Read Numbers 10
The Silver Trumpets
10 The Lord said to Moses: 2 “Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out. 3 When both are sounded, the whole community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 4 If only one is sounded, the leaders—the heads of the clans of Israel—are to assemble before you.5 When a trumpet blast is sounded, the tribes camping on the east are to set out. 6 At the sounding of a second blast, the camps on the south are to set out. The blast will be the signal for setting out. 7 To gather the assembly, blow the trumpets, but not with the signal for setting out.
8 “The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the trumpets. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come. 9 When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies. 10 Also at your times of rejoicing—your appointed festivals and New Moon feasts—you are to sound the trumpetsover your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the Lord your God.”
The Israelites Leave Sinai
11 On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle of the covenant law. 12 Then the Israelites set out from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the cloud came to rest in the Desert of Paran. 13 They set out, this first time, at the Lord’s command through Moses.
14 The divisions of the camp of Judah went first, under their standard.Nahshon son of Amminadab was in command. 15 Nethanel son of Zuar was over the division of the tribe of Issachar, 16 and Eliab son of Helon was over the division of the tribe of Zebulun. 17 Then the tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and Merarites, who carried it, set out.
18 The divisions of the camp of Reuben went next, under their standard.Elizur son of Shedeur was in command. 19 Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of the tribe of Simeon, 20 and Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of Gad. 21 Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things. The tabernacle was to be set up before they arrived.
22 The divisions of the camp of Ephraim went next, under their standard. Elishama son of Ammihud was in command. 23 Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of Manasseh, 24 and Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of Benjamin.
25 Finally, as the rear guard for all the units, the divisions of the camp of Dan set out under their standard. Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was in command.26 Pagiel son of Okran was over the division of the tribe of Asher, 27 and Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of Naphtali. 28 This was the order of march for the Israelite divisions as they set out.
29 Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place about which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will treat you well, for the Lord has promised good things to Israel.”
30 He answered, “No, I will not go; I am going back to my own land and my own people.”
31 But Moses said, “Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes. 32 If you come with us, we will share with you whatever good things the Lord gives us.”
33 So they set out from the mountain of the Lord and traveled for three days. The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them during those three days to find them a place to rest. 34 The cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp.
35 Whenever the ark set out, Moses said,
“Rise up, Lord!
May your enemies be scattered;
may your foes flee before you.”
36 Whenever it came to rest, he said,
“Return, Lord,
to the countless thousands of Israel.”
Go Deeper
After the Israelites left Egypt during the exodus, they arrived at Mt. Sinai. From the time they first arrived in Exodus 19 to the beginning of this chapter, about 12 months had passed. The Israelites were all gathered together. Some estimates go as high as 2.5 million people (plus their animals), all waiting for their next move. Now, it was time to head towards the land that God had told them about. They were headed to Canaan–the promised land! At the sound of blowing trumpets, the nation was to gather and proceed together. No longer was this the rag-tag group that left Egypt in a hurry a year before, but instead a well organized nation moving towards their next home.
There are several interesting observations from this chapter. One is the symbolic nature of the ark of the covenant being carried in front of the mass of Israelites as they walked (v. 33). As the cloud hovered over the ark, the rest of the Israelites followed along. Too often we think so highly of ourselves and want to be self-sufficient, making our own plans and decisions and choosing our destination. The Israelites, however, paint a picture for us in this chapter of how to follow wherever God is leading. In this case, they followed His presence into the Desert of Paran. As long as they were following God’s direction, they were under God’s protection.
Another observation from the text is the leadership of Moses as he guides the Israelites. First, we see a flashback to him inviting his brother-in-law to be part of the journey, serving as some kind of a guide for the terrain (v. 29-32). While they were obviously following Yahweh’s direction, Moses bringing Hobab along to assist in the finding of food, water, and other resources shows a picture of what partnership with God looks like. When submitted to the Spirit of God, He uses people to accomplish His means here on earth. In this instance, it meant using His people to guide Israel to the promised land.
We also see Moses interceding in prayer for those following him. We can’t overlook the spiritual leadership and burden Moses felt for the people following him. He would pray for them as they started moving, and also when they stopped (v. 35-36). Let this serve as a reminder today of the importance of stopping to pray and seeking the Lord’s face in all that we do.
Questions
- What most stuck out to you as you read through this passage for the first time? Why?
- What work could God be inviting you to be part of today?
- Who can you intercede in prayer for today? Set aside some intentional time to pray for whoever God places on your heart.
A Quote
Charles Spurgeon, the famous British preacher and revivalist, once said this about the prayer of Moses towards the end of this chapter:
“Will you and I go home and pray this prayer by ourselves, fervently laying hold upon the horns of God’s altar? I charge you, my brethren in Christ, do not neglect this private duty. Go, each of you, to your chambers; shut to your doors; cry to him who hears in secret, and let this be the burden of your cry – ‘Rise up, Lord; and let thine enemies be scattered.’”
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8 thoughts on “Numbers 10”
What sight this mighty band of travelers must have been as they journeyed onward to the promised land! Following God’s specific orders, beginning with trumpet blasts, they uprooted and followed the tabernacle, a tangible sign of God’s presence. God was with them and guided them through uncharted territory.
I did a cross reference for tabernacle and discovered two amazing verses in scripture:
John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory, glory as of an only begotten from the Father, full of grace and of truth.”
Rev. 21:3 declares, “ And I heard a great voice out of Heaven, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them; and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them and be their God.”
These are beautiful, life-changing truths that assure us that God so desired to be with us that he sacrificed his Son, so that we could experience his presence forever and ever inside our hearts. We are privileged to be his people both now and all eternity.
These verses are beautiful reminders of His amazing love, sacrifice, and gracious gift to us. Thank you for sharing.
Indeed we are! 🙌
I appreciate reading your comments xx
I have heard all the typical Bible stories about Moses but wow what a place of leadership he was in. 2.5 million people to lead and be organized with, BUT GOD did His work because Moses was obedient and followed God. Many people want to be in leadership, that is good, we need y’all. This was just the getting ready portion for Moses, now things were organized. God calls them to move and keep this group all together and organized wow! Moses prayed and prayed some more, had his trusted group of men to help him with all this and listened to God. Sounds like life. We all have details that need to be taken care of, so when/since we have God in Christ in us then we can pray, listen to the Holy Spirits guidance, read the Word see what directions lie in there and use our spiritual mentors aka life groups (hopefully) to also speak into our lives and traverse this wilderness called today. Each day as we continue reading we will see their faith stretched and hopefully ours will too.
God thank You for opening my eyes of understanding to more of what Your Word has to teach me. Thank You for me giving You thanks. Thanks to the LORD, for You are good; for Your steadfast love endures forever! Let Israel say, “Your steadfast love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say, Your steadfast love endures forever.” Let those who fear the LORD say, “Your steadfast love endures forever.”(Psalm 118:1-4) You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. Oh I will give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever! (Psalm 118:28-29) God thank You for the minutes of this day that I see people through Your love goggles and say things through a filter of You. God I give You praise, honor, glory and my love for these moments in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!
A “road trip” with 2.5 million people . . . what could go wrong?!
No wonder God needed to provide them with such specific organizational details!
Exactly.
I went to summer camp where the entire day was marked by bugles. We had bugles for everything. Bugles to wake us up, bugles to tell us when to go to bed, and bugles for virtually every activity in between. My personal favorite was “Soupy” — that meant it was time to eat!
Bugles all day, every day, all summer long. Just out of curiosity, I added them up once. I figure in all my years at camp I heard somewhere between 2,000-3,000 bugle calls. (And I wondered why I came home to hear them in my sleep!)
Still, there’s something special about having such a clearly marked routine. At the sound of each call, we campers always knew where to go and what do next.
But now I am far beyond those well-ordered days of camp and school, bugles and bells. I have tremendous autonomy in my days … and while I enjoy the freedom, I sure do miss that clear sense of “where to go and what to do next.”
What, I wonder, would it take to hear God’s call as clearly as the Israelites did? Here are some thoughts:
• LISTEN. “Before we can obey God, we must first give Him our attention” (Guzik).
• LEARN. Trumpet (bugle) calls have different sounds with different meaning. So we, too must know what God’s call sounds like and what it means.
• Let the Lord LEAD. No call is complete until it calls us to action, that is, to follow God.
Lastly, it bears noting the Israelites’ marching formation was intentionally designed by God. It kept the Kohathites — bearers of the sacred objects of the Tabernacle — as surrounded and protected as possible (The Bible Recap, Day 58). https://youtu.be/E_wLePwUcnw?si=cLcP8q6eVYsOZ_ir
So, too, we should go out as God directs. His plans and purposes are perfect.
Additional note:
Enduring Word offers additional, rich commentary on this passage. I particularly loved this insight:
“This was the first time Israel marched as an organized, prepared nation. They were not the same group that escaped Egypt as a mob. They had been fully prepared to walk as people suited to God’s Promised Land, and the preparation work was focused on this exact point: bringing them to Canaan. [This] preparation was exactly that – preparation. Ahead of them were the greatest challenges, challenges that could only be met by faith.”
Read the entire commentary at https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/numbers-10/
M
Reading these verses about the Israelites heading out following God’s command through Moses sparks a memory from my youth. Growing up, we recited “The Pledge of Allegiance” in school. When I spoke the words “one nation under God”, I always felt the protection and presence of God. This brought me to tears in adoration of my Father. It was then and it is now that we are navigating unchartered territory, but God has given us direction and protection if we remain steadfast in Him. I agree with Ella, that it is a privilege to be His people now and for all eternity.