Numbers 10:1-10

Numbers 10:1-10

[1] And the LORD  spake  unto Moses,  saying,  [2] 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 camps.  [3] And when they shall blow  all the assembly  shall assemble  themselves to thee at the door  of the tabernacle  of the congregation.  [4] And if they blow  but with one  trumpet, then the princes,  which are heads  of the thousands  of Israel,  shall gather  [5] When ye blow  an alarm,  then the camps  that lie  on the east parts  shall go forward.  [6] 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.  [7] But when the congregation  is to be gathered together,  ye shall blow,  but ye shall not sound an alarm.  [8] And the sons  of Aaron,  the priests,  shall blow  with the trumpets;  and they shall be to you for an ordinance  for ever  throughout your generations.  [9] 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.  [10] 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. 

What does Numbers 10:1-10 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The two silver trumpets10:1-10
God ordered that priests should announce His movement of the people by blowing two silver trumpets because the Israelites would not watch the cloud continuously. The blasts from the trumpets would reach the farthest tents in the camp (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
"Whereas the cloud in Numbers 9:15-23 represents the divine initiative in leadership the trumpets constitute the response of the human leadership as it summons the congregation to gather at the tent, and signals the moment of advance for each tribal group." [1]
The size and shape of these trumpets were probably similar to those that appear on a panel on the Arch of Titus that still stands in Rome. If Song of Solomon , they were long and straight. The Israelites may have fashioned them after Egyptian models, pictures of which appear on several old Egyptian monuments. The priests also used these trumpets in times of war in Canaan. They used them to call the people to arms and to remind them to seek God"s help so He would deliver them ( Numbers 10:9). They also announced the feasts of Israel and the first day of each new month to remind the people to remember their God ( Numbers 10:10).
In this chapter we have the first reference to the new moon celebration ( Numbers 10:10). The appearance of the new moon signaled the beginning of a new month. The Jews viewed the first day of each new month as consecrated to God in a way similar to the Sabbath (cf. Isaiah 1:13). They marked this fresh beginning with special sacrifices ( Numbers 28:11-15) over which the priests blew the silver trumpets ( Numbers 10:10; Psalm 81:3). On the new moon of the seventh month, the Feast of Trumpets, the people did no work ( Leviticus 23:25-25; Numbers 29:1-6; 2 Kings 4:23). In Israel"s later history the priests blew these trumpets on other festal occasions as well ( Ezra 3:10; Nehemiah 12:35; Nehemiah 12:41; 1 Chronicles 15:24; 1 Chronicles 16:6; 2 Chronicles 5:12; 2 Chronicles 7:6; 2 Chronicles 29:27).
"The impression that this narrative intends to give is that of an orderly and obedient departure from Sinai. The picture is a far cry from the scene which Moses saw when he first returned from the mountain and found the nation celebrating before the golden calf: "the people were running wild and Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies" ( Exodus 32:25). In other words, the author is trying to make a point with this narrative. He shows that after the incident of the golden calf the Mosaic Law was able to bring order and obedience to the nation. The Law, necessitated by the disobedience of the people, was having its effect on them." [2]