Pillars of Cloud and Fire

 Exodus 13:17:22

 

September 1, 2024

 

Pillars of Cloud and Fire

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.”  But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.  Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.”  And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.  And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.  The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

We human Critters are often discouraged by challenges. In my career, one of my tasks in my job was to be a resource to DuPont in the Electric Markets Division.  They wanted the plant they had in East Germany to change to 3 M terminations and asked me to contact the head engineer.  She happens to be a woman, and she let me know that it was not fun making those kinds of decisions.  She said, Under communism, we had a committee that did all of that. I do not like all this freedom.  The 40-plus years under communism had, I’m sure, not been that great, but having to be responsible was not to her liking.

 

Now it has only been a few days since slavery, God, who is all-knowing, knew they would not fight for freedom and the promised land; they would choose captivity over freedom.  Neither you nor I can imagine 430 years under Egypt's rule and its little gods.  They needed the wilderness to allow them to know who they were following, and it was God, not Moses. 

 

But God began to show them He would lead, by using a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  After reading the Scripture and looking for an application, this thought came into my small thinker: has God had to take us through the wilderness so that we could learn that He is God and not us?  If I began to share the many lessons I have experienced, some very painful and costly, to become the person I am today. Now I’m still a mess, I have not arrived, nor has anyone, so worship God, and you be on the right path.

 

Today’s sermon was titled “Make Room for Jesus.”  Jesus will not stay in a closet; He wants access to all of your life.  My Pastor quotes Blaise Pascal on how to begin hearing from and seeking God.  “All men's miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.”  I’ve found that when you do so seeking Truth, you will leave the room with a fresh understanding of how to go about the day.

 

Paster Ray shares about his basketball Coach, his senior years, in a very important end-of-the-year game. The coach called the three seniors back after giving instructions to the team, and asked, Do you want to win, It was a very close game with little time left to play.  They answered yes, coach, and his reply was Go do it.  His point was Do you want a closer walk with Jesus? Then go do it.

 

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice