"Now on the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the Testimony; from evening until morning it was above the tabernacle like the appearance of fire. So it was always: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night." Numbers 9:15-16
"Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, after that the children of Israel would journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would pitch their tents. At the command of the Lord the children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the Lord they would camp" Numbers 9:17-18a
"as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped...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." Numbers 9:18b,22
These passages I read in Numbers shocked me. This is taking place during the Israelites trek through the desert, and this entire nation of people is following not a human leader but rather the one true God. Now Moses was a leader among the people but his role almost seems more like a mediator between the Holy God and the sinful people. As for directions on where and when to go the nation of Israel followed a cloud.
Now obviously this cloud was a representation of the Spirit of God. Yet I'm sure there were those who doubted. Especially when the cloud wouldn't move for months or even a year (Num. 9:22) I'm sure the people began to wonder what was going on. Were they following the right cloud? Should we even be falling a cloud around? These questions probably were asked a lot. It would be really hard to live like that because there is so much unknown! They have no clue whether or not they will be moving the next day, let alone where they are headed!
Yet this is what God wanted of them. This is faith! This is what he wants of today's believers as well. After all, the cloud would reside above the tabernacle, and 1 Corinthians 6:19 declares that a believer's body is a "temple of the Holy Spirit." Thus He commands us to go at times and at other times He tells us to remained "encamped". We cannot expect him to explain to us the reason for being sent somewhere or being told to stay put. We just have to follow.
