Warship of Worship
6 min read
20 Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the LORD’s command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. 21 Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. 22 Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out.
Numbers 9:20-22
I find this to be one of the more interesting passages of Scripture. Maybe one day the Lord will have me preaching on it. Obviously, the LORD is teaching the Israelites about obedience. Go when God says, “Go.” Stay when God says, “Stay.” And so this may be one of the few positive highlights of the Israelites’ experience in the wilderness in terms of their obedience.
But I find this passage to be interesting because some people have a tendency to “settle into” their circumstances. And so, the key lesson I find God teaching us in that regard is to not “settle into” whatever circumstances God has put us into, but rather to be in constant readiness for God’s direction for our lives.
I especially wonder about the Levites who were responsible for the set up, break down, and transportation of the tabernacle. I think for them, especially, they were never in a rush for the Cloud to lift from the tabernacle. And when it did, especially if it happened a day or two or a week after the tabernacle was set up, could they do that work with a proper attitude and a right heart?
On the other hand, some people have a tendency to never “settle into” their circumstances. At the slightest hint of discomfort, they are ready to pack up their tent and move on. It seems like they spend a good portion of their energies looking for a reason to bolt. And if they cannot find a reason, they might end up creating one.
And then, there are some people who just constantly like being on the move. They are not trying to run away from anything, but they just enjoy the busyness of being on the go and “getting things done.”
TBH, I’m like the Levites. Once I am “settled in” somewhere, I want to stay there. And if the “Cloud” lifts, and God moves me on, I find myself in a pretty bad mood, Lord forgive me.
The greater lesson, I think, is that God wants to teach all of us how to be “still.” Stillness, from a biblical perspective, is not being stationary. It’s like being still in a car—or better yet, on a cruise ship. If the ship is docked, we dock. If the ship goes, we go. But if we miss the boat, then we’re left behind. If we try to move at a different pace than the boat, we end up overboard.
Actually, maybe a battleship is a better analogy than a cruise ship. A warship of worship!
Father, You are sovereign over all things, and yet You give us freedom to make choices to move with You or move without You. Forgive me when I make foolish choices to move without You. Give me discernment so that I may stay on Your warship of worship for my own sake and for Your glory. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
