Our Journey With God

Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. I Corinthians 10:1-4 (KJV)

This passage references Israel’s journey with God through the wilderness, and it points to the steps in our journey with God. Let’s do a brief study on this.

1. Passover. Passover was the first step for Israel, as they partook of the lamb and applied the lamb’s blood to be saved. Jesus is our Passover Lamb (John 1:29, I Corinthians 5:7). As we accept His sacrifice for our redemption and apply His blood to our lives, we are saved; saved from sin, death, hell, sickness, poverty, etc. Communion reminds us of this (John 6:53-56).

2. Baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. All of Israel submitted to Moses. We submit to Jesus’ lordship. The cloud speaks of God’s presence and guidance. As the Holy Spirit guided Jesus, He also will guide us. Our job is to follow Him. Passing through the sea speaks of our water baptism. Jesus was water baptized (Matthew 3:16), and we are to follow His example (Acts 22:16). Baptisim is our means of identifying with Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection. We are dead to sin, buried to our old sinful life, and resurrected to newness of life in Christ (Romans 6:3-4).

3. Spiritual meat. The Israelites ate manna from heaven, which we could refer to as spiritual food. Jesus Christ is the Bread come down from heaven (John 6:30-35). According to Matthew 4:4, God’s Word is our daily bread. According to John 1:1-3,14, Jesus Christ is the Word. When we spend time in the Word, we spend time with Christ and eat of the Bread of Life. This is to be our spiritual meat every day.

4. Spiritual drink. God gave the Israelites water out of a rock (Exodus 17:1-7). Jesus, as the Rock, gives us water. As they struck the rock, Jesus was struck by death (Isaiah 53:5) to give us living water to drink (John 7:38). We can drink daily by God’s Word and His Spirit. We eat the Word and drink the Spirit.

5. Fire upon the tabernacle. In Exodus 40, we are told that a cloud of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night was upon the tabernacle during Israel’s wilderness journey (Exodus 13:22). The fire speaks of the Holy Spirit’s baptism and baptism of fire (Matthew 3:11). The Holy Spirit fills us and gives us power to be and do all God wants us to (Acts 1:8, Acts 2:1-4) We pray in tongues to stay on fire for God and to walk in power.

6. Following the cloud and fire. The cloud and fire served to lead Israel and dictated when they would move and when they would stay put (Exodus 40:34-38). We are to follow God where He leads us (Romans 8:14). He knows where we must go to become who He wants us to become and to possess what He has for us. Jesus Himself told the disciples to follow Him and He would make them fishers of men. According to John 1;14, Jesus tabernacled among us (John 1:14). Jesus followed the Father in every detail. The church is God’s tabernacle (I Corinthians 3:16) and the fire of the Holy Spirit is to be upon us and is to lead us. Pater talked of his body as a tabernacle (II Peter 1:14), meaning we are to carry God’s presence and power wherever we go.

The example of how God led and provided for the nation of Israel in the wilderness is a clear picture of how He expects us to rely on Him now for salvation, provision, guidance, and power. Walking with God is an exciting journey. Go on with God, my friends, and enjoy your journey!