Fiery Guidance

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

Exodus 13:17-22

Some time ago a home near ours burned almost to the ground. Hearing sirens that night, we went outside, where other neighbors stood looking toward an empty house across the street. A column of flame some 60 feet high had risen above the structure. Firefighters were working hard as the towering flames lit up the sky, and none of us required a warning to stand back.

Fire gives light, but natural fire also destroys. Moses, however, encountered the LORD in a fire that did not consume the bush around it (Exodus 3:2-6), a fire that revealed God’s holy presence, deliberately and graciously shown to the man He was calling to lead His people out of slavery in Egypt. And as God’s people began to travel toward their promised land, God led them, showing His presence in a great column of cloud that at night was filled with fire.  

When the Israelites reached Mount Sinai, God again revealed His presence in fire (Exodus 19:18). Later, after Moses constructed a tent for worship, the cloud stood above the holy place in that “tabernacle,” visible day and night to all the people of Israel (Exodus 40:38).

So, when an Israelite man or woman went outside their tent at night and looked up to that blazing pillar, what did they feel? Were they awed, reassured, or a little frightened? Would any of them have dared to approach the great column of fire?

Fire describes God’s presence repeatedly in Scripture. It pictures the awesome holiness of His character, blazing through all that is corrupt and deceitful in the world. Fire evokes God’s wrath against sin (e.g. Numbers 16:28-35; 2 Peter 3:7; Revelation 20:14-15), and His stunning power (1 Kings 18:36-39). John the Baptist prophesied that Jesus the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Luke 3:16-17). And, God manifested the new work of His Holy Spirit with tongues of fire above the apostles at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).

Now God Himself, because of His Son’s redemptive death and resurrection, dwells within His people in His Holy Spirit—to assure, preserve, develop, and to guide.

What is God’s guidance like today? The Israelites heard God’s words from Moses; we have His Word before us. Through God’s Word His Spirit enlightens, encourages, develops, and corrects us.

Malachi’s prophecy describes Messiah’s coming as “like a refiner’s fire,” which would purify God’s people, “and refine them like gold and silver” (Malachi 3:2-3). We may experience a correction from God like a burning deep inside, perhaps destroying some prideful resistance to what we know is God’s will. Repentance often hurts! But it is sweet grace, and restoration is His wonderful design.

God’s guidance also comes in the fiery pillar of circumstances that our sovereign God controls. His good purposes may guide us through periods of frustration, through relationships that repeatedly discourage, through disappointments in our business or profession, and even deep physical or emotional pain. We may feel scorched and scarred. Yet God cares, and His pathway is purposeful. His aim is holiness that reflects His—and joyful renewal is His great work.