The Oregon Department of Transportation recently rolled out flashing orange arrows as a new form of traffic signal here in Eugene. Unfortunately, those signals are not accompanied by the helpful sign seen in this photo, which was apparently taken in Pennsylvania. These arrows are supposed to tell us that a turn is allowed but, as the sign in the picture says, to do it cautiously, yielding to oncoming traffic. But with no explanatory sign or other driver education, many folks just don’t get it. I’ve seen a driver sit there waiting, apparently, for a green arrow when a turn was perfectly safe and also seen drivers make the orange arrow turn in the face of oncoming traffic when it wasn’t safe at all.
We hope for clear directions for vehicle drivers, but even more we hope for clear direction through life and in relationship to God. That’s why I chose this week’s sermon text from Numbers 9:15-23. The Israelites in the wilderness were blessed with crystal clear guidance about when to stay and when to move on from each of their encampments. A cloud covered the Tabernacle by day and a pillar of fire by night. When the cloud lifted, it was time to move and the cloud led them to the next spot to camp.
It would sure be nice to have something like that cloud telling us when to stop and when to go as we make various decisions. But it feels like much of the time the Lord leaves us to our own devices and freedom of choice. Sometimes we choose well and sometimes we don’t.
In the New Testament, guidance often appears in the form of the Holy Spirit, as in the Gospel reading for Sunday, the first in Lent, Mark 1:9-15. In verse 12, Jesus is guided, “driven,” by the Spirit out into the wilderness, where He was tempted. But that’s not how it usually is for us, it seems. Most of the time we feel like we’re doing the driving and, if He’s doing anything, the Spirit is making vague suggestions from the back seat.
So I’m honestly not sure yet what this passage from Numbers has to teach us yet, except for the obvious point that the Israelites obeyed the clear direction sent them in the pillars of cloud and fire. Maybe our problem is not that we don’t have enough plain guidance, but that we are not willing to follow it when we get it.