“Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey. At the command of the LORD they remained encamped, and at the command of the LORD they journeyed; they kept the charge of the LORD, at the command of the LORD by the hand of Moses.” Numbers 9:22-23

Lessons From a Nomad

Part 1

Imagine this: You have joined a large group of people who are going to walk some distance—just how far, you have not been told. All you know is that you are headed for a lovely, life-changing place, well worth the walk. Even though you feel uncertain about this whole adventure, you know that staying behind is not an option, because you are leaving a life of strenuous and demanding slavery.

The leaders tell you to pack only what you need. You protest that this bit of information isn’t helpful. How long will you be gone? What will you eat and drink? There seem to be no answers. You load what you can on your pack animals, round up the childen, and set out.

It turns out to be a long, long journey—40 years long. It is so long that the children grow up, marry, and have children and even grandchildren of their own. Anyone not in the original group that set out have no sense of any different lifestyle. All they know is this traveling around, seeming to get nowhere—a nomad’s life.

Oh, there are breaks in the tedious walking. Sometimes the breaks are a day or two, sometimes a month, and occasionally even a year. During these breaks, you have a chance to rest, to repair your worn-out clothing and tents, and to celebrate togetherness and friendships, holy days and feasts.

The thing about being a nomad is that the leader of the group gets to decide when you move on again. For the Israelites who were traveling to a new land, the leader was God Almighty. He led them by a cloud of His presence during the day, and by a fire of His presence at night. They always knew whether to stay or to leave. They always knew what God wanted them to do. But they never knew it ahead of time—only according to God’s moment by moment leading.

This is the first lesson we can learn: Being a nomad was a life of obedience. Go. Stay. Set it all up. Take it all down. It didn’t matter whether they agreed or not, whether they felt like it or not, whether they were allowed to get comfortable or were forever starting over.

We, too, are sojourners—travelers, wanderers—in this life. “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims…” (1 Peter 2:11a).  We can glean many insights into how we should live by looking at the nomadic lifestestyle. For the next two days, we will be doing just that.

“Father, give us insight for our own lives. Help us to live in obedience to Your direction. Amen.”