March 5, 2021
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Numbers? Here’s today’s reading:
Numbers 10 (NIV)
The Silver Trumpets
1The Lordsaid to Moses: 2“Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out. 3When both are sounded, the whole community is to assemble before you at the entrance to the tent of meeting..........Continue Reading
I love that the trumpets were in and of itself a language to the people indicating gathering for assembly, marching, or warfare. God directed the Israelites so closely and carefully. Moses’ prayers at the end of the chapter that were said upon the moving of the ark were a confirmation and grateful proclamation that they would go where He was leading.
Numbers 10
I have been studying in Joshua for the women’s Bible study and just read about the children of Israel setting up memorial stones after the crossing of the Jordan. I have been noticing many other physical memorial objects, actions and ceremonies. It was neat to see the blowing of the horns as a memorial. “Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the Lord your God.”
We are such forgetful people. I see how the enemy desires to do away with memorials in order that we may forget God’s goodness, our history, our commitments, our laws.
Numbers 10
Any large group needs a means of calling to assembly and for the Jews they would be trumpets. Trumpets would also be used in worship announcing certain events and festivals. This would call for various sounds and cadences to differentiate who was to gather and for what. Armies and groups have certainly followed this pattern throughout history, just reenforcing the wisdom God had in setting this up in the first place.
And how exciting that they are moving from Sinai. They have been here for just over a year and think how much has happened to show the wisdom of following God’s directions. So they set out in the way prescribed earlier. And it is interesting that Moses is able to convince his father-in-law to stay with them. It struck me that Moses would suggest he needed his eyes for guidance when the Lord was taking care of that. Moses shouldered alot of responsibility in leading the people so you can see why having someone else skilled in leadership along with him would be helpful. This father-in law is referred to as Jethro in Exodus, but it was common in that day for people to have both common names and family names…but I will look into that more.
And what a good way for Moses to express his understanding of what God’s presence meant to him and the people; you go before us to protect and provide victory, and yet you return to us to be in our presence…..praise God!
11On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle of the covenant law. 12Then 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. 13They set out, this first time, at the Lord’s command through Moses.