In ancient times armies traveled mostly by foot, horse, camel or cart. People involved in foreign trade many times traveled together in caravans by the same ways. If the army or caravan was large, the group could be spread out in a long line. It would make it difficult for those in the back of the group to know where the leader was or in what direction the group was headed.
In many cultures, it was traditional for some in the front of the procession to carry a signal device. This was a small iron vessel attached to the top of a long pole. Wood fires would burn in the iron vessel. By day, those in the back would be able to see the smoke from the fire and know where the leaders were. At night they would be able to see the light from the flames.
In some ancient cultures, there was even a religious significance to these devices. The Persians carried small silver altars with fire burning in them at the front of their army. The fire was sacred and indicated eternality of their gods and leader. As long as the fire burned, the army was guided by the gods.
In Exodus 13: 21-22, we read, “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.”
God, himself, guided the Israelites. He did so with a cloud by day and a fire pillar by night. He never left them. The Israelites knew that God was with them. They could always see the cloud and the fire. When you understand that there may have been close to 2.5 million people in the multitude that left Egypt, it is easy to see that those in the back would wonder where they were going and where the leaders were. This was not just a small little cloud and a small little fire. The cloud and fire were big enough that everyone could see them. There are estimates that when the Israelites pitched camp at a place that their camp was forty square miles. An adult can help you understand just how large an area that is.
I am glad that God loved man enough to do the many wonderful things he did throughout history. I am glad that he can be seen by any of those who desire to follow him. Today he guides us through the Bible. All we have to do is read and study it to find out where he wants us to go. Of course, this is a spiritual guidance. He is not guiding us to a place on earth. Instead, he is guiding us to heaven.
Keep reading your Bible. Find out how to get to heaven. And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
