Home>>Old Testament Exposition>>
THE GUIDANCE OF GRACE AND THE TESTIMONY OF GOD
(The following message was originally given at a local Assembly in Dallas, TX. It is retained in its original spoken form with some corrections to facilitate the written format. Because it is a transcript of spoken words, it will not have the technical details that are sometimes found in a purely written project. This message is more of a ministry to the heart, than simply information for the head! For the most part, I have used the excellent “Darby translation” because I believe it to be the clearest reflection, to date, of the original languages in English.)
Numbers 9:15
"And on the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle of the tent of testimony; and at even it was upon the tabernacle as the appearance of fire, until the morning."
Numbers 10:1-10
1 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
2 Make thee two trumpets of silver, of beaten work shalt thou make them; and they shall serve for the calling together of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps.
3 And when they shall blow with them, the whole assembly shall gather to thee at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
4 And if they blow with one, then the princes, the heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather unto thee.
5 And when ye blow an alarm, the camps that lie eastward shall set forward.
6 And when ye blow an alarm the second time, the camps that lie southward shall set forward; they shall blow an alarm on their setting forward.
7 And when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not blow an alarm:
8 the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an everlasting statute throughout your generations.
9 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 Jehovah your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.
10 And in the day of your gladness, and in your set feasts, and in your new moons, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt-offerings and over your sacrifices of peace- offering; and they shall be to you for a memorial before your God: I am Jehovah your God.
I Corinthians 14:8
"For also, if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself for war?"
I don’t think that it’s overstating the case that life in the United States, as we knew it, changed dramatically after September 11, 2001. We have suddenly awakened to the great reality that no one is immune to disaster in this world. Our Brother Snaddon, a couple of weeks ago ministered wonderful words of comfort which I have cherished ever since. You will remember that in I Cor. 14, the apostle Paul said that the ministry of the Word was to be for 3 things - edification, exhortation, and comfort- i.e. building up, stirring up and binding up. And our brother did a wonderful job of building up and binding up- but this morning I have to take the other route - stirring up!
Those of you who know me, know that I have lived the better part of my adult life in the military. As a result I am used to a "warfare" environment and all that goes with it. My life has been a series of one training event after another in preparation for one war or conflict after another. I mention this because in such a life, we develop certain instincts for signs and sounds and we learn to discern things. In the military, different signals are sent to our bases and each one has a different meaning. One sound may speak of a natural disaster, another sound may speak of what we call a "Broken Arrow" - a nuclear event, another one may involve chemicals, or breach of security. But despite all these sounds we are able to read them so clearly and distinctly that the moment we hear them we do not have to think about what to do - we simply do it - we respond appropriately and take the correct action.
Now I say all of this, because when it comes to the Spiritual realm we have become dull to the signals God has set before us; to the distinct sounds He has provided for us in His word, especially in the Ministry of the Word, so that we might know how we ought to behave - how we ought to move through this wilderness world to the Glory of God. It is very needful that we become the spiritual sons of Issachar who "had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do" (I Chron 12:32). And part of that is understanding the Ministry of Trumpets. In the civilian environment you have attempted to develop certain signal systems but often I find that when people hear them, they look around and wonder "What was that?" and they just brush it off. They do not know what it means - let alone what to do about it!
Beloved, we have become complacent, there has been a kind of "spiritual lethargy" that has settled upon the professing testimony at large, and we have become dull of ears to hear what the Spirit of God is saying to us. I have been specifically exercised about this chapter, and I am amazed to discover how little has been written upon it. If I were to give a title to this message, I would call it "The Guidance of Grace and the Testimony of God".
As we approach the book of Numbers, I am struck with the completeness of God's provision for the wilderness journey. In the Book of Numbers, God is setting His people in "Battle Array". His instructions are all with a view to moving out and making spiritual progress so they might possess their possessions in the Land of Canaan or, as we say, "in Christ Jesus." And so all is set in order. God has, by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (ch 9:15), taken up residence in the tabernacle. All is ready! But suddenly, as they are prepared to move out, we hear Yahweh assign one more task! "And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, make thee two trumpets of silver," (vv 1,2). The Massoretic Hebrew text seems to suggest that God wants Moses himself to make these silver trumpets. I find it interesting that Darby translates... "make thee"...which suggests the importance of these trumpets. We look at all of the other things that were made in connection with the tabernacle, priesthood, and service and we seem to overlook the two silver trumpets - but God does not overlook them. When all is said and done, He gives special emphasis to it by saying to Moses, "make thee two trumpets of silver." Now that ought to perk up our ears and stir up our hearts to find out what is so important about these trumpets that we cannot move out until they are made!
The scripture states they were to be "silver trumpets". When we hear "Silver", Of course, our minds go back to the tabernacle and the silver sockets; we remember Exodus 30: 11-16 and the “atonement money” of half a shekel of silver in connection with redemption. Thus, we can easily make the association that all of our movements are based upon Redeeming Grace. Any communication God makes to us is based upon that wondrous Grace and is for our good and His Glory. What a precious beginning, that is, that it should be made of silver.
Verse 2 specifies "two trumpets." Of course we know that "two" in Hebraic thought speaks of an authoritative, credible witness. When they get to the other end of the wilderness and they send out the 12 spies, 10 gave a bad report, but how many give a good report, two! Joshua and Caleb Numbers 13,14. When Joshua leads the next generation to possess the land, he sends out two spies (Joshua 2). How many witnesses to the Torah had God given to the nation - two mountains, Ebal and Gerizim (Deut. 27). One can move through the entire Scriptures and see this great pattern and understand that in the two trumpets we have an authoritative credible testimony, but in this case, based upon redeeming Grace. That is a great way to start a journey.
It is also a priestly ministry as we read in v.8 of our chapter. We see a practical example of this in Numbers 31:6 "And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand by the tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, and the holy instruments, even the alarm-trumpets in his hand." Thus, we find that these silver trumpets are an essential part of the Priestly equipment. We often think of the various utensils associated with the sacrificial offerings, but these trumpets are just as essential to a Priest's ministry. We see then that this ministry can only be taken up by those who are of priestly character and priestly nearness. Remember how the nation was gathered around the tabernacle, and those who were the nearest to the tabernacle were the priests - the priestly and Levitical families surrounded the innermost part of the camp, immediately around the tabernacle. It is those individuals who are in moral nearness to God who are qualified to take up the Ministry of Trumpets. The widespread failure and corruption that can be seen in Christendom may be a solemn indicator of just how many of us are now disqualified from this sacred service. Remember that what we get in physical picture in the Nation (of Israel) is to be taken up for spiritual application in the Christian life. These things are given to us as "types", and written for "our admonition", I Cor. 10: 11.
Now notice the numerous ways in which these trumpets were used. It is a ministry that has a five-fold function. It says in v.2 "they shall serve for the calling together of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps". There is the calling together of the leaders in v. 4. Also v. 9 tells us "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 Jehovah your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies." Finally, in v. 10 we read: "And in the day of your gladness, and in your set feasts, and in your new moons, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt-offerings and over your sacrifices of peace-offering; and they shall be to you for a memorial before your God: I am Jehovah your God."
And so they are used in connection with the company coming together, gathered around the tabernacle. God, as it were, drawing their attention to Himself to communicate something. In calling their leaders together, in setting forward their journey through the wilderness. In connection with warfare. And in connection with the feast days. Now consider these carefully in light of the New Testament. Notice how they illustrate for us characteristics of the Christian life we experience this side of glory. The world for us has become a wilderness (The Hebrew title for the Book of Numbers is "Bamidbar", meaning "in the wilderness").
There is nothing here that will meet our spiritual needs or satisfy the longing of our hearts. This is particularly relevant in light of current events in the world today. Men's hearts are failing them for fear - but there is nothing in that for us. “Peace be still”! Isaiah wrote, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusted in Thee" (26:3). With our focus right we can begin to understand why the cloud comes first, the trumpet second and then later on in the chapter the ark of the covenant.
And finally, how our chapter relates to the Christian life today. It equates to John's ministry in I John 2: 4-6 where we have the commandment of God in connection with the cloud, the word of God in connection with the trumpets and the Lord Himself, in connection with the ark of the covenant. In ch 9, before we ever get into the Silver trumpets, God's presence is recognized and acknowledged. The people of God are looking to Him and every time it refers to this ministry of the cloud and the tabernacle, it says it is the commandment of Yahweh to the children of Israel regarding their journeys. The Cloud comes upon the tabernacle and as the cloud would rise up and move, it was the Lord’s commandment. Several times in Ch. 9 from vs. 15 through the end of the chapter (before we get into the trumpets) we get this emphasis that when the cloud moved, it was a "commandment"!
It may be that the cloud moved and then settled down for some period of time. It may be that the cloud moved and settled down for a part of the day; it may be that the cloud would be at a particular place for a couple of days or a month. God's ways are not our ways, they are varied, to say the least. The only way we can keep in step with God is if we maintain a single eye to Him. All of us can enjoy a clear and blessed vision of our Lord Jesus Christ as we open His Word. All of us can receive instructions from Him as to the general walk of the believer and in particular our relationship and walk with Him, as we get illustrated in Numbers 9:15 to the end. That's for all of us! But in addition to that, if our eye is single to Christ, if we are enjoying a personal walk with Him, if we are enjoying communion with Him, and taking our directions from Him, then we are in a position to enjoy the trumpet ministry of ch. 10.
Here is where spiritual men stand up and communicate the Mind and Will of God and where we have circumcised ears to hear and appreciate it as the revelation of the mind of God. Not just anybody can get up - it must be spiritual, priestly men who can exercise such a ministry. The responsibility for the rest of us is to recognize and hear what the Spirit of God is saying to us. So what we get then is this distinction that while in the Cloud we get the Divine Presence and God communicating generally to the people – all can look to Him, all can get direction form Him, all can move in concert with Him. God then, in addition, has raised up Spiritual men who, because of their moral nearness to Him can communicate His Mind and Will with clarity and power. God’s desire is that we might know His mind and will in the gathering of the saints. It says, “they shall serve for the calling together of the assembly”. In Hebrew this expression is used for “calling together” a Holy Convocation. Rather interesting that the Hebrew root for this expression emphasizes God’s sovereignty in doing so. It is used in connection with the people of God, the place of meeting (the temple) and with their activities. Do you remember that expression in Amos 3:3 “Shall two walk together except they be agreed?” The idea here is how can the two walk together, unless there is “an appointment”. God has appointed such…They are to walk as unto God!
As we consider this “coming together” let’s remember that the assembly is a Holy Convocation ordained and, called of God. We need to take these things very very seriously and heed all that is said about God’s people gathered as the testimony of God in the wilderness. Can you imagine what would happen if the trumpets were sounded and only part of the people came? Before you know it, we would have such confusion, such conflict, such division…oops, that’s right, we have it already – it’s called Denominationalism; it is called Christendom!!
So one sees, in light of this, the importance when we come together that first, we have spiritual men exercising spiritual ministry. Secondly, we have circumcised ears to hear what the Spirit of God would say to us. Thirdly, that we speak only what is truly the mind and will of God – as revealed in the Word of God – let us not say anything more; let us not say anything less. Let us put away all of our biases, our prejudices, our agendas, let us simply stay here on Holy Ground and like “Shamah” ready to defend it. No matter what the cost! (See 2 Sam. 23: 11,12) We see a clear statement of this first Trumpet ministry in the NT wilderness epistle of Hebrews (10:25) where we read “Let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves together”. There’s our trumpet ministry plain and simple!
Then we get this matter of the journeying of the camp. But first, look at vv. 3,4: “And when they shall blow with them, the whole assembly shall gather to thee at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And if they blow with one, then the princess, the heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather unto thee.”
What we have here is Government in Israel, the heads of the people. Yes, that is a matter also addressed by the trumpet ministry i.e. God wants the spiritual Elders to hear in a way that perhaps others may not be up to. Younger believers are perhaps not as discerning, they are not equipped as yet, they are growing but are not at a point where they can discern what is right and wrong in terms of practical details governing the assembly. God wants the spiritual Elders to know He has a special message for them. That the trumpet ministry speaks directly to them in order that the assembly might be governed in a way that’s to His glory and honor. What a sobering thought it is if God has given you a measure of light and spiritual maturity and you find yourself influencing others!
Now in relation to moving forward, vs. 5 reads: “And when ye blow an alarm, the camps that lie eastward shall set forward.”
Psalm 89:15 declares, “Blessed is the people that know the shout of joy: they walk, O Jehovah, in the light of thy countenance.” That expression, “shout of joy” is the same in Hebrew as this “alarm”. When God shouts this alarm, when spiritual men sound this alarm to move out, God’s people are expected to make progress in this wilderness. He wants us to really grow in the grace and knowledge and wisdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. He wants us to enjoy “every spiritual blessing in the Heavenlies in Christ.” As spiritual men exercise their ministries to move us along, to some it may be an alarm (it has a different sound for coming together generally) but if we listen carefully it will become a sound of joy to us. I have always like the story of Dr. Patterson, a spiritual man, who as a young lad attended a conference in which they had some Bible Readings. A highly respected servant of the Lord by the name of Mr. J. McBroom was in attendance and asked Dr. Patterson, “Daniel, did you understand what was given out?” “Well Mr. McBroom, A lot of it went over my head!” And he said, “Well, grow up, so that it will go into your head!” It was an alarm trumpet to him, but I can assure you that he can look back at it and say it was a shout of joy. Let us not be intimidated and alarmed when such a thing is sounded and we can’t get hold of it. Let us advance on our knees and cry out to the Lord until we lay hold of the truth and it lays hold of us!
Then it says “the camps that lie eastward shall set forward,” vs. 5. Those tribes who face the sun rising illustrate such as have the Son of Righteousness in their hearts. Spiritual men tend to show themselves as such by their response to the truth. Their teachable, yielded, and willing to hear and obey God’s word. Those who were to follow were the tribes in the South. Without jealousy they happily took their place – all in order. God is not the author of confusion. The Spirit of God is well capable of bringing proper order in the assembly. We ought never to be afraid to allow the Spirit of God to guide and direct the meetings of the assembly. If He can’t keep us in order no one else can! No human system, no human program, no imposed human machinations can keep us in order without the Spirit of God. And if the Spirit be owned and yielded to, then we don’t need the rest. In fact, the two are mutually exclusive!! See I Cor. 2.
Verse 7 "And when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not blow an alarm: 8) the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an everlasting statute throughout your generations.”
We have need for discernment that we may distinguish the things that differ. That is why I read I Cor 14: 8 in connection with the Ministry of the Word. We need to develop circumcised ears so we can hear what the Spirit of God wants to say to us. To those who Minister the Word I exhort you to speak what the Spirit of God has given you with the clarity that the Spirit of God has given - no more, no less – or else we create confusion. Now can you imagine, as the camp starts moving out a tribe decides, “we kinda like this place, we are comfortable, let’s not rock the boat”. What would have happened to them? They would be left behind in darkness, unable to progress! JND used to say, “Never run ahead of your faith, nor lag behind your conscience.” We need to stay in the light. We need that Godly balance in all that we do.
Verse 9 “And if ye go to war in you land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before Jehovah your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.”
Does this passage mean that God may forget His people? Of course not! The blowing of trumpets, the exercise of this ministry in communicating the mind of God, is not because God had forgotten, but a heralding that God is true to His word. Remember they were silver trumpets, and they blew them on the basis of redeeming love and in the enjoyment of an established relationship. We can blow this trumpet; we can call upon God and know that He is for us, though all be against us. Rom 8: 31. In a hostile world, now more that ever, God’s people sense potential for conflict at any moment. Let us remember what these silver trumpets stand for – the guidance of Grace and the testimony of God. Let us stand ready to take God’s Word to Him and blow the trumpets and herald to God’s people that it is war! But God is for us and He, according to Ex 15: 3, “is a man of war”. Furthermore, David tells us in Ps 18: 34 that God teacheth my hands to war”. And Ps 120: 7 states plainly, “I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.” The antagonism is from the world. But do you remember the last message the Lord gave to his disciples before He moved out to Gethsemane and on to Calvary? It is found in John 16: 33 where we read “In the world, you have tribulation; but be of good courage: I have overcome the world.” Victory is His!
Finally in vs. 10 of our chapter we read “And in the day of your gladness, and in your set feasts, and in your new moons, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt-offerings and over your sacrifices of peace-offering…” We had some of that this morning in the Remembrance Meeting (The Lord’s Supper). It is the highest privilege of God’s people to draw near to Him in priestly fashion. It is rather interesting that here the 2 offerings over which the silver trumpets are blown are, on the one hand, that offering which speaks of the greatness of His person – the burnt offering, and the greatness of His work – the peace offering. The latter introduces us, in type, to fellowship with the Father and the Son based on accomplished redemption. Such fellowship we enjoy in its highest form every Lord’s day morning as we gather around the blessed Person of our Lord Jesus Christ to break bread and partake of the cup in obedience to His dying request “this do in remembrance of me”, Lk 22: 19,20; I Cor 11: 23-26.
All of these “trumpet ministries” touch the assembly – in gathering, in government, in our spiritual movement and progress, in our worship, and in our conflict and warfare. But brethren, let me remind you again, that all must keep a single eye to the Cloud if we are to enjoy the full benefits of these “ministries”. Heb 12: 2,3 puts it this way, “looking steadfastly on Jesus the leader and completer of faith: who, in view of the joy lying before him, endured [the] cross, having despised [the] shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider well him who endured so great contradiction from sinners against himself, that yet be not weary, fainting in your minds. “ And in Matt 6: 22 our Lord states succinctly, “the lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body will be light.” But in addition, God has ordained spiritual men to communicate His word by spiritual means. Let us therefore, in our various assembly gatherings and ministries, learn to listen for, discern between and respond to the trumpet calls made by such priestly brethren. Otherwise we may find ourselves “running ahead of our faith” or perhaps “lagging behind our conscience”! In either case we will not be, morally speaking , where He is!!
Finally, notice what is written in vv 11,12: “And it came to pass in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony. And the children of Israel set forward according to their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud stood still in the wilderness of Paran.” Now skip down to v. 17 where we read: “And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set forward bearing the tabernacle.” And lastly v. 21 states: “And the Kohathites set forward bearing the sanctuary: and [the others] set up the tabernacle whilst they came”. Now if you were to read Ch 2:17 – where you have the ordering of the camp – these families were all in the center and you get the impression that they are all going to move out together: the Gershonites, the Merarites and the Kohathites. But what we discover in the actual movement is that the Merarites and the Gershonites move out ahead, and then the Kohathites come behind – and for a very good reason. The Merarites were responsible for the Boards and the chords, all the little details. The Gershonites were responsible for the coverings. With these two having gone ahead, by the time the Kohatites arrived, everything was ready to receive the Holy Vessels. What does that mean for us? If a local gathering of believers understands the ministry of the cloud, and the ministry of the Silver trumpets then they would be morally prepared for the Lord Jesus Christ. Such a company, this side of Glory is one which He can revel in and, with complacency, enjoy the fellowship of the saints. This is not to say that He is not with all believers, but there is a sense in which 2 or 3 truly gathered to Him can know for sure that He is in the midst of them in a special way. Matt 18:20.
“Merarites” in Hebrew means “bitter”, while “Gershon” carries the thought of “an outcast, exile or stranger”. So when one looks at these names it is rather telling, isn’t it? For example, the Merarites challenge us as to how we view the world. What do I mean by that? What was the very first thing that the people of God encountered in the wilderness of Shur when they had already come through the Red Sea? Thirst. And when they tasted the water, it was bitter – that’s Merari! They had to put the cross to it – the wood (Ex 15: 22-25). Beloved, this world has nothing for us – “this world is a wilderness wide”, we have no sustenance here. It is only as we put the cross of Christ to it and understand that we are crucified to the world and the world to me (that is the other side of things – Gershon) that we begin to understand what it means to be “strangers” and “exiles” in this the scene of our Lord’s rejection!
You know it is easy to say “through whom the world is crucified to me,” but what about the second half of that verse, “and I to the world” (Gal 6:14)?? We say we do not mind rejecting the world, but the moment the world starts rejecting us, we become personally offended and indignant!
The name “Gershon” declares we are “strangers and exiles” here, out by the world but accepted by the God of Glory. As we walk in this moral character, the Kohathites can come in with the sacred vessels. “Kohath” means “assembly” in Hebrew and in Chaldee “to assemble”. God has a “house” called “the Assembly of the Living God” (I Tim 3:15) but He intends for that entity to have a very specific moral and spiritual character in relation to the world and to one another. Only then can He come in and dwell with complacency among His people. The Merarites illustrate the means God has provided to accomplish this end. In Num. 7: 3,8 we learn that out of the six wagons and twelve oxen donated for the service of the tabernacle, four wagons and eight oxen were given to the Merarites, for theirs was the heaviest and most detailed burden. They represent the “joints and bands” of individual Christians in their contribution to the assembly Testimony (Col. 2:19, Eph 4:7-16; I Cor 12; 14:26-40; Rom 12: 4-8). While the Gershonites also had wagons and oxen, the Kohathites were required to bear the holy vessels upon their shoulders without any such additional assistance. What this tells us is that unless we walk in character as spiritual Merarites and Gershonites we cannot possibly magnify, glorify, lift up and advance the interests of the Lord Jesus Christ as spiritual Kohathites.
In light of the dangers around us; the ominous signs looming on the horizon; of forebodings of war, it is high time we woke up, for “our salvation is nearer that when we believed. Beloved, let us shake ourselves free of the “spiritual lethargy” that has settled upon us and tune our ears to “hear what the Spirit says to the assembly” through the “trumpet ministry” of Priestly Brethren. Those who are the Lord’s and spiritual (as opposed to ‘carnal’) will know them, for they “speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, communicating spiritual [things] by spiritual [means]” (I Cor. 2:13). Maranatha!!
George Cofresi