Schoolmaster to Christ
NUMBERS CHAPTER 10
Schoolmaster to Christ
NUMBERS CHAPTER 10
Scripture Reading: Numbers 10 (KJV)
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them; that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camp. And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee. When ye blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go forward. When ye blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for their journeys. But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm. And the sons of Aaron, the priest, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations. And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies. 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" (vv. 1-10).
In these inspired verses we are introduced to the institution of the silver trumpets. With striking fitness, it comes in immediately after the instruction regarding movement of the cloud, and is bound up with the entire history of Israel. The sound of the trumpet was familiar to every circumcised ear. It was the communication of the mind of God, in a form distinct and simple enough to be understood by every member of the congregation, however distant he might be from the source where the testimony emanated. God took care that each one in that vast assembly, no matter how far away, would hear the silvery tones of the trumpet of testimony.
Each trumpet was to be made of one piece, and they fulfilled a double purpose. In other words, the source of the testimony was one; however the object and practical result might vary. Every movement in the camp was to be the result of the sound of the trumpet. It was by a certain sound of the trumpet that the congregation to be gathered in festive joy and worship. It was by a blast of the trumpet that the tribes were to be gathered in hostile array. In a word, the solemn assembly and the warlike host; the instruments of music and the weapons of war – the silver trumpet regulated all. Any movement, whether festive, religious, or hostile, that was not the result of that familiar sound would be the fruit of a restless and unsubdued will that Jehovah could not sanction. The pilgrim host in the wilderness was as dependent on the sound of the trumpet as on the movement of the cloud. The testimony of God communicated in that particular manner was to govern every movement throughout the many thousands Israelites.
It pertained to the sons of Aaron, the priests, to blow the trumpets – the mind of God can only be known and communicated in priestly nearness and communion. It was the high and holy privilege of the priestly family to cluster round the sanctuary of God, there to catch the first movement of the cloud and communicate the same to the camp. They were responsible to give a certain sound, and every member of the militant host was equally responsible to yield a ready and implicit obedience. It would have been rebellion for any to attempt to move without the word of command, or to refuse to move once that word was given. All had to wait on the divine testimony, and walk in the light thereof the moment it was given. To move without the testimony would be to move in the dark; to refuse to move when the testimony was given would be to remain in the dark.
This is deeply practical. In the case of the congregation in the wilderness, we have no difficulty seeing its force and application. But we need to remember that all this was a type; and it is written for our learning. Therefore, we are solemnly bound to look into it; we are imperatively called on to seek to gather up and treasure the great practical instruction contained in the singularly beautiful ordinance of the silver trumpet. Nothing could be more needful for this present age. It teaches a lesson to which we should give our most profound attention. In the most distinct manner possible it sets forth that God's people are to be absolutely dependent on and wholly subject to divine testimony. The congregation in the wilderness dared not assemble for any festive or religious object until they heard the sound of the trumpet; nor could the men of war buckle on their amour, till summoned by the alarm signal to meet the uncircumcised foe. In simple obedience to the trumpet call, they worshipped and fought; they journeyed and halted. It was not a question of their likes or dislikes, their thoughts, their opinions, or their judgment. It was entirely a question of implicit obedience. Their every movement was dependent on the testimony of God, as given by the priests from the sanctuary. The song of the worshipper and the shout of the warrior were each the simple fruit of the testimony of God.
How beautiful, striking, instructive, and deeply practical. Why do we dwell on it? Because it contains a needed lesson for our age. If there is one feature more characteristic than another regarding this present age, it is resistance to the truth of God's Word when it demands unqualified obedience and self-surrender. It is all well enough as long as God's truth sets forth our pardon, our acceptance, our life, our righteousness, and our eternal security in Christ. Many listen to and delight in this. But the moment it becomes a question of the claims and authority of that blessed One Who gave His life to save us from the flames of hell, and introduce us to the everlasting joys of heaven, all kinds of difficulties arise; all sorts of reasoning and questions are raised; clouds of prejudice gather round the soul, and darken the understanding – he sharp edge of truth is blunted or turned aside in a variety of ways. There is no waiting for the sound of the trumpet; and when it sounds, with a blast as clear as God Himself can give, there is no response to the summons. We move when we should be still; and halt when we should be moving.
What is the result? Either no progress, or progress in a wrong direction. It is utterly impossible for any of us to advance in the divine life unless we yield without reserve to the Word of the Lord. We are saved through the rich abounding of divine mercy and through the atoning virtues of a Savior's blood. How can we rest satisfied with being saved by Christ and not seek to walk with and live for Him? How would it have been with Israel in the wilderness, had they refused attention to the sound of the trumpet? We can see it at a glance. If, for example, they had presumed at any time to assemble for a festive or religious object without the divinely appointed summons, what would have been the result? How would it have been if they had taken it on themselves to move forward on their journey or go forth to war before the trumpet had sounded an alarm? Finally, how would they have fared had they refused to move when called by the sound of the trumpet, either to the solemn assembly, the onward march, or to the battle?
The answer is as plain as a sunbeam. It offers a modern-day lesson, if we apply our hearts to it. The silver trumpet settled and ordered every movement for Israel of old. The testimony of God ought to settle and order everything for the Lord's church now. That silver trumpet was blown by the priests of old. That testimony of God is known in priestly communion now. A Christian has no right to move or act apart from Divine testimony. He must wait on the Word of his Lord. Till he gets that, he must stand still. When he has received it, he must go forward. God can and does communicate His mind to His militant people today, just as distinctly as He did to His people of old. True, it is not now by the sound of a trumpet, or the movement of a cloud; but by His Word and Spirit. Our Father does not guide today by striking the senses; but by that which acts on the heart – the conscience and understanding. God does not communicate His mind today by that which is natural, but by that which is spiritual.
Let us be well assured of this: God can and does give our hearts full certainty both as to what we should and should not do; where we should and should not go. It seems strange that any Christian should doubt, much less deny it; yet it is so. We are often in doubt and perplexity; and some deny that there can be any such thing as certainty regarding the details of daily life and action. But such thinking is wrong. Is it not true that an earthly father can communicate his mind to a child regarding the minutest particulars of the child’s conduct? Who will deny that our Father communicates His mind to us regarding our ways from day to day? Unquestionably He can; and let us not be robbed of the holy privilege of knowing our Father's mind pertaining to every circumstance of our daily life.
In the matter of guidance, are we to suppose that the Lord's church is worse off than the camp in the desert? The answer is surely, "No." Then how is it that one often finds Christians at a loss regarding their movements? It must be because of the lack of a circumcised ear to hear the sound of the silver trumpet, and a lack of will to be subject to and yield a response to the sound. However, we are not to expect to hear a voice from heaven telling us to do this or that – to go here or there; nor will we find a literal text of Scripture to guide us in the minor matters of our every day life. For example, how is one to know whether he ought to visit a certain town, and remain there a certain time? If the ear is circumcised, we will assuredly hear the silver trumpet. Till that sounds, never stir; when it sounds, never tarry. This will make all clear, simple, safe, and certain. It is the grand cure for doubt, hesitancy, and vacillation. It will save us from the necessity of running for advice to this person and that person, regarding how we should act or where we should go. Furthermore, it will teach us that it is none of our business to attempt to control the actions or movements of others. Let each one have his ear open and his heart in subjection to God's Word, and then we will possess all the certainty that God can give us, as to our day-to-day acts and movement. Our gracious God can give clearness and decision pertaining to everything. If He does not give it, no one can. If He does, no one need.
We will not now pursue further the beautiful institution of the silver trumpet, though, as we have noticed above, its application it is not confined to Israel in the wilderness, but is bound up with their entire history. Thus we have the feast of trumpets; the trumpet of the jubilee; the blowing of trumpets over their sacrifices, on which we do not now dwell, because our immediate object is to hopefully seize the grand idea presented in the opening paragraph of this chapter. May the Holy Spirit impress on our hearts the needed lesson of the "trumpets of silver."
In our meditations on this precious book, we now come to he camp being called to more forward. All is duly ordered, according to that grand regulator – "The commandment of the Lord." Each man according to his pedigree, and each tribe according to their standard, is in the divinely appointed place. The Levites are at their posts; each with his own clearly defined work. Provision is made for the cleansing of the camp from every species of defilement; and not only so, but the lofty standard of personal holiness is unfurled, and the fruits of active benevolence are presented. Then we have the golden candlestick and its seven lamps, giving out pure and precious light. We have the pillar of fire and cloud; and finally, the double testimony of the silver trumpet. In short, the pilgrim host is lacking nothing. A vigilant eye, a powerful hand, and a loving heart have provided for every possible contingency, so that the whole congregation in the wilderness, and each member in particular, might be "thoroughly furnished."
This is only what we might expect. If God undertakes to provide for any person or any people, the provision by necessity will be perfect. It is impossible that God could omit anything needful. He knows all things, and can do all things. Nothing escapes His vigilant eye; nothing is beyond His omnipotent hand. Therefore, all those who can truly say, "The Lord is my Shepherd," may add, without hesitancy or reserve, "I shall not want.'' The soul that is truthfully leaning on the arm of the living God can never – will never – want any good thing. The foolish heart may imagine a thousand wants; but God knows what we really want, and He will provide.
So the camp is ready to move; but, strange to say, there is a departure from the order laid down in the opening of the book. Instead of reposing in the bosom of the camp, the Ark of the Covenant goes in the front. In other words instead of remaining in the center of the congregation to be waited on there, Jehovah, in His marvelous, inimitable grace, actually condescends to do the work of an avant-courier for His people.
Let us briefly consider what leads to this touching display of grace. "And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you; come thou with us and we will do thee good; for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel. And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred, and he said, Leave us not, I pray thee, forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes."
If we did not know something of our own hearts, and our tendency to lean on the creature rather than on the living God, we might marvel at the above. We might feel disposed to enquire, "What could Moses possibly want with Hobab's eyes?" Was not Jehovah sufficient? Did He not know the wilderness? Would He allow them to go astray? What about the cloud and silver trumpet? Were they not better than Hobab's eyes? Then why did Moses seek human aid? Surely we can understand the reason. To our sorrow and loss, we all know the tendency of the heart to lean on something our eyes can see. We do not like to occupy the ground of absolute dependence on God for every step of the journey. We find it hard to lean on an unseen arm. A Hobab that we can see inspires us with more confidence than the living God whom we cannot see. When we possess the countenance and help of some poor failing mortal, we move forward with comfort and satisfaction; but we hesitate, falter, and quail when called to move forward in naked faith in God.
These statements may seem strong; but the question is, are they true? We are all prone to lean on an arm of flesh, even in the face of so many examples of the folly of doing so. Many of us have proved time and time again the vanity of creature confidences, and yet we will still confide in the creature. On the other hand, most of us have proved again and again the reality of leaning on the Word and the arm of the living God. He never fails us, never disappoints us. He always does exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think; and yet we always seem ready to distrust Him, ever ready to lean on broken reeds and drink from broken cisterns.
But, blessed be God, His grace abounds toward us as it did toward Israel on the occasion to which we are now referring. If Moses will look to Hobab for guidance, Jehovah will teach His servant that He Himself is all-sufficient as a guide, "and they departed from the mount of the Lord three days' journey; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them."
What rich and precious grace. In place of them finding a resting-place for Him, He would find a resting place for them. What a thought – the mighty God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, going through the wilderness to look for a suitable camping ground for a people who were ready to murmur and rebel against Him at almost every turn in their path.
Our God is ever "patient, gracious, powerful, holy" – ever rising above all our unbelief and failure in the magnificence of His grace, and in His love proving Himself superior to all the barriers that our unfaithfulness erects. He proved to Moses and Israel that He was far better as a guide than thousands of Hobabs. In this place, we are not told whether Hobab went or not. He certainly refused the first appeal, and perhaps the second as well. But we are told that the Lord went with them. "The cloud of the Lord was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp." Blessed shelter in the wilderness; blessed, unfailing resource, in everything. He went before His people to search out a resting place, and when He had found a spot suited to their need, He halted with them, spreading His sheltering wing over them to protect them from every foe.
"He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, He instructed him, He kept will as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings; so the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him" (Deut. 32:10-12).
"He spread a Cloud for a covering, and fire to give light in the night." (Ps. 105:39)
So all was provided for according to the wisdom, power, and goodness of God. Nothing was, or could be lacking, because God Himself was there. "And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate thee flee before thee. And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel."
