Just as God led the children of Israel from Egypt into the Promised Land by a pillar of cloud and fire, so too Jesus Christ leads us to heaven by His Word and Spirit!
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Christ – The Pillar of Cloud and Fire
Exodus 13:21-22
Jesus told His disciples that the entire Old Testament was about Him. Well, we have already seen Christ as our Redeemer, the great I Am, and the Passover Lamb. This morning I want to show you Christ as the pillar of cloud and fire.
Exodus 13:21-22 says, “The Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.”
The Lord is leading His people out of Egypt into the promised land. The children of Israel have no roads to follow, and no guide to lead them. They are leaving Egypt, but they do not know where to go. But God graciously came to them and provided a guide. The guide would be a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. Now, there were not too pillars, one of a cloud by day, and another by a fire by night. No, there was one pillar. That pillar appeared as a cloud during the day, and it appeared as a fire by night.
Now, who or what exactly was this pillar, that appeared as a cloud and a fire? Well, look at Exodus 14:19, “The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.” This pillar of cloud and fire is identified here as “the angel of the Lord.” Well, who is that? Sometimes an “angel of the Lord” refers to one of God’s many holy angels, ministering spirits, that He sends to do His will on the earth. However, in this place there can be no doubt that this “angel of the Lord” is none other than a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. If you have any doubt about that, just look back to Exodus 3:2-6. In verse 2, the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush that burned but was not consumed. When Moses turned aside to look at this strange sight, God called to Moses from the midst of the bush. In verse 6 this “angel of the Lord” says, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” This angel of the Lord is God. He is the One who calls Himself, “I Am Who I Am.” And, remember that in John 8:58, Jesus says, “before Abraham was born, I Am.” So, in this pillar of cloud and fire, we are seeing Jesus Christ before He became man.
Now, there is much for us to learn here about our Savior, as we examine the pillar. I want to show you 7 truths about this pillar of fire and cloud that will throw light on the glory of Christ.
1. The Pillar Was A Manifestation of God’s Presence
Throughout the book of Exodus, the Lord’s presence is signified by a cloud and fire. The Lord appeared to Moses in a bush that was on fire. In Exodus 16:10 it says, “It came about as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.” When Moses ascended Mt. Sinai, to receive the law, the Lord descended upon it in fire (Ex. 19:18). In 2 Chron. 7:1, when the temple had been completed, God sent fire down from heaven to consume the sacrifice. The fire and the cloud are constant manifestations of the presence of God. The glory of God appeared to the sons of Israel in the cloud.
My friends, Jesus was the real, literal, physical manifestation of the presence of God. Jesus was “God with us.” Jesus was and is God incarnate. The eternal Son of God made flesh. When Jesus is among us, God is among us. “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” Jesus is the glory of God made manifest. If you want to see the glory of God in all its fullness, just look at Jesus!
2. The Pillar Was Not Given Until the Hebrews Were Delivered From Egypt
First there was the slaying of the Passover Lamb, and then the giving of the pillar of cloud. First there must be the death of God’s Son, followed by His resurrection and ascension, and then the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The Spirit of Christ could not come to guide the Church to heaven, until Jesus had first atoned for sin. Acts 2:33 says, “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.” This is also true in our own experience. First, we trust in Christ’s atoning work on the cross to wash us from our sins, and then we experience the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ to lead and guide us. Paul writes in Ephesians 1:13, “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.”
My friends, you could not receive the Spirit until you trusted Christ. The Spirit of Christ did convict you of sin before you were saved, but He could not move in as your Resident Guide and Teacher until you had been cleansed of sin.
3. The Pillar Was A Gift of God
The pillar of cloud and fire was God’s gracious gift to the children of Israel. There is not a single word about them asking God to give them this precious gift. The pillar was God’s unsought gift, purely from His gracious hand.
My friends, Jesus Christ is God’s gracious gift to mankind. There is not a word in Scripture about men pleading with God to send them a Savior from their sin. All the initiative is on God’s part. The apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” Likewise, the Spirit of Christ, is also God’s gift to us. Jesus said in John 14:16, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.” When Peter was preaching in Acts 2:38 he said, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
4. The Pillar Led The Way Through The Wilderness
The primary purpose of the pillar of cloud and fire was to lead the way for the children of Israel through the wilderness to the promised land. In Numbers 9:15-23, this is made very clear. There we read that whenever the cloud rested on the camp of Israel, the Israelites would stay put. But whenever the cloud lifted, the Israelites would break camp, whether it was in the day or the night. Sometimes the cloud would rest on Israel for many days, or a month, or a year, and in those times they would just camp and stay put. But the cloud could set out at any time.
Also, notice that the pillar became a fire at night, so that it would illumine their paths and enable the children of Israel to march at night. Without this pillar, they would just be stumbling around in the dark and getting lost.
Now, there are several things we should learn from this.
First, if you are a Christian, you don’t get to choose your own path. If you do, you can be sure that God will chastise you. If you are a Christian, Jesus Christ is the Lord and Master of your life. He gets to choose what path you will take. You may not want to have to experience suffering, or illness, or financial lack, or difficult relationships. You may even pray that the Lord will not make you experience those things. But, it may be that that is the way the Lord is going to lead you to your eternal inheritance in glory. There are tragic experiences Debbie and I and Judy have had to face with the death of loved ones, that we would rather not have had to go through. However, God is sovereign over the direction of our lives. In His wisdom, He saw fit to take us that way. Now, we can either get mad at God, or we can bow before Him and kiss the hand of His providence. You tell me, which one is more fitting for a child of God?
In 1758, the great theologian, Jonathan Edwards lay dying because of a smallpox innoculation which had gone bad. His last words were written to his daughter, Lucy. “Dear Lucy, it seems to me to be the will of God that I must shortly leave you; therefore give my kindest love to my dear wife, and tell her, that the uncommon union, which has so long subsisted between us, has been of such a nature as I trust is spiritual and therefore will continue forever: and I hope she will be supported under so great a trial, and submit cheerfully to the will of God. And as to my children, you are now to be left fatherless, which I hope will be an inducement to you all to seek a Father who will never fail you.”
He was only 54 years old! His death must have been a very heavy blow to his dear wife, Sarah. But Sarah wrote a letter to her daughter, “My very dear child, What shall I say! A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. O that we may kiss the rod, and lay our hands upon our mouths! The Lord has done it. He has made me adore his goodness, that we had [your father] so long. But my God lives; and he has my heart. O what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left us! We are all given to God; and there I am, and love to be. Your affectionate mother, Sarah.”
Sarah Edwards was a godly woman who knew that the Lord led and guided her life. The Lord led her into some very painful suffering, but because she knew the Lord was her pillar of cloud, she could kiss the rod and lay her hands upon her mouth. How about you? When the Lord leads you through pain and suffering, do you gripe and complain? Do you get mad at God, and turn your back on Him? Oh, I hope not! May God help us to learn to resign ourselves to His divine will and adore Him even when we are hurting.
The second thing I want you to see is that the Lord Jesus Himself will guide you in all your ways to heaven. He is the Light that shines on your path. Just as the pillar went before them, leading them on their journey, so the Lord Jesus does the same. He said in John 10:4, “When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.” The shepherd does not drive the sheep from behind, but walks ahead of them and the sheep follow. That’s exactly what the children of Israel were doing as they followed the cloud. The prophet Isaiah wrote in Is. 9:2, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light, those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.” Jesus told His disciples, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John wrote in John 1:4-5, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” My friends, if you are a Christian, Jesus Christ is your resident guide. He is your indwelling guide to heaven. Paul speaks of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” In 2 Cor. 13:5 Paul wrote, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you – unless indeed you fail the test?” So, how is Christ in us? He is in us, because His Spirit is in us. Paul said, “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” Folks, we are pilgrims, traveling through a strange land on our way to eternal glory. Just like the Israelites, God has given us the Spirit of Christ to lead us there. He will take us in ways that we would never have chosen. But, aren’t you glad God hasn’t left you in the dark and told you to somehow find your way in this dark world and make it to heaven on your own?! I sure am!
5. The Pillar Provided Protection to the Israelites
Notice Psalm 105:39, “He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to illumine by night.” The pillar of cloud was for a covering. You can imagine traveling through the wilderness in the hot, arid wilderness of the Middle East, with babies and little children. How miserable it would be to travel in the scorching sun. But the Lord graciously provided a covering to protect His people from the scorching heat of the sun. Wherever the children of Israel were, there was a cloud to cover and protect them during the day.
And, that’s not the only way God protected them through the pillar. Notice Exodus 14:19-20, “The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.”
When the Egyptians pursued Israel, the cloud moved around and got in between them, and brought an eerie darkness over them. That’s why the Egyptians didn’t come near the Israelites all night. God was standing between them forbidding them to get too close. The Egyptians were going to have to go through God if they were to get to the Israelites! My friends, you and I have many enemies in this Christian life. We have the enemies of our sins, our temptations, our persecutors, death, Satan, and hell. But as we face all of those enemies, we can know that they have to go through Jesus to get to us. And the Lord will not allow any of them to touch us unless it is part of His sovereign plan.
“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1Cor.10:13). The Lord will protect us from those temptations that are beyond what we are able.
The Lord protects us from Satan’s assaults. When Satan wanted to destroy Job, God let him attack him, but only to a point. Satan is God’s devil, and He has him on a leash. When Satan desired to sift Peter like wheat, the Lord prayed that he would be restored and then strengthen his brothers. You can be sure that when Satan attacks you, he has to go through Jesus to get to you. He never somehow blindsides the Lord and gets to you, without the Lord knowing about it.
Paul said in 1 Cor. 15:26, “the last enemy that will be abolished is death.” When you come to the end of your life and take your final breath, you can be sure that the Lord is not going to desert you. He will walk with you through the river of death and bring you safely on to the other shore.
The Lord protects His people from hell. Jesus absorbed in His body on the cross the hell that we deserved. He shields us from the awful wrath of God against sin.
Oh rejoice my brethren! The Lord is a cloud that stands between us and our enemies!
6. The Pillar Was Darkness To The Egyptians
Interestingly, though the pillar provided light to the Hebrews, it brought darkness upon the Egyptians (Ex.14:21). The same One who sheds light on our path, is only darkness to the world.
The prophet Isaiah said, “ Go, and tell this people: `Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.´ Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed” (Is. 6:10). Jesus said in Mt. 11:25, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.” Paul said in 1 Cor. 2:14, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”
My friends, though Christ is the light of the world, the lost are blind and can’t see that light. They are dead in their sins, and must be given life, in order to see Christ in His glory. The Lord must shine His light into their hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2Cor.4:6). O, pray for your lost friends and neighbors with all your heart, that the Lord would remove their blindness and allow them to see His light!
7. The Pillar Was Never Taken Away Until They Reached the Promised Land
Listen to the words of Nehemiah 9:18-19, “Even when they made for themselves A calf of molten metal and said, `This is your God Who brought you up from Egypt,´ And committed great blasphemies, You, in Your great compassion, Did not forsake them in the wilderness; The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day, To guide them on their way, Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go.”
In spite of all of Israel’s failures, including their murmuring, their unbelief, their forsaking the Lord to worship a golden calf, the Lord never forsook them. He never withdrew the pillar of cloud and fire.
My friends, the Lord Jesus will never forsake you. Jesus said in John 14:16, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.” According to Hebrews 13:5, the Lord will never forsake or desert His people. Once He comes into your life through His Spirit, He stays. He remains and leads you to heaven every day, every step of the way. I’m so glad that He is committed to me, because if he weren’t, my sin would have driven Him away a long time ago!
Conclusion
Now, my friends, if Jesus is our pillar of cloud and fire, leading us to glory, how do we live the Christian life?
1. We live the Christian life by keeping our eyes on Jesus! Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.” The Christian life is to be lived by fixing our eyes on Jesus.
2. We live the Christian life by watching where He goes, and following Him. Isn’t that exactly what the children of Israel did? Their advantage is that they could clearly see with their own two eyes when the Lord was moving. We can’t do that. We must depend on the eyes of faith. So, how do we know when the Lord is moving so we can follow Him? Folks, the best and clearest way is to know your Bible! The Lord has revealed to us in His Word how He moves and where He goes. If you want to know how to follow Jesus, you must be thoroughly acquainted with His ways in the Scriptures. Learn of Him and His example in the Word. When you find yourselves in a perplexing situation, ask yourself where the Lord is going in all of it.
3. We know how to follow Christ by knowing the will of God. One of the most often asked questions of any pastor is how we can know the will of God. My answer to that question is very simple. What does the Bible say the will of God is?
a. Eph. 6:5-8, “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.” It is the will of God that you obey your employers, as though you were obeying Jesus Christ.
b. 1 Thess. 4:3, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality”
c. 1 Thess. 5:16-18, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
d. Eph. 5:17-18, “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
Let’s just take those 4. Pursue being obedient from the hear to those in authority over you, pursue your sanctification, pursue rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks always, and pursue being filled with the Spirit.
But what then? What is the will of God for me in the rest of my life? How am I supposed to live? Do as Augustine said, “Love God and do as you please.” My friends, if you are pursuing sanctification, joy, prayer, thanksgiving, and being filled with the Spirit, I’m confident that what your renewed wants to do will be the will of God. I don’t think we need to overthink this. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps.37:4). What will the desires of your heart be? They will be consistent with delight yourself in the Lord.
Oh, let’s rejoice in the fact that the Lord Jesus Himself is our pillar of fire and cloud!
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