The only navigation equipment Israel needed was the Lord's presence.
Numbers 10:11-12 In the second year after Israel's departure from Egypt-on the twentieth day of the second month-the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle of the Covenant.
12 So the Israelites set out from the wilderness of Sinai and traveled on from place to place until the cloud stopped in the wilderness of Paran.
13 When the people set out for the first time, following the instructions the LORD had given through Moses,
Numbers 10:33-36 They marched for three days after leaving the mountain of the LORD, with the Ark of the LORD's Covenant moving ahead of them to show them where to stop and rest. 34 As they moved on each day, the cloud of the LORD hovered over them.
35 And whenever the Ark set out, Moses would shout, "Arise, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered! Let them flee before you!" 36 And when the Ark was set down, he would say, "Return, O LORD, to the countless thousands of Israel!"
It has been a busy year since God redeemed his people from Egypt and took them to Mount Sinai to meet with them. Sinai would be the place where God would help his new people adjust to their new life. As we will see, getting his people out of Egypt was easier than getting Egypt out of his people.
God's people had a lot to learn about him and about the kind of people that he wanted them to be. God wanted his people to became a nation that looked very different, they would worship different, they would eat different and they would be governed different. The only way they could enjoy this special relationship between a governor and his people is for them to know the rules.
The big bonus that should have motivated them was that knowing and obeying God's rules was the only way that they were going to be able to make it to the Promised Land. They are going to need God's presence to guide and protect on the way and the only way to have that is to live his way.
God's Itinerary
God's people had to do what their forefather Abraham had done hundreds of years before when he left home. Once again God is asking for blind faith as he tells his people to take the next step without the details.
God didn't give Moses a brochure with an itinerary about the trip and he didn't share an online calendar or GPS coordinates to help them know the way. The way to the Promised Land is God's way and the only way to know his way is to have a relationship with him.
God's people obeyed his orders that he gave in the beginning of the book of Numbers, as a result they moved out in the formation that God demanded and they walked for three days following God.
Watching The Cloud
They didn't have any doubt about what the cloud looked like, this is the same cloud that led them away from Egypt, from the very beginning of this trip God's presence was manifest in the cloud to show them the way.
Even in darkness the presence of God could be seen and enjoyed. The light of God in the cloud overcame the darkness, it revealed the next step of the path when they traveled and it gave them protection when they camped.
Watching a cloud and paying attention to the details about where it is going is something that you probably would not do for very long. We don't pay much attention to clouds before we lose our focus and get distracted.
Listen For Trumpets
To ensure that everyone was ready to break camp and move, God's people also had an audible warning, the trumpets got the attention of anyone that didn't know that the cloud moved. I have to wonder about the size of the cloud, maybe the entire nation could not see the cloud so maybe that is the reason that God told them to use the trumpets.
It seems that God loves trumpets, after the nation moved into Canaan the trumpet was used as the signal for special days on God's calendar. Don't forget that God has promised us that another very special day is on the way that will include the blast of a trumpet.
Matthew 24:31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world-from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
The most anticipated trumpet blast is the one that will lead us to the Promised Land that Jesus said that he is preparing. The trumpet sound we are waiting for will not be a signal for war, when this trumpet sounds the Promised Land will be ours, the only war that will be started is the final battle between God and Satan.
VIDEO: Promised Land by TobyMac
Just like God's pilgrim children in the wilderness, we are also pilgrims, just passing through as we wait for God's signal to move to our heavenly home. Until that day we have the Holy Spirit in us as our guide, the Word of God before us to light the way and our Savior above us interceding before God's throne on our behalf.
The entire trinity is at work to keep me safe and guide me as I travel this wilderness waiting for my Promised Land.
