God leads us by the Word and by the Spirit. Throughout times He has led His people in different ways, but we can know His leading by spending time in His Presence.
There was time when He led His people by fire and by a cloud.
And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.
Exodus 13:21-22
When the cloud lifted from the people they knew it was time to pack everything up and move on to the next place.
Imagine having a cloud over our homes today, and a fire by night. Being secure in the knowledge that God was in the cloud and fire and that He was present with us to lead us when the time came by simply lifting the cloud.
We would have such assurance.
But our assurance under the New Covenant is always by faith. We are not led by physical appearances, but by the Word and the Spirit.
Our comfort and assurance today is in the fact that we believe what God has said about us in the Word and had it confirmed to our own regenerated spirit by the Holy Spirit. He is our cloud and fire today.
Guarded by the Cloud
There was one occasion we can look at, however, when Israel, escaping from the pursuing Egyptians, were guarded by the cloud and fire.
And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.
Exodus 14:19-20
When the Israelites saw the Egyptians chasing them and coming closer they cried out to Moses to call on God to intervene. Moses said, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
“Stretch out your hand!”
But God told Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea to divide it.
And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it.”
Exodus 14:15-16
Then the Angel of God stood between Israel and Egypt, and the cloud was darkness to the Egyptians and light to Israel.
So it is for us today. We are the savour, or aroma of life to one or death to another depending on whether they believe or not.
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.
2 Corinthians 2::14-16
Jesus is our aroma. He is our flavour, and our savour. He is the salt that flavours our world.
God is still in the cloud, but He is with us, and in us and upon us through the Holy Spirit. We are no longer led by the cloud and fire, but by the promptings of the Holy Spirit and the confirmation of the Word of God.
Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
1 Corinthians 101-2
We are now baptised into the Cloud that is the Holy Spirit. For it was he that was in the cloud in Israel’s day. We drink of the same Holy Spirit today, but we now live by faith and not by sight.
They were not born of the Spirit as we are today. They were not baptised in the Spirit, only in the sense that they were enshrouded in that cloud of God’s glory.
Today we live in the glory. We are vessels of honour and carriers of that glory.
For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
2 Corinthians 4:6-7
So whatever we go through whether by challenge or by persecution or by triumph or by victory we are to give all glory to God who leads us and guides us into all truth.
Those events that took place in Moses’ time are for examples to us so that we can learn from them and realise daily that we are in the very Presence of God and carrying His glory to impart to all we see and know.
Her is our assurance and our hope as we trust in Him in all things.
Through His glory we glorify the Lord when we step put in faith, believing all He has said to us and walking as those who live in His victory for our lives, more than conquerors, reigning in life through one Lord Jesus Christ.
