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As Long As The Cloud Stayed
“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. 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. So it was, when the cloud was above the tabernacle a few days: according to the command of the Lord they would remain encamped, and according to the command of the Lord they would journey. So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, they would journey. Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey. At the command of the Lord they remained encamped, and at the command of the Lord they journeyed; they kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses.” (Number 9:18-23)
When I read this chapter, I’m struck by the unquestioning obedience of the Israelites because of the contrast of their utter disobedience found in so many other parts of Scripture.
Sure, the children of Israel may have griped and complained at least a little with the seemingly unpredictable camping and journey, but we’re not told this, and it’s not what God is bringing to the reader’s (our) attention here.
When the people stopped traveling, it wasn’t because their feet hurt and they were too exhausted to continue, or because they saw land that looked fantastic for settling, or because it was night and dark – they stopped because the cloud stopped, which, through Moses, was God’s command.
Similarly, the people gathered their children, packed up their belongings and headed on their way again when the cloud was taken up. They didn’t decide one morning when they had sufficiently recovered from a night’s rest that they should start journeying again. I’d be willing to guess many were pretty settled into a location after being there for a year (v22), so it wasn’t necessarily convenient or easy to pack up and go.
What a beautiful example of obedience from people that weren’t perfect, made many mistakes, and, if we’re honest, can regularly remind us of ourselves or where we’ve been before.
Are you reminded of yourself in this section of Israel’s history?
When God commands, are you ready for action? Have you been paying attention for his lead so that when he moves and makes opportunity in your life you don’t miss it?
What about when you feel you’ve been mistreated – someone spread rumors about you, someone treated you differently (and not in a good way) because they know you’re a Christian, someone took you to court for something you didn’t do. Are you ready to listen and act on God’s commands to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:39) and “esteem others better than [yourself]” (Phil 2:3)?
Let’s work today to (1) hear God’s commands from the Bible and (2) act with such obedience that he would choose not to call out the times we blatantly disobeyed or the times we slipped up, but to recall and lift us up for our obedience and ultimately rescue us from ourselves because his son, Jesus Christ “gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14).
