide shelter from the sun, and a fire at night to drive the darkness away.
How awesome is our God to provide Himself in such powerful ways, yet at the same time, how perfectly gracious is He in giving of Himself to us, like He did practically for the Israelites. God covers us in the midst of our busy, tired, suffering day even while we toil and labor in consequence to the sinful nature of man, but at the same time He gives light to our path in the midst of the dark roads ahead of us.
I also love that the Israelites were instructed to not go before or even beyond the movement of the Lord. If the glory of the Lord remained on the tabernacle for days, weeks, or months, they would not move. If they presence of God was lifted and it set out within the day, the Israelites did as well.
They always had to follow the Lord, knowing that His presence would go before them and with them.
This passage stirs my heart to remember that God is not only with me at selective moments of the day, but he is with me day and night, basically 24/7. He provides and gives Himself so that I would know without a doubt that I am never alone. Also that He goes before me. That there is no territory, city, nation that the Lord has already been to and has prepared a place for me. There is no season of life or state of my heart that is a surprise to Him. As scary as it must've been for the Israelites during this time to step into different areas in the literal wilderness, they still went and followed the Lord, even if the results were not immediately guaranteed and told.
I may have some wilderness seasons to venture into, but I know that God is with me giving me merciful shade when I am too tired during the day, and a light-giving fire to light up the path before me in the night. I know He also goes before me so I have nothing to fear.
Numbers 9:15-23
---
I love a couple of things about this passage. First, I love that the Lord was literally with the Israelites day and night. How often do we hear the cliche phrase, "the Lord is always with you!", or some variation of that? But as cheesy as it might sound, it is nonetheless a great biblical truth of God for those in Christ. It's all throughout other passages of Scripture (Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:8, etc), but I love that it's shown here practically.
The Lord indeed was with the Israelites - how? Cloud covering by day, and fire at night.
There's a Spurgeon devotional I read recently that was really good and I think applicable in this sense as he was remarking on Genesis 1:5 where it says, "And the evening and the morning were the first day":
"...Observe that the evening comes first. Naturally we are darkness first in order of time, and the gloom is often first in our mournful apprehension, driving us to cry out in deep humiliation, "God be merciful to me, a sinner." The place of the morning is second, it dawns when grace overcomes nature. It is a blessed aphorism of John Bunyan, "That which is last, lasts for ever." That which is first, yields in due season to the last; but nothing comes after the last. So that though you are naturally darkness, when once you become light in the Lord, there is no evening to follow; "thy sun shall no more go down."
The evening times, as Spurgeon notes, is often times a place of mourning, a time of struggle within the self usually after a long day just simply living in this broken world. But just as fitting as the morning comes after the nighttime, the Lord provided a covering of the cloud so as to provide shelter from the sun, and a fire at night to drive the darkness away.
How awesome is our God to provide Himself in such powerful ways, yet at the same time, how perfectly gracious is He in giving of Himself to us, like He did practically for the Israelites. God covers us in the midst of our busy, tired, suffering day even while we toil and labor in consequence to the sinful nature of man, but at the same time He gives light to our path in the midst of the dark roads ahead of us.
I also love that the Israelites were instructed to not go before or even beyond the movement of the Lord. If the glory of the Lord remained on the tabernacle for days, weeks, or months, they would not move. If they presence of God was lifted and it set out within the day, the Israelites did as well.
They always had to follow the Lord, knowing that His presence would go before them and with them.
This passage stirs my heart to remember that God is not only with me at selective moments of the day, but he is with me day and night, basically 24/7. He provides and gives Himself so that I would know without a doubt that I am never alone. Also that He goes before me. That there is no territory, city, nation that the Lord has already been to and has prepared a place for me. There is no season of life or state of my heart that is a surprise to Him. As scary as it must've been for the Israelites during this time to step into different areas in the literal wilderness, they still went and followed the Lord, even if the results were not immediately guaranteed and told.
I may have some wilderness seasons to venture into, but I know that God is with me giving me merciful shade when I am too tired during the day, and a light-giving fire to light up the path before me in the night. I know He also goes before me so I have nothing to fear.
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