AUGUST 19, 2014
Following
The Master
Read: Numbers
9:15-23
At the command of the Lord they remained encamped, and at the command
of the Lord they journeyed. —Numbers
9:23
At a dog show near my
home, I watched a Cardigan Welsh corgi named Trevor perform. At his master’s
command, he ran several yards away and immediately returned, he jumped fences,
and he identified objects using his sense of smell. After finishing each exercise,
he sat down at his master’s feet and waited for more instructions.
Trevor’s careful
attention to his master’s instruction reminded me of the devotion God desired
from His people as they followed Him through the wilderness. God led in a
unique way. His presence appeared as a cloud. If the cloud ascended, He wanted
His people to move to another area. If the cloud descended, they were to stay
put. “At the command of the Lord they remained encamped, and at the command of
the Lord they journeyed” (Num. 9:23). The Israelites followed this practice day
or night, regardless of how long they had to remain in one place.
God wasn’t simply
testing the Israelites; He was leading them to the Promised Land (10:29). He
wanted to take them to a better place. So it is with us when God asks us to
follow Him. He wants to lead us to a place of closer fellowship with Himself.
His Word assures us that He is loving and faithful in leading those who humbly
follow Him.
In fellowship sweet we
will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His
side in the way;
What He says we will
do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust
and obey. —Sammis
God asks His children
to follow the Leader.
Insight
The tabernacle (Num.
9:15) was not only a place of worship, it was intended to be the center of
Israel’s national life. This “tent of meeting” also foreshadowed the
incarnation of Christ, the living Word who “dwelled” (that is, “tabernacled”)
among us in a tent of human flesh (John 1:14).
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
