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No. 25
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The Cloudy Pillar
From the day
the tabernacle was constructed in the midst of the Israelite camp till the
day they crossed the Jordan, the Cloud of the Lord was inseparably
associated with it. The Cloud rested upon the portable temple of the
Most High right above the ark of the covenant and between the cherubim
while the Israelites camped in the wilderness. Then it moved in the
air above the ark while they were on the march to a different place.
When The Cloud stopped, so did the Israelites and that is where they set
up camp again.
Of all the
manifestations of God's gracious presence to His people, the Cloudy Pillar
was the most striking and glorious. There was only one pillar, but
it was a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. A more
modern illustration would be the policy of Alexander the Great.
He ordered a lofty pole to be set up and on its summit placed a brazier
filled with combustible materials. This was kept burning all the
time over the general's tent when they were camped, and moved in the front
of the army when they were on a march. This way they always knew
where to find him. They called it "a cloudy banner by day, a flaming
beacon by night."
Besides being
designated the cloudy pillar, it was occasionally called the following
names:
-
The Angel of
God - It was called this just as other inanimate objects that served God's
purposes are sometimes designated in the Bible. Exodus 14: 19
- And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and
went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face,
and stood behind them:
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The Lord
-
The pillar served the purpose of enveloping or enshrining the shekinah, a
symbol of God's presence with His people. It was a bright flame that
never went out, and stood for God Himself coming down to be in the
presence of His people. Exodus 13: 21 - The Lord went before them in
a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way.
-
God's Throne
- It was also God's moveable throne while the Israelites marched from one
place to another, and it was His stationary throne while they were
encamped about it. The shekinah presence of the pillar penetrated
down through the roof of the tabernacle and filled the space between the
mercy seat and the overarching wings of the cherubim that stood on each
end of the golden throne. Thus God was enthroned within and without
the tabernacle. When the tabernacle had to be taken down, that
particular portion of the flame rested on the ark of the covenant and
ascended into the cloudy pillar. As soon as the Levites bearing the
ark had taken their place in the forefront of the host, the cloudy pillar
took up its position in the air right above this the most sacred of all
the objects pertaining to the tabernacle. Thus the cloud and the ark
were inseparably associated which accounts for the people sometimes
following the one and sometimes the other. The cloudy pillar served
many useful purposes:
-
First, It was a
guide - To lead was its main mission as it was to lead the Israelites
and give them light by day and by night. It was very imposing in
height and definitely demanded the obedience of the many thousands of
Israelites. It never led them astray, even though they might have
thought so at times. It always led them in a way that God's Glory
could be revealed to them in a mighty way. The pillar was a striking
illustration of the long-suffering kindness of our Heavenly Father.
Neither murmurings, nor rebellions, nor idolatry, nor ingratitude, ever
drove away the angel of his presence. In this way God was like a
loving parent who lovingly and tenderly cared for His children. The
pillar led all the way from Egypt, and only disappeared when it had
accomplished its mission by bringing the pilgrims safely and triumphantly
to the end of their journey.
-
Second, It
was a light - If the pillar had not changed its aspects, it
would have become invisible when night came. As soon as the dark
came, though, it became a bright shining and fiery pillar that was visible
to every eye. It was not only a guide, but illuminated the whole
camp during the pitch black nights in the desert. The night hours
would have probably been very dismal without the cloud of fire.
-
Third, It was
a shade - Psalms 105: 39 says that He spread a "cloud for
covering". The pillar spread out to such a wide extent at the top
that it overshadowed them wherever they were, marching or stationery,
so that the blistering sun would not make them miserable.
-
Fourth, It
was a shield - Deuteronomy 1: 30 says "The Lord your God which goeth before you, He shall fight for you." Salvation was a sure
thing for Israel when the angel pillar stood between them and their foes.
The most noticeable of this was in Exodus, when they were at the Red Sea,
with the Egyptian army right behind them. As the Israelites saw the
Egyptians advancing upon them, they saw that there was nowhere to go.
There were steep mountains on both sides, the Red Sea before them, and the
Egyptians behind them. God saw their fear of dying and quickly moved
the Cloud behind them. The Cloud stood between them. On the
Egyptian side it was total darkness, and on the Israelite side there shone
much light for them so they wouldn't be afraid. Then God wanted to
show His Glory even more, so He told them to go through the Red Sea.
He opened the waters to make a way for them. Then when they had
passed He moved the cloud that was restraining the Egyptians. As
they went into the Sea to pursue, the waters closed over them and killed
all of them. Thus the Pillar of Cloud was a Shield of Protection for
them against their enemies.
-
Fifth, It was
an oracle - We are told in Exodus 33: 9 that the Lord talked
with Moses in the cloudy pillar. From this oracle sounded forth
words necessary for the instruction and direction of the congregation.
-
Sixth, It was
an avenger - When the Lord wished to make known His
displeasure, the cloudy pillar assumed a very wrathful appearance.
Flashes of fire went forth from it to destroy Nadab and Abihu because of
their rebellion against God. Also fire came out from it and
destroyed 250 men for rebellion. People who were living in rebellion
might have been troubled by the sight of it, but God's obedient people
were very comforted by it.
With the
above, we have covered some of the ends that were served by the fiery
cloudy pillar. It was a guide, a light, a shade, a shield, an
oracle, and an avenger. It led, it illumined, it shaded, it
shielded, it spoke, it smiled, it frowned. It showed the way, and
beckoned to the thousands of Israel to follow. It turned the
darkness into light. It warded off the darts of the noonday sun.
It was a bulwark of defense between the Hebrews and the Egyptians.
It fought for the chosen people. When pleased it rewarded, and when
provoked it punished. It continued its friendly guidance, its light,
its protection, its counsel, and its encouragement, until it conducted the
many thousands of Israel safely across the Jordan and into that good land
and large, the promised land of Canaan.
Of all the
objects ever seen by the Hebrew pilgrims this was the grandest, the most
imposing, and the most resplendent. The people who actually saw it
were extremely privileged and blessed, for it was to them, and to them
only, that pertained the "glory".
The Christian
pilgrim has no such visible manifestation of the Deity as he travels
through the wilderness of this world to the heavenly Canaan. He must
hold on to the way of truth without ever seeing "the glory" with his own
eyes. His privileges as a child of God are no less, though, than the
Israelites who saw the cloud. The fiery cloudy pillar was mainly the
dispenser of temporal blessings, and in itself was temporary, so it
eventually passed away when it was no longer needed.
He is even
more personally present to us now in the form of the Holy Spirit
than He ever was to the Israelites. We now have the true light that
dwells within us if we are a Christian. The Moon of the Old
Testament is succeeded by the glorious Sun of the New. Christ is to
the Christian pilgrim what the cloudy pillar was to the Israelites.
-
Like the
Cloudy Pillar, Christ is a Guide - First, He guides by the example that He
set forth for us while He lived on earth. Second, He guides by His
Word that He left us so that we could have the direction we need.
Third, Christ guides by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is here now
with us to lead and guide us into all truth. If we will follow Him,
we won't make mistakes and be led astray by Satan.
-
Like the
Cloudy Pillar, Christ Is A Light - He lights the way for the
Christian, and it is His Office to pour celestial light on the eyes of the
spiritually blind. That same great light chases away our darkness,
and enables to go forth on our spiritual journey in a victorious way.
-
Like the
Cloudy Pillar, Christ Is a Shade - He provides shelter for us
to protect us from the burning, fiery, and deceitful rays of Satan that
would otherwise destroy us.
-
Like the
Cloudy Pillar, Christ Is a Shield - Our strength as a
Christian lies in the fact that we know our own weakness in the flesh.
This prompts us to hold on to God's almighty shield that is able to defend
us in every trial and test. We can always put our trust in the
shield of Christ to protect us and keep us safe.
-
Like the
Cloudy Pillar, Christ Is an Oracle - He truly is the Word, and
the grand medium of communication between God and man.
-
Like the
Cloudy Pillar, Christ Is an Avenger - Christ's mercy is great
and long-lasting and He does not want any person to perish. He looks
with a smiling face on mankind regardless of so much sin, and wants every
person to repent, believe and be saved.
So Christ is
just as real as the fiery cloudy pillar that went before the Hebrews.
He is a Guide, a Light, a Shade, a Shield, an Oracle, an Avenger, a fast
Friend, and a constant Attendant. He leads, He enlightens, He
screens, He shields, He defends, He instructs, and He commands. If
we will but fix our eyes upon Him, we will find Him much more precious to
us than the cloudy pillar was to the Israelites. Christ will never
depart from us like the cloudy fiery pillar did. He will always be
there to intercede to the Father on our behalf so that we can always have
much more mercy and grace than we could ever deserve.
For more
information from this book, go to the archives page at my site
www.cathydeaton.com
There are other articles of interest there also.
This
text is taken from the book The Tabernacle Its Ministries and Services
written by William Brown. This book has been used by permisison.
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