Numbers 10: The Silver Trumpets

We read in verses 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 with them, all the assembly shall assemble
themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 4) And if
they blow with one, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel,
shall gather themselves unto thee. 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 oppresses 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 a memorial before your God: I am the LORD
your God.”
The first thing we learn from the above is that it was the LORD (Jehovah) who
instructed Moses that two trumpets of silver be made. Why two? As the
narrative continues, the sounding of one is for the assembling of the princes
(verse 4), the heads of the thousands of Israel, to Moses at the door of the
tabernacle; whereas the sounding of two had several functions, depending on
how the trumpets were blown. Two trumpets were used: 1) to call the whole
assembly of the Israelites to Moses (verses 3,7); 2) to blow an alarm to begin
their journey to another location (verses 5,6); 3) to sound an alarm because of
war in their land (verse 9); and lastly, 4) to blow over their sacrifices of burnt
and peace offerings in a) the day of their gladness, b) in their solemn days, and
c) in the beginnings of their months (verse 10).
The next thing we learn from the above is that the trumpets were of silver. Why
silver? In Psalms 12:6 we read, “The words of the LORD are pure words: as
silver tried in a furnace of the earth, purified seven times.” Thus, the sounding of
the silver trumpets, one or more, indicates a message from the Divine.
When one trumpet was sounded, the heads of the congregation of natural Israel
assembled to Moses. Symbolically speaking, the sounding of one trumpet
announced to the heads of the tribes, Rev 7, of whom only seven remain just
prior to the close of the Gospel Age, to assemble together to their Moses, their
head, their leader, who is Christ Jesus, for instruction to take place. Similarly,
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
the sounding of two trumpets calls the congregation together unto their head,
Christ. See number 1 above.
Two trumpets blew an alarm to announce the beginning of another journey to
another camp site. Symbolically speaking, the saints of the Gospel Age, who
remain in the flesh down to the time of the sealing of the last member in their
forehead, are also interested in the blowing of an alarm by two trumpets which
indicates their journey is about to begin, and this, their last journey, involves a
change of nature, from earthly to spiritual, upon their death. See number 2
above.
Two trumpets were also used to sound an alarm because of war. Symbolically
speaking, the true Church, while in their fleshly bodies, do not wage war after the
fleshly, carnal manner or methods- using literal weapons of destruction. Rather,
the weapons of their warfare are spiritually based, waging war against the
strongholds in their bodies and physical minds that prevent or hold them back
from growth as New Creatures in Christ Jesus. This growth is accomplished
through the power of God’s Holy Spirit and from their study and application of the
principles found throughout God’s Word. These weapons are “mighty through
God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every
high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing every
thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Cor. 10:3-5. This is warfare indeed! and it
is waged in the mind of each of God’s saints in proportion to their fidelity to Him
and to their Lord Jesus as they individually seek to bring themselves into
conformity to the standard which the Scriptures lay out: “Be ye holy, for I am
holy,” Lev 11:44,45; 1 Pet. 1:16.
Verse 6 of 2 Cor. 10 continues, “...and having in a readiness to revenge all
disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” Read that again carefully! Paul’s
point in this context is this: while we sojourn in the flesh, we wage warfare upon
ourselves, not using carnal weapons, but ones that have a basis upon our
begetting of the Holy Spirit of God, that we may be found worthy of final
acceptance to our Head. Paul also declared that these individuals should have a
readiness of mind to work alongside their Head to revenge all disobedience WHEN
their own obedience to these principles of righteousness have been worked out in
themselves and thus fulfilled. Those who accomplish this feat, and few they are,
will be prepared for the appointed time to revenge all disobedience at the
command of their Captain, the Lord Jesus Christ. That time will be after they
have been glorified, for no vengeance, no retribution, will be enacted by God’s
saints while here in the flesh. Thus we read in Psa 149:5, “Let the saints be
joyful in glory; let them sing aloud upon their beds.” Glory is just that, GLORY!
Beds are for repose. While in the flesh God’s saints are active in their warfare
against their own flesh, against the Adversary, and against the worldliness that
Satan would have them enveloped within. After verse 5 the execution of
vengeance is listed, while they are in glory.
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
Num. 10:8,9- “And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets.”
This blowing by the under-priests was not to call the men of Israel to the battle,
but to encourage them after the recognition that battle was to occur and the men
had been assembled. The blowing was also for their deliverance from the enemy.
We read verse 9, “And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that
oppresses 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.” Aaron was the high priest, while his sons were the under priests, and
it was these, his sons, that blew the trumpets. Thus we read in 1 Cor. 14:8, “For
if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself (H3903- get
ready) to (H1519- indicating the point reached or entered) the battle?” Getting
ready for the battle is not assembling to the place, but having already assembled
with others for the battle, the participant is, a) mentally rehearsing his training,
summoning his courage, praying, and b) readying his equipment and attire.
Many of Israel’s men went out to battle when war was called for, and originally
two trumpets went along to the battle field. We read in Num 31:6- “And Moses
sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of
Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to
blow in his hand.” In later years, the captain of the host or army carried a
trumpet with him. See 2 Sam. 2:28; 18:6; 20:22.
In Matthew 24:30,31 we read, (A) “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of
man in heaven: (B) and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, (C) and they
shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory. (D) And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they
shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other.”
How do we read? If we read (A) first, followed by (B), we have read correctly
thus far. Notice the italicized word, “then” It only appears in (A) and in (B), but
not in the other two. (C) occurs only when (A) and (B) jointly exist, though
they, (A) and (B), occur one first then the other. The fulfillment of (A) is when
the earth tilted on its axis in 2017 A.D., which has been scientifically documented.
(B) does not occur in conjunction with (C) as the fulfillment of one event. (B)
stands alone, but is identified with (A) because of “then,” yet (B) follows (A) in
course of time. (B) is the result of (A) as regards the effect of the earth tilting on
its axis. (B) is, initially, the grief people experience from the weather patterns
and the weather changes resulting from the tilt, weather which causes damage,
death, loss, inconvenience, etc., but extends to the trouble that follows. See Job
38:22,23. (C) is fulfilled when the clerics of Israel announce publicly who their
Messiah is. Please see the treatise entitled, Matt. 24:4-34. (D) (simplified) is
the message of a trumpet. That trumpet is the singular trumpet sounding in Joel
2:1 that calls the heads of Israel together.
We hasten to also point out, the behind-the-scenes-work that is preparing the
clerics of Israel for their public announcement of who their Messiah is has been
95
100
105
110
115
120
125
130
135
going on for quite some time and is entirely independent of the trumpet message
of Matt. 24:31, (D). Thus, it does not surprise us that this aspect is spoken about
in our Lord’s great prophecy before the trumpet message is spoken about.
What is the purpose of “a great sound of the trumpet?” To “gather together” or
collect, not to finish their preparation that they might be of the select class, for
the message comes too late for that. The message is proclaimed to gather
together those who are already the elect, those who have already been sealed.
They are to be gathered, not in locality, but in purpose, that these may be
prepared, encouraged for the next step, which is receiving the seven trumpets by
these seven men, Rev 8:2. Thus, “a great sound of a trumpet” will be carried
throughout the earth by both natural and spiritual Israel for the purpose of
assembling seven men.
Verse 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 (2) over your burnt
offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you
a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.”
The burnt offerings by themselves, as delineated in Lev. 1, foreshadow the
circumstances of various individuals, or groups of individuals, as they approach
the Divine Standard which is represented by God. This is especially so during the
Millennial Kingdom wherein mankind is brought from the condition of sinfulness to
that of righteousness. In that setting, the bullock represented the ability of a
perfect person, the Elders of Heb. 11, commonly referred to as the Ancient
Worthies. The sheep or goat offering represented the nation of fleshly Israel,
who, though they had the oracles of God given to them, did not have all the
ability as did he/she who offered the bullock, thus the priest performed some of
the function of offering the sacrifice. Lastly, the one who offered of fowl knew
nothing about how to offer unto God, and consequently, the priest did all the
work of offering the bird for sacrifice. This class represents the world of mankind
at large, who know nothing about God’s ways and how to offer themselves unto
Him. Note also that the offering descended in value as the text went from a
perfect person, to one from Israel, to the world of mankind, who, at best, could
only offer an insignificant bird.
The peace offerings were divided into two categories; an offering of thanksgiving
and an offering related to a vow, Lev. 7:11-16. When the peace offering was for
thanksgiving, the flesh of the animal had to be eaten the same day, whereas, the
sacrifice of the peace offering for a vow was eaten for two days, but not on the
third day. What do these things mean? During the Gospel Age, any who come to
God through Yeshua, the Lord Jesus, and present themselves in sacrifice,
consecration, have really offered themselves as a peace offering, because the
blood of Jesus establishes peace between themselves and God. See Rom. 5:1;
8:1. Further-more, the sacrificer offers himself in thanksgiving for all that God
has done and will yet do for them. Their personal sacrifice ends in one day. No
140
145
150
155
160
165
170
175
180
one lives longer than 1000 years, a day to Jehovah. Thus the flesh of the
sacrifice is consumed that day. The other aspect, that of a vow, translates to all
who make that sacrifice or vow, and all these eat the flesh during two days,
because the Church’s offering is only two days long, within 2000 years duration.
Thus the flesh of the sacrifice is eaten for two days. If any ate of the flesh on the
third day, it represented the assumption or perhaps the presumption that the
Gospel Age would last longer than 2000 years, and thus enter into the third day.
This was an abomination to God, verse 18, and punishment resulted.
It should be observed here, that in the typical arrangement of the peace offerings
it was foreshadowed that the sacrificing of the Gospel Age Church would not
continue past 2033 A.D. for that date ends two full days of 1000 years each, the
church having begun its career in 33. A.D. at Pentecost.
Additionally, according to Lev 23:10-21, two lambs were offered as peace
offerings (vs. 19) after Israel came into the land and observed their first Feast of
Weeks. On that day there were also burnt offerings and a sin offering consisting
of one goat. When we compare the text of Lev 23 with that of Num 28, wherein
the offerings for the appointed feasts are delineated, Num 28 leaves out the
peace offering for the Feast of Weeks. Thus, the mandatory peace offering for
the Feast of Weeks, given in Lev 23, occurred one time, and one time only. Two
lambs were offered as peace offerings on that feast day, one representing the
thanksgiving (Lev 7:12) offering of the individual, and the second representing a
vow or voluntary (Lev 7:16) offering of the whole body of the Church.
A question arose regarding some of the seven trumpets blowing on the first day
of some of the months. We were concerned that there would be three trumpets
blown, two from natural Israel to announce the beginning of each month and the
third as one of the seven angels from Rev 8, which caused us to question our
prior conclusions. According to Num 10:10 in a very skeletal and literal rendition,
according to the information on E-Sword, it would read, “Day of gladness, solemn
days, beginnings of months blow trumpets over burnt offerings, over sacrifices
peace offerings, be memorial before God, I LORD God.” This made sense to us,
for when we looked at Num 28 there were no required peace offerings as part of
God’s arrangement for the beginnings of each month. Therefore, all peace
offerings that day were from the people, and so were other burnt offerings in
addition to the required ones. Thus, according to Num 10 the trumpets sounded
multiple times on the first day of every month as a memorial when any of the
burnt and peace offering sacrifices were offered. These offerings came from the
people. This realization, then, raises no prohibition to some of the seven
trumpets sounding on some of the beginnings of months.
We also noticed that on the first day of the seventh month, according to Lev
23:24, that day was “a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation,”
which is a sacred assembly. As we pointed out in the previous paragraph, each
beginning of a new month, the first day, had multiple blowings of trumpets over
185
190
195
200
205
210
215
220
225
the burnt and peace offerings. From the texts of Num 10:2,3,10, it is established
that two trumpets blew to announce the month, as well as two trumpets blew for
the Jubilee (Day of gladness), and two trumpets blew on their sacred, solemn
(appointed) days. Why was the seventh month, first day specially set apart for
“blowing of trumpets?”
The answer appears in Joel 2:15. First, however, we must look at Lev 23:27-29.
The Day of Atonement is referenced, the seventh month, tenth day. During that
day it was necessary for each person to afflict themselves, which if not
performed, caused them to be put to death, vs 29. That affliction is fasting,
abstaining from food. Now, look at Joel 2:15- “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify
a fast, call a solemn assembly.” “Blow the trumpet in Zion” is one trumpet
sounded, and it is sounded on the first day of the seventh month, when the
trumpets are blown as a memorial. This trumpet is in addition to the two that
announce the month and in addition to the trumpets that blow over peace and
burnt offerings. “Sanctify a fast” occurs on the tenth day, seventh month, when
each soul is to afflict themselves. “Call a solemn assembly” occurs when two
trumpets announce the Feast of Ingathering, which is the fifteenth day of the
seventh month.
The seventh month, first day memorial blowing of trumpets was specially
arranged because it would include the single trumpet blown in Joel 2:15, which is
the declaration that three woes would occur, by reason of the three upcoming
trumpets. This woe sounding was by the angel who also sounds the fourth
trumpet in Rev 8. The woe trumpet is NOT part of the fourth trumpet, though it
is sounded by the same person who sounds the fourth trumpet. The fourth
trumpet is the last of the seven to sound before the three woe trumpets, 5,6 & 7
are sounded. See Rev 8:12,13.
Original copyright © G. Kuehmichel, March 7- March 17, April 1, 2018. Continued with revision, March 29-
Apr 4, May 10,11, 2020. All rights reserved.
230
235
240
245
250
255
260
265