What was the pillar of cloud and fire, and what did it do for Israel?
The pillar of cloud and fire was the supernatural presence of Jehovah, God the Son in His Old Testament personality—not a volcano. By day the cloud led Israel and shaded them from the Mideast sun; by night it became fire to give light, guiding their movements and resting over the Holy of Holies.
Les explains that the pillar of cloud and fire was not a natural volcanic phenomenon, as some historians conjecture, but a supernatural cloud that was the very presence of Jehovah. By day it gave Israel shade from the Mideast sun, and by night it became a pillar of fire that gave them light to carry on their activities. Scripture makes plain that this cloud was Christ, Jehovah, God the Son in His Old Testament personality. Later, when the tabernacle was completed, the cloud set over the Holy of Holies and became the guiding light of Israel. When it was time for Israel to move and camp elsewhere, the cloud lifted up and moved; when it stopped, they set the tabernacle so the Holy of Holies was under the cloud. The cloud was not an accident but the absolute presence of God. Les also marvels that the Jews, seeing that cloud every day and fire at night, could still be so disobedient and prone to sin, then applies it to the present: we are no different and have just as much evidence of the power of God.