There are two aspects of this chapter that resonate with me. First, the trumpets immediately bring to mind New Testament references to the last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:52) and to the trumpet judgements of Revelation 8-10, culminating with the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:15: "The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”
The trumpets in Numbers 10 were used to tell the Israelites it was time to move. Whether it was to move through the wilderness or to set out in battle, their sound alerted the people to prepare to set out or if they were already on the move, to encamp for as long as the Lord allowed. We who follow Christ look forward to the trumpet sound that will signal His return and let us know it's time for us to go.
The conversation between Moses and his brother-in-law Hobab also struck me. Moses asks Hobab to go with them because "You know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes." Weren't they going to camp wherever the cloud-by-day or fire-by-night led them? Moses, like we often do, wanted a safety net. What if the cloud suddenly vanished and they had no idea where they were or where to go next? Trusting God in the middle of the desert, with several hundred thousand people depending on your leadership as you depend on God, is a Varsity level faith exercise. It's one thing to trust God when we see the means of provision. But God's Word doesn't suggest that God rebuked Moses for this apparent need for reassurance. In fact, in His sovereignty, God allowed Hobab to be in that place, for that time, to reassure Moses.
Jesus said that if we have faith as small as a tiny mustard seed we could move mountains. When we set out in faith, God doesn't rebuke us for wanting a safety net. Like a parent putting training wheels on their child's bike, He understands our fear, but longs for us to trust Him enough to take the training wheels off.
The trumpets in Numbers 10 were used to tell the Israelites it was time to move. Whether it was to move through the wilderness or to set out in battle, their sound alerted the people to prepare to set out or if they were already on the move, to encamp for as long as the Lord allowed. We who follow Christ look forward to the trumpet sound that will signal His return and let us know it's time for us to go.
The conversation between Moses and his brother-in-law Hobab also struck me. Moses asks Hobab to go with them because "You know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes." Weren't they going to camp wherever the cloud-by-day or fire-by-night led them? Moses, like we often do, wanted a safety net. What if the cloud suddenly vanished and they had no idea where they were or where to go next? Trusting God in the middle of the desert, with several hundred thousand people depending on your leadership as you depend on God, is a Varsity level faith exercise. It's one thing to trust God when we see the means of provision. But God's Word doesn't suggest that God rebuked Moses for this apparent need for reassurance. In fact, in His sovereignty, God allowed Hobab to be in that place, for that time, to reassure Moses.
Jesus said that if we have faith as small as a tiny mustard seed we could move mountains. When we set out in faith, God doesn't rebuke us for wanting a safety net. Like a parent putting training wheels on their child's bike, He understands our fear, but longs for us to trust Him enough to take the training wheels off.
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