19And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night. Exodus 14:19-20 NKJV
I was discussing this passage with someone after the mid-week service and prayer meeting, because I noticed the perceptional oddity in verse 20 a few years ago. My first reading of the Bible was with a KJV and I still prefer the writing style of the NKJV for devotional reading. Checking other translations that i favor, I found that verse 20 is more commonly translated in a more obscure way.
20coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the nighta without one coming near the other all night. ESV
20So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Therefore the one did not approach the other all night. NASB
14:20 and cometh in between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and the cloud and the darkness are, and he enlighteneth the night, and the one hath not drawn near unto the other all the night. Young's literal translation
Since I'm unfamiliar with the original languages, I'm unsure what a proper translation should be, but ignoring the miraculous aspect of the Egyptians facing darkness and cloud, and Israel having their way illuminated, what is the spiritual significance of the verse?
I believe that the difference is one of perception.
Paul wrote about our deliverance from the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light. My own salvation experience is one of going from an inability to fully understand and reconcile scripture to itself, to suddenly seeing spiritual resolution to what I'd previously perceived as contradiction. Confusion, doubt, and darkness turned to understanding, faith, and light.
These were perceptional changes. I could "see" things "differently " than before I received Christ.
Paul expressed this change in perception in an aroma to God:
15For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? 2 Corinthians 2:15
This verse is given from God's perspective but clearly one that Paul shared.
Isaiah expressed the same concept of perception in more cryptic ways:
20Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Isaiah 5:20
Jesus went to the extreme in describing this difference in perception as blindness:
16“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ 17“You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? 18“And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.’ 19“You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? 20“Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. 21“And whoever swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it. 22“And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. Matthew 23:16-22
My point, as I see it, is that among other things, being born again of His Spirit, is a complete change of perspective, from ours to God's.
The Teacher, the indwelling Holy Spirit our natural perspective with His supernatural one.
This may seem purely academic, but when sharing your faith with the unregenerate, you should understand that you have to get past the perspective of their fallen nature. It certainly helps to suspend judgment when you consider that you shared that perspective before receiving Christ.
It also helps to understand God's perspective:
12Even the darkness is not dark to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.
Psalm 139:12
In the depths of our heart, perception is everything.
22“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23“But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!"
Matthew 6:22-23
I was discussing this passage with someone after the mid-week service and prayer meeting, because I noticed the perceptional oddity in verse 20 a few years ago. My first reading of the Bible was with a KJV and I still prefer the writing style of the NKJV for devotional reading. Checking other translations that i favor, I found that verse 20 is more commonly translated in a more obscure way.
20coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the nighta without one coming near the other all night. ESV
20So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Therefore the one did not approach the other all night. NASB
14:20 and cometh in between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and the cloud and the darkness are, and he enlighteneth the night, and the one hath not drawn near unto the other all the night. Young's literal translation
Since I'm unfamiliar with the original languages, I'm unsure what a proper translation should be, but ignoring the miraculous aspect of the Egyptians facing darkness and cloud, and Israel having their way illuminated, what is the spiritual significance of the verse?
I believe that the difference is one of perception.
Paul wrote about our deliverance from the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light. My own salvation experience is one of going from an inability to fully understand and reconcile scripture to itself, to suddenly seeing spiritual resolution to what I'd previously perceived as contradiction. Confusion, doubt, and darkness turned to understanding, faith, and light.
These were perceptional changes. I could "see" things "differently " than before I received Christ.
Paul expressed this change in perception in an aroma to God:
15For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? 2 Corinthians 2:15
This verse is given from God's perspective but clearly one that Paul shared.
Isaiah expressed the same concept of perception in more cryptic ways:
20Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Isaiah 5:20
Jesus went to the extreme in describing this difference in perception as blindness:
16“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ 17“You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? 18“And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.’ 19“You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? 20“Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. 21“And whoever swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it. 22“And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. Matthew 23:16-22
My point, as I see it, is that among other things, being born again of His Spirit, is a complete change of perspective, from ours to God's.
The Teacher, the indwelling Holy Spirit our natural perspective with His supernatural one.
This may seem purely academic, but when sharing your faith with the unregenerate, you should understand that you have to get past the perspective of their fallen nature. It certainly helps to suspend judgment when you consider that you shared that perspective before receiving Christ.
It also helps to understand God's perspective:
12Even the darkness is not dark to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.
Psalm 139:12
In the depths of our heart, perception is everything.
22“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23“But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!"
Matthew 6:22-23
