When the Lord led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, to conduct them to the land of Canaan, "[He] went before them by day in a pillar a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people." (Exodus 13:21-22) "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. So it was always: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 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. ... And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the Lord they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the Lord they journeyed. And so it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed. Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed." (Numbers 9:15-17,20-22)
The Lord himself was in the cloud, and it was the symbol, the evidence, of His presence. We read that when the Egyptians were pursuing the children of Israel into the midst of the Red Sea, that: "It came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians." (Exodus 14:24)
And Moses, recounting to the Israelites God's gracious dealings with them, said: "You did not believe the Lord your God, Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way you should go, and in a cloud by day." (Deuteronomy 1:32-33)
The one great lesson for people in this world to learn, is the reality of things. The world is so taken up with the unreal, with fiction and mere play-acting, that they have almost lost the power to grasp the real. Even what is called "realism," is only a poor picture of things which, just because they are dramatized, people do not really believe actually exist. The material things which they handle are virtually unreal, because the end for which they use them is unsubstantial. Everything which has for its object this world only, is unreal, for: "the world passes away, and the lust thereof." (1 John 2:17)
This spirit of the world has also seized professed Christians, so much so that the promises and the work of God are to the most of them unreal. They read the Bible too much as though its characters were the mystical inhabitants of the moon, instead of real flesh and blood. To many, the thrilling narratives of Scripture, even of the life and miracles of Christ, and especially of the experiences of ancient Israel, are, unconsciously to themselves, read as though they were pages of a novel. They are to them at best but a "true story," or "a story founded on fact." That is to say, we all of us too often fail to live in the events of the Bible history, and to realize that: "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning," (Romans 15:4) and that the same God still lives to do the same things for His people,--that the experiences of God's people in past ages may and should be the experiences of His people today.
We should know not only that the things which are recorded in the Bible are real occurrences, but that they are not unique, exceptional instances, but illustrations of God's ordinary working. God does not produce "monstrosities." The Bible records:
• the faith of Enoch and Abraham,
• the meekness of Moses,
• the patience of Job,
• the wisdom of Solomon,
• the strength of Samson,
• the miraculous things among ancient Israel and in the early church, to show the power that all God's people ought to possess, for: "There is no respect of persons with God." (Romans 2:11)
Let us then consider our lesson--Israel led by a cloud--in this light. In the first place, it was a real cloud, just as much so as those we see floating in the sky, which send rain down to the earth. From it came forth "a plentiful rain," (Psalm 68:9) whereby God refreshed and strengthened His inheritance, so that: "all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea." (1 Corinthians 10:1-2)
God in Every Cloud
"[The Lord] makes the clouds His chariot, and walks upon the wings of the wind;" (Psalm 104:3) [He] has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet." (Nahum 1:3) "[His] paths drop fatness." (Psalm 65:11)
This teaches us that God is still in the cloud; not merely in some particular cloud, but in every cloud that contains water to enrich the earth. The fatness which we gather from the earth comes to it from the clouds; and thus God rains down bread from heaven for us in these days as really as He did for Israel in the desert.
Now, as then, we are to discern the glory in the cloud that gives us bread; for the giving of manna, even as the turning of water into wine at Cana, was the manifestation of God's glory. "Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then you shall know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt: And in the morning, then you shall see the glory of the Lord." (Exodus 16:6-7)
And so it was, for in the morning they saw the manna which had rained down during the night.
Seeing God in the Cloud
The poet has written of:
The poor Indian, whose untutored mind
Sees God in clouds, and hears Him in the wind.
--Alexander Pope, Essay on Man, Epistle 1, 1732.
But that very thing shows that his mind is not so untutored as that of his civilized brother; for the highest wisdom to be found in the universe is the knowledge of God; and the ability to recognize Him in His works is the keenest perception.
Israel of old saw God's works for them for forty years, and yet did not learn His way; they saw the cloud day after day, in which God dwelt, and yet doubted and even denied that the Lord was among them. Even so it is today. Day by day and night by night we see clouds, yet do not know that God is near at hand, although the history of Israel is very minutely recorded, in order that we might know that God's way is in the cloud. God is still in the cloud, as surely as in the days of Israel in the wilderness.
Another evidence of this is afforded in the account of the transfiguration of Jesus. Peter, James, and John went up with Jesus into a mountain, "And there was a cloud that overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear Him." (Mark 9:7) "The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Clouds and darkness are round about Him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation [foundation] of His throne." (Psalm 97:1-2)
Because the clouds are round about God's throne, which is established in righteousness, "the skies pour down righteousness." (Isaiah 45:8)
This is more than a mere exercise of the mind, a scholastic speculation;--it is God's truth, the reality of which we are to demonstrate in our every day lives. "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." (Romans 15:4)
We are to learn to extract comfort from tribulation, and not merely to be soothed while under it, to "glory in tribulation." (Romans 5:3)
Clouds and darkness are round about God, yet He dwells "in the light," (1 Timothy 6:16) even clothing himself with it. "Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with honor and majesty. Who cover yourself with light as with a garment: who stretch out the heavens like a curtain." (Psalm 104:1-2)
Glory dwells in the cloud, as was strikingly shown at the crossing of the Red Sea, when this same cloud was darkness and gloom to the Egyptians, and light and cheer to the Israelites. "There was the cloud and the darkness, yet it gave light by night: and the one came not near the other all the night." (Exodus 45:29, RV)
Light From the Cloud
The common saying that that "every cloud has a silver lining" does not tell all the truth. The truth is that every cloud is full of light, and the thickest, heaviest, darkest clouds contain the most light. Do you doubt it? Your own experience shall convince you. From what clouds do the lightnings come? Is it not from the thick, black, threatening thundercloud? It is now as in the beginning, when God "commanded the light to shine out of darkness." (2 Corinthians 4:6)
This also is for our learning. There will come a day when "the earth shall mourn, and the heavens above be black," (Jeremiah 4:28) and terror will take possession of the inhabitants of the earth, and it will be as though God had forsaken and forgot the earth. But in that day the glory of the Lord shall be revealed as never before covering the heavens, "As the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; ... they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:27,30)
Let us learn to recognize His goings here, so that when that great and terrible day shall come we shall hail it with joy, saying: "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." (Isaiah 25:9)--Present Truth, July 31, 1902--Numbers 10:11-13, 29-36
E.J. Waggoner