Page 55 - Through New Eyes

48 THROUGH NEW EYES
behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud (Exodus
16:7, 10).

They had seen this glory before. As they marched out of
Egypt ,

the LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to
lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give
them light, that they might travel by day and by night. He did
not take away the pillar of cloud by day, or the pillar of fire by
night, from before the people (Exodus 13: 21-22).
This was almost certainly only one pillar. During the day, the
brightness of the sun hid the fire within, and Israel saw the
cloud. At night, the fire shone through the cloud. Thus, they
were given shade by day and warmth at night.
This glory-cloud settled over Mount Sinai.

And there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud
upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound . . . and
Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended
upon it in fire, and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a fur-
nace, and the whole mountain trembled violently (Exodus
19:16, 18).
The One seated on His throne in the midst of this “portable
heaven” then spoke the Ten Commandments to Israel (Ex-
odus 20).
God told Israel to build a house for Him, a tent calIed the
Tabernacle. Since the glory-cloud was God’s portable heaven,
and thus His house, we expect the Tabernacle to be an architec-
tural replica of the glory-cloud of heaven. This is indeed what we
find. Once the Tabernacle was completed, God moved into it;
and His glory-cloud filled it, identifying with it: “Then the cloud
covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the
Tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34).
Later on in history, God gave blueprints to David for a more
permanent house for His Name, the Temple (1 Chronicles
28:19). Again, when the Temple, a model of God’s heavenly
house, had been completed, “the cloud filled the house of the
L O R D” (1 Kings 8:10). -