“Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.” (Ne 9:19 AV)
In this prayer by the Levites, they are rehearsing Israel’s failures
against God’s faithfulness. The pillar
of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night has several purposes. These pillars were a physical assurance of God’s
presence. As long as these pillars were
in place, there was no need for the people of Israel to doubt the presence of God. These two pillars rested on the
tabernacle. It was an indication the
glory of God rested in a specific place for the purpose of worship. However, one of the equally important
purposes of the pillars was to lead the way while the nation traveled and to
protect them from threats that may be following behind. The presence of God as manifested by these
pillars was the proof of God’s leading.
What makes this even more relevant is the context in which we find the mention
of the leading of these pillars. These
pillars led the way even when the nation of Israel was not completely right
with God. In other words, the compassionate
leading of the pillars was only conditioned upon the willingness of Israel to
follow. Not on their repeated failures
to live according to the word of God. I
know that sounds contradictory. But I
will explain.
There were times with my sons when they angered me to the point that I
needed some time away. Patience, in
times like these, was in short supply. I
have seen coaches act this way towards their players. My youngest played baseball for more than ten
years. His coaches were phenomenal. His first coach was a coach above all other
coaches. Watching his work compared to
other coaches whom we played against revealed a stark contrast between patient
coaching that taught these young boys skills which they could use for a
lifetime verse winning as the only goal worth achieving. What further separated these coaches from my
son was my son’s coach was a winning coach.
Talent-wise, his group was a bit lower than the most talented. He had no ace in the wings. You could always tell the aces. They were to ones who took their time at the
plate and held off the umpire before a pitch could be thrown. AT EIGHT YEARS OLD! Anyway, my son’s coach was more of a mentor
than he was a dictator. He was more of a
manager than he was a boss. He was more
of a teacher than he was a drill sergeant.
No matter how much a young man messed up, he believed in that young boy
and it showed. He did whatever it took
to make that boy feel he could succeed and help the team win. Everyone got to play. There was no one left out. No matter the failures, the coach never
abandoned his players and was always there to guide them.
What an encouraging passage to know that as a child of God, He will
never leave us nor forsake us. The
knowledge that while we sit, He sits with us is a definite encouragement. But the greater hope is He will not cease to
lead us. He will correct, cleanse,
reconcile, and lead. This will never
cease. What good news! No matter how much I have failed my Savior, He
will always have me go further down the road of His will. There is no failure so great as to motivate
the LORD to quit on me. No matter what I
have done, or will do. As long as I seek
forgiveness, mercy, and grace, the pillar will be there. The fire by night and the cloud by day, the
LORD is always there. What a wonderful,
faithful, and truly compassionate God we serve!
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