Following the leading of the cloud

How easy and good it is when someone shows you what to do and where to go. How good would it be if the Lord God shows me the way and I simply follow him?

Numbers 9:16-23 read:

So it was alway: the cloud covered it [by day], and the appearance of fire by night.
And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents.
At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents.
And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not.
And [so] it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed.
And [so] it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and [that] the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether [it was] by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed.
Or [whether it were] two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed.
At the commandment of the LORD they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed: they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

How wonderful it is to follow the leading of the Lord God? When the Lord God, the Good Shepherd, calls me by name, I listen and follow him.

John 10:2-5 read:

But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

I have been waiting for the leading of the Lord God concerning employment. The cloud is still tarrying and so shall I rest in the Lord God.

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee

This morning I have been listening to this beautiful song over and over.

Numbers 6:22 - 27 read:

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.

The Lord puts His name upon us and blesses us.

I am the Lord your God, which ...

In Leviticus chapters 19 to 21, God reminds me who He is. He is the Lord. He is the Lord my God. He is the Lord my God, who ....

Exd 6:7 - I [am] the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

Lev 11:45 - For I [am] the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I [am] holy.

Lev 19:2 - Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God [am] holy.

Lev 20:7 - Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I [am] the LORD your God.

Lev 20:24 - I [am] the LORD your God, which have separated you from [other] people.

Lev 25:38 - I [am] the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, [and] to be your God.

Lev 26:13 - I [am] the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.

Num 15:41 - I [am] the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I [am] the LORD your God.

Psalm 18:2 reads, "The LORD [is] my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, [and] my high tower."

For I am the LORD your God

The Lord my God reminds me this morning that He is the Lord my God.

When the Lord my God saved me, He had a very clear purpose as shown in Exodus 6:7:

And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

In Leviticus, the Lord my God reminds me who He is and what I need to do. In Leviticus 11:44, God commands me to sanctify myself, be holy, and not to defile myself with any manner of the unsaved:

For I [am] the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I [am] holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

In Leviticus 19:10, the Lord my God commands me to care for the poor and stranger:

And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather [every] grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I [am] the LORD your God.

In Leviticus 19:34, the Lord my God commands me to love the stranger that dwells with me:

[But] the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I [am] the LORD your God.

In Leviticus 25:17, the Lord my God commands me not to oppress others, who are the servants unto the Lord my God, but to fear my God:

Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I [am] the LORD your God.

In Leviticus 26:1, the Lord my God commands me to not to worship idols:

Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up [any] image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I [am] the LORD your God.

May I "love the LORD [my] God with all [my] heart, and with all [my]soul, and with [my] might".

Wisdom and Zeal

Last Saturday Emily served with other sisters at a wedding of a brother and sister of the church. She said she washed dishes for several hours while other sisters were taking care of other tasks. She was impressed how sisters knew what to do and did the manual tasks so willingly without grumbling.

I then remembered verses from Exodus which I read recently. God put wisdom in men who were charged to work in building the sanctuary and stirred up the hearts of the Israelite to do the work of the Lord. The origin of wisdom and the zeal for the Lord is God!

Exodus 36:1-2 read:

Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded. And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, [even] every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it:

May God put wisdom and understanding in me and my family to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded. May he stir up our hearts to come unto the work to do it.

Face to Face

The first part of Exodus 33:11 reads "And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." Some other verses where the Lord spoke with man face to face include:

• Genesis 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
• Numbers 12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold.
• Deuteronomy 5:4 The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire.
• Deuternomony 34:10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.

In the Old Testament it seems that Jacob, Moses, and the Israelites saw or talked with God face to face. Maybe there are others who did so as well.

God's promises in both OT and NT include face-to-face communication with God:

• Ezekiel 20:35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
• 1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Though I am now in a great trouble, my God speaks to me face to face and mouth to mouth, like the hymn FACE TO FACE WITH CHRIST, MY SAVIOR:

Face to face with Christ, my Savior,
Face to face—what will it be,
When with rapture I behold Him,
Jesus Christ Who died for me?

Refrain

Face to face I shall behold Him,
Far beyond the starry sky;
Face to face in all His glory,
I shall see Him by and by!

Only faintly now I see Him,
With the darkened veil between,
But a blessèd day is coming,
When His glory shall be seen.

Refrain

What rejoicing in His presence,
When are banished grief and pain;
When the crooked ways are straightened,
And the dark things shall be plain.

Refrain

Face to face—oh, blissful moment!
Face to face—to see and know;
Face to face with my Redeemer,
Jesus Christ Who loves me so.

Refrain