So . . . here’s the question that’s kind of going through my mind this morning as I continue to track the Israelites as they leave Egypt . . . “Did they not see the pillar of cloud?” You know, the pillar of cloud that was the manifestation of God among them . . . the pillar of cloud that was evidence of the LORD going before them to lead them along the way . . . the pillar of cloud by day which became a pillar of fire by night so that they could sojourn 24/7 as needed . . . the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night which did not depart from before the people (Ex. 13:21-22). Did they not see the pillar of cloud when they grumbled and complained to Moses?

Or, am I to imagine that they kind of turned their collective backs on the cloud and whispered to Moses, “Psst! Moses! We’re thirsty! What are you going to do about it? What kind of deliverance is this?” Or, did they pull Moses into a tent, away from the cloud, “Hey! . . . You! . . . We’re starving to death! At least when we were in Egypt we sat by meat pots and ate bread to the full . . . sure we were slaves and in bondage and oppressed, but at least when we got home at night, if we could stay awake, we had something to eat. Whaddya’ gonna do about this?!?” Did they not know that God was among them? Did not they not get that He who had arms powerful enough to deliver them from the slavery of Egypt also had ears powerful enough to hear their grumbling? I’m guessing not.

And what really brought this home were a few verses in Exodus 16 this morning:

And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. And the LORD said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'” (Exodus 16:10-12)

They saw the glory of the LORD . . . that is, they looked at the pillar, they were aware of the cloud . . . but they still didn’t know the LORD their God. Though they had seen the deliverance of the LORD when they walked out of Egypt, they didn’t quite get the LORD’s purposes to also deliver them to “a land flowing with milk and honey” (13:5). They were aware of the power . . . but they were dense to His presence. They saw the cloud . . . but didn’t connect it with His care. They had the light of the fire at night . . . but didn’t recognize in it the faithful determination of God to never leave them nor forsake them. And so, they grumbled. They grumbled about bitter water . . . they grumbled about gurgling stomachs . . . they grumbled at Moses . . . they grumbled at Aaron . . . and, though they thought they could hide from the cloud, they, in fact, were grumbling against the LORD (16:8).

They saw the glory of the LORD . . . but they didn’t know the LORD of the glory.

And so the Father, in patient faithfulness says, “I’ll feed you . . . I’ll give you drink . . . then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.”

Oh how, He wants to be known by His people. How He wants to be trusted by those He has redeemed. How he wants us to turn our face to Him in times of struggling and trouble . . . rather turn our backs on Him as we complain and/or try to figure it out on our own . . . somehow thinking He doesn’t hear and doesn’t care.

Oh, to be a people that, having seen the pillar of cloud, recognize the presence of God. Having been faithfully led by Him in the past, look to Him for direction for the future. Having had their greatest need met by Him through deliverance, would turn to Him first for the next need . . . and the next . . . and the next. Oh, that we might see the glory of the LORD and then acknowledge Him, in all our circumstances, as the LORD of the glory. Amen?