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Be Thankful to God

Be thankful to God for the blessings in your life. 

This is our final lesson from Numbers 9, the second Passover.

Let's recap our 10 lessons from this chapter of the book of Numbers:
  1. Celebrate God’s work in your life. 
  2. Seek spiritual advice, especially in new situations. 
  3. Eagerly participate in spiritual community. 
  4. Be clean before worshiping. 
  5. Open your heart to worshipers who are different from you. 
  6. Value God’s character. 
  7. Emulate God’s character. 
  8. Honor God by being resistant to a complaining attitude. 
  9. Let God take the lead in your life. 
  10. Be thankful to God for the blessings in your life. 
The Lord’s cloud was a manifold blessing to His people.  Have you ever been outside on a hot day when the sun is just beating down on you?  And have you ever been out on one of those days and a cloud moves in front of the sun?  I always thank the Lord for the great relief I feel at those times.  A little cloud and a cool breeze can make all the difference between heat stroke and comfort, moving indoors or staying out.  God’s cloud helped these desert wanderers endure the heat of the environment they inhabited for forty years.  The desert gets cold at night.  The fiery cloud may have also provided some warmth along with light.  This climate control was a blessing to God’s people.  So many of us have heat in our homes and air conditioning in the summer as well.  It is something we may take for granted.  If you have ever gone somewhere that you did not have these comforts, you notice right away and perhaps even think you cannot endure.  Thank the Lord today if you have climate control in your home. 

Another blessing provided by the cloud was the reminder of God’s presence with Israel.  The expression “wherever the cloud settled” contains a verb that is related to the word Shekinah.  Many talk of the “Shekinah glory”.  “The English rendering ‘shekinah’ is built on the verb meaning ‘to dwell’ and the shortened form of the divine name Yahweh…This phrasing symbolizes both God’s nearness and his remoteness.  He is present as a cloud but hovers above; he is near as a fire, but one cannot draw very close.” (Expositor’s Commentary) The cloud is God’s favor.  We can be covered by the cloud like he hides us in the shadow of His wings (Psalm 36:7). 

Protection from the enemy was also a blessing provided by the cloud. As the Israelites were fleeing Egypt,  Exodus 14:19-20 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, coming 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.”  And verse 24 says, “During 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.”  So God controlled the fire in the cloud so that only the Israelite side was lit when the cloud moved between Israel and Egypt to protect God’s people fleeing. 

Finally, a blessing of the cloud was the guidance we have already been discussing.  God led them through the wilderness for 40 years by the lifting of the cloud and settling at the end of a march.  We need to be willing to move and patient to stay as directed by God. 

Ps 105:39 says, “He spread out a cloud as a covering, and a fire to give light at night.” 

Israel had a God who was present in the cloud, giving relief from desert heat, lighting up the night sky, reminding them He was with them, protecting them from the enemy and guiding them on their way.  God does the same today for His children.  We need only look at His beautiful creation and read His eternal Word to know He is near.  The enemy is on the prowl for ways to ruin our testimony (1 Peter 5:8) so that every time we honor God, we can know He is there protecting us.  And as we look back at our lives, we can see the hand of God has led us in the direction we were to go.  What a wonderful, mighty God we serve! Be grateful and let Him know it today.

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