Are you Ready to March at the Sound of the Trumpets?

Numbers Chapter 10: More Guidance as Israel Departs Mount Sinai

Numbers 10:1-10 The Guidance of the Silver Trumpets

One day we will wake up and find out that Covid-19 is not the biggest and often only piece of news, worthy of any airtime. I’m there already, especially since the coronavirus stats I follow have all gone in the right direction for five days in a row now. Don’t tell anyone but I am actually going out (again) today to visit friends.  There will be only five of us (seven the other day), but hey, we’ll keep our distance. Life is not what it used to be, but we’ll get through this – this thing we never really had to actually get “through” the way we did. We press on looking for more gems in the book of Numbers.  Thank you to those of you who are sharing our link so that others may join us in our study.  Read on. 

The Passage

10 The Lord spoke further to Moses, saying, ² “Make yourself two trumpets of silver, of hammered work you shall make them; and you shall use them for summoning the congregation and for having the camps set out. ³ When both are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the doorway of the tent of meeting. ⁴ Yet if only one is blown, then the leaders, the heads of the ^[a]divisions of Israel, shall assemble before you. ⁵ But when you blow an alarm, the camps that are pitched on the east side shall set out. ⁶ When you blow an alarm the second time, the camps that are pitched on the south side shall set out; an alarm is to be blown for them to set out. ⁷ When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without sounding an alarm. ⁸ The priestly sons of Aaron, moreover, shall blow the trumpets; and ^[b]this shall be for you a perpetual statute throughout your generations. ⁹ When you go to war in your land against the adversary who attacks you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God and be saved from your enemies. ¹⁰ Also in the day of your gladness and in your appointed ^[c]feasts, and on the first days of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the Lord your God.”

Footnotes:

1. Numbers 10:4 Lit thousands; or clans
2. Numbers 10:8 Lit it
3. Numbers 10:10 Or times

Thoughts on the Passage

For this instruction God told Moses to make two trumpets of silver (likely from all that jewellery they had brought with them out of Egypt) to be used for calling the people together for a conference and for signalling for them to move camp. (One would assume the latter took place after the sentinels saw the cloud begin to move. If both trumpets were blown, the people were to gather as close to the tabernacle as possible. When one was blown, only the leaders needed to show up.

But what exactly is an “alarm”? When the “alarm” is blown once certain camps (those pitched on the east side of the tabernacle, start to move out. When the “alarm” is blown a second time, those on the south side set out.  No reference is made to how the camps that are on the north and west are to know when to set out. David Guzik says this quoting another commentator:

"If we follow Jewish tradition, long blasts were used to assemble the people to Moses, to the tent of meeting and for worship. Short staccato blasts were used in battle and to order the camps to move off." (Wenham)

If we accept that interpretation, the “alarm” type of blowing then was the short staccato blasts. So, one trumpet sounding a long blast for all the leaders to come and meet Moses. Both trumpets sounding a long blast for all the people to come and gather together. First alarm (short blasts), the camps on the east side move out. Second alarm, the camps on the south move out. [But still no answer to what about the others who were camped on the west and the north (see Numbers 2:18-31)].

So, Robert Jamieson comes to answer that question of ours when he writes:

“. . . and, though it is not in our present Hebrew text, the Septuagint has, that on three alarms being sounded, those on the west; while on four blasts, those on the north decamped. Thus, the greatest order and discipline were established in the Israelitish camp--no military march could be better regulated.”

Clearly it is the “priestly sons of Aaron” who do the blowing. And this act is to be a perpetual statute for all future generations of Israel (verse 8). It was to be used when going out to war against enemies that attack them (verse 9) in order that they would be “remembered before the Lord” and be saved from their enemies.

But the blowing of trumpets was also to be done on days of gladness and on the appointed feast days, and the first days of each month, over burnt offerings, and over sacrifices of peace offerings. This was to be a “reminder of you before your God”. And God ends this short passage by again saying basically because “I am the Lord your God” and don’t you forget it.

David Guzik also reminds us that God will use the sound of a trumpet to gather His people for the ultimate assembling together - the rapture of the church, to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

Can you imagine the excitement when finally, the cloud began to move, and trumpets started to play short staccato blasts – God was moving his people out and taking them towards the Promised Land. I can hardly wait until I hear the trumpets playing and we are still left on earth are taken to meet the Lord in the air and on to our Promised Land. Will you hear them with me?  I hope so.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.