OpenTheo
00:00
00:00

Numbers 10

May 13, 2022
Alastair Roberts
Alastair Roberts

Silver trumpets and the departure of the camp from Mount Sinai.

My reflections are searchable by Bible chapter here: https://audio.alastairadversaria.com/explore/.

If you are interested in supporting this project, please consider supporting my work on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/zugzwanged), using my PayPal account (https://bit.ly/2RLaUcB), or buying books for my research on Amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/36WVSWCK4X33O?ref_=wl_share).

You can also listen to the audio of these episodes on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/alastairs-adversaria/id1416351035?mt=2.

Share

Transcript

Numbers 10. The Lord spoke to Moses saying, And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets. The trumpet shall be to you for a perpetual statute throughout your generations.
And when you go to war in your
land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies. On the day of your gladness also, and at 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. They shall be a reminder of you before your God.
I am the Lord your
God. In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony. And the people of Israel set out by stages from the wilderness of Sinai, and the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Peran.
They set out for the first time at the command
of the Lord by Moses. The standard of the camp of the people of Judah set out first by their companies, and over their company was Nashon the son of Amminadab. And over the company of the tribe of the people of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar.
And over the company of the tribe of the people of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helan. And when the tabernacle was taken down, the sons of Gershon and the sons of Morari who carried the tabernacle set out. And the standard of the camp of Reuben set out by their companies, and over their company was Eliezer the son of Shedir.
And over the
company of the tribe of the people of Simeon was Shalumiel the son of Zerushadai. And over the company of the tribe of the people of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Dual. Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things, and the tabernacle was set up before their arrival.
And the standard of the camp of the people
of Ephraim set out by their companies, and over their company was Elishamah the son of Emeod. And over the company of tribes of the people of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pederser. And over the company of the tribe of the people of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Giddionai.
Then the standard of the camp of the people
of Dan acting as the rearguard of all the camps, set out by their companies. And over their company was Ahizeah the son of Ameshaddai. And then over the company of tribes of the people of Asher was Pigeal the son of Akran.
And over the company of tribes of Naftali
was Ahirah the son of Enam. This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies when they set out. And 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 do good to you, for the Lord has promised good to Israel. But he said to him, I will not go, I will depart to my own land and to my kindred. And he said, Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us.
And if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to us,
the same will we do to you. So they set out from the mount of the Lord three days' journey, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days' journey, to seek out a resting place for them. And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, whenever they set out from the camp.
And whenever the ark set out, Moses said,
Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you. And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel. James Jordan observes the similarities between the silver trumpets with which Numbers chapter 10 begins, and the Lord's glory cloud with which Numbers chapter 9 ends.
The silver trumpets seem to serve a similar purpose to that of the cloud. In Exodus chapter 19 verses 12 to 13, Moses instructed the children of Israel concerning the arrival of the Lord and his glory cloud at Sinai. And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, Take care not to go up into the mountain, or to touch the edge of it.
Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot. Whether beast or man, he shall not live.
When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain. In Exodus chapter 19, a long blast of the divine trumpet summons the people together to the mountain. In Numbers chapter 10, a comparable long blast of the silver trumpets summons the people to the entrance of the tent meeting.
As we've noted on various other occasions, the tabernacle is analogous to Sinai, with the entrance to the tabernacle and its courtyard being akin to the base of the mountain, around which the camp of Israel gathered. We read more about the divine trumpet in Exodus chapter 19 verses 16 to 20. On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.
Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly.
And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. Throughout the book of Numbers we see the earthly mirroring the heavenly.
The camp of Israel in its vast and ordered array surrounding the tabernacle, within which the Lord is enthroned above the cherubim, is an image of the heavenly camp surrounding the Lord's glorious heavenly throne. Now the divine trumpet that accompanies the glory cloud is mirrored in glorious silver trumpets, which serve a similar function to the cloud. In the immediately preceding verses, it is the glory cloud that directs their journeys, and here it is the silver trumpets made as part of its earthly representation that do the same thing.
The tabernacle itself and the ark within it are also earthly representations of the glory cloud. There are different words used for trumpets and horns of various kinds in the Pentateuch. Most commonly the trumpet is the shofar or the yobel, made of ram's horn.
Both of these two words are used in relation to the trumpet of the Lord in Exodus chapter 19. As Jacob Milgram observes, the shofar is employed on several different sorts of occasions in scripture, being used to muster armies, declare victory, frighten enemies, sound an alarm, end a battle, announce a coronation or initiate a rebellion. In the Septuagint of Psalm 98 verse 6, a distinction is made between trumpets of metal, the same word as that used for the silver trumpets in this chapter, and trumpets of horn, the shofar.
However, the term shofar appears to be used in a more general manner to refer to both types of instruments in scripture. The distinction between the two, as Milgram argues, is mostly to be found in the different persons who sounded them. The silver trumpets were priestly instruments.
A distinction between the instruments used by the people more generally and the instruments used by the priests can also be discerned, perhaps, by the attentive reader in the account of the blowing of the trumpets at the Battle of Jericho. In scripture, trumpets are associated with the Feast of Trumpets and also with the start of the year of Jubilee. The Arch of Titus, upon which items taken from Jerusalem's temple in AD 70 are depicted, might give us a sense of the appearance of the silver trumpets, having a long and thin tube with a flared end, not too dissimilar to a horn like the vuvuzela that one might see at a South African sporting event.
In verse 11, at the time of the conclusion of the alternative Passover for those who were unclean for the Passover of the first month, the cloud finally lifted from over the tabernacle and the people had to follow it out. The manner in which the camp moved out is described in verses 13-28, all occurring according to the command of the Lord and under the direction of Moses. Judah, led by Nashon, the son of Aminadab, one of the ancestors of King David, led the way, with the tribes of Issachar and Zebulun, also situated on the east side of the tabernacle, accompanying him.
Then the clans of Gershon and Morari, to the north and west of the tabernacle at the centre of the camp, responsible for dismantling and transporting the structure of the tabernacle, followed. Next Reuben, Simeon and Gad, on the southern side of the tabernacle. The Kohathites, on the southern side of the tabernacle, followed after them.
Despite being the most prominent clan of the Levites, they followed later because the tabernacle was to be assembled by the Morarites and the Gershonites prior to their arrival with its furniture. Afterwards, Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin, the western tribes, followed. The tribes of Dan, Asher and Naphtali, on the northern side of the camp, were the rearguard.
The place of the priests within the procession of the camp is not mentioned, although as they were the ones who blew the trumpets, and as presumably some of them were also bearers of the Ark, perhaps we are to assume that many of them were situated at the very front. As they leave Mount Sinai, Moses asked Chobab, Moses' brother-in-law, or possibly his father-in-law, to accompany them on their journey. We are not told whether or not he accompanied them here.
However, in Judges 4, verse 11, we learn that Chobab did indeed join Israel. Jael was married to a Kenite, and likely a Kenite herself, the Kenites being descended from that line of the Midianites. In 1 Samuel, chapter 15, verse 6, King Saul warned the Kenites to separate themselves from the Amalekites, so that they could be spared on account of the kindness that they showed to the Israelites as they first left Egypt.
In stark contrast to the Amalekites among whom they dwelt. While not Israelites, Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, and the other Midianites of his house had been of great aid to Moses and the people. They had given Moses a home when he first fled Egypt, and then given counsel and guidance to him at Sinai, as we see in chapter 18 of Exodus.
Chobab knew the wilderness of that region well, and if he would accompany Israel on its ongoing journey, he could be an invaluable guide. Moses seemingly persuaded him to throw in his lot with Israel. He would be blessed with the rest of the people.
We read in Judges chapter 1, verse 16, And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of Palms into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negev near Arad, and they went and settled with the people. It seems that the Ark of the Covenant was set apart from the other holy items of the Tabernacle, leading the people on their journey with the cloud to which it corresponded, while the other holy items borne by the Kohathites were further back in the procession. The Ark was, we should recall, distinguished from those other items in being covered with the cloth of blue, while all of the other holy items had external coverings of goatskin.
The priests were also sons of Kohath, yet distinguished from the rest of that clan. When we read of the Ark being carried, it seems to be the priests, not merely regular Levites, that seem to be doing it. It is a Kohathite task, yet performed only by the chief among the sons of Kohath, the priests.
The Ark was especially connected with the Lord's presence. The Lord was seen to be enthroned above the cherubim, and the pillar of cloud and fire seems to have been especially connected with the Ark, the Ark being the earthly shadow, as it were, of the glory cloud above it. At the end of chapter 9, the cloud led the people on their journeys, and at the end of chapter 10, the Ark seems to play a similar role, along with the silver trumpets with which the chapter begins.
As in the case of the trumpets, the heavenly is being mirrored within and mapped onto the earthly. This mirroring and mapping can also be seen in the declarations of Moses at the rising and the resting of the Ark, with which this chapter concludes. We might see an allusion to Moses' declaration at the rising of the Ark, in Psalm 68 verses 1-4.
The Lord is the one who rides through the deserts in his throne chariot, borne aloft on the shoulders of his priests and people. A question to consider, where in Scripture might we find examples of processions of the people of Israel, upon which this passage can shed some light?

More on OpenTheo

Licona and Martin Talk about the Physical Resurrection of Jesus
Licona and Martin Talk about the Physical Resurrection of Jesus
Risen Jesus
May 21, 2025
In today’s episode, we have a Religion Soup dialogue from Acadia Divinity College between Dr. Mike Licona and Dr. Dale Martin on whether Jesus physica
Michael Egnor and Denyse O'Leary: The Immortal Mind
Michael Egnor and Denyse O'Leary: The Immortal Mind
Knight & Rose Show
May 31, 2025
Wintery Knight and Desert Rose interview Dr. Michael Egnor and Denyse O'Leary about their new book "The Immortal Mind". They discuss how scientific ev
Full Preterism/Dispensationalism: Hermeneutics that Crucified Jesus
Full Preterism/Dispensationalism: Hermeneutics that Crucified Jesus
For The King
June 29, 2025
Full Preterism is heresy and many forms of Dispensationalism is as well. We hope to show why both are insufficient for understanding biblical prophecy
What Would You Say to an Atheist Who Claims to Lack a Worldview?
What Would You Say to an Atheist Who Claims to Lack a Worldview?
#STRask
July 17, 2025
Questions about how to handle a conversation with an atheist who claims to lack a worldview, and how to respond to someone who accuses you of being “s
What Should I Teach My Students About Worldviews?
What Should I Teach My Students About Worldviews?
#STRask
June 2, 2025
Question about how to go about teaching students about worldviews, what a worldview is, how to identify one, how to show that the Christian worldview
Can Secular Books Assist Our Christian Walk?
Can Secular Books Assist Our Christian Walk?
#STRask
April 17, 2025
Questions about how secular books assist our Christian walk and how Greg studies the Bible.   * How do secular books like Atomic Habits assist our Ch
Do People with Dementia Have Free Will?
Do People with Dementia Have Free Will?
#STRask
June 16, 2025
Question about whether or not people with dementia have free will and are morally responsible for the sins they commit.   * Do people with dementia h
Licona and Martin: A Dialogue on Jesus' Claim of Divinity
Licona and Martin: A Dialogue on Jesus' Claim of Divinity
Risen Jesus
May 14, 2025
In this episode, Dr. Mike Licona and Dr. Dale Martin discuss their differing views of Jesus’ claim of divinity. Licona proposes that “it is more proba
Licona vs. Fales: A Debate in 4 Parts – Part Three: The Meaning of Miracle Stories
Licona vs. Fales: A Debate in 4 Parts – Part Three: The Meaning of Miracle Stories
Risen Jesus
June 11, 2025
In this episode, we hear from Dr. Evan Fales as he presents his case against the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection and responds to Dr. Licona’s writi
Licona vs. Fales: A Debate in 4 Parts – Part Four: Licona Responds and Q&A
Licona vs. Fales: A Debate in 4 Parts – Part Four: Licona Responds and Q&A
Risen Jesus
June 18, 2025
Today is the final episode in our four-part series covering the 2014 debate between Dr. Michael Licona and Dr. Evan Fales. In this hour-long episode,
Licona vs. Fales: A Debate in 4 Parts – Part One: Can Historians Investigate Miracle Claims?
Licona vs. Fales: A Debate in 4 Parts – Part One: Can Historians Investigate Miracle Claims?
Risen Jesus
May 28, 2025
In this episode, we join a 2014 debate between Dr. Mike Licona and atheist philosopher Dr. Evan Fales on whether Jesus rose from the dead. In this fir
The Biblical View of Abortion with Tom Pennington
The Biblical View of Abortion with Tom Pennington
Life and Books and Everything
May 5, 2025
What does the Bible say about life in the womb? When does life begin? What about personhood? What has the church taught about abortion over the centur
Bible Study: Choices and Character in James, Part 1
Bible Study: Choices and Character in James, Part 1
Knight & Rose Show
June 21, 2025
Wintery Knight and Desert Rose explore chapters 1 and 2 of the Book of James. They discuss the book's author, James, the brother of Jesus, and his mar
Is Morality Determined by Society?
Is Morality Determined by Society?
#STRask
June 26, 2025
Questions about how to respond to someone who says morality is determined by society, whether our evolutionary biology causes us to think it’s objecti
The Resurrection: A Matter of History or Faith? Licona and Pagels on the Ron Isana Show
The Resurrection: A Matter of History or Faith? Licona and Pagels on the Ron Isana Show
Risen Jesus
July 2, 2025
In this episode, we have a 2005 appearance of Dr. Mike Licona on the Ron Isana Show, where he defends the historicity of the bodily resurrection of Je