On the day the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant law, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till 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. Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped....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. At the LORD’s command they encamped, and at the LORD’s command they set out. They obeyed the LORD’s order, in accordance with his command through Moses. (9:22-23)I'm trying to imagine what this would look like and it's hard. I'm picturing 1,500,000 people or so in the Sinai wilderness doing this. Setting up camp and packing up would be a massive project. The Tabernacle itself would have been quite a job.
But more than that, I'm wondering how that felt to have God present in that way. To have that visible presence leading you. Was there security in that? Or was it a little scary? We pray for and try to discern God's leading today but I wonder, if we really had His leading in an obvious way, would we find security in that or would it be too scary for us?
Then again, maybe it is obvious. Maybe we only pretend that it's hard to see because it does scare us. Hm.
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