"And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night."
Does God give clear direction and does He lead us with His presence? He does! Through His written word, the Bible, He provides His revelation to all humanity. Just about everything we need to know about God's will is in Scripture. If we keep the Bible as our pillar of cloud by day, we'll be heading the right direction; if we keep Jesus in our sights at night, we'll have the Light of the World shining on us to give us all the light we need.
The Israelites were put to the test almost immediately when they discovered that Pharaoh and the Egyptians had pursued them. They were afraid they left Egypt only to die in the wilderness. Moses had complete and absolute faith in God; (he was even fulfilling a prophesy of over 400 years that the bones of Joseph would be carried out of Egypt) and knew without a doubt that God will rescue them. He told Israel in Exodus 14:13-14,
"Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."
God performed one of the best known miracles in the Old Testament, if not the entire Bible, by parting the Red Sea with a strong wind such that there were walls of water and dry land for Israel to cross. He prevented the Egyptian army from progressing with a pillar of darkness, and when Israel was safely across, The Egyptian army pursued, straight into the sea bed, at which time God closed the waters, killing the entire army. "Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses (Exodus 14:31).
Israel rejoiced with songs and celebration after they witnessed this; however, it's almost an irony that within three days they were complaining again! In the wilderness, they could not find water, except for bitter water that was undrinkable near Marah. God provided for them by making it sweet so they could consume it, and Moses said to them in Exodus 15:25-26,
"There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, and said, 'If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.'"
We would do well to heed these words as well. There's nothing in Scripture that indicates these words of the Lord are exclusively for the Israelites. By keeping God's commandments today, we will also receive the blessings of the Lord.
The Psalmist David wrote of Earth's response to the Exodus in Psalms 114 and describes in verses 7 and 8,
"Tremble, O Earth, at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the God of Jacob, Who turned the rock into a pool of water, The flint into a fountain of waters."
David realized the great miracles of God to save Israel from the Egyptians. He glorified God for this. We should too, for God continues to help all of us today, everyday.
Blessings to all
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