Encounter With God

The Israelites were poorly prepared for an encounter with the powerful and war-like people of Philisitia.  They were not well armed and were not trained in warfare.  They had little knowledge of God and very little faith in Him.  Their spirits had been depressed by their long bondage.  By leading them to Canaan around by way of the Red Sea, God revealed Himself as a compassionate God.

God led them in the pillar of cloud by day and at night by a pillar of fire.  By this means God was always with them, protecting, guiding, and constantly reassuring His children of His presence.  Safety is the primary concern of all humanity.  One of the first ways that God met the needs of these people was to provide safety for them.  Their biological needs were met by God’s provision of daily food (heavenly manna).

“In one of the most beautiful and comforting passages of Isaiah’s prophecy, reference is made to the pillar of cloud and of fire to represent God’s care for His people in the great final struggle with the powers of evil.” Patriarchs and Prophets, “The Exodus” p. 282, 283.  “Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy.  It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.” Isaiah 4:5,6 NIV

Today, as we draw close to the final events of earth’s history, we have that precious gift of God, the Holy Spirit, to cover and guide us through the snares of Satan.  Just as God met the needs of the Israelites so also will He as surely meet our basic needs of food, water and safety.  Our faith must grow daily to depend on this supernatural help from God to keep us steady on the path towards heaven.  Satan cleverly has his own counterfeit and his supernatural powers that will deceive those not grounded by faith in God.

It’s interesting how God picks at times the most unlikely people to carry out His work!  Here we have Moses who was a murderer, was rejected by his adoptive family, left feeling lonely and even thought God abandoned him.  After living forty years in the wilderness making a new life for himself, far removed from the troubles back in Egypt, he found himself slow of speech and felt himself unworthy to lead anyone but his sheep.  He must have felt about as low as any human can get.  God knew he needed time to heal in a safe environment and led him to Jethro’s family.  There he found peace, renewal, and re-creation, as his biological and safety needs were met.  He also experienced the love and belonging that he so needed.  His esteem and recognition grew as he developed skills needed to live in the desert tribe of Jethro’s family.  He was prepared to see the fulfillment of his unique potential when he received the call from God in the burning bush.  His aesthetic experience was complete when he faced God on the mountain of Sinai as well as at the end of his life on the mountain overlooking the Promised Land and looking into the future.