The Cloud in Exodus

And I have been thinking about the cloud in the book of Exodus, and I asked an older brother, Irish man at that, what does, really what teaching should we gather from the cloud? He said, I think it's the guidance of the Spirit of God, and I'm not going to find any fault with that. Certainly there is tremendous accuracy, but when I come to 1 Corinthians, and I read about him, it says, moreover, brethren, I would not that ye would be ignorant, all that our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud, and in the sea, and so on. He comes down to verse 4, and did all drink of the same spiritual drink, for they drank of the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.

And I want to say, brethren, when I think of the cloud, I am not going to take a very narrow approach to it, but what I want to do is look at the guidance of divine persons, if that will be all right with you this morning. Now, I'm not an orator, and you know that. What I'm going to do, as I look into the book of Exodus, there is at least nine statements as to the cloud.

Maybe there's more, maybe I've missed one or two, but I'm going to look at nine of them. And as our brother was at the tabernacle, and in that really ornate, wonderful structure that was out inside that courtyard that was 75 feet wide and 150 feet long, and likely the tabernacle sat back in that courtyard. And you come into that tabernacle, and it was 15 feet high and 15 feet wide and 45 feet deep.

But you come two-thirds way back and toward the back and to the veil, you come to the holiest of all. He has been speaking about the sanctuary. You come to the holiest of all.

And therein was the ark, and upon it the mercy seat. He's already given you the dimensions of the ark. It's interesting, when it comes to the mercy seat, it was two and a half cubits.

By a cubit and a half, the bottom of the mercy seat all made out of beaten gold, and there it sat within the crown that was upon the ark. And we do not have the dimensions of those cherubim that faced each other, but we have been reminded already this morning that the Lord said that He would dwell between the cherubim. And what our brother has said about our prayer and coming in right into the presence of God is a wonderful thought, and it's to be cherished and enjoyed.

And when we pray sometimes, you know, we think maybe it's a burden. Prayer sometimes can be a real work. And when we work and we labor in prayer, we don't want to forget the dignity of what is actually transpiring in our communication with our God.

So the promise was the presence of God there at the mercy seat. But before that mercy seat was placed and the completeness of the tabernacle, I think we see the presence of God among His people, starting way out, way back, even when they were still down in Egypt. Before they were liberated, there was a cloud.

And that's where I want to start. So I'm going to just read these one by one and make my little comments on it. And we look to the Lord for help.

Exodus chapter 13. You know, divine presence and enjoying the presence of God is a wonderful, if I could say, commodity. It is such a wonderful blessing to be in the enjoyment of.

Now, whether I will do this or not, I also notice in the nine readings I'm going to take, I could link them with truth that is found in John chapter 17 in the prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ. All right. Chapter 13, verse 20.

And they took their journey from Succoth and encamped in Etham in the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in the pillar of a cloud and led them the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light to go by day and night. And he took not away the pillar of the cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.

I see here the provision of this cloud, this very provision in which there was going to be obvious evidence that God was going to guide them and direct them along. You know, when I think about it, when I come to John chapter 17 in verse three, and this is life eternal, that they might know thee the one and only true God in Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. And you're saying of God, we need to be cognizant of this fact.

We are linked with divine persons. We have come into the privilege of enjoying the presence of God. The Lord Jesus Christ speaks about that high and lofty position that we have been brought into upon conversions day.

And here we are. We are linked with God. We are linked with his son.

We are linked to divine purposes. And it is so wonderful and it is so blessed. These people here come into the good of the provision of the cloud.

We have come into the good and the blessing of something that is far greater than even what these people enjoyed as far as the cloud here in chapter 13. I trust we enjoy that. I trust that we appreciate what we have in the Lord Jesus and all that has been provided for us in and through him.

And knowing him as Lord and Savior available to us is a great provision of divine guidance. That very provision. All right, I'm going to come now to chapter 14 and verse 19.

And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them on the pillar of the cloud. See, everywhere we read the mention of this cloud, there is there seems to be at least one supreme or leading thought that is there, I believe, as we try to apply it to ourselves in picture of blessing that we can have. And we have available to us the pillar of the cloud went from before their face and stood behind them and came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel.

And it was a cloud and a darkness to them, that is to the Egyptians, but it gave light by night to these, that is Israelites, so that the one came not near the other all the night. I think of the divine provision here, I think of the cloud. It brought to them protection.

I want you to understand today that there is at work in our lives, in the very presence of God, a divine protection for us day by day. Isn't that wonderful? You know, sometimes we think we get kind of independent, we think that maybe we can do a lot of things and really we're not too concerned about the repercussions. Listen, you and I are preserved day and night from a multiplicity of things because of divine presence with us.

We sometimes don't understand what we are spared and what we are kept from. But here's divine presence and divine protection. You think of the attacks of Satan, divine protection.

We think of sometimes even our own thinking and our own waywardness, divine protection. These people, the children of Israel, were preserved and they were kept on that night and at that time. Here's the cloud in its position over them, divine presence for them and it kept the onslaught of Pharaoh and all his hosts.

He only had 600 chariots plus good men on board like raging lions trying to pounce upon and recover these people and drag them back down into Egypt. I think there was even more than that. There was even additional chariots and yet we see to that night, the light, the fire by night, all in association with the cloud and that cloud and protection in the daytime to shelter them from the intense heat and so on.

The fullness of this provision and here it is this night season and they're going to go out across the Red Sea. It would seem to be an impossibility as far as these people were dreading that but Moses encourages them. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord and that divine protection was there in that cloud and Egypt's power could not touch them and as a matter of fact in the morning when they're singing their song of deliverance strewn upon the seashore is all the remnants of a company that would have liked to taken them back down into Egypt.

You get the point? You see this divine protection that is ours today? I think of the Lord Jesus. He could say, while I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Goes on to say in verse 15 of John 17, I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world but thou shouldest keep them from evil.

Get the point? Divine protection. The very presence of God with us. It has procured for us and it provides for us divine protection.

May we be preserved from being indifferent. May we be preserved from being moving in a state of self-sufficiency and self-confidence and egoism. We need to turn away from that.

We need to be resting upon our blessed God and his divine protection. You know sometimes even coming to a place of repentance and to realize that I am found within myself is total helplessness but I need that divine protection day after day after day after day after day. That's what these people understood from the from that cloud.

It provided for them divine protection. All right coming over now to chapter 16. You're very familiar with these things I'm sure.

However verse 10 and it came to pass chapter 16 verse 10 and it came to pass as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel that they looked toward the wilderness and behold the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. Here's our cloud again and the glory of God associated with it and the Lord spake unto Moses saying I have heard of the murmurings of the children of Israel speaking to them saying at even ye shall eat flesh and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God. And it came to pass that when at even the quails came up and down to verse 14 and when the dew that lay was gone up behold upon the face of the wilderness or lay a small round thing as small as a whore frost on the ground.

And now we get directions here as to the gathering of it and when they could gather it and when they could not gather it and the provision of God made for them on the Sabbath day so that they would not go out and gather it. They were forbidden to do so but there was a fulfillment and the totality of them having their needs met. 724.

So that was wonderful wasn't it? Are we living in the good today of divine supply to us? You see we're not just moving around as orphans in this world. That thought is long removed when we read from the upper room ministry of the Lord Jesus and how he is going to send the Holy Spirit and so on. But we think of the fullness of supply spiritual and divine supply to his people today.

These people there was a cloud and there's coming of the quail and there's a coming of the manna and everything that they would need and there would be water to drink everything they needed supplied in the wilderness scene. Did they always appreciate it? Not really. Go over to the book of numbers and you know what they're doing they're trying to take that manna and they're trying to bake it and they're trying to do a lot of things with it.

And when they went to participate in eating it, it tasted like oil to them. You know dear saint of God we are supplied with everything we need. Divine supply.

Are we in the enjoyment of it? Are we drawing upon the power and the resource that is available to us? We have been supplied with the holy scriptures the full canon of scripture. So we ought to know, shouldn't we? We have been indwelled by the Holy Spirit of God. We have access into the holiest of all.

Be it for worship and gratitude expressed or prayers we have been hearing. And sometimes it don't seem to be a very favored thing anymore but you know we have actually been supplied in this with fellow believers to enjoy fellowship and sometimes that isn't too much appreciated on occasions. Did I say shame on us if that's the way we feel about it? All we have been supplied with as God's people.

Listen to what the Lord Jesus said. John 17 verse 8. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me. Verse 14.

I have given them thy word. Are we in the enjoyment of divine truth today? Are we in the enjoyment of the holy scriptures today? Or are the scriptures sometimes set aside and not even read daily in our lives? Or when we have time and opportunity or make time, are we devoting time to the word of God? Are we just shuffling along waiting for the glad landing on the eternal shore of glory? You see these things are supplied for us. This divine supply.

These people had a supply that came from God. As we read about the cloud here, they had a supply given to them and so have we. And how do we recognize it? And how fond are we of it? And how much are we growing as a result of it? And how much are we devoting and dedicating to the lovely person of the Lord Jesus because of what we have been supplied with? It's something to check our hearts with and our souls.

And I'm not speaking down at you today. I'm telling you I speak to my own soul. Sometimes we move around as if we're we're paupers.

We move around as if we're in some kind of a strange poverty. And everything we need has been supplied. We're thankful for that.

Help us to recognize it and live in the good and the blessing of it. Over to chapter 19 and verse 4. I'm going to take time to read some of these verses here. He says, ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians and how I bear you on eagles wings and brought you unto myself.

How therefore if you will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me. A peculiar treasure unto me above all people for all the earth is mine and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Verse 8. And all the people answered together and said all that the Lord has spoken we will do.

Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord and the Lord said unto Moses lo I come unto thee in a thick cloud that the people may hear when I speak with thee and believe thee forever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord and the Lord said unto Moses go into the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow let them wash your clothes and be ready against the third day for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai. And then there's some prohibitions that are given there as to the nearness they can be to the mount both man and beast.

Verse 14. Moses went down from the mount unto the people and sanctified the people and they washed their clothes and he said unto the people be ready against the third day. Verse 16.

And it came to pass on the third day in the morning there were thunders or voices and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount and the voice the trumpet exceeding loud so that all the people that were in the camp trembled. You see what was going to happen in the next chapter and it's just in close proximity there was going to be from Mount Sinai the giving of the law. But really God was interested in his people his earthly people and all that he had done for them that they would be a sanctified people.

You read that in verse 10 you read that in verse 14. And the day was going to come it was right near at hand when God was going to presence himself in the mount and he was going to give the ten commandments. Out of that would issue the laws of Moses at least 613 things that would be ritual that would be things that were pertained to domestic things that would pertain to sacrificial things ceremonial things on and on dietary things all the law of Moses as it was going to be given.

And you can read about it through the books of Moses no doubt. But you see in association with the cloud here was the desire of God wanting sanctification or the setting apart of his people. And of all things he was going to give them the law to help procure that or maybe I should even say that in a stronger way.

You know brethren today I'm glad that we're not under the law. I'm thankful that the Lord Jesus Christ he magnified the law but for those who believe he is the end of the law. We have been brought into something far greater than law and legalism and all that do this do that and do the other thing.

We have divine commands in our New Testament and it is the teaching of the Lord Jesus and the extension of his teaching that is found in the apostles doctrine there it is for us. And it is to have a sanctifying or a setting apart effect on our lives. The law was going to sanctify these people under that dispensation.

The law was given by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ and am I glad of that. And it's a blessed thing to be living in this dispensation. Sometimes we can get down in the mouth and discouraged maybe about a lot of things but listen we're headed toward our eternal home and we are linked with divine persons.

We have our Bible to read and we are expected as you read throughout the scriptures in the New Testament the great necessity that we should have a personal exercise about being sanctified or set apart. Listen to the words of the Lord Jesus from John chapter 17. Seems to be that it appears here twice in verses 17 and verse 19.

Sanctify them through thy truth thy word is truth. You want to talk about sanctification today? You want to talk about being set apart and set apart for the glory of God? It's the word of God that has the power to do it and it will set us apart for the glory of God if we adhere to it and move with an exercise as to sanctification. Now I know that there is positional sanctification but I am I am hedging around here on this thing of practical sanctification.

We have a responsibility when it comes to being set apart and we are going to see the very parameters of it when we look at the word of God and what it has to say to us. It's not good for me to read the scriptures and see what is being taught and say it's good for him and it's good for her. You know what I need to do? I need to read it and look within my own soul and say this is for me.

And when it comes to this great truth of practical sanctification or being set apart and practicing it. Let's go over to chapter 24. Chapter 24 right down toward the end of the chapter.

Verse 15. And Moses went up into the mount and the cloud, here's your cloud again, covered the mount and the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai. And the cloud covered it six days.

And the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. On the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud and got him up into the mount.

And Moses was in the mount 40 days and 40 nights. I see here the cloud in association with instruction. Because when you come to chapters 25, 26, and 27, what do you have as we've been reminded this morning? We have instruction as to 98 verses as to the instruction in relationship to the tabernacle.

And also you would understand that from chapter 30 is instruction as to the labor and as to the altar of incense we have heard spoken to us already about. Instruction. Divine presence to give us instruction.

Sometimes we move in life and we just don't seem maybe to know what to do in certain circumstances. And you look at the very content and context of things and you wonder really what am I to know and to understand here? I want to tell you today the divine presence gives instruction in all its fullness and the totality of its spiritual value. I trust these things are a comfort to you today and I hope they're an encouragement to you today.

Here is the instruction that is given in relationship to the tabernacle. Do we go to the holy scriptures and find instruction for our daily living? Or do we approach it this way, this is how I'm comfortable, this is how I want to do it, this is how I think it. I've always done it and as if the word of God has no authority or priority to change something in my life.

By the word of God is here for our instruction. Divine presence is here for our instruction. You remember the Lord Jesus said in John 17 and again I've already read it but it's very applicable on this on this fifth point that I brought up when in looking at this cloud.

I have given them my word. It seems to me brothers and sisters that we need to devote more time to the reading of the scripture and a contemplation what it is saying and having our minds open to hear what the Lord might say to us and what divine guidance might bring to us for the presence of God can be very real to do that. All right let's move over now to chapter 33 and verse 7. And Moses took the tabernacle and pitched it without the camp far off from the camp and called it the tabernacle of congregation.

I'm not going to take time to read a lot here. Verse 8 and it came to pass when Moses went out into the tabernacle that all the people rose up and stood everyone at his tent door and looked after Moses. They looked unto Moses what was happening until he was gone into the tabernacle.

And it came to pass as Moses entered into the tabernacle the cloud the cloudy pillar descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle. It's interesting that when you come down to verse 11 Joshua the son of nun a young man departed not out of the tabernacle. Come down to notice maybe I'm going to miss some of these things here but in verse 13 show me thy way that I may know thee and that that I might know thee and I may find grace in thy sight and consider that this nation is my people.

And he said my presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest. And then you come down finally to verse 16 for within shall it be known for wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight. Is it not in that thou gavest with us so shall we be separated I and thy people from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

What do we have here? Well if you're wondering about this tabernacle of congregation it wasn't the tabernacle that you read instructions about in chapters 25, 26 and 27 or the constructing of it in chapters 36, 37 and 38. It was a little tent outside the camp and it was going to be those that would go there and they would be separated there. It really is teaching separation from as you look at the whole of this a separation of the children of Israel from all that is maybe around them and maybe it was going to be separation from some of those even in the camp that you know not everybody in the camp was genuine and there were many of them that were strewn along the wilderness be that as it may be but what I want to draw out of this is separation and God wants to separate his people.

A lot of things we need to be separated from I'm not going to enumerate it and I'm not going to have you in late for lunch either but when I think about it it says in John chapter 17 and verse 16 they are not of the world even as I am not of the world and so there's the truth of separation taught in this little chapter here of 33 of Exodus and I'm going to drop that subject and move on to another come over to the next chapter and chapter 34 verse 5 and the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord and the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed the Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands and forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. I see here the revelation of divine character to these people not that they wouldn't have already known it but that what a what a wonderful reminder they were given and you know when it comes down to it the Lord Jesus said in verse 26 of John 17 I have declared unto them thy name and will declare it that the love wherein thou has loved me may be in them and I in them and we think of divine association here and we think of we who are redeemed though we will never be deified we are in association with divine persons and do we not enjoy truth relative to the character of our blessed God. See he's talking about the love here in John chapter 17 but everything that is said here we certainly if we're really enjoying the Lord and we're enjoying divine persons do we not enjoy the great fact of his mercy and grace and long-suffering and abundance and goodness and truth and if we are linked with divine persons should we not be seeking to emulate and to live that out in our lives as being linked with God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Coming down another thought into chapter 40 now I'm about done the tabernacle is completed all right this thing that was going to be pitched and moved maybe like 44 times I'm not sure the number but I know it's quite a number of times that it would be erected and taken down we'll get to that at the end of the chapter but in verse 34 then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle and Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation because the cloud abode thereon and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. What do we have here it's all finished it's all done everything in relationship to the priest has transpired as you as you read in the chapter before there's a divine confirmation what was it by the coming of the cloud and the cloud came and it settled right down upon it and no one would have had any question this is all of God this is all that is to the pleasure of God God confirmed that this tabernacle was all of himself and all of his purposes and now it was ready to function as God intended and he would take his place in his presence between the cherubim of the mercy seat you think that was a comfort to the people of God it should be and you know it's nice to get to the word of God and have confirmation Christians that doubt and question God and God's things are in a very precarious state notice what the Lord Jesus said in John 17 verse 10 all mine are thine and thine are mine and I am glorified in them verse 22 and the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one you know if we've come to this little conference in our and we're kind of dragging our chin on the ground and we're we're in some kind of spiritual doldrums you know we need we need to understand whose we are and who we serve and who we're linked with and the richness of divine provision that's for us and to realize that God is for us and not against us and what a place we have been elevated to through his divine grace and his great salvation elevated right into the fullness of a relationship with God waiting in anticipation for the glorious moment when he will take us to be with himself finally the last three verses of this chapter and when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys and if the cloud were not taken up they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up for the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day and fire was upon it by night and the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys it's interesting when you come over to numbers i think it's chapter 9 like verses 15 to 22 and you get right down to verse 22 you know what you're going to find out this very subject is taken up there about the tabernacle and the movements of the tabernacle because after all when you start right out in the book of exodus and you come right over to numbers chapter 11 it's just about a year in length of time all this is put into that so when you read most of exodus and leviticus and numbers right up to chapter 10 or 11 in there you know what it's about it's all within about 12 months very short time and you come to verse 22 and this is what it says if the cloud is there for a day or if it's there for months or if it's there for a year or years as long as that cloud is in place it was always over the tabernacle and as it was placed there by divine guidance the very presence of God seen and sometimes there were a few days in a place or maybe it was a year or more whatever it might have been it didn't move until the cloud moved our movement sometimes we would have to wonder are they always according to divine arrangement and for his pleasure that needs to be an exercise of every believer before God in his holy presence and so from time to time this moved until they were taken into the land of promise by the guidance of the cloud let me ask you what you think of this verse from john chapter 17 verse 24 father i will that they also who now has given me that's you dear saint of God if you're saved on your way to heaven that they also who now has given me be with me where i am you see the trials and the burdens and maybe sometimes the heaviness of the experience is not going to go on forever one day we're going to be taken right into his presence eternally he's moving things along in our lives and in our assemblies and as the case may be but one day the last movement of the tabernacle as you might say will take place and we're going to move right into heaven and we're going to be with Christ and we're going to be like Christ and we have that promise by the Lord Jesus in various places but here father i will that they also whom thou has given me be with me where i am got a great future don't we a wonderful future may God preserve us may God help us may we know something day by day i speak firstly to myself more about divine guidance and the pilgrim journey