Numbers 10

Number_10
3/22/09

Number_10 Final preparation and the journey begins.
I. Trumpets for communication
Numbers 10:1-2 (NKJV)
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
2 “Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work; you shall use them for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps.
A. Make two trumpets:
1. These were not like the shofar or sliver trumpets that are similar to a coronet, but long silver tubes flared at the end, much like the horns used to herald a king.
a. They were made out of silver, which speaks of redemption and blood, we learned this in our study of Exodus.
2. Use them for:
a. Calling the congregation/assembly together
b. Directing the movement of the camps.
B. When the trumpets are blown as a call to the people we read
Numbers 10:3-4 (NKJV)
3 When they blow both of them, all the congregation shall gather before you at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
4 But if they blow only one, then the leaders, the heads of the divisions of Israel, shall gather to you.
1. When both trumpets are blown the whole congregation was to gather together at the door of the Tabernacle of meeting.
a. They were to assemble themselves together in the place where God's presence dwelt among them.
(1) It was the place where God meets with men.
2. It was both an invitation and a command.
a. There were two trumpets made and to gather the whole congregation both trumpets were sounded at one time.
(1) Two is the number of witness and by application on the one hand we can think of the trumpets as the gospel.
(a) There are two aspects to the gospel.
i) First the gospel is the message that Christ died, was buried, and rose again the third day in order to redeem men who would by faith trust Him for redemption and eternal life.

ii) Secondly it is a message to be communicated, and invitation to be sounded.
(1) And they made two trumpets and both trumpets were blown to call the people together, we might say the message was sounded with everything they had and so should we sound the message of the gospel with all we have.
(2) And so we see that to be called to the place where God meets with men is an invitation, it represents a wonderful opportunity and a special privilege.
b. But for those people who were identified with God it was more than an invitation it was a command.
(1) As we consider ourselves part of the church NT believers who are a part of the New Covenant we need to come together, and there is a sense of command to it, not a sense of legalism but of practical need and desire.
Hebrews 10:23-25 (NKJV)
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
(a) Regular attendance at church should be a priority with us, missing service ought to be an exception not the rule, because we love each other and want to stir each other up in the things of God.
c. Jesus Christ is the meeting place between men and God, and when we are in Christ we are a part of His body, thus we are a people motivated and directed by the Gospel.
3. Note that when only one trumpet was sounded then only the leaders were gathered together and it would seem they were gathered to Moses not necessarily the tent of meeting.
a. There are things that are to be discussed only amongst the leaders (church business involves things we don't consider often)...
(1) Investigation into problems...
(a) Reports of sin
(b) Reports of problems
(c) Reputations discussed
(d) Just because you hear them doesn't mean you believe them
(e) We should however not repeat a matter...
b. Peoples time is valuable and we ought not waste it...
C. Also the trumpets were to be sounded in order to direct the movement of the camps, that is sounding the advance, which was different than the blast which called them together.
Numbers 10:5-8 (NKJV)
5 When you sound the advance, the camps that lie on the east side shall then begin their journey.
6 When you sound the advance the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall begin their journey; they shall sound the call for them to begin their journeys.
7 And when the assembly is to be gathered together, you shall blow, but not sound the advance.
8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and these shall be to you as an ordinance forever throughout your generations.
1. When you sound the advance:
a. The tribes on the east were to set out and start the journey.
b. When the advance was sounded the second time then the tribes camped to the south were to set out.
2. As the signals to advance were sounded each tribe set out in the predetermined order as we have already studied.
a. The command was initiated by God, as we have been told and as we shall see when the cloud representing the presence and glory of God moved from over the tabernacle they knew it was time to move.
b. It was the responsibility of the priests to sound the trumpets, and so we see the directions given to them though initiated by God involved human agency.
(1) God uses men in ministry as a part of His communication and direction...
(2) Required listening and paying attention.
(3) There was a distinct sound that could be differentiated from other signals.
(4) Today I watch people leave the church and they say that God is leading them.
(a) We will see in the “order of march” that God is typically very definite and organized in how or when we are to set out.
i) What I have observed is that most people leave because they are redirected by there own discontent and complaining, as we will see this becomes a main issue in the coming chapters
(b) So when leaving involves someone’s own idea w/o confirmation among human agency particularly within the leaders God has raised up, things are suspicious.
(c) When leaving causes confusion or leaves uncovered gaps, it is suspect.
(d) When it is unannounced or done with malice, deceit, or what we might say is the absence of light, it is the flesh and not God.
(e) When people leave there ought to be a sense of sending and excitement at what God is doing.
3. This phrase "these shall be to you as an ordinance forever throughout your generations" suggests to me that there are eternal or kingdom of God principals involved here.
D. Other reasons for sounding the trumpets
Numbers 10:9-10 (NKJV)
9 “When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the Lord your God, and you will be saved from your enemies.
10 Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am the Lord your God.”
1. When you go to war sound an alarm with these trumpets.
a. And as a result God promises to act on their behalf and save them for their enemies.
(1) What a wonderful promise to be reminded of,
(a) We need to learn to sound the trumpet in time of battle, not always an easy thing to do.
(b) Sometimes we lose battles so that God can give us victory in the greater war (the eternal battle)
i) In the book of Joshua the battle of Ai might be an example of this.
2. Also these trumpets were to be sounded to announce their gladness, sounded in their celebrations, and in proclamation of their worship of God.
a. Contained in this is the idea of Joy, Exuberance, and Celebration.
b. But also there is a sense of solemnity that sometimes needs to be associated in these things.
c. Always there should be a sense of reverence, the idea of special should come through the proclamations and celebrations.
d. When temple worship was restored under Hezekiah, we read of the trumpets being used.
2 Chronicles 29:25-30 (NKJV)
25 And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with stringed instruments, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, of Gad the king’s seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for thus was the commandment of the Lord by his prophets.
26 The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.
27 Then Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord also began, with the trumpets and with the instruments of David king of Israel.
28 So all the assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.
29 And when they had finished offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed and worshiped.
30 Moreover King Hezekiah and the leaders commanded the Levites to sing praise to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped.
E. In these ten verses a key lesson for us is the need to communicate;
a. In a sense not only can we see the need to communicate the Gospel, and the trumpets not only represent the Gospel of Christ to us,
b. But they represent prayer, communication between men and God, we sound the alarm, we express thanksgiving and worship, we make petition for others.
II. So with this final preparation, the time of preparation come to an end and the time to journey begins.
A. Some of the preparation we have seen:
1. They were cleansed and purified, set apart from sin, and set apart to God.
2. With that came acceptance and blessing.
3. They were taught to give and assigned responsibilities
4. They were given a powerful reminder of that they were a redeemed people
5. And most importantly they were given God's presence of God to go with them, to guide them, to provide for them, and to protect them.
B. So the journey begins.
Numbers 10:11-13 (NKJV)
11 Now it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony.
12 And the children of Israel set out from the Wilderness of Sinai on their journeys; then the cloud settled down in the Wilderness of Paran.
13 So they started out for the first time according to the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

1. So on the twentieth day of the second month of the second year after they came out of Egypt the cloud is lifted and they set out on the first leg of their journey toward the Promised Land.
a. Remember the time to depart was initiated by God, but then the leaders were to recognize it and signal it.
c. Verse-12 is a summary statement the first destination was the Wilderness of Paran, but that was not the first stop, it was probably a three-day journey with several stops in between.

Numbers 11:35 (NKJV)
35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people moved to Hazeroth, and camped at Hazeroth.

Numbers 12:16 (NKJV)
16 And afterward the people moved from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.

(1) So they were departing on the first leg of their journey.
2. The order of their march
Numbers 10:14-28 (NKJV)
14 The standard of the camp of the children of Judah set out first according to their armies; over their army was Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
15 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar.
16 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.
17 Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set out, carrying the tabernacle.
18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben set out according to their armies; over their army was Elizur the son of Shedeur.
19 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
20 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
21 Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things. (The tabernacle would be prepared for their arrival.)
22 And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set out according to their armies; over their army was Elishama the son of Ammihud.
23 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
24 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni.
25 Then the standard of the camp of the children of Dan (the rear guard of all the camps) set out according to their armies; over their army was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
26 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ocran.
27 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan.
28 Thus was the order of march of the children of Israel, according to their armies, when they began their journey.
a. We see that the order of their march was just as we were previously instructed, with the exception that the families of Gershon and Merari who carried the curtains, and the frames and boards for the tabernacle departed between the tribes camped on the east and the tribes camped on the south.
(1) This was so the tent could be set up when the holy furniture arrived, which followed the tribes of the south which departed second in the general order,
(2) In this we see the orderly fashion and detail exercised by God in the sending and moving of His people.
b. After the family of Kohath carrying the furniture of the Tabernacle came the tribes camped to the west and finally the tribes camped to the north came last as the rear gaurd.
c. 28 Thus was the order of march of the children of Israel, according to their armies, when they began their journey.
(1) He is a God of order and not confusion.
1 Corinthians 14:33 (NKJV)
33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

James 3:17 (NKJV)
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
C. Moses invites his brother-in-law Hobab along.
Numbers 10:29-32 (NKJV)
29 Now Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of 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 And he said to him, “I will not go, but I will depart to my own land and to my relatives.”
31 So Moses said, “Please do not leave, inasmuch as you know how we are to camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes.
32 And it shall be, if you go with us—indeed it shall be—that whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same we will do to you.”
1. Sometimes Hobab is confused with Reul Moses' father-in-law who is also known as Jethro, but it is pretty clear that this is his son.
a. Moses is no doubt desiring to take advantage of his knowledge of the desert routes along the way.
(1) Much speculation about the wisdom or godliness or lack of it is made over this...
(a) I could make arguments either way and I am sure you could also, but we simply don't know whether it was a problem or not.
i) Maybe Moses is being evangelistic???
b. The last thing we are told here is that he said no he wouldn't go with them, but there are indications that Moses was able to convince him.
Judges 1:16 (NKJV)
16 Now the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the City of Palms with the children of Judah into the Wilderness of Judah, which lies in the South near Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.

Judges 4:11 (NKJV)
11 Now Heber the Kenite, of the children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, had separated himself from the Kenites and pitched his tent near the terebinth tree at Zaanaim, which is beside Kedesh.
(the root used to denote father-in-law is not always used expressly for father-in-law and can refer to any in-law relation)

D. So we have the first leg of the journey
Numbers 10:33-36 (NKJV)
33 So they departed from the mountain of the Lord on a journey of three days; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them for the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them.
34 And the cloud of the Lord was above them by day when they went out from the camp.
35 So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said: “Rise up, O Lord! Let Your enemies be scattered, And let those who hate You flee before You.”
36 And when it rested, he said: “Return, O Lord, To the many thousands of Israel.”
1. We see in the warlike nature of the journey in the battle cry of Moses each time they set out.
a. The way to the Promised Land involves warfare, and conquest, so be prepared.