The Passover and the Pillar of Cloud Directing the Movements of the Israelites

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 9:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, (2) "Let the children of Israel also keep the Passover at its appointed time."

I am supposedly doing a chronological Bible study, one that was suggested by Skip Andrews found here.  However, this taking place in the first month of the second year after they had come out of Egypt, was actually prior to the numbering that took place in Numbers 1 which was on the first day of the second month (Num. 1:1).  Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, explained it this way:  "It is...recorded here as introductory to the ordinance of Num. 9:6-14 in this chapter respecting the supplementary Passover; the observance of which was one of the last occurrences during the halt at Sinai."  The Lord spoke to Moses telling him the children of Israel were to keep the Passover at its appointed time as follows:

(3) "In the fourteenth day of this month, at evening, you shall keep it at its appointed time; and according to all its ceremonies you shall keep it.”

The fourteenth day of this first month, Abib or Nissan (corresponding to our March or April), at evening, which was when the Hebrew day started, they were to keep the Passover according to all its ceremonies which had been previously described in Exodus 12.

(4) And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, that they should keep the Passover.

Moses told the children of Israel what the Lord had told him about them keeping the Passover at its appointed time.

(5) And they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at evening in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did.

The Israelites kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at evening, just as the Lord had commanded Moses that they do.  As far as keeping all its ceremonies (v. 3 above), some details would necessarily differ from the first Passover, like putting the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts, which was not only impossible since they were living in tents, but also unnecessary since they were not in Egypt and no longer had to be identified and "passed over" during the killing of all the firstborn in Egypt.  However, the people had been instructed to keep that day as a memorial and keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout their generations (Exodus 12:14).

(6) And there were certain men who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the Passover on that day; and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day.

There were certain men who could not keep the Passover on that day because they had been defiled by a dead body.  The people had been told previously in Numbers 5:2 to separate those who had been defiled by the dead from the camp.  Albert Barnes suggested that these men were probably Mishael and Elzaphan, who buried Nadab and Abihu within a week of this Passover.  Moses was the one who had instructed these men to carry their brethren out of the camp (Lev. 10:4), so it was certainly through no fault of their own that they could not keep the Passover.  Therefore they brought their case to Moses and Aaron.

(7) And those men said to him, “We are defiled by the dead body of a man; why are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in its appointed time among the children of Israel?"

The men explained to Moses that they had been defiled by a dead body, and seemed to lament the fact that they would not be able to participate in the Lord's Passover at its appointed time.

(8) And Moses said to them, “Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you."

Moses told the men to wait there while he consulted the Lord about what He would have these men do.

(9) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (10) “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If any man of you or of your posterity is unclean because of a dead body, or is on a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the Passover to the LORD.'"

The Lord told Moses to tell the children of Israel that if any of them at that time and in their future generations became unclean because of a dead body, or found themselves on a journey far away, they would still be able to keep the Passover to the Lord.

(11) "'The fourteenth day of the second month at evening they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.'"

They would be allowed to keep the Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month, that is Iyar, corresponding to our April or May.  That gave them an entire month to cleanse themselves if they were defiled or to return home and prepare for the Passover, which was never to be omitted.  The Passover lamb was to be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs as instructed in Exodus 12:8.

(12) "‘They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break any bone of it; according to all the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it.'"

None of the flesh of the Passover lamb was to be left until morning, but any that was left was to be burnt with fire (Ex. 12:10), nor was any bone of the lamb to be broken (Ex. 12:46).  The people were to observe the same ordinances of the Passover as if they had kept it on its appointed day.

(13) "‘But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and fails to keep the Passover, that same person shall be cut off from among his people; because he did not bring the offering of the LORD at its appointed time, that man shall bear his sin.'"

However, if a person was not defiled and was not on a journey afar off, but just neglected to keep the Passover for whatsoever petty reason, that person was to be cut off from among his people, which meant either excommunication or even death by the immediate hand of God.  Because that man had broken a divine law of God and had shown negligence and ingratitude to his Lord, he would certainly bear his sin in this affront to God.

(14) "'And if a stranger shall sojourn among you and will keep the Passover to the LORD, according to the ordinance of the Passover and according to its manner, so shall he do; you shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger and for him that was born in the land.'"

If a stranger was visiting and wished to participate in the Passover, he could, as long as he had been circumcised, according to earlier instructions in Exodus 12:48:  "And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land; for no uncircumcised person shall eat of it."  If the stranger was circumcised and wished to participate in the Passover, he may, but he must observe the law of the Passover just as a child of Israel must.

(15) And on the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony; and at evening there was above the tabernacle like the appearance of fire, until the morning.

On the day that the tabernacle was raised up, which was the first day of the first month in the second year after the people came out of Egypt (Exodus 40:2), the pillar of cloud in which the presence of the Lord manifested itself (Exodus 13:21), covered the tabernacle, more specifically that part that covered the Ark of the Testimony.  Through the night the cloud looked like a pillar of fire.

(16) So it was always; the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.

So it was that the Lord was with them always; the cloud covered the tent of the testimony by day, and the appearance of fire covered it by night.  The King James translators supplied the words "by day"; they were not in the original text.  Even commentators agree the words were necessarily applied.  However, I see the meaning clearly without those words.  Those words make it sound as if the cloud took on two different forms, one as a cloud during the day and one as a pillar of fire during the night.  I see the meaning as the cloud covered it always and that same cloud had the appearance of fire at night.

(17) And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel pitched their tents.

We learned in earlier scriptures that the cloud was with them always guiding them on their journey (Exodus 13:21-22), but when the tabernacle had been raised, the cloud covered the tent and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34).  When the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, as that pillar of cloud probably visible to all the camp, then the children of Israel journeyed with the pillar of cloud guiding them.  When the cloud settled back down, there the Israelites pitched their tents.

(18) At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched; as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents.

It's not that the Lord audibly commanded they journey, but by the motion of the cloud, He directed them to move or camp.  As long as the cloud abode over the tabernacle, the people rested in their tents.

(19) And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and did not journey.

Even if the cloud remained over the tabernacle many days, the children of Israel obeyed the Lord's command and did not journey.

(20) And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed.

That was the way it was for the people when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle.  According to the commandment of the Lord through the motion of the cloud, they either abode in their tents or journeyed.

(21) And so it was, when the cloud abode from evening until the morning, and the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed; whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed.

Likewise, that was the way it was for them if the cloud rested over the tabernacle only one night.  Whenever the cloud was taken up, whether day or night, they journeyed.

(22) Or whether it was two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining on it, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not; but when it was taken up, they journeyed.

Even if it was more than a few days, if it was a month or a year that the cloud remained on the tabernacle, the children of Israel resided in their tents and did not journey.  At the time it was taken up, whenever that was, they journeyed.

(23) At the commandment of the LORD they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed; they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

Once again, the commandment was made visible to the people by the motion of the cloud, and they obeyed and rested in their tents, or they obeyed and journeyed, according to the commandment of the Lord that had been explained to Moses.

There are many lessons to be learned in this pillar of cloud.  The people never knew when the cloud would move.  They had to be always ready to move, but then again, they could be waiting days, weeks, or months.  Is that not the way it is for us?  We have no idea what the future holds and our best laid plans can be wiped away in an instant:  "Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14).  Also there is a time when we should rest and wait on the Lord:  "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him..." (Psalm 37:7a).  As Matthew Henry stated in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, "There is no time lost while we are waiting God's time. It is as acceptable a piece of submission to the will of God to sit still contentedly when our lot requires it as to work for him when we are called to it."  When we get busy and try to fix things ourselves, we can often screw it up, or at the very least, we won't have God's best for us!  Think of Sarah deciding it must be up to her to "help" God when she gave Abraham her hand maiden Hagar to have a child for him.  God still gave Sarah a child, but there was much strife in her life caused by Hagar and her child, all because Sarah jumped in to "do something" before God's timing. 

Note how many times it was stated that the people obeyed the commandment of the Lord in the cloud.  It must be very important and I believe, for our instruction, as "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).  How important it is for us to be with God at all times!  We must follow the direction of His word and Spirit; "all the motions of our souls must be guided by the divine will" (Matthew Henry).  "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:6).  How wonderful the care God has for His people!  Although we don't visually see His constant presence in a cloud, He gave us His Holy Spirit to guide us:  “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth..." (John 16:13a).  "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD..." (Psalm 37:23a).