Have you ever found yourself captivated by the clouds? Perhaps you have even drifted into deep reflection as you watched their movements in the sky. What if your survival depended on following a cloud?

For approximately two million people tasting freedom for the first time, this was the case. Four hundred and thirty years after His covenant promise to Abraham, God was bringing the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt to receive a land of their own as an inheritance. As they began their journey, God revealed Himself to them in a remarkable way.

We are reminded of this dramatic event in Exodus 13 where it is recorded: "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. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people" (verses 21-22).

The pillar of cloud and fire provided a tangible sign of God's presence in Israel's lives as they journeyed through the wilderness. Although God does not manifest His presence in the same fashion today, God still "goes before" us. By looking at how God worked with Israel, we can see how God works in our lives to protect, guide and give us life.

What exactly does "went before" mean? The Hebrew word translated as "went" in verse 21 literally means, "to go, come or walk, carrying the idea of movement. It is used metaphorically to speak of the pathways of one's life" according to The Complete Word Study Dictionary.

The word "before" comes from a plural noun that is always used in a singular sense meaning a face. The Complete Word Study Dictionary says, "It is a figuratively idiomatic phrase substituted for the entire person." When these two words are put together, they give the sense of God walking beside us throughout our lives. As Exodus 33:14 says when God speaks, "My Presence will go with you" (emphasis added throughout).

Promise of Protection

When the children of Israel camped at the Red Sea, the pillar of cloud moved behind them as a buffer between them and the approaching Egyptians. It gave light to the Israelites, but caused darkness to fall upon the Egyptians (Exodus 14:13-25). In this way, God provided protection to the Israelites.

In going before us, God promises us physical protection from danger and spiritual protection from distress. We may not always know how God protects us, but we can be certain that He does do so. God told Abram in Genesis 15:1, "I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." In ancient times, a shield was a weapon of warfare to provide protection against the enemy's attack.

Henry's Concise Commentary states that "the consideration that God himself is, and will be a shield to his people, to secure them from all evils, a shield ready to them, and a shield round about them, should silence all perplexing, tormenting fears." If we put our trust in God, He will act as a buffer, protecting us from the "fiery darts of the wicked one" (Ephesians 6:16).

The Psalms and Proverbs contain many promises of this protection. Here are just a few:

"He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him" (Proverbs 30:5).

"With favor You will surround him as with a shield" (Psalm 5:12).

"But You, O Lord , are a shield for me" (Psalm 3:3).

If you reflect back in your life about various circumstances, you can probably recall instances of divine protection when God was a shield to you.

Promise of Guidance

After 40 years of wandering in the desert, Israel stood ready to enter the Promised Land. As Moses gave his last message to Israel before Joshua was to lead them across the Jordan and into the land of Canaan, Moses said, "The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you... Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:3, 6).

For 40 years Israel had followed the pillar of cloud and fire, moving when it moved, and stopping when it stopped. As they faced a new set of circumstances, God was assuring them that He would continue to guide them just as He had done before.

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible comments that God was "to guide and direct, to assist and strengthen, to protect and defend, to give success to his arms." Further, God would "not fail to give him [Joshua] counsel and direction, to afford him strength, and to fill him with courage."

God also promises to guide us. Guide means to lead the way. It gives the sense of driving cattle or flocks. A guide is someone who leads the way. God is both. In John 10:14, Jesus Christ is called our Good Shepherd. We need God's guidance to direct our steps. The 23rd Psalm paints a beautiful picture of our being guided by God as our shepherd.

Perhaps one of the most encouraging scriptures written is that God "will be our guide even to death" (Psalm 48:14). If we are humble, God will guide us (Psalm 25:9).

Promise of Life

In Deuteronomy Moses reiterated God's laws to Israel. He reminded them of their choice: "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life" (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).

Israel knew firsthand the results of disobeying God. Jesus Christ, the Word, had given Israel God's law of life at Mt. Sinai, and Israel had seen the pillar of cloud and fire in front of them daily to remind them of God's presence. However, during their sojourn in the wilderness, Israel repeatedly disobeyed God.

"But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness" (1 Corinthians 10:5). Israel did not have the Holy Spirit. They were rebellious, hard-hearted and did not follow God's way, and eventually they rejected Him (Deuteronomy 5:29).

God also promised life to us if we obey Him. When Jesus Christ came in the flesh, He offered the same promise of life. In John 10:10, He said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." He offered Himself as the Lamb of God so that we could have life through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ is called the "forerunner" ( prodromos in Greek) for spiritual Israel today (Hebrews 6:20). In his Daily Study Bible Series on John 14, William Barclay describes a forerunner:

"One of the great thoughts of the New Testament is that Jesus goes on in front for us to follow... One of the great words that is used to describe Jesus is the word prodromos (Heb. 6:20)... There are two uses of this word which light up the picture within it. In the Roman army the prodromoi were the reconnaissance troops. They went ahead of the main body of the army to blaze the trail and to ensure that it was safe for the rest of the troops to follow.

"The harbour of Alexandria was very difficult to approach. When the great corn ships came into it a little pilot boat was sent out to guide them along the channel into safe waters. That pilot boat was called the prodromos. It went first to make it safe for others to follow. That is what Jesus did."

When Christ presented Himself before the throne of the Father, He presented Himself as the perfect High Priest. He was also the wave-sheaf offering, making Him the first of the firstfruits that will follow (Hebrews 8-10). As a result, we have the opportunity to receive the Holy Spirit, come before the throne of God the Father and live a life with God's laws written on our hearts and minds (unlike ancient Israel).

God went before the Israelites to give protection, provide guidance and offer them life through His Word. God goes before us in the same way, offering the same promises. Even with God's presence clearly seen in the pillar of cloud and fire, Israel had difficulty following Him.

Today, we do not have the pillar of cloud or fire. Yet God still goes before us. Jesus Christ tells us, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2-3).

Jesus Christ has gone before us to prepare a place for us in His Kingdom. Will we follow? UN