Numbers 9:15-10:36

Numbers 9:15-10:36

The last half of Numbers 9 explains how God’s presence in the cloud worked for the nation of Israel. It gave them guidance on where to stay and how long to stay. As long as it rested at the tabernacle, they were to stay in whatever place they were, but as soon as it went ahead of them, they were to pack up camp and move on (toward the Promised Land). It seems like such an easy command to be able to physically see the presence of God and know exactly when to go and when to stay. It makes discerning God’s will so much easier. In some ways, it would be easy to be jealous of the Israelites for having this blessing. But it would also be challenging. I am sure that it was not easy to make camp all the time, and they probably woke up some mornings hoping that the cloud had not moved on because they just might not have felt like moving that day. Also when God’s will is so obvious, there is no excuse for disobedience. So while it would have been awesome to physically know where God was leading them, it was probably also hard. But the good news is that we can still be guided by God. It may not be by some physical cloud, but through His Word, those He has placed in our lives, and by the Holy Spirit, we can still discern God’s will for our lives.

Numbers 10 gave the Israelites the silver trumpets, which were to be blown to signal important events in their lives. One use for the trumpets was to signal when they were to set out, according to what the cloud was doing. But they were also used for the different feasts, for war, and for the different offerings. They would serve as a reminder of all that God had promised them. They would remind the Israelites of His promises, protection, guidance, and plans for their lives. This would help future generations understand the significance of the different practices of their culture.

After spending much of the book of Exodus, all of Leviticus, and the first section on Numbers (which was just around 2 years) in Sinai, the Lord is now leading them to a new place to camp. He has given them all of the different laws, instructing them on how to live life, how to work in the tabernacle, how to settle the land, and how to worship Him. Now, they are beginning to have to put many of these laws into practice. They had already built all of the pieces for the tabernacle and had begun living according to tribes around it. They had already instituted the sacrifices and celebrated the different feasts. Now they had to learn to use the trumpets, learn how to travel by tribe, and recognize when the cloud had set out to take them closer to the Promised Land. The rest of Numbers 10 shows them leaving under these new laws for the very first time, and they were careful to do it in the manner in which God had commanded.

Matt