Numbers 9:15-23 / What Moves You?
When you make a big decision, whether it’s a career change, moving to another city, or taking a relationship to the next level, what moves you in one way or the other?
Is it based solely on what’s the most practical decision? What seems best for your career? What your heart or emotions are telling you to do?
What MOVES you? What or who directs your steps?
How about in the smaller, daily decisions? Responding to a text, disciplining a child, talking to a co-worker about a project, or meeting a deadline – what is your process for making those decisions?
In Numbers 9, the people of Israel are about a year into their freedom from Egyptian captivity. They have seen many miracles by this point and are moving towards the Promised Land.
The Israelites and God have developed a rhythm at this point in their journey where His presence appears as a cloud over the tabernacle by day, and a pillar of fire by night:
15 On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. 16 So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night.
This is how they know that God is present – and that they are in His presence. But going a step further, their movements were dictated by His presence:
17 And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. 18 At the command of the Lord the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they remained in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they set out. 21 And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out. 22 Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. 23 At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses.
If God moved, they moved. If God stayed, they stayed. Didn’t matter how long, or how short, their desire was to follow the presence of the Lord.
The people of Israel didn’t want to do anything without God’s presence. They didn’t want to go before Him, or lag behind when He was moving. They wanted to stay close and move in step with the Father.
So again, what moves you?
As you make both big and small decisions, is God’s presence the most important factor? Would His prompting lead you to do something out of the ordinary, or a lack of hearing His voice be enough to second guess a decision?
Now to be fair, we don’t have a cloud or a pillar of fire to indicate God’s presence. It would be safe to assume the Israelites had a pretty clear idea when God was on the move.
And yet, if we know Christ, we do have the Holy Spirit!
Unlike the Israelites, we now have a personal, powerful, and present Spirit inside us to guide and empower us with the ability to follow Him.
The Bible promises that He will never leave us or forsake us – He is literally present with us in every single decision we make – from choosing socks to naming babies, He is there.
Do we lean on Him as we make decisions? Are we pausing throughout the day to seek His leadership in our conversations, in how we spend our money, or how we lead our families?
Let God move you. Spend enough time in His presence through the Word, prayer, and community that you are familiar with His voice. Pause long enough to ask Him if something is the right or wrong thing to say or do. Invite Him into the big and the small things.
The Israelites would not move without God’s presence – what would that look like for us in 2024?
With much love,
Pastor Dave
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