The people could not see through the pillar of cloud. The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way." (Ex. Additionally, it served to teach them that God would lead them by a way that they did not know. The cloudy pillar shielded God's people from the blistering sun, as well as kept them hidden from the sight of their enemies.
It is a symbol of his presence and protection. By this theophany the Lord was promising his people that he would be with them. When the Lord brought his people out of Egypt in the Exodus, he led them out and through the wilderness for 40 years by means of the pillar of cloud. God led his people out of Egypt and through the wilderness by means of the pillar of cloud. "It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." (Gen. How fitting then, when God promises to give mercy from his covenant throne, that he puts his bow in the clouds, as if to say, "From my majestic and transcendent throne, I will bring my mercy down to you." The Lord promised in the Noahic covenant, The apostle John tells us that there is a rainbow around the throne of Christ (Rev. They reflect both the transcendent glory of the Lord and His imminent approach to us. Clouds are those created symbols of transcendence and imminence.
No sooner had Noah and his family stepped off of the Ark than the Lord placed his bow in the clouds-a sacramental reminder of the covenant mercy that he was promising in preparation for the coming Redeemer. The first place where clouds play a prominent role in redemptive history is in the flood narrative. God placed his bow in the clouds after Noah and his family stepped off the ark. This is one of those biblical-theological themes that has not often been given due consideration. Surprisingly, the Scriptures have much to teach, by way of illustration or allusion, about the symbolic and redemptive-historical significance of clouds. The Scriptures everywhere utilize the imagery of clouds to signal the immediate presence of God in time and space. However, Scripture encourages us to view the clouds in such a way as to think of the glory and presence of God. We tend to speak of the beauty of any given day in relation to how much of the sun and sky we are able to see. Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.Įveryone loves a sunny day, and everyone hates a cloudy day, right? After all, we have a singular medical classification for the negative effects of cloudy days on the human psyche.