READ: Numbers 9:15-10:36; Psalm 81.
Verses chosen for
meditation: Numbers 10:1-2
10 The Lord spoke to Moses,
saying, 2 “Make
two silver trumpets. Of hammered work you shall make them, and you shall use
them for summoning the congregation and for breaking camp.
REFLECT
Often seen in Chinese war movies, trumpets were used together with
drumbeats to blow blasting alarms, to boost the morale of soldiers and signal a
forward charge during a war. Start of chapter 10 in Numbers recorded God’s
instructions to Moses to make two silver trumpets and outline the instructions
to use the sounds of the trumpets to gather the congregation and for breaking
camps.
Historians recognise that God used trumpets in the Hebrew Bible as a
means of communicating with His covenant people. God could not speak directly
to the people without terrifying them. So, God spoke to them indirectly through
the use of trumpets. To the Hebrews, the sound of the trumpet represented both
the voice of God and the might of God in warfare. Blowing a trumpet was a
reminder of God’s presence and also His availability when the Israelites
needed Him most, v.2. The silver horns were blown
by the priests in the middle of celebrating the feasts and festivals that were part of the covenant agreement between God and the
nation of Israel.
According to Jewish tradition, long blasts by trumpet were used to
assemble the people to Moses, to the tent of meeting and for worship. Short
staccato blasts were used in battle and to order the camps to move off. Perhaps,
another reminder on trumpet sound in the New Testament would be during the second
return of our Lord Jesus; whereby the sound of the trumpet would symbolise His victorious and glorious return
now as a King, “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”, I Thess 4:16.
RELATE
So, the Lord’s
instruction for Moses was to have trumpets made of silver and use them to lead
the people in assembly to worship, movement of
the camps of Israel, warning in preparation for battle and celebration in joyous occasion. “Enduring Word Bible Commentary” related that for all
times in the ancient Israel, the blast of these silver trumpets under different
occasions carries this deep spiritual meaning: “You shall be remembered before
Yahweh your God” (Numbers 10:9). Indeed, the blasts therefore brought
Israel to remember Jehovah as their God and King, v.8.
Undoubtedly till
today, we still need to be reminded that God is near. We can call unto God
through our worship and we too can call out to God in prayer and song. Perhaps
our prayers can be thought of as trumpets asking God to help us. What an encouragement to us that God always hears those calls; “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are
open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do
evil”, I Pet 3:12. The assurance of His presence that strengthens and comforts
us in the midst of life difficulties often come through the prompting and ministry of the
Holy Spirit. Therefore, let us be
sensitive to all His trumpet sounds from our covenanted God.
REST
Dear God, help me to be
sensitive to what you want us to be aware of through the trumpets. May I be able to trust Your guidance, be watchful for Your signals and
provisions. For His sake, I pray. Amen.
Vincent Lee
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