“At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out” (Numbers 9:23, ESV).
After their escape from Egyptian slavery, the Israelites constructed a transportable tabernacle to worship God during their Sinai wilderness wanderings. God demonstrated His presence among them by covering the tabernacle with a cloud by day and the appearance of fire by night.
The cloud and appearance of fire indicated the presence of God’s Spirit with His chosen people.
Whenever the cloud lifted over the great tent, the Israelites would set out and continue on their journey and then encamp in the place where the cloud would settle. They might set up camp for for a few days, a month and even longer when the cloud settled over the tabernacle (Numbers 9:22). Undoubtedly, it was quite a feat to disassemble and reassemble the tabernacle when the cloud lifted (see Numbers 1:50–52; 3–4).
God leads His people by setting and revealing a path for each believer’s life. This verse indicates that there are two important aspects to God’s guidance: stopping and going. Stopping means remaining and waiting on God to lead and going means moving forward when He leads in a new direction.