Moses – Wounded Butterflies

There is a familiar story in the Old Testament about the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years due to their lack of faith in God’s ability to deliver on His commitment to give them the Promised Land. Even though we may have read this story many times, there are lesser studied details in these cherished verses we will focus on.

Last week, we looked at the cloud by day. The second detail we will study is the pillar of fire that guided the Israelites by night as they wandered in the wilderness. In Exodus 13:21, the Bible says, ^“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. ²²Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people”.

At night in the wilderness, it could become rather cold. The pillar of fire was a source of warmth for the Israelites and their animals. The pillar of fire also provided light so they could see in the pitch black dark. There were dangerous animals and bands of criminals in the wilderness. The pillar of fire would serve as a deterrent to scare away any attacks either from beasts or thieves.

As the Israelites marched through the wilderness, the pillar of fire was also a constant reminder of the holiness of God and His love. God is an all-consuming fire demanding obedience from His people. The Israelites had seen God’s fire consume both land and people in their camp, see Leviticus 10:2 and Numbers 11:1.

The pillar of fire was the very presence of a holy, almighty God who was watching over and protecting His people. God looked down from the pillar of fire as the Israelites were pursued by the Egyptians in Exodus 13:23. “The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. ²⁴During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.” God was keeping watch over His people and protecting them, just as He does with His people today.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for guiding us and being with us as we go through life, especially when we are walking through a time of fear or darkness. Help us to remember that You are the Light of the world and we will never walk in darkness when we follow You. In Jesus precious name we pray, amen.

The first detail is the cloud that protected the Israelites by day as they wandered in the wilderness. In Exodus 13:21, the Bible says, ^“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. ²²Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.”

In the Old Testament, the cloud signified the presence of the glory of the Lord. For example, when Moses went up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments, the mountain was engulfed in a cloud that was the presence of the glory of the Lord. When the Lord’s presence descended to the Tabernacle, it was enveloped by a cloud.

The cloud would have been a visual reminder that the Israelites needed to revere their God, respect Him and His servant, Moses. The cloud would have also been a comfort as it represented protection to the Israelites as they wandered in the desert. The cloud would have served as an umbrella of sorts to protect them from the hot sun and it was a shield in times of confrontation. Exodus 14:19 says, “Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, ²⁰coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.”

The cloud caused a darkness to fall on the Egyptians so that they were unable to attack the Israelites during the night. The cloud even blocked the light from the pillar of fire so that the Israelites had light during that most scary night, yet their foes were engulfed in darkness.

The cloud that protected and guided the Israelites is now within us; as believers, we have the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. He is always there to shield us and lead us through life, just as He did for the Israelites.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for the protection that You provide us. Thank You for the knowledge that Your presence is with us at all times through your Son, Jesus. Guide us each day as You did with the Israelites. In Jesus name we pray, amen.