THROUGH THE BIBLE - Numbers..

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com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. Numbers chapter 10. The Lord spoke to Moses saying, make two silver trumpets of hammered work.

You shall make them and you shall use them for summoning the congregation and for breaking camp. And when both are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the entrance of the tent of meeting. But if they blow only one, then the chiefs, the heads of the tribes of Israel, shall gather themselves to you. When you blow an alarm, the camps that are on the east side shall set out. And when you blow an alarm the second time, the camps that are on the south side shall set out.

An alarm is to be blown whenever they are to set out. But when the assembly is to be gathered together, you shall blow a long blast, but you shall not sound an alarm. And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets. The trumpets 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 appointment feasts, at your appointed feasts, my apologies, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over your sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before your God. I am the Lord, your God." 11. In the second year, in the second month, on the 20th day of the month, the cloud lifted from above 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 Paran. They set out for the first time at the command of the Lord by Moses. The standard of the camps 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 Nathanael, the son of Zuar. And over the company of the tribe of the people of Zebulun was Eliab, the son of Helom.

And when the tabernacle was taken down, the sons of Gershon And the sons of Merari, who carried the tabernacle, set out. And the standard of the camp of Reuben set out, and their companies. And over their company was Elisu, the son of Shedu. And over the company of the tribe of the people of Simeon was Shelumiel, the son of Zuri-Shaddai. And over the company of the tribe of the people of Gad was Elisaph, the son of Jewel.

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 companies was Elishamah, the son of Amihud. And over the companies of the tribe of the people of Manasseh was Gamaliel, the son of Ped-ah-zu. And over the company of the tribe of the people of Benjamin was Abidan, the son of Gidioni. Then the standard of the camp of the people of Dan, acting as the rear guard of the camps set out by their companies, and over their companies was Ehiza, the son of Amishadai.

And over the company of the tribe of the people of Asher was Pagil, the son of Okron. And over the company of the tribes of the people of Naphtali was Ahira, the son of Inan. 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 a 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 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 he 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 wherever they set out for 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.

Amen. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord, it remains forever. Well brothers and sisters, finally we've worked our way through the book of Numbers up to this 10th chapter and we've seen it's finally come. The time has finally come for the people of Israel to now set out towards the promised land. The land that the Lord had promised them or promised their father Abraham, their fathers Isaac and Jacob.

I know it's hard to believe when you think about how much they've been through that these people would be glad to go. They were very glad, very happy to have been rescued from the clutches of slavery in Egypt. They were in bondage for over 400 years in Egypt. And now, They've been rescued out of Egypt by the mighty hand of the Lord. They've been set in a place called the wilderness of Sinai, given the law of God, a covenant made by God to his people.

And now it's time for them to set out. Beloved, we know these people. We've walked through with them through the early chapters of the Bible. We know that they're a murmuring people. that we know that they were grumbling all the way through, but we also know that the Lord has made a covenant with them and the Lord is faithful to them.

And we also know this, that even though they've been rescued from bondage, There's more to the story than that. It's not simply the freedom that God had promised these people, but also a land. And that's what their hearts were anticipating. That they wanted to be a free people in the land that God had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And don't get me wrong, Yahweh dwelling among his people is glorious.

I'm sure these people knew it, but there was still something missing. The land. And it was that promised land that was in the hearts of the people and their hearts were longing for it. They desperately desired the security and the comfort and the final rest that would come when they received this land and the people became a nation with the land. And now that hope is seemingly coming to fruition at last for them.

And time has finally come for them to depart from Sinai, in the wilderness there, which is a place that they've called home for almost a year, 11 months or so. And now they're turning their attentions in the command of God towards the land flowing with milk and honey. In the last chapter, together, chapter 9, we saw how Yahweh was going to bring that about. You see, Israel wasn't going to be left to fend for herself, to find and to take possession of the land that they've been promised on her own. Beloved, we know that they are incapable of doing as much on their own.

They would be destroyed by the formidable battle-trained enemies that they will face in Canaan. We know that much. But even before they make it to the borders of the land in Canaan, the dangers they will face, even on the way, those perils that will come across as we work our way through, they would prove fatal for these people. But we have to remember this. We have to remember who these people are.

Up until only about a year ago, They knew nothing apart from how to take orders from their slave masters. But they're not alone. Yahweh has promised that He would lead them. He has promised that He will direct them. And He has promised that He will guide them and empower them every step of the way.

So although they are inept in and of themselves to do the job, Yahweh is with them. And if they trust, and if they obey the Lord God, then he'll bring them to safety. And he'll bring them to the land flowing with milk and honey. And because he knows the weakness of man, the weakness of human beings, he knows our frailty. And he knows the propensity that man has to forget and even doubt.

The Lord gives his covenant people a constant reminder of the truth that he is with them and he won't forsake them. A glory cloud we saw last week by day and a pillar of fire by night which hovered over the tabernacle when they were camped would be lifted above the tabernacle and then progress forward when the Lord is commanding his people to pack up and to leave where they are and to go to where he leads them, lest they forget the privilege that the only true God, the only true God of the universe dwells with them, and he is the one who leads them in the pilgrimage until their final inheritance promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As for Israel, their duty is only to trust and obey. Trust and obey. Yahweh is with you.

You see this with your eyes when you see the cloud in the day and the pillar of fire in the night. You know that he's with you. And now he's going to give you another reminder that your ears will be able to hear. Because now in chapter before us, chapter 10, The Lord God will give instruction to the people of Israel, and that instruction will pertain to the blowing or the blasting of trumpets. Two trumpets, in fact.

We're told in the section from verse 1 through verse 10 that these trumpets are made from hammered silver. They were to be sounded by a particular people. You remember verse 8, if you put your eyes down, who are the people who sound the trumpets? It's the priests, the ones who are designated by God to sound the trumpets. And those trumpets were to be sounded on different times for different occasions.

Beloved, a trumpet call in our passage is a summons, we're told. It's to call or to summons the people of God. And it is although the priests are blowing the trumpet, they're doing it on behalf of God. And therefore, God is summoning his people at different times for different purposes. Different calls can be made.

We see that in the passage from blasting one, one blasting of the trumpet or even two There's a distinction between how long we were told you can have an alarm or you can have a blasting or the blowing of a trumpet, a long blow or a short blow and so forth. If two trumpets were blasted, we know that the summons is for the whole congregation of the people of Israel to come to the tent of meeting to receive counsel from the God or worship or for whatever reason that God intends for them to be. There may be revelation at that point as well. And when one of the trumpets is sounded, then we know it's only for the chiefs and the leaders of the tribe of Israel to come before the Lord. Either way, when the trumpets are sounded, the attention of the people will not go to the priests or anything else, but towards the God who has commanded that the trumpets will be sounded.

So obedience would entail that these people would now make the journey to the tent of meeting, or if it's a sounding of the trumpet to move on from that place, then obedience would be the obedience that is required by God. Now, there are other reasons why the trumpets would be sounded. If we work our way through the Old Testament, we'll see a few. But in this passage in particular, I want us to see, and in fact, if we work our way through the Old Testament, I want us to recognize that every time, I want you to hear this and think about it. Every time the trumpet is sounded for the people of God, it's a joyous occasion.

So every time the trumpet is sounded for the people of God, it's a joyous occasion. Sometimes it's obvious to see this. For example, in the text before us, we're told that at the appointed feast, the trumpet will be sounded. And in the time of the feast, the people of God will come to the tabernacle or around the tabernacle, and they'll enjoy the feast in different times of the year. We're told this in verse 10a.

And when the trumpet sounds in that occasion, the people of Israel were to remember the salvation of God. They remember His faithfulness. They remember His tender, providential care upon them. And that ought to always bring joy to the heart of the people when they recognize what God has done for them in His glorious blessings and in His goodness. That's obvious.

Then in verse 9, we're also told that the trumpets are to be sounded in times of war. And you have to ask yourself the question, how? How is that a joyful time? What does war entail? Bloodshed, difficulty, hardship, sleep deprivation, anxiety, stress, you name it.

War is a difficult, difficult time. So how is it that this person standing before you is able to say that every time the trumpet is sounded, it is a joyful occasion? Hear this, the key is for the people of God. Because when the trumpet sounds, it's a reminder for these people. It's a reminder that it's not because of their own strategy.

or their own stealthiness, or their own strength that they will overcome with victory over their enemies, not at all. Beloved, if there's going to be victory for the people of God against the enemy, it is because of the God who is with them. So the joy is the fact that they're remembering that if the God, Yahweh, the God of the universe has called us to go into war, to engage in battle, then He is with us. And if He loves us and He sends us into battle, then we're going to what? Trust.

Trust in Him. Well, we're also told that the trumpets are blown in various times of, or in the beginning of the month, in various sacrifices. Now, we know that the sacrifices and the offerings of the people were very much depictive and a reminder of the forgiveness of sins. Very much a reminder of the salvation of the Lord, a salvation that comes through the atoning sacrifice of an animal shedding its own blood in their place. It's substitutionary, we know that.

But also the peace offering is mentioned in specific. And we know in the peace offering that the people of God have the incredible privilege of doing what? Having a meal before the Lord. Beloved, it's a reminder when the trumpet blows at the beginning of the month, these people are reminded once again of the incredible privilege they have in fellowshipping with the God of the universe. where there seemed to be no way, an infinitely holy God who lives in unapproachable light, the one who is pure and holy and good and righteous.

How is it that sinful human beings are able to come before Him and fellowship with Him? You see, where there seems to be no way, He has made a way. And when that trumpet blows, the people of Israel, the people of God, are meant to be reminded of that reality and give praise to God. Their hearts are to leap with joy because they are able to fellowship with God. In essence, the end of verse 10 tells us, the trumpets shall be a reminder of you before God.

I am the Lord your God. In other words, when the trumpet is blasted, the minds and the hearts of God's people ought to quickly move them to acknowledge the Lord is their God. He's the one who has called you. He's the one who has summons you. He's the one who has been pleased to dwell among you.

And that reminder of who God is is also a reminder of who you are. If you are truly trusting in the Lord, you are the people of God. And as the people of God, you are the object of His care, and you're the object of His love. And tell me that that doesn't bring a heart to rejoice. reminder of that goodness, a reminder of that grace, a reminder of that type of love and mercy, or to bring someone in every facet of life, or to bring someone to recognize that they are so undeserving of it, yet he is so gracious and merciful, and you cannot but be in that position or in that point in a posture of worship.

Because people are able, in particular people of Israel, are able to look back. And they're able to look back, and that's why the Lord will always tell them to be reminded of who it was that rescued them from the land of Egypt. Because looking back is a good thing. Look back and remember what I have done. Look back and remember my faithfulness.

Look back and remember that the providential hand of God in all that he does and he ought to spur the heart to trust in the Lord, to believe in the promises that are yet to be fulfilled. Looking back and seeing his faithfulness ought to cause our hearts to look forward and say there are still promises to be fulfilled and I'm going to trust. I'm going to trust the Lord. And that, beloved, for God's people ought to move their hearts. move their hearts with gratitude and move their hearts towards obedience.

You see, he's done the work. That obedience is not unto salvation, but that obedience is a result of what he has done and his faithfulness. That obedience is because he has done a work in the heart of his people. And so for God's people hearing the blasting trumpets, an overwhelming sense of joy and rest should overwhelm them because they are to know that they are not alone. Yahweh is with them.

He is their God and they are his people. And every time he blasts, their hearts should be filled with joy. Their souls should find rest in Yahweh. and should move them to action. Action with a heart that desires to obey.

And see, that's no different than when the trumpets blast with the sequential blast that we're told from verse 11 onwards in our chapter, when that blast is signifying that the tribes are to, in order, be sent out from the camp and begin to walk towards or journey towards where the Lord is leading them ultimately towards the promised land. Remember the people are depicted in the book of Numbers as, remember, as soldiers. They're depicted as the army of God. You remember even that back in chapter 1, the census was taken for fighting men, men who can handle a weapon and fight on behalf of Yahweh. These people are depicted as soldiers and they're progressing one stage at a time and marching into battle.

That's where Yahweh is sending them into battle. They're going to be God's soldiers to fight. hearing that trumpet blast and seeing the cloud during the day and the pillar at night. And knowing also, like we told in our passage, that the Ark of the Covenant goes before them, verse 33. Whatever lies ahead, whatever perils, whatever dangers, whatever fierce battles they're going to face, whoever the enemy is, as formidable as he is, whatever they face, between Sinai and the inheritance that has been promised, they are to know that Yahweh has our back.

It won't be easy. They'll suffer many things before they arrive. And I can't imagine I can't imagine the terror that would be confronting these people the first time they go into battle against battle-trained, formidable enemies like the Amorites, or the Hivites, or the Hittites, or the Jebusites, or the Perizzites, and the list goes on. Their emotions would have been real, but the heart of the believer would have transcended those emotions, although they are real. But his heart is, or her heart, is rooted in God.

Secured in God. Resting in God. And I think that's what we see in the example here in Moses. Because that prayer of Moses towards the end of the chapter, listen, take note to what he says. He says, and whenever the ark set out, so when the Lord was sending the people of Israel 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 oh lord to the ten thousands of ten thousands thousands of israel in other words moses is saying if we are to have victory over our enemies it is because you god are fighting our battle on our behalf And it's you who scatters the enemies abroad.

It's you who scatters our enemies away from your people. And that's Moses' prayer. Scattering here in this text is a term that really does connote fleeing in fear. In other words, let them recognize who they're up against and let them run away in fear. Let them scatter in fear.

They're your enemies and they're your people's enemies. And then he goes and says, and when it's all said and done and the battle's over, the victory is won. Lord, we know. Lord, I know, at least Moses is saying, that you return to dwell with the multitudes that are before you. These people called Israel, these people that you are pleased to call your own.

That's faithfulness, isn't it? And Moses is aligning his heart with the word of God and the promises of God. And he's saying, I believe. I believe. Faith in his promises.

Rest in his goodness. And as time goes on, and the old covenant people have had a couple of victories under the belt, most of us know where this is going. Most of us know and have read the conquest of the people of Israel entering into the land of Canaan and the different enemies that they'll be confronted with. No doubt that their reputation will precede them. What do I mean?

I mean the surrounding nations in a matter of time will begin to recognize that this God of Israel is a fearful opponent. He is the only formidable enemy to them. They will know that he cannot be defeated, and therefore his people cannot be defeated. They'll see this. And I can only imagine the terror in their bones, that is, the bones of the nations who are now waiting for Israel to come and declare war.

Imagine the terror in their bones when they hear the trumpets blast. They've heard the rumors, they've seen the carnage, And now they hear the trumpet blast and they're thinking, are we next? That's a pretty scary situation to be in. But what is the cause of terror for some is the cause of settled assurance for others. The very trumpet that blows and causes the enemies to melt, is the very trumpet that blows and the people of God who have faith in Yahweh, it causes their hearts to grow in assurance and faith and trust in their only God.

Beloved, do you know what it depends on? It depends, you hear the trumpets and you have two outcomes. And it all depends on whose side you're on. And that's the question we need to ask ourselves. Whose side are we on?

And beloved, we cannot, we cannot speak of trumpets without being reminded of the last time the trumpet will be blown. Because as the people of God in the new covenant, we know that the covenant is ratified in the very blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away our sin, if we have come to embrace him in faith. The one who has fulfilled all the requirements of the law of God, the one who has lived the perfect life that we have never been able to live. And that righteousness by faith is accounted to his people. What a glorious reality.

He has rescued us from the bondage of sin, and not of the evil taskmasters in Egypt, but of sin. And He's reconciled His people to God, and that is glorious. But as the people of Israel experienced, our joy won't be complete in every sense until we too receive the final inheritance. The promise to those who have been united in Jesus Christ. Because we can have an incredible joy in the Lord, but there is still a longing for that final inheritance that we enjoy with our Savior forevermore.

An inheritance where the Bible tells us there are no tears, there are no suffering, there's no disease, and beloved, there is no death. But beyond that, it's a place where there is no sin. It's a place where there is no unrighteousness and our hearts long for that day. And beloved, the only reason we're able, the only reason we're able to enjoy that one day it will come, it's a promise, is because everything that is required for that inheritance to be real for the people of God has already been purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. He fought every spiritual battle and he defeated every enemy on behalf of God's people.

It's Christ. And he's done that in order to purchase a people unto himself and to give them an inheritance, an eternal inheritance united in him. So that how can we speak of the trumpet blast and not be reminded of the last trumpet blast, the day where Jesus comes back and he gathers his people? I'm going to end with just quoting a couple of verses from the book of 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. And it reads like this.

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds. Hear that? In the clouds.

So you have, we won't go there. To meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be, always be with the Lord. Beloved, the question I want to ask this afternoon is this. Are you eagerly awaiting to hear that trumpet blast for the very last time?

Not any trumpet, it's not going to be a silver trumpet, but it is the trumpet of God, he says in verse 16. And beloved, if you are eagerly awaiting, praise God, if it brings fear and terror to your bones, when you think of the last day, When it's all said and done and you stand before the holy God of the universe, and you stand and everything is uncovered and your sins are all laid bare, if you're not able to say that I've trusted in Jesus Christ and He's paid for my sin, then that is a terrible place. to be. It is a fearful place to be. But you don't need to.

You don't need to face the judge of the universe on your own. If your heart still beats and your lungs still fill with air, then it means that there is still hope for you. You can cast yourself at the feet of Christ and trust that He died for you on your behalf to bear your sins and to bear the wrath of God instead of you. The wrath that would crush you for all eternity. You can trust Him still.

And beloved, if they're not hoping, then most of us are trusting in the Lord for their salvation. And when we hear about the last trumpet, it causes our hearts to rejoice. Remember, every time the trumpet is blown, the people of God's hearts rejoice. It is a cause for joy. And if that's you, beloved, if that's you, praise the Lord.

I'm going to end with the words of the Apostle. It comes straight after the passage that we spoke about in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. After he says, meet with the Lord in the air, so we'll always be with the Lord. Amen. Verse 8 says, therefore, in other words, this is what we need to do.

Encourage one another with these words. Let's pray.