Cloudy Days

I was reading the story in Numbers about how the cloud by day and fire by night resided on the tabernacle. God used it so lead His people around. Move, and they moved. Stand, and they stopped (Num 9:15-23). Easy. I've often wished I had a "cloud" like that. You know, some sort of substantive presence of God to tell me "Go here now" or "Stop there now." Sure, it led them around in the desert for 40 years, but at least they could always be sure they weren't lost.

Moses got wordy writing the text. I mean, verses 17-23 describe the same thing in nuanced ways. We get it. Move, we move. Stop, we stop. One verse says, "Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, the sons of Israel would keep the LORD'S charge and not set out" (Num 9:19). That's actually the reverse of most of the rest. They all indicated that when the cloud moved after an extremely short time or an extended time, they moved, too. But this one was the opposite. When God did not tell them to move, they did not move.

We do that, you know. We have no problem running ahead of God. Eve did it in the garden. God never told them that they couldn't touch the tree, but Eve assured the serpent that He did (Gen 3:3). We do it all the time. We conclude that our political party is the party of God without any indication from God that it is so. We know that God forgives, but given the offense of that one, we surely won't. We take a hard stand on things that God's Word never does and think we're standing for God. I've heard Christians outraged when someone questions December 25th as the day of Christ's birth or that someone suggested that "Good Friday" was not the day that Jesus died, but perhaps a Thursday or even a Wednesday. Those aren't in there. Look for yourself. All of this is just like moving when the cloud stands still. Like Abram and Sarai with Hagar (Gen 16:1-2). "We'll help God out with His promise." Israel is still paying for that one.

"But," I hear someone protest, "we don't have that cloud." No, we don't. But we do have God's Word. We do have the Spirit. We do have fellow believers. We do have prayer. We don't have a cloud anymore; we have so much more. So, is it ingratitude or ignorance or mere willful disobedience that keeps us running ahead of God thinking we're doing His will? Numbers 9 concludes, "At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out; they kept the LORD'S charge, according to the command of the LORD through Moses" (Num 9:23). I'd think we'd want to do something similar.