No Cloud No Journey

NO CLOUD NO JOURNEY

TEXT: EXODUS 40:34-38

Introduction:

I must give a tip of the hat Eddie Bowling, a preacher-friend of mine, who I haven’t seen for years. It must have been at least 35 years ago that Eddie and I were talking as preachers do, about preaching, and he said, I’ve got this great title: “No Cloud No Journey.” That’s it, just the title. I never heard him preach it and don’t know if he ever worked it up into a message, but that title has stuck with me all these years, and the Lord finally gave me the liberty to make it into a message.

God said earlier to Moses, “Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst “(Ex.25:8). The setting of our text by chapter 40 of Exodus is this: the Israelites had constructed the Tabernacle that contained the Ark of the Covenant and the other holy artifacts God instructed Moses to have made for His worship, and Moses had anointed everything with blood and oil, according to the Lord’s orders. This occurred approximately one year after they left Egypt in the great Exodus after God had sent the Destroyer Angel through the land of Egypt and killed the firstborn of every Egyptian household, sparing the Israelites.

Our text tells us a cloud, representing the glory of the Lord rested over the Tabernacle. The Israelites broke camp and went ahead in their journey ONLY when God lifted the cloud. “And when the cloud was taken up, then they journeyed, not till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud was upon the Tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.” Hence the title of my message: “No Cloud, No Journey.” Let’s look at clouds.

I. A CLOUD: FIRST MENTION AND SIGNIFICANCE

A. The first mention of a cloud concerning the working and will of God is in Gen. 9:13-15. After the great flood, God spoke to Noah and established a covenant – a contractual agreement, that He would never again destroy the earth by water. The sign of His covenant would be that He would put a rainbow in the sky in the cloud (vs 13) for a sign between Himself and the earth, and that sign continues to this day. When we see a rainbow in the clouds it reminds us of God’s promise.

B. Covenant in the Hebrew is “ber-eeth,’” and means, “an alliance or pledge; a divine ordinance with signs.” Every major covenant that God makes has a physical sign. Like the rainbow, Abraham’s covenant sign is circumcision; Israel’s covenant is the keeping of the Sabbath. The sign is a visible assurance that God keeps His promise and acts on behalf of His people.

C. The cloud that led the Israelites in the wilderness is first mentioned in Ex. 13, beginning right after they left Egypt. “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 not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people” (Ex. 13:21-22).

D. This same pillar of cloud moved from in front of them to behind them at the crossing of the Red Sea, to block Pharaoh’s army from being able to get to them and allowed them time to cross the sea after Moses parted it with His rod. We’re told it gave light to the Israelites all night and enveloped the Egyptian Army in darkness (Ex. 14:20).

E. The Zondervan Bible Commentary said about this divine phenomenon: “The side of the cloud that faced the Egyptian army brought darkness, but the opposite side, facing the rear of the Hebrew camp, shone brightly, enabling the Hebrews to keep traveling all through the night. This allowed the Hebrews time to escape—time for two million men, women, children, and their animals to cross the pathway through the Red Sea.”

F. It is also interesting to note that the angel of God is associated with this cloud. This “angel of God,” is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Second Person of the Trinity. God the Son Himself was with them all the time.

G. In Numbers 9:22, we read, “Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey.”

H. No Cloud No Journey.

II. THE LORD AND HIS GLORY ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE CLOUD

A. As the Israelites looked, we’re told, “…the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud” (Ex.16:10).