So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud
by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels. Exodus 40:38
If I'm being completely honest, I would love for there to be a cloud by day and a fire by night for me to follow as I pursue God. For all their struggles and wandering, the Israelites were blessed with a visible, tangible reminder that God was with them.
Exodus 40 is all about creating a place for God to dwell with them while they were in the wilderness. The tabernacle, a place divinely orchestrated by God, was a physical location and manifestation of God's glory and His promise to the people. Every piece of the tabernacle had a purpose and reminded Moses and his people of the promises God had already fulfilled and would yet fulfill in their lives.
Wouldn't it be great to have a place where you knew God was dwelling; that a visible cloud showed you when God's presence was near; that God was that close to you? It would be an amazing thing, wouldn't it?
But, at the same time, while the Israelites lived with the presence of God visible to them, but they didn't have the personal relationship we can have with Him. God was near, but He was not accessible to all of them. Priests acted as intercessors between God and His people - there were very few allowed into the depths of the tabernacle to truly experience God.
Because of Jesus, the tabernacle is no longer a physical place; instead it is inside the hearts of all believers. The Holy Spirit comes to live with us, to challenge us, to create a changed life from the inside out. No longer is God's presence visible to us like a cloud and fire, but instead we are God's presence to the world.