Chamron Phal

January 19, 2025

Share a time when you felt God's care.

Exodus 13:20–22

20 They set out from Succoth, and camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 21 The LORD went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. 

The Guiding God is...

The Almighty God

3:21 The LORD went in front of them. The Egyptians might have thought that the Hebrews were wandering around confused (see 14:3), but that was not the case; they were led by God. The verb “went ahead” (13:21) is a participle which suggests customary action. God was continually going before his people. There is God’s immanence: He is continually present for us (Ross, 383). How does God's ongoing presence comfort you?

3:21 in a pillar of cloud by day...and in a pillar of fire by night. What do these two pillars say about God's creativity and power? In the ancient world a bright or flaming aura surrounding deity is the norm (Matthews, Ex 13:21–22).

The God who created and beyond nature can and may use it to deliver people from bondage (Ross, 383). Why does biblical authors employ fire and cloud imagery to describe God's presence? See Ex 14:19–20; 33:9–10; Num. 12:5; 14:14; Deut. 31:15; 1 Kings 8:10–11; Ps. 99:7; Neh. 9:12–19; Ezek. 1:4, 13–14, 27–28; Acts 1:9.

3:21 by day and by night. God was with his people all the time, day and night (Ryken, 382). Do you believe that God is with you all the time, day and night?

It is common sense to assume that by day in the hot wilderness of Egypt and the Sinai peninsula, a cloud would seem welcome and comforting and that by night a fire would seem the same, providing light to see by and perhaps some warmth, as well as a terrifying barrier if it were positioned between the Israelites and a potential enemy. The text, however, does not say that the cloud provided a shade over the heads of the Israelites. Rather, it went ahead of them to lead them—representing God’s leadership as they moved through unknown territory. Looking at a cloud ahead of one is pleasant and easy on a bright, hot day; looking at a comforting fire is similar at night. That was the main function of the pillar—a way of allowing the Israelites to look at God so as to be able to follow him without actually seeing him in his very person (33:20; cf. John 1:18; 1 John 4:12) (Stuart, 327-328). Theologians call this a theophany—a God-appearance. When God shows up this way, he appears in a fiery cloud of glory, sometimes called the shekinah (Exod. 16:10; 40:34). It is an outward display of God’s inward glory (Ryken, 382). Are you, too, moving through unknown territory? Where do you feel God is leading you, even as God remains hidden? 

The Acting God

3:21 to lead them...to give them. Their route might have seemed erratic (Ex 14:1–3). Yet, as long as the pillar of God went before them, the people could trust God's path. Yahweh chose the odd route—not they (Stuart, 328). How much do you trust God's chosen route for your life, erratic as it may seem?

It was clear that wherever the pillar of fire or cloud moved, the people of God moved. In your life and context, where do you perceive God going? Will you follow?

The Abiding God

3:22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place. How do you feel knowing that God does not abandon you?

What are some of the methods God has used to guide you where he wanted you to go? What are you currently doing to seek out and obey God’s guidance? (Lyman, 106)

Works Cited

Lyman Coleman, Life Connections Study Bible. Nashville, TN: Holman Bibles, 2019.

Victor Harold Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas, and John H. Walton, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000.

Allen Ross and John N. Oswalt, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, vol. 1. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008.

Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005.

Douglas K. Stuart, Exodus, vol. 2, The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2006.