Cloud
& Light
Exodus 24:17–18 (NLT) To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain,
the
glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire.
18 Then Moses
disappeared into the cloud
as he climbed higher up the mountain.
He remained on
the mountain forty days and forty nights.
For six days Moses waited on the side of the mountain while the glory cloud covered the summit. Then, at God’s invitation, he climbed up to the top and entered the cloud, where he remained for the next forty days and forty nights. Forty is the number of testing or probation. Here the testing was for the people rather than for Moses. They failed the test by plunging into sin. Thus the Lord revealed through the law what was in the heart of man.
In OT days, God often revealed His glory in a cloud. He led the nation with a pillar of cloud and fire (Ex. 13:21–22). “God is a consuming fire” (Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29). Moses did not dare approach God until God summoned him, but when God called, Moses obeyed. Under Law, God determined how near people could be to Him. But under Grace, we are the ones who determine our nearness to God. God invites us to fellowship with Him—we are invited to “draw near” (Heb. 10:22; James 4:8). What a privilege it is to fellowship with God, and what a tragedy it is that we too often fail to spend time in His Presence.
[1] MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
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