Num 9:18 At the command of the LORD the children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the LORD they would camp; as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped.
Num 9:19 Even when the cloud continued long, many days above the tabernacle, the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD and did not journey.
The wilderness experience was one of the most spectacular deeds of Yahweh as he delivered the Israelites from the land of bondage to the promised land. The Lord went ahead of them by a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and a pillar of fire to guide them at night . So neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left it’s place in front of the people.
At the Lords command , the Israelites set out and at his command, they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle, they remained in the camp. Sometimes the cloud was over the Tabernacle for a few days, sometimes only from evening till morning and sometimes even for a month or year. But when it lifted, the Israelites would set out.
Believers will receive God’s blessings by “following the cloud” of God’s presence. When we yield ourselves to the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit, like the Israelites, the Lord will not only go a head of us, but we will also receive divine protection and divine provision. The ” cloud” will illuminate our paths, shield us from our enemies and keep us from following our human impulses.
Further readings:
Exo 13:17-22
Deu 1:32-33
Rom 8:14
🙏 Blessed Weekend 🙏