17Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. - P36
18At the Lord’s command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. - P36
19When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord’s order and did not set out.
20Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the Lord’s command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out.
- P36
21Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out.
22Whether 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.
- P37
23At 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. - P37
The cloud covers the tabernacle from the day it is set up. When the cloud lifts,
the Israelites set out on their journey; when it settles, they camp. Their travelsare guided by the cloud, whether they camp for a day or longer. They encampand set out at the Lord‘s command. - P37
God provides the Israelites with a simple yet powerful sign. Not only do the cloud and the fire guide Israel to its next destination, but they visibly represent God’s presence with His people. - P38
Though the Israelites may not know exactly where they are at any given moment, they know they are exactly where their Lord wants them to be. - P38
The saints today have something better than cloud and fire; we have God’s very presence dwelling inside us. And though we do not see Him physically, He speaks to us through His Word and guides us through His Spirit. And when we err, He promises to discipline those He loves and bring us back on track. - P38
Whether they had to stop for a day or for a month, they learned to be wholly dependent on the Lord for every step. They were a nation recently freed from the oppression of Egypt, but what God teaches them is not how to be autonomous. Instead, He teaches them to depend on Him. - P38
Modern culture idolizes the notion of freedom. Freedom is painted as the means to do anything an individual pleases whenever the desire arises. In contrast, biblical freedom—true freedom—is always defined as the means to obey God and depend on Him in whatever He calls us to do. - P38
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