In Exodus 40:17 we were told, "So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year." (Exodus 40:17) Today's passage speaks of something that happened on the day the tabernacle was set up---something that continues to happen as the children of Israel go from place to place in the wilderness.
Our text begins like this: "On the day the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant law, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening til morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire." (Numbers 9:15-16) From sunset til sunrise, the glory of the Lord was like a fire over the tabernacle. The typical artist's rendering of the cloud of fire usually looks something like this:
In Exodus we were told that the cloud settled over the tabernacle but we were not informed that it glowed like fire during the nighttime hours. "Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." (Exodus 40:34-35) No work could be performed for a time when the presence of the Lord came down to bless and consecrate the tabernacle. A similar thing also happened on the day King Solomon dedicated the temple to the Lord. Once the ark of the covenant was set in place inside the newly built temple, the Bible says, "When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled His temple." (1 Kings 8:10-11) This cloud symbolizes the Lord's blessing upon the meeting place and His blessing upon Israel, also it represents His willingness to dwell with the people of Israel.
In addition, the cloud symbolizes the Lord's guidance, for when the cloud remained over the tabernacle, the people were to remain camped where they were. When the cloud moved, the people were to move. "Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; whenever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the Lord's command the Israelites set out, and at His command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp." (Numbers 9:17-18) Moses provided us with this information in Exodus 40:36-38, "In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out---until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels." The Lord trained the Israelites to constantly look to Him for guidance. Twenty-four hours a day there was a visible sign of God's presence with them and the people consulted this sign before making any plans for the day or night.
This next verse has something very important in it that we don't want to miss. "When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord's order and did not set out." (Numbers 9:19) Sometimes the cloud remained over the tabernacle for a long time. We find it relatively easy to wait a short time for the Lord to move, don't we? But what about when we have to wait for a long time? We often begin to have doubts or begin to feel restless. We sometimes go ahead and move out anyway, even though the Lord wants us to remain still. I've moved out ahead of the Lord a few times in my life and I've regretted it every time. He didn't even have to dish out any fatherly discipline for my disobedience; the natural consequences of getting out of His will were bad enough. Every time I've gotten ahead of the Lord I've made a huge mess of things. Getting ahead of Him has cost me something each time, whether the price was peace of mind or time or money or the loss of an opportunity or some type of aggravation for myself and for those around me. One hasty decision in particular still bothers me many years later, long after everyone but me has probably forgotten about it, but I still feel angry and disappointed at myself. I still feel sad when I think about it. I am pretty sure I always will feel sad about it, but lessons we learn the hard way are lessons we don't tend to forget, and the most I can do to redeem my mistake is not to repeat it.
I have to commend the Israelites for their obedience. They deserve their faith to be recognized for staying put no matter how long the Lord told them to stay put. "Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the Lord's command they would encamp, and then at His command they would set out. Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening til morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. They obeyed the Lord's order, in accordance with His command through Moses." (Numbers 9:20-23)
One of the hardest things for us to do is to sit still, isn't it? Especially when we want something in our circumstances to change. We always seem to feel like we need to do something to fix our situation ourselves. It's a human failing to want to follow this advice: "Don't just stand there; do something!", instead of following God's advice which is often, "Don't just do something; stand there!"
I don't know what type of guidance you need from the Lord in this season of your life, but the best advice I can give you, based on the Holy Bible, is not to get ahead of God. In troubled times the temptation is strong to take some sort of action to change or fix our circumstances, but God is never caught off guard by our circumstances. He always knew they were coming. He always had a plan in place for dealing with them. He knows when it's best for us to move ahead and He knows when it's best for us to sit still. If there is anything we need to do, God will show us when to do it. But there are times when He doesn't expect us to even lift a finger on our own behalf; He just wants us to sit back and watch Him fight and win the battle for us, so He says, "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10a)
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