Numbers 10:1-13: Two silver trumpets and the Messiah

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“The LORD spoke further to Moses, saying, ‘Make yourself two trumpets of silver, of hammered work you shall make them; and you shall use them for summoning the congregation and for having the camps set out.'” (Numbers 10:1–2 NASB)

These two silver trumpets are not shofars. They are חֲצֹצְרָה khatzotzerah (Strong’s lexicon No. H2689). They were silver, not made from an animal. They were under the control of the High Priest, just as our High Priest Yeshua tells us in Matt. 24:31.

Some have been teaching a less than literal interpretation of these trumpets has having a modern application to our modern media such as TV, radio, satellite, etc. Radio signals can be jammed and blocked very easily, as can satellite signals. If we depend on man’s ability to make computers, TV, Internet, phone, how effective are these things really? God can block them on His whim. These two trumpets that will sound in the last day will be heard around the world and their signal cannot be blocked by mankind.

“And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” (Matthew 24:31 NASB)

Why are there only two trumpets? Why not three, 12 or 10,000? Why are these under the jurisdiction of the High Priest and not the people, Moses, or a king? The Aaronic Priesthood is a picture or a type of the Priesthood that is above, which is the Melchizedek Priesthood. The Aaronic Priesthood is below the Melchizedek. God commanded Moses to build the earthly tabernacle exactly as it is in Heaven. It’s a picture. All the items in the physical earthly tabernacles has a version in Heaven.

These silver trumpets have two primary purposes: to summon the congregation and to set out on their journey. This story is all about the journey.

When Nicodemus came and asked Yeshua, he was not an idiot. He was a member of the Sanhedrin and highly educated as such. Yeshua called Nicodemus a teacher, not a scribe or a lawyer. We are of the earth and we think of earthly things first, just as Nicodemus. The earthy things explain the heavenly things. Those who are born of flesh are flesh. Those born of spirit are spirit. We are still of the flesh, we are made of flesh until the flesh perishes.

The verb form of khatzotzerah — חָצַר khatzar (H2690) — means “to surround” or “to separate from the open area.” Where is the area separated from the open area? The tabernacle. God built the temple according to His will. He placed the members of all the tribes around the Tabernacle according to His pleasure. Each captain, each commander had a station that they were to care for and they were not to move from that station to assist another.

He has done the same with us. He has set us in the place He wants for us. You might want to be a great evangelist but maybe God has put you in a place to write books. You might not consider writing as important as evangelism but that is now how God sees things. You need to perform your calling, not someone else’s calling. How can you tell God, “I don’t want to do X. I want to do Y”? Don’t you want to work for God? If not for God, who do you work for?

The part of the Tabernacle that was completely covered was the Ark of the Covenant, which held the 10 commandments, which are the testimonies against us. They are a witness against us.

The Creator of Heaven and Earth sits on the mercy seat. Yeshua represents the High Priest. Yeshua will do what His Father has told him to do. Yeshua would never tell the Father to get off the seat and replace the Father on the mercy seat, heaven forbid. Yeshua said He does nothing except what the Father tells Him what to do and say. Yeshua waits upon the Father for instruction. Yeshua’s entire world was the Creator of Heaven and Earth. He pointed people to God, not to Himself.

It’s really easy to look at someone else and say they didn’t do the job right. But God sent Yeshua into our dark and chaotic hearts to show God’s glory in us. Those who were sitting in darkness and the shadow of death saw a great light. We are to listen to Yeshua.

“Yet if only one is blown, then the leaders, the heads of the divisions of Israel, shall assemble before you. But when you blow an alarm, the camps that are pitched on the east side shall set out.” (Numbers 10:4–5 NASB)

The alarm in Num. 10:5 is not to scare but to alert and get attention. Each side received their own “alarm” to pick up and set out. The “alarm” was blown to the four corners of the camp.

“When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without sounding an alarm.” (Numbers 10:7 NASB)

Everything God is doing here is to fulfill the vow He made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They are to gather together.

When that final trumpet blows, the dead rise up first, then those who are still alive are called up. I believe that those who are of the world, who are not attached to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, will not hear this final trumpet, only those who are spiritual, who belong to God will hear it and respond to the call.

“When you go to war in your land against the adversary who attacks you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the LORD your God, and be saved from your enemies.” (Numbers 10:9 NASB)

The silver trumpet is also used as a call to war. The shofar is not use to raise the war alarm.

“Also in the day of your gladness and in your appointed feasts, and on the first days of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the LORD your God.” (Numbers 10:10 NASB)

The silver trumpet is also used to call people to God’s appointments. This is training to pay attention to God’s appointments because many important events in history have occurred during these appointed times. It is the High Priest or His representatives who are to blow these silver trumpets. This job can not be performed by a person who is not of the priestly line.

The sound of the silver trumpets are different from the sound of the shofar. Even with the silver trumpet, each sound is different. We do not have a record of what tunes were played on the silver trumpets.

“Now in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, the cloud was lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony;” (Numbers 10:11 NASB)

They had to tear down, pack up, get their house and animals in order on this 20th day. I haven’t figured out the connection with the 20th day, God hasn’t seen fit to show me and until I can ascertain it from what is written, I don’t want to venture an opinion.

They set out from Sinai, which is in Arabia, not Egypt. It is not located where Constantine’s mother tells us it was located. From Sinai, they went to the wilderness of Paran, which is also in Arabia. This is the first time they had to set out from a camp since they had fled the Pharaoh in the Red Sea.

They didn’t have cars, taxis and so on. This was a third day journey by foot. We don’t know for sure how many miles these travels were because the Bible doesn’t discuss journeys by distance but time. But in this case, we don’t know either the distance from Sinai to Paran or the time it took to go from one to the other. This is the area where Ishmael settled, southeast of Canaan.