“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ‘Make thee two trumpets of
silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them; that thou mayest use them
for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camp.
And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble
themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads
of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee. When
ye blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go
forward. When ye blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that lie
on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for
their journeys. But when the congregation is to be gathered together,
ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm. And the sons of Aaron,
the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for
an ordinance forever throughout your generations. 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 the Lord
your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies. Also in the day of
your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your
months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt-offerings, and
over the sacrifices of your peace-offerings; that they may be to you for
a memorial before your God. I am the Lord your God.’” (Ver. 1-10.)
We have quoted the entire of this interesting passage for the reader
in order that he may have before him, in the veritable language of
inspiration, the lovely institution of “the silver trumpets.” It comes
in, with striking fitness, immediately after the instruction respecting
the movement of the cloud, and is bound up, in a very marked way, with
the entire 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 the communication of the mind of God, in a form distinct and
simple enough to be understood by every member of the congregation,
however distant he might be from the source whence the testimony
emanated. God took care that each one in that vast assembly, however far
away, should hear the silvery tones of the trumpet of testimony.
Each trumpet was to be made of _one_ piece, and they fulfilled a double
purpose. In other words, the source of the testimony was one, however
the object and practical result might vary. Every movement in the camp
was to be the result of the sound of the trumpet. 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 solemn assembly and the
warlike host, the instruments of music and the weapons of war,—all—all
was regulated by the silver trumpet. Any movement, whether festive,
religious, or hostile, that was not the result of that familiar sound,
could be but the fruit of a restless and unsubdued will, which Jehovah
could by no means sanction. The pilgrim host in the wilderness was as
dependent upon the sound of the trumpet as upon the movement of the
cloud. The testimony of God, communicated in that particular manner, was
to govern every movement throughout the many thousands of Israel.
Moreover, it pertained to the sons of Aaron, the priests, to blow with
the trumpets, for the mind of God can only be known and communicated in
priestly nearness and communion. It was the high and holy privilege of
the priestly family to cluster around the sanctuary of God, there to
catch the first movement of the cloud, and communicate the same to the
most distant parts of the camp. They were responsible to give a certain
sound, and every member of the militant host was equally responsible
to yield a ready and an implicit obedience. It would have been at once
positive rebellion for any to attempt to move without the word of
command, or to refuse to move when once that word was given. All had to
wait upon the divine testimony, and walk in the light thereof the very
moment it was given. To move without the testimony would be to _move in
the dark_; to refuse to move, when the testimony was given, would be _to
remain in the dark_.
This is most simple and deeply practical. We can have no difficulty
in seeing its force and application in the case of the congregation
in the wilderness. But let us remember that all this was a type; and
further, that it is written for our learning. We are solemnly bound,
therefore, to look into it; we are imperatively called upon to seek to
gather up and treasure up the great practical instruction contained in
the singularly beautiful ordinance of the silver trumpet. Nothing could
be more seasonable for the present moment. It teaches a lesson to which
the Christian reader should give his most profound attention. It sets
forth, in the most distinct manner possible, that God’s people are to
be absolutely dependent upon and wholly subject to divine testimony in
all their movements. A child may read this in the type before us. The
congregation in the wilderness dared not assemble for any festive or
religious object until they heard the sound of the trumpet; nor could the
men of war buckle on their armor till summoned forth by the signal of
alarm to meet the uncircumcised foe. They worshiped and they fought, they
journeyed and they halted, in simple obedience to the trumpet-call. It
was not, by any means, a question of their likings or dislikings, their
thoughts, their opinions, or their judgment. It was simply and entirely a
question of implicit obedience. Their every movement was dependent upon
the testimony of God, as given by the priests from the sanctuary. The
song of the worshiper and the shout of the warrior were each the simple
fruit of the testimony of God.
How beautiful! how striking! how instructive! and, let us add, how
deeply practical! Why do we dwell upon it? Because we firmly believe
it contains a needed lesson for the day in which our lot is cast. If
there is one feature more characteristic than another of the present
hour, it is insubjection to divine authority—positive resistance of
the truth when it demands unqualified obedience and self-surrender. It
is all well enough so long as it is truth setting forth, with divine
fullness and clearness, _our_ pardon, _our_ acceptance, _our_ life, _our_
righteousness, _our_ eternal security in Christ. This will be listened to
and delighted in; but the very moment it becomes a question of the claims
and authority of that blessed One who gave His life to save us from the
flames of hell and introduce us to the everlasting joys of heaven, all
manner of difficulties are started; all sorts of reasonings and questions
are raised; clouds of prejudice gather around the soul, and darken the
understanding. The sharp edge of truth is blunted or turned aside, in a
thousand ways. There is no _waiting_ for the sound of the trumpet; and
when it sounds, with a blast as clear as God Himself can give, there is
no response to the summons. We move when we ought to be still, and we
halt when we ought to be moving.
Reader, what must be the result of this? Either no progress at all, or
progress in a wrong direction, which is worse than none. It is utterly
impossible that we can advance in the divine life unless we yield
ourselves, without reserve, to the word of the Lord. Saved we may be,
through the rich aboundings of divine mercy, and through the atoning
virtues of a Saviour’s blood; but shall we rest satisfied with being
saved by Christ, and not seek, in some feeble measure, to walk with Him
and live for Him? Shall we accept of salvation through the work which He
has wrought, and not long after deeper intimacy of communion with Himself
and more complete subjection to His authority in all things. How would
it have been with Israel in the wilderness had they refused attention to
the sound of the trumpet? We can see it at a glance. If, for example,
they had presumed, at any time, to assemble for a festive or religious
object, without the divinely appointed summons, what would have been the
result? or, further, had they taken it upon themselves to move forward on
their journey, or go forth to war, ere the trumpet had sounded an alarm,
how would it have been? or, finally, had they refused to move when called
by the sound of the trumpet, either to the solemn assembly, the onward
march, or to the battle, how would they have fared?
The answer is as plain as a sunbeam. Let us ponder it: it has a lesson
for us. Let us apply our hearts to it. The silver trumpet settled and
ordered every movement for Israel of old: the testimony of God ought to
settle and order every thing for the Church now. That silver trumpet was
blown by the priests of old: that testimony of God is known in priestly
communion now. A Christian has no right to move or act apart from divine
testimony: he must wait upon the word of his Lord. Till he gets that,
he must stand still: when he has gotten it, he must _go forward_. God
can and does communicate His mind to His militant people now, just as
distinctly as He did to His people of old. True, it is not now by the
sound of a trumpet, or the movement of a cloud, but by His Word and
Spirit. It is not by aught that strikes the senses that our Father
guides us; but by that which acts on the heart, the conscience, and the
understanding. It is not by that which is natural, but by that which is
spiritual, that He communicates His mind.
But let us be well assured of this, that our God can and does give our
hearts full certainty both as to what we should do and what we should not
do, as to where we should go and where we should not go. It seems strange
to be obliged to insist upon this—passing strange that any Christian
should doubt, much less deny it; and yet so it is. We are often in doubt
and perplexity; and some there are who are ready to deny that there
can be any such thing as certainty as to the details of daily life and
action. This surely is wrong. Cannot an earthly father communicate his
mind to his child as to the most minute particulars of his conduct? Who
will deny this? And cannot our Father communicate His mind to us, as to
all our ways, from day to day? Unquestionably He can; and let not the
Christian reader be robbed of the holy privilege of knowing his Father’s
mind in reference to every circumstance of his daily life.
Are we to suppose, for a moment, that the Church of God is worse off
in the matter of guidance than the camp in the desert? Impossible. How
is it, then, that one often finds Christians at a loss as to their
movements? It must be owing to the lack of a circumcised ear to hear the
sound of the silver trumpet, and of a subject will to yield a response
to the sound. It may, however, be said that we are not to expect to hear
a voice from heaven telling us to do this or that, or to go hither or
thither; nor yet to find a literal text of Scripture to guide us in the
minor matters of our every-day history. How, for example, is one to know
whether he ought to visit a certain town, and remain there a certain
time? We reply, If the ear is circumcised, you will assuredly hear the
silver trumpet. Till that sounds, never stir: when it, sounds, never
tarry. This will make all so clear, so simple, so safe, so certain. It
is the grand cure for doubt, hesitancy, and vacillation. It will save us
from the necessity of running for advice to this one and that one, as to
how we should act, or where we should go. And furthermore, it will teach
us that it is none of our business to attempt to control the actions
or movements of others. Let each one have his ear open, and his heart
subject, and then, assuredly, he will possess all the certainty that God
can give him, as to his every act and movement, from day to day. Our
ever-gracious God can give clearness and decision as to every thing. If
He does not give it, no one can: if He does, no one need.
Thus much as to the beautiful institution of the silver trumpet, which we
shall not pursue further now, though, as we have noticed above, it is not
confined, in its application, to Israel in the wilderness, but is bound
up with their entire history right onward to the end. Thus we have the
feast of trumpets, the trumpet of the jubilee, the blowing of trumpets
over their sacrifices, upon which we do not now dwell, as our immediate
object is to help the reader to seize the grand idea presented in the
opening paragraph of our chapter. May the Holy Spirit impress upon our
hearts the needed lesson of “the silver trumpets.”
* * * * *
We have now reached, in our meditations on this precious book, the moment
in the which the camp is called to move forward. All is duly ordered,
according to that grand regulator, “the commandment of the Lord.” Each
man according to his pedigree, and each tribe according to the standard
thereof, is in the divinely appointed place. The Levites are at their
post, each with his own clearly defined work to do. Full provision is
made for the cleansing of the camp from every species of defilement; and
not only so, but the lofty standard of personal holiness is unfurled, and
the fruits of active benevolence are presented. Then we have the golden
candlestick and its seven lamps, giving forth their pure and precious
light. We have the pillar of fire and of cloud; and finally, the double
testimony of the silver trumpet. In short, nothing is lacking to the
pilgrim host. A vigilant eye, a powerful hand, and a loving heart have
provided for every possible contingency, so that the whole congregation
in the wilderness, and each member in particular, might be “thoroughly
furnished.”
This is only what we might expect. If God undertakes to provide for any
one, or for any people, the provision must, of necessity, be perfect.
It is wholly impossible that God could omit any one thing needful. He
knows all things and can do all things. Nothing can escape His vigilant
eye; nothing is beyond His omnipotent hand. Hence, therefore, all those
who can truly say, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” may add, without hesitancy
or reserve, “I shall not want.” The soul that is, in truth and reality,
leaning on the arm of the living God can never—shall never—want any
_good_ thing. The poor foolish heart may imagine a thousand wants; but
God knows what we really want, and He will provide for ALL.
Thus, then, the camp is ready to move; but, strange to say, there is a
departure from the order laid down in the opening of the book. The ark of
the covenant, instead of reposing in the bosom of the camp, goes in the
very front. In other words, Jehovah, instead of remaining in the centre
of the congregation to be waited upon there, actually condescends, in His
marvelous, illimitable grace, to do the work of an _avant-courier_ for
His people.
But let us see what it is that leads to this touching display of grace.
“And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses’
father-in-law, ‘We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said,
I will give it you; come thou with us and we will do thee good; for the
Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel.’ And he said unto him, ‘I will
not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred.’ And he
said, ‘Leave us not, I pray thee, forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to
encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes.’”
Now, if we did not know something of our own hearts, and the tendency
thereof to lean on the creature rather than upon the living God, we might
well marvel at the above. We might feel disposed to inquire, What could
Moses possibly want with Hobab’s eyes? Was not Jehovah sufficient? Did
not He know the wilderness? Would He suffer them to go astray? What of
the cloud and the silver trumpet? were they not better than Hobab’s eyes?
Why, then, did Moses seek for human aid? Alas! alas! we can but too well
understand the reason. We all know, to our sorrow and loss, the tendency
of the heart to lean upon something that our eyes can see. We do not like
to occupy the ground of absolute dependence upon God for every step of
the journey. We find it hard to lean upon an unseen arm. A Hobab that
we can see inspires us with more confidence than the living God whom we
cannot see. We move on with comfort and satisfaction when we possess the
countenance and help of some poor fellow-mortal; but we hesitate, falter,
and quail when called to move on in naked faith in God.
These statements may seem strong; but the question is, are they true?
Is there a Christian who reads these lines that will not freely own
that it is even so? We are all prone to lean upon an arm of flesh, and
that, too, in the face of a thousand and one examples of the folly
of so doing. We have proved, times without number, the vanity of all
creature-confidences, and yet we _will_ confide in the creature. On the
other hand, we have, again and again, proved the reality of leaning
upon the Word and upon the arm of the living God. We have found that
He has never failed us, never disappointed us—nay, that He has always
done exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think; and yet we are
ever ready to distrust Him, ever ready to lean upon any broken reed, and
betake ourselves to any broken cistern.
Thus it is with us; but, blessed be God, His grace abounds toward us, as
it did toward Israel on the occasion to which we are now referring. If
Moses will look to Hobab for guidance, Jehovah will teach His servant
that He Himself is all-sufficient as a guide. “And they departed from the
mount of the Lord three days’ journey; and the ark of the covenant of
the Lord went before them in the three days’ journey, _to search out a
resting-place for them_.”
What rich, what precious grace! In place of their finding a
resting-place for Him, He would find a resting-place for them. What a
thought! The mighty God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, going
through the wilderness to look out for a suitable camping-ground for a
people who were ready, at every turn in their path, to murmur and rebel
against Him!
Such is our God,—ever “patient, gracious, powerful, holy,”—ever rising,
in the magnificence of His grace, above all our unbelief and failure,
and proving Himself superior, in His love, to all the barriers which our
unfaithfulness would erect. He most assuredly proved to Moses and to
Israel that He was far better as a guide than ten thousand Hobabs. We are
not told in this place whether Hobab went or not. He certainly refused
the first appeal, and perhaps the second likewise. But we are told that
the Lord went with them. “The cloud of the Lord was upon them by day,
when they went out of the camp.” Blessed shelter in the wilderness!
Blessed, unfailing resource, in every thing! He went before His people
to search them out a resting-place, and when He had found a spot suited
to their need, He halted with them, and spread a sheltering wing over
them, to protect them from every foe. “He found him in a desert land,
and in the waste howling wilderness; He led him about, He instructed
him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle stirreth up her
nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them,
beareth them on her wings; so the Lord alone did lead him, and there was
no strange god with him.” (Deut. xxxii. 10-12.) “He spread a cloud for a
covering, and fire to give light in the night.” (Ps. cv. 39.)
Thus, then, all was provided for, according to the wisdom, power, and
goodness of God. Nothing was or could be lacking, inasmuch as God Himself
was there. “And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses
said, ‘Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered, and let them
that hate Thee flee before Thee.’ And when it rested, he said, ‘Return, O
Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel.’”