Numbers 10:1–10

The lovely institution of "the silver trumpets" comes in, with striking fitness, right after the instruction about the movement of the cloud, and is bound up, in a very marked way, with the whole history of Israel, not only in the past but also in the future. The sound of the trumpet was familiar to every circumcised ear. It was how God made His mind known. The form was clear and simple enough for every member of the congregation to understand, however far he was from where the testimony came. God took care that everyone in that vast assembly, however far away, heard the silvery tones of the trumpet of testimony.

When the priests of God blew long and loud on them they proclaimed to the furthest limits of Israel that the people were God's, that He had redeemed them at His own cost and by His own power, and that having redeemed them He had rights over them, and that He could summon them whenever He pleased to listen to His word at the door of His sanctuary. They were to hold themselves at His disposal. It did not matter what they were doing. God's call had to be obeyed. Their own pursuits came second — in fact they had to drop them at once, the moment the silver trumpets sounded in their hearing.

These trumpets, then, are two, since two is the number of sufficient testimony; "silver," as being the voice of the Redeemer; "of beaten work," because it involved suffering for Him who came down among men to fill that place. Then they have two special uses — for journeying, and for assembling together. In the second case, one blast is enough to gather the princes, but for the whole assembly there are repeated blasts. Sadly, do God's people now think there is any need of the Word of God to summon them together?

The silver trumpets were also given for guidance. They made known the mind of the Lord in a way that could be heard. The cloud was seen. It stands for guidance by the eye. The silver trumpets were heard… The trumpets sounded in time of war, and a promise of victory and deliverance goes with them. In the future the trumpet will sound again for the gathering of Israel… The sound of the trumpets was to them the voice of God giving direction and a comforting assurance at the same time. They represent the Word of God. It must not be overlooked that the sons of Aaron, the priests, had to blow the trumpet. They were in holy communion with the Lord and made known His will to the people. As Israel depended on the sound of the trumpets, so we as His people depend on the testimony of His Word. His will is learned in priestly closeness to Himself.

Any movement — festive, religious, or hostile — that did not come from that familiar sound could only be the fruit of a restless and unbroken will. The Lord could in no way approve it. The pilgrim host in the wilderness depended on the sound of the trumpet as much as on the movement of the cloud. The testimony of God, given in that particular way, was to govern every movement among the many thousands of Israel.

Nothing was lacking in the expression of their joy — yet something was missing. There were no trumpets: those silver trumpets that should have sounded when the ark set out. It was only a detail, you may say, like the new cart; but this detail revealed something serious: David had not taken the Word of God as the rule for his conduct.

We have seen in the cloud and the fire the providential guidance of God over His people. Yet we are not left to depend on this alone. The trumpets now speak of the plainly declared word of God. 1 Corinthians 14:8 reminds us, "And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?" So the trumpets had to sound just as the Lord instructed, so that no one could mistake their message.

We need the balancing truth: God's guidance is according to the Word. Everything that claims to be such guidance must be tested by the Word. These trumpets are two, the number of enough testimony. They are "silver," because silver is the voice of the Redeemer. They are "of beaten work," because it meant suffering for Him who came down among men to fill that place. Then they have two special uses — for journeying, and for assembling together.

Here it is two — adequate testimony — the trumpets of silver. "Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses." No one is fit to bear testimony unless he is conscious of redemption. That is why the trumpets were of silver — the redemption money.

Each trumpet was to be made of one piece, and they fulfilled a double purpose. In other words, the testimony had one source, even though its aim and practical result might vary. Every movement in the camp was to come from the sound of the trumpet… Any movement — festive, religious, or hostile — that did not come from that familiar sound could only be the fruit of a restless and unsubdued will. The Lord could in no way approve it.

Chapter 10 speaks of the silver trumpets. They served for calling the assembly of the people together and for the journeying of the camps, but they serve other purposes too. It was the testimony of God, given in public, with two chief aims: to gather the people, and to make them journey. And so it works out in practice. The testimony of God gathers His people around Him, and makes them go forward.

It belonged to the sons of Aaron, the priests, to blow the trumpets. Only those in priestly nearness and communion can know God's mind and pass it on. The priestly family had a high and holy privilege. They gathered round the sanctuary of God, caught the first movement of the cloud, and passed it on to the furthest parts of the camp. They were responsible to give a clear sound. Every member of the army was just as responsible to obey at once and without question. To move without the testimony would be to move in the dark. To refuse to move, once the testimony was given, would be to stay in the dark.

It is not enough to give out a testimony, even a divine one. The testimony you give must come from God for that moment. That is why abiding communion is needed.

The sound of the trumpet was familiar to every circumcised ear. It passed on the mind of God. The form was clear and simple enough for every member of the congregation to understand, however far he was from the source of the testimony.

Chapter 10 speaks of the silver trumpets. They served to call the people together and to set the camps moving, but they served other purposes too. This was the testimony of God, given in public, with two main aims: to gather the people, and to make them journey. And that is how it works in practice. God's testimony gathers His people around Him, and makes them go forward.

It is striking that the lampstand was not only to be hammered work of gold, but there were to be seven lamps, the perfect number. Here it is two — testimony that is enough — and the trumpets are of silver... No one is fit to bear testimony unless he knows he has been redeemed. That is why the trumpets were made of silver — the redemption money.

When the priests blew long and loud on these trumpets, they announced to the farthest edges of Israel that the people belonged to God. He had redeemed them, and He had rights over them that could not be challenged. They were to keep themselves ready for whatever He wanted. It did not matter what they were doing. God's call came first, and their own plans had to take second place — they had to drop them, in fact, and drop them at once, the moment the silver trumpets sounded the call to gather.

The most common use was to gather Israel together. The trumpet was not so much about the journey; that had more to do with the cloud. The silver trumpets were blown to gather the people at the door of the tent of meeting. So they were called to draw near to the presence of God.

The tabernacle was the centre God appointed for His redeemed people in those days. From that centre His words went out to them, and He called them to it whenever He chose. That was the shadow, the picture; Christ is the substance, the reality. If we obey the Word of God, Christ will be our one and only centre, for He is the One in whom God has declared all His will for us.

It was the sons of Aaron, the priests, who were to blow the trumpets. The mind of God can only be known and passed on by those who stay close to Him as priests and share His thoughts. It was the high and holy privilege of the priestly family to gather round the sanctuary of God. There they caught the first movement of the cloud and passed it on to the farthest parts of the camp. They had to give a clear sound, and every member of the marching host had the same duty: to obey at once and without question.

When both were blown, the whole assembly was to meet Moses at the door of the tent of meeting. When only one was blown, the leaders came, the heads of the thousands of Israel.

Suppose the priests at the tabernacle blew the silver trumpets, calling the people together to hear the Word of the Lord, and the people were so taken up with other things that they ignored the call... Would God be indifferent? No! The call would go on sounding until it stirred some of them. From one tribe and then another, out would come those who felt God's claim and owned it. And there they would stand at last in the meeting place God had appointed, where He could speak to them... Not many, let us say — only two or three compared with the huge crowd of the people — but obedient to the call of God and united in that obedience! Would the Lord despise them?

These trumpets were made of silver. That suggests that whatever Jehovah says to His people, He says it on the basis of redemption.

When the priests blew long and loud on these trumpets, they announced to the furthest limits of Israel that the people belonged to God. He had redeemed them, and His rights over them could not be challenged. They were to hold themselves at His disposal. It did not matter what they were doing. God's call was urgent. Their own plans had to take second place — in fact they had to drop them at once, the moment the silver trumpets sounded the call to assemble.

If both trumpets were blown, all the congregation of Israel was to gather before Moses at the door of the tabernacle (v. 3). There were occasions when all had to be present to hear some special message from the Lord. If only one trumpet was blown, this was to summon the leaders of each tribe. No doubt they heard a message the rest of the congregation did not need. For instance, only apostles and elders were called together in Acts 15:2. They had to consider whether Gentile believers should keep the law of Moses. Then they passed God's decision on to the people.

And it was a command that only the priests should blow the trumpets. They were the men who, being near to Him, understood the Lord's mind and were in communion with it… To blow at their own will, or on their own idea of danger, would only produce confusion. It would call the workers away from their work, and so do the work of the enemy. To be able to sound at the right moment, they had to be with their Lord, with their eye on Him.

It shows as clearly as possible that God's people must depend completely on God's testimony in all their movements, and be wholly subject to it… They worshipped and they fought, they journeyed and they halted, in simple obedience to the trumpet call. It was not in any way a question of their likes or dislikes, their thoughts, their opinions, or their judgement. It was entirely a matter of unquestioning obedience.

Saints, however, will hear this "trump of God," and by it they will be gathered together to the Lord. Others have pointed out that this seems to connect with Numbers 10:4. There, the blowing of one trumpet was the signal for gathering the princes of Israel to Moses. The saints gathered in this way are to reign with Christ, and that is why they are pictured as princes. The gathering of all the assembly to Moses at the door of the tabernacle, by the blowing of both trumpets, seems on the other hand to speak of the regathering of Israel for millennial blessing (Num. 10:3).

Do not confuse the trumpets spoken of here with the resurrection trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15:52, or the "trump of God" in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. Some make this mistake, and as a result they put forward wild theories about the coming of the Lord.

Scripture uses a different word for blowing an alarm with the silver trumpets from the word used to call the assembly together or to gather the princes. The first seems to be a louder and longer blast, perhaps broken up into short, repeated sounds. The trumpet-call can hardly mean anything but testimony.

Then they have two special uses — for journeying, and for assembling together… For the journeying, it was an "alarm" — a sustained note.

Each trumpet was to be made of one piece, and they served a double purpose. In other words, the source of the testimony was one, however much the object and practical result might vary. Every movement in the camp was to be the result of the sound of the trumpet. In a word, the silver trumpet regulated it all — the solemn assembly and the army for war, the instruments of music and the weapons of war. Any movement, whether festive, religious, or hostile, that was not the result of that familiar sound could only be the fruit of a restless and unsubdued will. The Lord could in no way approve it.

It was a command that only the priests should blow the trumpets. They alone, being near Him, understood the Lord's mind and were in communion with it… In the same way now, only those who live in the enjoyment of their priestly privileges, near to and in communion with the mind of Christ, know how to sound an alarm. To blow at their own will, or on their own idea of danger, would only produce confusion. It would call the builders away from their work, and so do the enemy's work for him.

The silver trumpets were also given for guidance. They made known the mind of the Lord in an audible way. The cloud was seen. It stands for guidance by the eye. The silver trumpets were heard… The sound of the trumpets was the voice of God to them. It gave direction and, at the same time, comforting assurance. They picture the Word of God. As Israel depended on the sound of the trumpets, so we as His people depend on the testimony of His Word.

It was the testimony of God, given publicly, with two main ends in view: to gather the people, and to make them journey. And that is how it works in practice; the testimony of God gathers His people around Him, and makes them go forward.

The people were pilgrims in that great wilderness, and they were not to settle down and make their home in it. They were travelling to Canaan, and they needed reminding of the fact. So when the time came for them to move on, an alarm was blown; the trumpets kept them on the move, and we need this too. How quickly we can stagnate and sleep, and forget our heavenly home and calling!

When it was time to travel, an alarm (or advance) was blown (v. 5). The first alarm moved the camps on the east side; the second called the camps on the south side to move (vv. 5-6). Nothing is said about the north and west sides. Maybe the alarm was blown a third and fourth time for them. At the coming of the Lord, His word will be a ringing call to summon all believers away from earth to His own glorious presence. It will be wonderful to hear Him say, "Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away" (Song of Songs 2:10).

At the first alarm the camps on the east set forward, and at the second alarm the camps on the south set forward (vv. 5-6). This shows the camps moving forward towards the promised land.

The word for blowing an alarm with the silver trumpets really is different from the word used for calling the assembly together, or for gathering the leaders. The alarm seems to have been a louder and longer blast, perhaps broken up into short and persistent sounds. There is little doubt that the trumpet-call stands for testimony. So it is the testimony of God that gathers His people out of the world, draws them together, and leads them forward on their journey through the wilderness.

The trumpets were blown to gather the people to the joy of communion. There was also the alarm trumpet, sounded as God's own testimony in the presence of the enemy. The effect was this: the people would be comforted by the thought that, when the silver trumpets blew an alarm, it was God after all who dwelt in the camp. He who directed them heard the sound.

It also belonged to the sons of Aaron, the priests, to blow the trumpets, for God's mind can only be known and passed on by those who draw near to Him as priests and share His thoughts. It was the high and holy privilege of the priestly family to gather round the sanctuary of God, to catch the first movement of the cloud there, and pass it on to the most distant parts of the camp… For anyone to try to move without the word of command, or to refuse to move once that word was given, would have been outright rebellion… To move without the testimony would be to move in the dark. To refuse to move, once the testimony was given, would be to stay in the dark.

The silver trumpets were also given for guidance. They made the mind of the Lord known in a way people could hear. The cloud was seen. It stands for guidance by the eye. The silver trumpets were heard… To Israel the sound of the trumpets was the voice of God, giving direction and comforting assurance at the same time. They are a picture of the Word of God. Israel depended on the sound of the trumpets, and we as His people depend in the same way on the testimony of His Word.

The people were pilgrims in that great wilderness, and they were not to settle down and make their home in it. They were travelling to Canaan, and they needed to be reminded of it. So when the time came for them to move on, an alarm was blown. The trumpets kept them on the move, and we need that too. How quickly we can stagnate and sleep, and forget our heavenly home and calling!

All is carefully ordered by God. "But when the assembly is to be gathered together, you shall blow a long blast, but you shall not sound an alarm." So we see there were these two cases in particular. The trumpets were blown for gathering to the joy of communion. There was also the alarm trumpet sounded by God's own testimony in the presence of the enemy. The effect was this. When the silver trumpets blew an alarm, the people took comfort. It was God after all who dwelt in the camp. He who directed them heard the sound.

But notice: it was not a terrifying, harsh sound that marked this ministry. It was the sweet melody of the silver trumpet that told them to obey the divine will. We should never forget this. It is one thing to tell our brothers what the will of the Lord is. It is quite another to do it in the way and spirit that suits Him who is full of grace and truth.

Was the congregation to be gathered in festive joy and worship? It was by a certain sound of the trumpet. Were the tribes to be gathered in hostile array? It was by a blast of the trumpet. In a word, the silver trumpet regulated it all — the solemn assembly and the warlike host, the instruments of music and the weapons of war. Any movement — festive, religious, or hostile — that did not come from that familiar sound could only be the fruit of a restless and unsubdued will. The Lord could in no way approve it.

It was a command that only the priests should blow the trumpets. Only they were near enough to understand the Lord's mind and to be in communion with it... In the same way now, only those who are living in the enjoyment of their priestly privileges know how to sound an alarm. They are near to the mind of Christ and in communion with it. To blow at their own will, or on their own idea of danger, would only produce confusion. It would call the builders away from their work, and so do the work of the enemy.

When the priests blew long and loud on these trumpets, the sound reached the furthest limits of Israel. It proclaimed that the people belonged to God. He had redeemed them, and He had rights over them that could not be challenged. They were to hold themselves at His disposal. It did not matter what they were doing. God's call was urgent, and their own pursuits had to take second place. In fact they had to drop them at once, the moment the silver trumpets sounded out their assembling call.

In those days the tabernacle was the centre God appointed for His redeemed people. From that centre His words went out, and to it He summoned them when He pleased. That was the shadow, the picture. Christ is the substance, the reality. If we are obedient to the word of God, Christ will be our one and only centre. Hear, then, the call of the silver trumpet of the Word on this point: "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them" (Matthew 18:20).

Chapter 10 speaks of the silver trumpets. They were used to call the people together and to move the camps on, but they served other purposes too. This was the testimony of God, given in public, with two main aims: to gather the people, and to make them travel. And that is how it works in practice. The testimony of God gathers His people around Him, and makes them go forward. … The priests were to be in communion with their head, and so to know God's thoughts intimately. They sounded the trumpets when needed.

Notice that only the sons of Aaron, the priests, were allowed to blow the trumpets. Those who carry God's testimony must be free to come into His presence, and must be in communion with His mind. Nehemiah 4:18 pictures this well: "The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me." He stood close to his leader, to catch the guidance of his eye and to hear the word of command. It is not enough to give out a testimony, even a divine one. The testimony given must be received from God for that moment, and so the one who gives it must live in constant communion with Him.

When the priests of God blew them long and loud, they announced to the furthest limits of Israel that the people belonged to God. He had redeemed them at His own cost and by His own power. Having redeemed them, He had rights over them. Whenever He pleased, He could call them to listen to His word at the door of His sanctuary. They were to hold themselves at His disposal. Whatever they were busy with, God's call had to be obeyed. Their own plans had to take second place, and be dropped at once, the moment the silver trumpets rang in their ears.

But notice: this ministry was not marked by a terrifying, harsh sound. It was the sweet music of the silver trumpet that called them to obey God's will. We should never forget this. It is one thing to tell our brothers and sisters what the will of the Lord is. It is quite another to do it in the way and spirit that suits Him who is full of grace and truth.

It also belonged to the sons of Aaron, the priests, to blow the trumpets. We can only know God's mind, and pass it on, when we stay near Him as priests and in communion with Him. The priestly family had the high and holy privilege of gathering round the sanctuary of God. There they caught the first movement of the cloud and passed it on to the most distant parts of the camp. They had to give a clear, certain sound. Every member of the fighting host had the same duty to obey at once, without question… To move without the testimony would be to move in the dark. To refuse to move, once the testimony sounded, would be to stay in the dark.

God appointed the sons of Aaron to blow the trumpets, so this was priestly work (v.8). Those who served in the sanctuary day by day stayed near to the Lord. They were the ones who would have proper discernment from God about what was needed and fitting in these things. All believers are priests today, yet we cannot say that all have the discernment needed to act as priests.

They blew the trumpets to gather the people to the joy of communion. There was also the alarm trumpet, sounded as God's own testimony in the presence of the enemy. The effect was this: it comforted the people to know that, when the silver trumpets blew an alarm, it was God after all who lived in the camp. He who guided them heard the sound. They were reminded not only that God was there, but that He would act for them and in them against every enemy.

The word for blowing an alarm with the silver trumpets is not the word used for calling the assembly together, or for gathering the princes. The alarm seems to mean a louder and longer blast, possibly broken up into short, repeated sounds. There is little doubt that the trumpet-call means testimony.

Note that only the sons of Aaron, the priests, were allowed to blow the trumpets. Those who raise God's testimony must have free access into His presence, and be in communion with His mind. Nehemiah 4:18 pictures this well: "The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me" — close to his leader, to catch the guidance of his eye, and to hear the word of command.

How touching this is! It shows the deep interest in the welfare of God's people, and the sympathy in times of trouble and distress, that those will show who live in communion with the Lord Jesus. They feed in the holy place, and in a clean place, on the very things with which the atonement was made. Their heart and soul go out to God for His people.

The silver tells us of redemption. Those notes on the silver trumpets called to mind God's covenant with His earthly people, and His promise to His Heavenly people. They also called to mind the price paid on the cross to buy the redemption of both the Heavenly and the earthly people.

They had to do this when they were fighting their enemies. They were sure to meet enemies, and their own strength was never a match for them. God made them that way, so that in every time of stress they would depend on Him. He was their refuge and resource and strength. When they blew the trumpets on the day of battle it was as though they said: "O God, we are Yours. You have redeemed us. Take up our cause against the oppressor." And God always answered their appeal.

They could do without their swords and spears and shields, but not without these trumpets. If they did not blow them, they ran the terrible risk of defeat. But if they blew them, God said, "you shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies." If we lose the sense that we belong to God in the conflict, we cannot win. But as we remember it, we are "more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

Once God had brought the people into the land, if war arose they sounded an alarm. They proclaimed the testimony of God without fear, and God remembered His people and stepped in. So with us: we need never fear the enemy's attack. Instead of being frightened, let us give a faithful testimony. God has pledged Himself to answer it by coming in with power.

The blowing of the trumpets was testimony for God, and testimony connected with redemption. The material of the trumpets shows this. In verse 2, for example, they called the assembly together and started the camps on their journey. God's testimony now does the same. It gathers the saints out of the world and around their true Centre, and leads them onward in their journey.

On days of gladness, on solemn days, and at the beginning of months, the trumpets also sounded over the sacrifices of burnt offerings and peace offerings. Holy rejoicing cannot fail to connect with those wonderful aspects of Jesus in His complete surrender to God. It cannot fail to connect with the ground laid for our fellowship with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ, and with one another (v. 10). The priests, then, were the great movers in this time of rejoicing and solemn gladness.

When they brought their burnt offerings and peace offerings to God, they had to blow these trumpets. The joyful notes of redemption had to ring out when they came near to God with the things that spoke of worship. This teaches us that we can only come to God in worship as those who are redeemed. Israel offered no sacrifice to God in Egypt, while still under Pharaoh's power. They needed freedom from their enemies, and redemption gave it to them. In the joy of their freedom they worshipped the Lord.

In the day of rejoicing, no less than in the day of trial and oppression, at their set times and at the new moons — the times of revival and renewed hope — over their burnt offerings and peace offerings (as justifying their acceptance and marking out fellowship with God) the note of the silver trumpet was to be heard. All this is easy enough to interpret; but there is still great need to call it to mind. To know and to do are, sadly, not at all the same thing.

The silver trumpets announced that the people were the Lord's people. They announced that He had the right to call them to His sanctuary whenever He chose. More than that, they announced that He delighted to have them near Himself. This brought the fact back to their memories. It also pointed forward. He will remember His covenant with Abraham, and will say to Israel — now cut off and not His people — "You are My people."

The blowing of the trumpets was for a memorial. It called God's attention, so to speak, to His people. And it brought in His power on their behalf, as faithful testimony always does.

At the beginnings of their months the trumpets also had to come out. This shows us that in every change in our lives we must remember that we are the redeemed of the Lord. Is there a young man receiving promotion in his profession? Let him blow the silver trumpet. A young man and woman to be married in the Lord? Let the silver notes ring out with more joy than anything else: they belong first of all to the Lord. Are any thinking of moving from one town to another, or from one land to another? Let them make the change with the deep sense that they are not their own, but the Lord's.

They will cry to the Lord their God and He will remember them and will save them from their enemies. Then will come the time of gladness, the fulfilment of the feasts. It will be their new moon. They will once more stand before God on the ground of acceptance — the burnt offering. God will bring them back into fellowship with Himself — the peace offering. In that day everyone will see that the Lord is their God.