The Cloudy, Fiery Pillar

Let us turn once again to God's Word in the portion of Scripture we were considering this morning in Exodus 13 and the portion from verse 17 to the end. I'll read the passage again. Exodus 13 reading verses 17 through 22. And it came to pass when Pharaoh had let the people go that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near.

For God said, lest peradventure the people repent when they see war and they return to Egypt. But God led the people about through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. The children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. Moses took the bows of Joseph with him For he had greatly, or had straightly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.

And they took their journey from Sukkoth and encamped in Etham in the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light to go by day and night. He took neither away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people.

And so we were considering this morning in particular the first two verses that we just read, verses 17 and 18. More particularly, I concentrated on those words at the beginning of verse 18, but God led the people about through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea.

What an expression is that, but God. I thank the Lord for those scriptures where we have such a statement, but God. It was the Lord God who led them, who directed their way throughout all the wilderness wanderings that would ensue. All the outworking really of his eternal purpose.

Although God is not the author of sin and we know that in a sense they were such a sinful people when they came to the borders of the promised land. They were full of unbelief, they believed. the evil report given by the ten spies they rejected the faithful words of Joshua and Caleb and God said as they had searched the land for 40 days so those unbelieving people would have to wander 40 years in the wilderness until the whole generation had gone and then it would be the children those who had come out we read part of chapter 13 earlier and there were some 600,000 men we are told 2 million or more that must have come out and many of them little children the ones who would enter into that land of promise and so we looked at those words at the beginning of verse 18 but God led the people about round and round he didn't take them the direct route There was a reason of course. There were Philistines there and they were a warlike people and God says He led them not the nearest way but as that good man Joseph Hall the Bishop of Norwich back in the 17th century God led them the safe way. how carefully doth he choose their way, says the bishop, not the nearer, but the safer. And that's God in all his dealings with us, not the way that we would choose, but the way which he in his wisdom and his goodness and his grace has appointed for us.

And so this morning we were thinking of God, but God's, the trustworthiness of God, how he's faithful to his word, He's true to himself. He's magnified that word above all his name. He's not only a God who is trustworthy, we also observe something of the tenderness of his ways. He preserves them from any possibility of temptation. Although in all the dealings with them through the wilderness he will be testing them and trying them.

And he reminds them of those things there in Deuteronomy 8. and again in the song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32 and these were some of the things that we were considering this morning and I want us now simply to look at the last two verses of the portion we read having considered the first two verses 17 and 18 turning now to the last two verses 21 and 22 where we're told how the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead in the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give the light to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people.

The cloudy fiery pillar and all that we behold in this three things and to consider. It reminds us certainly of the presence of God, that's what they have in the in the pillar, the pillar of cloud, the pillar of fire, they have God's presence. The Lord's right before them in a pillar.

And not only God's presence, they also have God's protection and they have God's guidance. And I just want us briefly to consider those three things for a little while this evening. First of all, the presence of God. Notice what we have there at the beginning of verse 21, the Lord.

This is Jehovah. It's the covenant name. It's that name that's derived from what God had said to Moses concerning himself in chapter 3. I am that I am. As I said before, if we were to literally translate what is here, it's the verb to be in the third person. We say he is.

And that's what this word means really. and He is whence before them by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light to go by day and night He is the great I am that I am He says of Himself I am and we say He is and He's the God of the covenant and He's the unchanging one, He's the faithful God The Lord himself then is the one who is going before them so much in the way.

The same one who was there in the bush back in chapter 3. Remember how Moses sees that bush and it's all aflame and yet it's not being consumed. It's a remarkable sight. and the Lord God speaks to him out of the midst of the bush and later at the end of Deuteronomy Deuteronomy 33 and verse 16 we read of the goodwill of him who dwelt in the bush the I am who is there in the bush is the Lord who is here in the fiery cloudy pillar he is the angel of the Lord the angel of God And in that portion that we read, in chapter 23, we're told something further with regards to this wine.

There, at verse 20, the Lord God says, Behold, I send an angel before thee. And then again at verse 23, in that chapter, Mine angel shall go before thee. And he's not He's not a created angel but it is in fact God himself. This is what we see in the New Testament in the language of Stephen in the 7th chapter of the Acts where we find him giving his great apology for his faith, defending himself.

And in the course of that long chapter he's recounting so much of the history of the children of Israel. And what does he say there at verse 30? When forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, that is to Moses, an angel of the Lord, an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. And when Moses saw it, he wandered at the sight, and he drew near to behold it. The voice of the Lord came unto him, saying, I am the God of thy fathers the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob then Moses trembles and does not behold and he's told to put off the shoes from his feet this is the angel of the Lord but this is an appearance of the Lord God himself it's not a created angel that is being spoken of we know that the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament is the appearance of Christ previous to his incarnation in anticipation of the fullness of the time when God would send forth his son made of a woman and made under the law. Oh it is Christ and do we not see him there in the 63rd chapter of Isaiah And it's the 9th verse where we find these words written by the Prophet, the Evangelical Prophet.

In all their affliction he was afflicted and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and in his pity he redeemed them and bared them and carried them all the days of old. Isn't this a description of the Lord Jesus? As that one who is ever the sinner's friend, in all their affliction he is afflicted. He is the angel of God's presence, he saves them. In his love and in his pity he redeems them.

This angel of the Lord then that we read of, we are clearly to identify this one with the Lord Jesus Christ himself. God's promise. and how solemn are the words that we have there in that 23rd chapter God says concerning the angel beware of him beware of him obey him look at the words we read them earlier in the 21st verse mine angel shall go before thee rather the 21st verse beware of him and obey his voice, provoke him not for he will not pardon your transgressions for my name is in him he will not pardon your transgressions he can pardon sins, he can forgive sins And remember when the Lord Jesus performs that remarkable miracle in the second chapter of Mark. These men, these four bring their paralyzed friend to where Christ is and they can't get to him because there's a great cross. There's a great press of people and they climb onto the top of the house and one of those flat roof houses so common in Palestine and they make a way whereby they're able to lower their friend to where Christ is below them.

And when the Lord sees their faith, what does he say to that young man? Son, thy sins are forgiven. And there are scribes present. Who is this man to speak of blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God only, they say. And yet we see that this angel is one who can forgive sins. there in that 21st verse in chapter 23, He can't forgive sins. All beware of him, O Bahi.

It's interesting when we read of the Red Sea and the way in which God made a way for them through the Red Sea in that 10th chapter of 1st Corinthians The Apostle Paul speaks out there, they were guilty of tempting Christ in 1 Corinthians 10 9. They tempted him, they tempted Christ. Christ was with them there in the wilderness you see. From this point onward he will be leading them, guiding them, directing them. and yet how they sinned against him and he is the one who forgives sins.

Such an interesting portion that we have in chapter 23 where we see quite clearly there are distinct persons in the Godhead. God is one. Deuteronomy 6 here, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. There is but one God and yet there are distinct persons. in the Godhead. There's God the Father, there's God the Son, there's God the Holy Ghost. And they're three distinct persons and yet they are not three Gods, they're one God. But now we see something there of the distinct persons in the portion we were reading. We read of the... well God speaks in the first person, speaks of I, But He speaks of the angel as Him. He speaks in the third person. So we have I and we have Him.

Behold I send an angel before thee to keep thee in the way and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice. Provoke Him not for He will not pardon your transgressions for My Name is in Him. I and My, Him and His. clearly here we have two very distinct persons and God says my name is in him my name is in him and we think of the gospel and the words of the Lord Jesus I am in the father and the father in me he says there in John 14 11 speaking to his disciples and then when he speaks to his father later in chapter 17 what does he say? and now oh father glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was oh this is the angel of the Lord is one with the father he is the image of the invisible God it's the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ that these people are favoured to have no man hath seen God at any time it says at any time in the Old Testament they never saw God there is only one who is the image of the invisible God no man hath seen God at any time the only begotten son which is in the bosom of the father he hath declared him he is the word of God he is the one through whom God reveals himself we have the glory of God in the very person of the Lord Jesus Christ. God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give the knowledge of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This then is the Lord himself. The Lord went before them. by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people. Oh this is God's this is God's very presence. They have the very presence of God.

Again if we turn over to chapter 33 chapter 33 and there at verse 14 he says my presence this is to Moses isn't it after the matter of the awful business of the golden calf and God would disinherit them but Moses stands in the breach he is the mediator he pleads for them and God's promise my presence shall go with them and I will give the rest And he said unto him, this is Moses, if thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight, is it not in that thou goest with us? So shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. How was God's presence with them?

God's presence was there in the cloudy, fiery pillar That was the great promise that God was with them. And that was the blessing, of course, that the priests of Aaron were to pronounce upon the people. That Aaronic blessing at the end of number 6. The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his son, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel saying unto them the Lord's bless thee and keep thee the Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace three times the Lord the Lord the Lord and they shall put my name upon the children of Israel and I will bless them In many ways it reminds us, doesn't it, of the instruction that Christ gives to his disciples there at the end of Matthew's Gospel where they are to go into all the world and to preach the Gospel to every creature and baptizing them in the name singular, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

That's the three distinct persons and we have it here. it's the Lord, the Lord, the Lord and they shall put my name upon the people or the blessed presence of God that was their great favour as he brings them out of the land of Egypt out of all the house of bondage all that they suffered over 400 years but the Lord God is with his people and he is the one who will protect them in the way does he not make a separation a distinct separation between Israel and Egypt here in chapter 14 verses 19 and 20 here are the armies of the pharaoh pursuing them now he's let them go but he is wanting now to destroy them and as he pursues them what do we read of verse 19 the angel of God which went before the camp of Israel removed and went behind him and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face and stood behind him and He came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel and He was a cloud and darkness to them but He gave light by night to these so that the one came not near the other all the night God makes a separation God makes a difference between them, doesn't He? and He protects His people and He protects them in the fiery cloudy pillar, it's the Lord Himself who is there.

Oh what a difference he makes. He made a difference of course when he visited that terrible 10th plague upon the Egyptians because the destroying angel came not near the homes of the Hebrew children. In chapter 11 and verse 7 it says against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue against man or beast that ye may know how that the Lord hath put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel the Lord put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel but not only that more than a difference Previously we read of God putting a division between these two people back in chapter 8 and verse 23 God says to Pharaoh I will put a division between my people and thy people tomorrow shall this sign be or more than a difference, a division, because what does the margin tell us? And the Hebrew is literally a redemption. I will put a redemption between my people and thy people.

It teaches us that great cardinal doctrine doesn't need a particular redemption, we're particular about this. We believe in an atonement that is limited to the election of grace. We believe in an atonement that actually accomplished redemption, the Lord has redeemed his people.

The ransom that the Holy Lord of God demanded has been paid for his people. And to ever imagine that that is a general redemption is in many ways a denial of God himself. If God is is a true God and a trustworthy God. How could He demand another payment if Christ has paid the redemption price for all? As Toplady says, payment, God cannot twice demand it, my bleeding sure it is side and mine.

It's a particular redemption and the Lord makes that difference. between peoples. He made a difference between the Egyptians and the Hebrews. And here is the way in which the Lord protects his people. Oh, they are safe. They are not only saved, they are safe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And how the protection addresses all the circumstances of life, in a sense. At midday, there's a cloud to direct them in the way. A cloudy pillar, it says. And they would be able to rest in the shade of that cloud in the desert land. But then, at midnight, there's a fire Oh this is the Lord's.

He ministers to His people in such a way that whatever their circumstances are He'll meet them in their point of need. He never fails them. The sun shall not smite thee by day nor the moon by night. He says to His people in the Psalm, Psalm 121. And I like those words that we find later in Zechariah 14, 7. It shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord. It shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day nor night, but it shall come to pass that at evening time it shall be light. Read Psalm 139, you'll see there's no escaping from the presence of God and as the Lord is omnipresent, He's where His people are.

Whatever their situation, whatever their circumstances. It is but one day to the Lord. but sometimes there seems to be darkness but we have that precious promise here in Zechariah 14 at evening time it shall be light how the Lord ministers to his people how the Lord protects his people and then thirdly here is the God who also guides and directs his people what is the purpose of the cloudy fiery pillar?

Well, we read it here in verse 21, to lead them the way. To lead them the way. He says in the 132nd Psalm, I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go. I shall guide thee by mine eye. Oh the Lord, He makes the way plain to His children. And how does he do it? Well, two things we should really take account of. There's God's ways. His Providence, he's written. He's the God of Providence. And Psalm 107 is a great celebration of God's providential dealings with his people. Wonderful Psalm.

And we read there, don't we, in the 7th verse, he led them forth by the right way that they might go to a city of habitation. He led them forth by the right way. And here he is leading them forth in that safe way so that they are preserved from any assault from the Philistines.

How we should observe these ways of the Lord try to discern something of his providences in our lives again in that 107th Psalm it closes with that lovely verse do so his wives and we'll observe these things even they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord all God's loving kindness that we observe his his providential dealings in all the details of our lives Do we desire to commit our way to Him?

There's much comfort in divine providence because of course that providence is rooted in the very sovereignty of God.

We think of those lines in the hymn that we often sing, He end up for me in the womb, He shall guide me to the tomb, all my time shall ever be ordered by His wise decree. Every detail of our lives ordered by God himself through the Lord Jesus Christ who is the mediator between God and man and the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light to go by day and night. He guides his people then in his good providence we think of Abram sending his servant to find a bride for Isaac remember we have it there in Genesis 24 and of course he finds Rebekah and we have that verse, verse 27 I being in the way the Lord led me I being in the way, in the way of obedience this is why we should heed his precepts and seek to live by those holy commandments of the Lord God the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ which were in that way the way of obedience we can rest assured the Lord is leading us Abraham's servant I being in the way the Lord's led man but there's not only God's providence does he not also give us his word always favoured us with the scriptures of truth the word of God thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path says the Psalmist his blessed book and now we find King Solomon the wisest of all men giving his instructions to his son there in the book of Proverbs that remarkable part of Holy Scripture and look at the language that we have there in chapter 6 Proverbs 6 verse 20 following My son keep thy father's commandments and forsake not the law of thy mother bind them continually upon thine heart and tie them about thy neck when thou goest it shall lead thee When thou sleepest, it shall keep them, and when thou awakest, it shall talk with them. For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life."

The reproofs of instruction, God's reproofs. You see, God is so good to us. He's not only given us promises, He's given us precepts. The times we find God having to rebuke, reprove his people, it's all instruction for us. We have it in his words.

Thine ears shall hear a word saying, this is the way. This is the way, walk ye in it. And who is that one who is the way? Why? It's our Lord Jesus Christ. I am the way, the truth, and the life. no man cometh unto the father but by me those words are so exclusive there's no other way to know God there are many false ways a multitude of false religions when God made man he made him in his image he created his body of the dust of the earth he breathed the breath of life into him and he has a soul. He's a religious being, this man. It's not surprising that men will have some sort of a God and there's many false gods. And when a man stops believing in God, he doesn't believe in nothing. As one said, he believes in anything. The false gods.

But one way of life, the Lord Jesus Christ, And we have Him here leading the children of Israel in all their wilderness wandering. So the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of the cloud to lead them the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people.

How faithful He is to Himself, to His Word And so, we read those words there in 33 and verse 20, Behold I send an angel before them. Again there in 23, 27, I will send my fear before thee. The very chapter you see which speaks to us in some detail of the angel of the Lord is also referred to in verse 27 as the fear of the Lord. I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. Oh, this is the God that we have to look to, and oh, that we might know that fear of the Lord, and that we might reverence that name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we consider all that He is, in his blessed person and all that great work that he has accomplished for us sinners that we are ought we not to fear his name ought to know that fear you'll feel and to reverence him to bow before him he came to his own they received him not they accused him of blasphemies but this God or this God is our God and this is our God forever and ever well the Lord bless His Word to us. Amen.

The Cloudy, Fiery Pillar

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