Is There a Cloud?

Clouds...by day and by night.

When you think about a “cloud” now do you think about some data storage that is hopefully safe and secure? Or do you think about the weather and the possibility of rain, snow, or a tornado? In the Old Testament book of Numbers, the children of Israel were led by a cloud as they were migrating from Egypt to the Promised Land. It is estimated that there were more than a million people traveling together—that was 600,000 men, plus their wives and children—so that they moved very slowly at times and didn’t know where they were going. This “cloud” of fire by night and smoke by day provided them with guidance and gave LORD Jesus a way of commanding them when to move. Pretty ingenious. Everyone could see that cloud. It was not a data storage method, but it did provide a sense of securing knowing that their God was going before them and leading them.

Jesus was in that Tabernacle and in that cloud. Would you follow some smoke in the air? With the fires lately in California we’ve learned it is best not to go towards any smoke—but to go the opposite direction and get away from the smoke and fire. Breathing smoke is not safe. I don’t think that the smoke from Jesus’ cloud was harmful. Instead, it provided an awareness of the presence of the LORD. Jesus was calling the Israelites to follow Him. Are you prepared to go into the world, to follow Jesus today—and to take others with you?    

           

On the day the Tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered it. But from evening until morning the cloud over the Tabernacle looked like a pillar of fire. This was the regular pattern—at night the cloud that covered the Tabernacle had the appearance of fire. Whenever the cloud lifted from over the sacred tent, the people of Israel would break camp and follow it. And wherever the cloud settled, the people of Israel would set up camp. In this way, they traveled and camped at the LORD's command wherever he told them to go. Then they remained in their camp as long as the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle. If the cloud remained over the Tabernacle for a long time, the Israelites stayed and performed their duty to the LORD. ... So they camped or traveled at the LORD's command, and they did whatever the LORD told them through Moses. Numbers 9:15-19, 23

 

Prayer – Lord Jesus, please open our eyes to opportunities to serve You…to follow You where You lead us, whether it is in our neighborhood or just praying for others around the world. Where You lead us, we will follow.

 

Meditate. Consider how the LORD is leading you to serve Him.

 

Verses of Salvation ~ This is what the LORD says: "At just the right time, I will respond to you. On the day of salvation I will help you. I will protect you and give you to the people as my covenant with them. Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel and assign it to its own people again. I will say to the prisoners, 'Come out in freedom,' and to those in darkness, 'Come into the light.' They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures and on hills that were previously bare. They will neither hunger nor thirst. The searing sun will not reach them anymore. For the LORD in his mercy will lead them; he will lead them beside cool waters. And I will make my mountains into level paths for them. The highways will be raised above the valleys. See, my people will return from far away, from lands to the north and west, and from as far south as Egypt." Isaiah 49:8-12

 

© 2025 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com

 

Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories