A Pillar Of Smoke, A Pillar Of Fire Poem by Steven Reeve

A pillar of smoke by day,
A pillar of fire by night,
Before his people,
The Mighty One led the way.

From slavery they had come,
To fulfil a promise of freedom,
Four hundred years in a foreign land,
Onwards to a land they could call their own.

Within their camps there was no joy,
A hankering for things that were,
The human condition,
Taking the Mighty one for granted.

Complaints and groans,
Why, oh why did we leave?
Meat and wine,
We had our fill.

A pillar of smoke by day,
A pillar of fire by night,
Before His people,
The Loving One led the way.

The holy manna fell down,
As sweet as the morning dew,
And as Moses struck the rock,
From within came a life giving stream.

Complaints and groans,
Why, oh why did we leave?
Here in this insufferable heat,
Back there we had homes.

Up to the holy mountain, Moses did climb,
There to receive life’s guide,
Then a descent into horror,
How quickly the people fell.

A pillar of smoke by day,
A pillar of fire by night,
Before His people,
The Wonderful One led the way.

Into the holy land,
Flowing with milk and honey,
The spies were sent,
Joshua and Caleb ignored.

Punishment fell,
Forty years you shall wander,
The complainers shall not enter,
The Lord of Heavens armies had spoken.

Years came and years went,
Like gold in a furnace,
The children were purified,
Now they were ready.

A pillar of smoke by day,
A pillar of fire by night,
Before His people,
The Gracious One led the way.

Take this land,
I give it unto you,
And unto your descendants,
For evermore.

Follow me,
We shall be husband and wife,
Moreover, peace and prosperity you shall know,
This is my covenant with you.

Follow not the gods of this land,
For it is I who brought you out of bondage,
It is I who brought you home,
To my own land.

A pillar of smoke by day,
A pillar of fire by night,
Before His people,
The Holy One led the way