Address—G.H. Hayhoe
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I'd like to turn tonight to the Book of Numbers.
Book of Numbers Chapter 9 Like to read part of this 9th chapter and then also part of the 10th chapter verse 15.
And on the day that the Tabernacle was reared up, the cloud covered the Tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony, and that even there was upon the Tabernacle, as it were, the appearance of fire until the morning.
So it was always the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. And when the cloud was taken up from the Tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed, and the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents. At the commandment of the Lord the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched. As long as the cloud abode upon the Tabernacle, they rested in their tents.
When the cloud carried along upon the Tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord, and journeyed not. And so it was when the cloud was a few days upon the Tabernacle. According to the command of the Lord, they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the Lord they journeyed. And so it was when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed.
Whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed, or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year that the cloud tarried upon the Tabernacle remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents and journeyed not. But when it was taken up they journeyed. At the commandment of the Lord they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed. They kept the charge of the Lord by the command of the Lord, by the hand of.
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Make thee 2 trumpets of silver, have 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.
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 about with one trumpet, then the Princess, which are the heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee. When you blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east part shall go forward. When you 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 priest shall blow with the trumpets, and they shall be to you for an ordinance forever throughout your generations.
And if you go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then you 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, in the beginning 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.
And passing on to the 29th birds. And Moses said unto Hob the son of Braga, will a Midianite, Moses, father-in-law, we are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it. You Come now with us, and we will do thee good. For the Lord has 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.
For as much as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, thou mayest be to us instead of eyes.
And it shall be if thou go with us. Yeah, it shall be that what goodness the Lord shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.
And they departed from the mount of the Lord, three days journey. The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days journey to search out a resting place for them. And the cloud of the Lord was upon them by day when they went out of the camp. 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.
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The reason I've read this portion of the word tonight is because it shows us the way the Lord guided His people through the wilderness.
We know that long before that they have taken shelter under the blood in the land of Egypt and were saved from the judgment that fell there. And I trust each one here tonight can say, well, I too have taken shelter under that precious blood because it's only the blood of Christ that cleanses the sin. It's only his precious blood that shelters us from judgment.
And when we are sheltered from judgment, we know that not one stroke of that judgment can touch us, because the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin.
But even though we know that, we're sure of being in the glory. How wonderful it is that God hasn't left us to find our own way through this world. He has marked out a path for us, a safe path, a happy path, because we know we're going to be perfectly happy when we get home to glory and are in the Lord's presence. But I say again, he wants us to experience some of this joy.
Down here in this world, when the Lord Jesus was here and speaking to.
Disciples, before he went away, he said he spoke the things He did that their joy might be full. He really wanted them to be happy. And God has provided for our happiness. And unless we follow the path that He has marked out for us, we're going to miss something of that joy that He intends for us. And so how meaningful it is that we follow the directions of His word.
You know He has given us a new life because not only have our sins been put away in the precious blood of Christ, but we have been brought into the family of God and God has given us a new life. That life is the very life of Christ. Every believer in this room, not only is a forgiven Sinner, but God sees you as a new creature in Christ Jesus.
He sees you in that new life, and that's why it speaks in the scripture.
Of justification of life, not merely that we're forgiven, but justification of life means that God sees you and I as believers before him in a life that never sinned and cannot sin because it's the life of Christ. We are made the righteousness of God in Him. What a place we have been brought into.
Well, we know the devil does all it can to keep a Sinner from coming to Christ.
He doesn't want him to know the joy of salvation after we're saved. He knows very well that he can never pluck away one of the Lord's redeemed ones. He's never been able to do it yet, and he never will. Because the Lord said, I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand, so knowing that he can't pluck us out.
It's strange that Satan should know this, even though sometimes Christians don't.
Don't know it because I believe Satan's been trying hard for a long time, but he's never succeeded. Not one could he ever pluck out of the hands of the shepherd, the Good Shepherd who gave his life to the sheep.
But he can and he does rob us of the joy of following Christ. He does rob us often of the blessedness of the path that God has marked out for us. And so just as God marked out this path for Israel, it's just a little shadow, friends, of how he is marked out the path for us as we go through this world. He has marked out a safe and a happy path.
And and these things that I've read here tonight.
Perhaps we could say there are three or perhaps 4 things that are marked here as the way the Lord guided His people. It was, it tells us, the commandment of the Lord and the guiding cloud. I look upon those together, how He guided them through His Word and by His Spirit. And then in the next chapter, every time they journeyed, there was the blowing of the silver trumpets and then to there was.
The Ark of the Covenant. And now I believe that there are those three things by which the Lord guides his people first of all.
He guides us by His word and by His Spirit. Then He also would have us to know His claim over us, because the scripture. In the scripture silver is a figure to us of redemption. The reason I say that is because when the children of Israel were numbered, it tells us that they had to pay 1/2 shekel of silver.
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After the shekel of the sanctuary, and that was called the Redemption.
Money. Now we know that in Christianity we're not redeemed with silver and gold, Peter tells us. We're not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold, but with a precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
So we're redeemed by blood. But when they blew these silver trumpets, it was really the recognition of the fact that they were not their own. And you know, if we say like the world says, well, I do my own thing, I go my own way. We're not recognizing the claims of Christ over us. But when we think of the great price that he paid for us, then we remember that his word says, ye are not your own. Ye are bought with a price.
Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are gods. That's what it means, friends, to acknowledge Jesus as Lord, to acknowledge his claims over us. And so, and those silver trumpets, I believe represent that. And then perhaps you could say, best of all, this ark, The ark was the symbol of the Lord's presence with his people, for it tells us.
It tells us that when the ark was made, it says, there I will meet with thee, and there I will commune with thee. And so I say again, isn't it blessed the way the Lord guides us? We have the light of His word, we can look up to Him in prayer, we acknowledge His claims over us as belonging to Him, and then we have His presence. Oh, what more could he give?
Well, might the little hymn say Lord tis enough, we ask.
No more How could we ask more than what he has given?
Well, we see here in this 9th chapter of Numbers, in the 15th verse where we began, it says, and on the day that the Tabernacle was reared up, the cloud covered the Tabernacle, namely the tent of the testimony.
Now you know when the children of Israel started out for Canaan, it tells us in another place that this journey was just an 11 day journey. It tells us in Deuteronomy that from Egypt to Canaan only took 11 days journey.
But I know it actually took them 40 years to go through. Was it because God didn't know the shortest way? Oh no, He knew the way. But there were lessons to be learned. And you know when you accept the Lord as your Savior, you're perfectly fit for glory. The Lord could take you the next day. You'll never be more fit if you live 40 years after you're saved. Because it's the blood and the blood alone that makes us fit. But the Lord leaves us here.
And there are many, many experiences that we have in our Christian pathway now that are necessary. For there were two great lessons in the wilderness. And those two great lessons were these, first, to know themselves, and 2nd, to know the Lord.
It says to humbly and approve thee, and to show thee what was in thine heart. That was getting to know themselves and to know. Getting to know yourself is not very flattering, it's not very pleasing. A man was asked to write his autobiography and he said he was offered a tremendous sum of money up in the thousands of dollars, because he was quite an old man. If he was, would write his autobiography. He said no person.
Honestly write their own life. It's too disgusting That was his comment. He didn't even want to honestly write his own life. Well, dear friends, we do learn in this world what poor things we are as sinners. We learn that we have no righteousness and we needed the blood to put away our sins. And even since we've been saved, haven't we learned how often we failed, how weak we are, how often we.
And don't please our precious Lord and Savior. Well, they had to learn this in the wilderness. 40 years, a long journey learning this. But if that was all we had to learn, that would indeed be very, very sad. But they learned something else. They learned that God was sufficient for every situation. For it says Aloy, humbled them and proved them and showed them what was in their hearts, as Deuteronomy tells us, He showed them what was.
His heart and he cared for them. He sent them manna when they murmured how he met them in grace. Oh, it was just, it's just lovely to trace His goodness to them in spite of all their failures. And that's the way it is for us as believers. We have learned our own failures and weaknesses, but if we have in any measure sought to walk with the Lord, we have learned.
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His faithfulness, and many of us like to.
Saying that little hand will praise him for all his past and trust him for all it's to come.
And so this Tabernacle was reared up after the people had failed. Then God said you're going to have to live in tents for 40 years. But he said, make me attempt that I may dwell among them. Wasn't that wonderful here. Because of their failure, they were going to have to live in tents in the wilderness. But God said, I love you so much that I will come down and dwell among you and by.
Sacrifices, He provided a way of approach into His presence so that he could go on with them. And that tent, because that's what the Tabernacle really was, God's tent. It just moved from place to place and every place they were why God intended that they should pitch around that center tent because that was where the Lord dwelled among His people. And that's why it begins here.
With first, as we said, there were.
Dean people, they were brought through the Red Sea, but now the tent is here, the tent of the testimony, the Tabernacle, the testimony, the Lord among his people, were they going to follow His guidance? And can we each ask our own hearts? I hope each one can say I know the Lord is my Savior. If you do know the Lord is your Savior, do you want to have His guidance in your life? Do you want Him to direct you?
Well, I'm sure as I read these verses from the 15th to the 23rd, it did sound like quite a bit of repetition, didn't it? At the commandment of the Lord. It's probably said half a dozen times. They didn't count it, but it's not quite a number of times. Here it mentions that the commandment of the Lord, they journey. Why does it have to be repeated? Well, I don't think we need to ask. Don't we have to be reminded of this over and over and.
Over again, these willful hearts of ours are ever prone to choose our own way, and so it had to be stated over and over again at the commandment of the Lord. And don't we feel the need of opening our Bibles and reading the Bible each day and looking up to the Lord that He might guide us? Is it enough to do it on Sunday and say that'll take care of seven days? No, it has to be repeated, doesn't it?
Over and over again and happy as the Christian who constantly reads the Word and constantly looks up to the Lord. Because we do need the guidance of His Word and we do need the throne of grace where we obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
So it tells us here that over the camp was this cloud by day, and that cloud was a fire by night. That was the glory cloud. It was God's presence there over the people, and it was that cloud that was intended to guide them in their passage through the wilderness. And I like to think of the cloud by day.
Because they were going through the wilderness where it was exceedingly hot, the hot sands of the desert. Wasn't it nice that in that place where perhaps there were no trees, no shelter, that they could take shelter under that cloud? And doesn't it seem like this sometimes in life, that the day is just like a scorcher? It's just so hot and just everything seems to get you. And you say.
Where can I get a little bit of relief?
Oh, isn't it grand? He took not away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night in all their journeys.
And so no matter how hot the day was, why there was the cloud, there was that shelter for them. And the Lord would have us too, to realize that we can find shelter under his wings, under his shadow. He's the shadow, it says a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind and a covered from The Tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as a shadow of a great rock in a.
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Land. And so in this weary land there is a shadow. It's that the cloud that was over them. And then at night time when everything just seemed so dark and perhaps out there in the wilderness where there were certainly not any electric lights, certainly not any cars passed, yes, everything was total darkness. It wasn't for them.
At any time of the night they could look up and there it was shining, there it was shining. And so there are times perhaps when we can't sleep and it seems awfully dark at night. We got discouraged perhaps to look up and say, there's one up there that I can turn to. And so there was the glory cloud. And they were never to go ahead of it or wait behind it.
And you know, we do that sometimes.
We go ahead of the Lord, we make up our own plans and we don't ask Him, and so we can go ahead. But they were not to go ahead of the cloud. The cloud was always to go before them, to mark out the way by day and by night.
And unless the cloud moved, they were not to move.
And then it says the commandment of the Lord. And you know, this is where we get his written direction for us.
How often you find people saying they're going to do things and then you show them what the word of God says and it conflicts with what they're going to do. Perhaps we're all like that sometimes. Well, isn't it good to listen to what God's Word says? You know, I'm so thankful for my Bible. The more I, the more I go on the Christian life, the more thankful I am because I see the Bible doesn't just tell you how to be saved. The Bible.
Picks up everything connected with life, all things that pertain unto life and godness. God is interested in everything. He's interested in your health, He's interested in your family, He's interested in all the things of your life. And it's all found in this blessed book. Our attitudes toward others. Everything's taken up.
In this wonderful book that God has given us, so they did have direction, says in Peter.
With His divine power have given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.
Well, I suppose sometimes they must have got a little bit weary because it's sort of nice to be on the move. But there were times when they weren't on the move. And it says that if the cloud carried a long time, two days, a month, a year, whatever it might be, that they were not to get restless and go ahead. It says that if the cloud tarried long, they were to keep the charge of the Lord.
And you know, it's that way with us. Sometimes we just get a little bit restless and we want to go ahead of the Lord, but it doesn't do. It's better to wait for Peter. He got restless and we know what he did. He denied his Lord. And we can get restless too. We can take our own path instead of waiting for his direction.
Well, it's very important sometimes just to just to be still the verse that says be still and know that I am God. Someone wrote a little poem like this.
Though Christ never asks of us such busy labor as leaves no time for sitting at His feet, the waiting attitude of expectation, He often counts a service most complete. And Martha was very, very busy. But Mary had time to sit at Jesus feet, and you know, to get so busy that we don't have any time to sit at Jesus feet.
Is not the happy path.
You know, in home life, just to be busy all the time doesn't really make a home.
We have some friends and they used to spend quite a bit of time together at home as a family, but then they got involved in making money and they've been quite successful. They've done very well. But one of the young people in the family said we just never have a meal together. They're always busy but they have no time.
To sit down.
Haste thee, plea before thee. And when it rested, he said, return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel. Thou. It seemed to me that Moses learned something here and been quite successful. He had done very well. But one of the young people in the family said, we just never have a meal together. They're always busy. But they had no time to sit down and enjoy one another's company. And you know the Lord wants us.
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To sit down and enjoy His company and as we sit down and read His word and perhaps come into the meeting and sit quietly in His presence and just praise Him and thank him, it may not seem like a great service that the world would talk about, but it's a very blessed privilege. He likes to have His people sitting around himself. So you can see here that those two things were to characterize their whole journey.
Before we go on to the next, I want to say again the importance of this. Do you read your Bible? Have you learned God's mind through his word? People say, well, I like to do this or our church does it this way. That's not the thing, friends. The important thing is what does God's word say? Are we going by the word that the commandment of the Lord they journey.
And I hope that each one of us are willing.
To have the light of God's word shed upon our path. When Paul came to Berea and preached, they didn't say, well, he's a good preacher. We just believe everything he says. No, it says they searched the scriptures daily to see if those things were so. Therefore, many of them believed there was blessing because they wanted to be sure that what he was saying was according to God's Word. And a hope each one here tonight.
Will search the scriptures because the word of God will abide forever and we do need to have the guidance of His word from a child that has known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation. And then it says also all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine.
For reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect.
Truly furnished unto all good works.
So what a heritage we have. So I just like to say this before we pass on to the 10th chapter, always seek to be guided by the Word of God and then look up to the Lord in prayer. There are things where we have a direct scripture. There are other things in life where we just need to look up to the Lord and ask Him to guide us. And so we need both in our life. We need the reading of the Word and prayer.
And I believe that's what's brought before us first here, then in this 9th chapter of Numbers. And we come to the 10th chapter here. And it says, the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Make thee 2 trumpets of silver of a whole piece. Shalt thou make them, that thou may excuse them for the calling of the assembly and for the journeying of the camps.
Well, perhaps I'm repeating a little bit, but I want to say again.
About this silver, how that it represents to us in the Word of God redemption.
Because that was the redemption. Money was paid in silver, and God has used it in His Word as a little picture of redemption, which He fought for us, of course, is by the precious blood of Christ.
And these two trumpets, the Bible says in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. And so you see, these two trumpets were blown. One, if somebody missed the blowing of the first one, there was a second one. So there was a double testimony. And let us never forget the cost of our redemption.
What did it cost the Lord to redeem a poor Sinner like me?
I say it wasn't silver and gold, it was the precious blood of Christ. He died on Calvary's cross. He bore the judgment of God for my sins. He shed his precious blood, and nothing less would fit me for God's holy presence. Oh, what a cost. I couldn't fit myself, but I had been fitted through what Christ has done. Well, he has a claim over me, doesn't he? If somebody did something for you.
More than you could ever think of doing for yourself. And it meant years of happiness to you. Wouldn't you feel grateful to them of what the Lord Jesus did for me? It means an eternity of happiness in heaven. An eternity, I say, of unsullied happiness. What a debt we all little hymn says. Oh, what a debt we owe to him who shed his blood.
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Who cleansed our souls and made us fit to stand before?
Is God? Well, these trumpets were blown. I'd like to speak first of all.
That thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly. Notice also the journey of the camps, but first for the calling of the assembly, and then it says in the third verse.
And when they shall blow with them all, the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation. Now in the seventh verse.
But when the congregation is to be gathered together, he shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm.
So the first use of these trumpets was that they were to be gathered together to this central place and they were to be gathered together to a person. As I say, this Tabernacle, this tent of the testimony, it was pitched right in the middle and they encamped all around. And then when these trumpets were blown, it tells us that all the assembly.
Were to come together and gather themselves to their leaders.
Who was Moses at the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation? So we can see here that the blowing of these trumpets was for the gathering together of God's people. Now the Lord Jesus, it tells us, died that he might gather together in one the children of God who are scattered abroad. It also says in the 10th chapter of John.
Other sheep I have. He was talking to his disciples.
Other sheep I have which are none of this fold them also I must bring, and there shall be 1 flock and 1 shepherd. Now that is the Lord Jesus himself is the gathering Center for his people. Isn't it strange when you talk to people they say what church do you belong to? Well the Bible speaks of the Church of God.
But it never speaks of churches having different names.
There's one the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth All in all. And could you imagine these Israelites gathering a few in this corner and a few in that corner and saying that they were all gathered to the same person? No, of course not. There was one place, the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation, and there was a person to be gathered unto thee at the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation.
And you know, wouldn't it be a lovely thing if all God's redeemed people entered into this precious truth of what it is like it says in Matthew 18 and 20, where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of that? It's a person that we're to be gathered to. I know it takes courage when people say.
What church do you go to? It's not hard to answer and give the name of.
Some accepted name. In Christendom, people will acknowledge all those different names. You'll enter a SETI. Sometimes there'll be a big sign out saying the churches of such and such a city greet you. And then there's a lot of names there. But doesn't it take courage when someone asks you just to say, well, we're gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Yes, it does, but that's the way the Israelites were gathered.
With these trumpets blew, there was no question whether they were going to gather around Aaron or Miriam or some other leader of 1000 liters of hundreds. They were to be gathered to a person and it was the God appointed leader and were told in Hebrews that that Moses was just a little picture of Christ. He's the true gathering center.
And so there was a person that they were to be gathered to, and there was a place, the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation.
And then there's this very beautiful thing that it says in the seventh verse. But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm. I really enjoy that verse, brethren, because they blew an alarm for their journeys. Why does it say that when they were gathered together they were not to sound an alarm? Doesn't it make you think of the Lord Jesus after He rose from the dead and stood in the midst of His own? They were terrified.
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But what did He say? He said, Peace be unto you. And when He had so said, He showed unto them His hands, and his side them. Were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord? And isn't it a wonderful thing that when the Lord provides a place to be gathered around Him, He fits us for the place? He fits us for the place, and it's His precious blood that fits us.
To be in his presence a little hymn says thy precious name is all we show that our only title Lord and full assurance. Now we know confiding in thy word. So when they gathered together, there was no blowing of an alarm. And Janelle, that's very blessed and very important when we come together that we should dwell upon this glorious theme and we come together to remember our precious.
Savior in his death on Lord's Day morning. It isn't with alarm, it's with the joy of being around Him, with the tokens of his death before us, the bread and the cup reminding us that He gave Himself to fit us for His presence, and that we might be gathered there. So here we find that these trumpets were blown them for the gathering of the assembly. And when they gathered, there was not to.
Any alarm, he's fitted us for the place, he's provided the place, I say again. And he's fitted us for the place.
But now it does tell us that when they were to journey, it says in the fifth verse, when you blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east part shall go forward. When you blow an alarm the second time in the camps that lie on the South side shall take their journey, they shall blow an alarm for their journeys. You notice here that they did have to blow an alarm for all their journeys.
And that was because in their journey.
They might meet the enemy and the enemy might be very strong. And so they were called upon to blow an alarm for all their journeys. And sometimes I think that this reminds us we have to go out in the world with quite a few young people here tonight. And you know, you have to meet a very wicked and evil world. I'm sure a good many of you know that when you go down to work, there's a lot of temptations, there's a lot of things.
Said and done that are really so contrary to our Christian life and our enjoyment of Christ and are we just going to go along with all that goes on Well, it says they were to blow an alarm and we need to we need to remember that verse in the 16th Psalm. Preserve me, O God, for indeed do I put my trust and many and many is the time and I hope every day as I used to go out to work. I used to ask.
Lord to keep me. There's a lot of temptations. It's so easy to dishonor our Lord and Savior. And what were these trumpets? They were to be a reminder to them that they were not their own. They were a redeemed people. And I belong to the Lord. And if somebody at work asks you to do something, or somebody at school asks you to do something, remember, you belong to the Lord.
I remember reading about young man. He was the son of the king of France and he was taken prisoner and he was asked to do something in the prison. He said I'm the son of the king. I couldn't do that. Well, he, he had a dignity of being the son of the king of France. Haven't you and I got a greater dignity than this? We're children of a king. We're in this world like ambassadors for Christ. Isn't it important?
And then that we should always bear this in mind. So they had to blow an alarm for all their journeys.
So when you start out to work and when you have to meet the world, remember you and I still have that old nature inside. Even though you're saved, you still have the fallen nature inside. Know that anyone tell you that when you're saved, the old nature's gone because you find out your sorrow, that it's still there. And if you don't ask the Lord to keep you, by how easily even a Christian, a real Christian, can dishonor his Lord.
So we're told to come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. And then too, when we have dishonored him, he's provided his advocacy so that we can be restored. So they blew an alarm for all their journeys because there were enemies in the way. And we have an enemy. We have Satan who seeks to trip us up. We have the world around us.
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Make such an appeal to our fallen natures. We have the flesh within, not fallen nature. And don't we feel how often these enemies are so strong? But I, I love that verse and Peter in John's epistle, it says greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. We're on the winning side. This little thought on this fourth verse they blow, but with one trumpet. Then the Princess, which are the heads of the thousands of Israel, shall.
Themselves unto Thee. I just had a little thought about the care meeting. Whenever we come together in the care meeting, we should never, never forget that we are there as those who belong to the Lord. Sometimes there might be a tendency in the care meeting. Just be a little careless about that. So it seems to me that the blowing of the silver trumpet, when the heads of the thousands of Israel were to be gathered together was just a little reminder of the way they should act even when.
Were gathered together in connection with the cares of God's people. So and you can see how this blowing of the trumpets was in connection with all it had to do with God's people. Then it says in the eighth verse, and the sons of Aaron the priest shall blow with the trumpets.
The reason it tells us this is because.
When we are saved, God tells us that we are royal priests, that we're holy priests, and so we shouldn't ever forget this. It was the sons of Aaron who blew with these trumpets. And I believe the sons of Aaron bring before us the church as a company of priests. And so just as in the Old Testament, there were a certain number of people that were priests, so in Christianity.
Every believer is a priest and we should never then.
Forget that it was they themselves who were to blow with the trumpets.
And then if they went out to war in their land and there are times of real conflict, haven't you found it in your life? Real conflicts that we get into the enemy crying so hard to get us into something that will spoil our life and testimony. Many a Christian has found himself in a conflict in a temptation that just seemed overwhelming and.
Says law with the trumpets. Like the little hymn says, take the name of Jesus with you, child of God, wherever you go, when temptations round you gather, breathe that holy name in prayer.
Oh, how much we need that. In times when the devil just comes all out against us, isn't it lovely that we can just look up and say Lord?
Help me keep me.
So when they blew with these trumpets, when the enemy came against them, he said, we shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and he shall be delivered from your enemies. And many of us can look back in our lives and think of times like that. We just cried out to the Lord, and the Lord came in like poor Jehoshaphat. One time he got in a bad way. He had joined hands with Ahab and he shouldn't have done. And then all the enemies surrounded him and it says he cried.
To the Lord, and the Lord helped him.
Well, what a gracious Savior we have to help us. He not only died to save us, but He lives to provide grace to help in time of need.
And now on the 10th verse too, it says also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginning of your months, we shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. What is this in the day of your gladness?
No, the Lord is interested in our happiness.
Many times young people get together to have a little time of fun. Should we at such times as that just say, well, it's all right to think about the Lord when you're going to the meetings? But there are times we just kind of throw this aside to have a good time. No, no, the Lords interested in your good time and you can have a good time that's pleasing to him.
And a little hymn says no place can fully please us.
Where thou, O Lord, art not in thee, and with thee ever shall find by we found by grace our life. And you know, I think I can look back in my life and think of many, many happy times I've had, but I know they haven't been times when the Lord's been laughed out. Perhaps going out with a group of Christians, we'd have some fun, but we wouldn't forget the Lord many times. A little happy times of fellowship speaking about the Lord.
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Encouraging one another can be connected with a time when we have necessary exercise. Well, isn't this lovely in the days of your gladness, The glow with the trumpets.
And then there are some days they're they're really hard days in life. There are days when disappointment falls, when pressures are placed upon us, when some friend disappoints us or perhaps we get bad news and the doctor is something in the days of their your solemn days we should blow with the trumpets. Isn't that grand? Even in the times when everything goes wrong and it just seems that there's some crushing sorrow comes.
Look up and say, I belong to the Lord, I belong to heaven blowing the trumpet. They belong to Him. Doesn't it help in days like that just to be able to look up when perhaps some bad news comes to look up and say, well, the Lord knows I belong to him. He paid a great price for me and he loves me. He cares for me, casting all your care upon Him.
For a careth for you and then in the beginning of your months.
You know, whenever you start something new, a new job, move into a new locality, make new friends.
The starting point is so important.
You know you don't start right? Why? Very often it's much harder afterwards. But it's very important that you start right. If anybody here starting out with a new friend?
Start right.
The historic the wrong way. It's awfully hard to correct it afterwards, but if you let it be known for the first time, you go out that you belong to the Lord, that's a good starting point that you want to please the Lord. That's blowing the trumpets in the beginning of the months. The new beginnings in life, because life is like that. We're always having new things rise up, new starts, as I say, a new job, new community.
And then it says.
Over the sacrifices of your peace offerings, Over your burnt offerings that they may be to you for a memorial.
Before your God, I am the Lord your God. Holy sacrifices, we haven't time to dwell on them, but I might just say the peace offering means the communion offering. The burnt offering is the work of Christ and what it is to God. And this is a very blessed thing to think of that wondrous work that he accomplished and also in our lives.
Not to allow anything that breaks fellowship with God. So that was the peace offering. Well, let's turn on now to the 29th verse.
It says and Moses said and a whole bad the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses, father-in-law.
We are journeying under the place of which the Lord said, I will give it to you. Come now with us, and we will do thee good, for the Lord has spoken good concerning Israel.
Then it tells us in the 31St, Bruce. And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee, for as much as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes.
Now there's something very sad in this.
And that is after God had given all these instructions about how he was going to guide them by that pillar of cloud and by his commandments and by the blowing of the silver trumpets. Then Moses turns to Hoobab, the son of his father-in-law. And he said, and now you know the way through this wilderness. To me, it's just as if he said to holdab. He said, now I'll never have to look up if you just stay close whenever.
Make a move. I'll just ask you because you know the way through the wilderness. You won't have to look up for the cloud. We won't have to listen for the commandment. We won't have to listen for the silver trumpets because you know the way. Well, don't we do this? Sometimes we lean on some friend.
And instead of going to the Lord, instead of searching his word, instead of acknowledging his claims over us, we say, oh, I can't disappoint that friend.
And you know, he, he really means well. Well, made me whole Dad didn't mean well. But he was a poor substitute to the Lord, wasn't he? He was a poor substitute for the Lord who wanted to guide his people because he was the one who was undertaking to guide them to the promised land. And haven't we often done the same? Somebody that we look to, somebody that we've made our guide and then.
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The Lord removed that person.
Maybe we felt badly, but maybe it was a very best thing.
And I feel rather sad that whole bag went back to his own people. But I certainly see that God allowed it because Moses would have used him instead of I. He would have made him the guide of God's people. And the Lord intended to be a guide of his people. And so if we're looking to any person, no matter how godly he is, no matter how he seems to know the way.
By remember if we're looking to him.
They might lead us the wrong way, but the Bible says, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, we have a sure captain. We have a guy who will never fail. And so he wanted to go before his people. He didn't want Hobab to be the guide of his people. He himself wanted to guide the people and lead them.
So it tells us in the 33rd verse. 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.
Well, it tells us then that when Hobab returned, when Hobbit went back.
Then the Lord came, and he led his people. And so I say, sometimes we learn this through disappointments.
I expect Moses was disappointed when Hobab went back, but he learned a wonderful lesson that day.
And that was that. The Lord wanted to be their guide. He didn't want Holbag to be their guide.
I believe we might say if we had read the intervening verses, that it was really the Lord's plan that just as when they pitched the all the tents were all around, the Tabernacle was in the middle. So God's plan was the same for the March. If you read it carefully, the way it was planned, there were some behind and then the ark and all the all the parts of the Tabernacle were in the middle and then there was others before.
God constantly desired to be in the midst.
Of his people, that's that's his desire to be in the midst of his own.
And in the coming day of glory, it tells us that the four and 20 redeemed are all around, and the lambs in the midst.
That's God's plan. What isn't it gracious that when Moses failed here and turned to his father-in-law, the Lord was still faithful. He still went before and I say again, we do fail and we know this, that often we have failed enough to others, but he has provided even for our failures as Christians. Where would we be if it wasn't for his faithfulness? That's why it says in Hebrews it says.
To hold fast the confidence of the hope. For He is faithful that promised not because we're faithful, but because He's faithful. He had said long before that he was going to bring them out and he was going to bring them in, and if they failed, he wasn't going to fail. And he didn't fail.
And He's going to bring his own home. He is the captain of our salvation. But it's nice when we go forward. I say again, according to his plan, not that we could ever lose our salvation, but how much better to be guided of him to have his plan. Well, as I say, the Lord here undertook for his people in spite of all that had happened. And it says the ark of the covenant of the Lord.
Went before them in the three days journey to search out a resting place for them. When you read about the three days journey, doesn't it make you think about the cross of Calvary? Think of the Lord Jesus going to that cross, going down into death, buried. And then he rose again the third day and he's gone back and he said to his disciples.
I go to prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare a place for you.
I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. He's gone to find a resting place for us. What a resting place it is, what a future awaits us. And he took the three days journey so that he might find the resting place. Wasn't that better than?
Wasn't that far better than any man could ever do? Well, that's the one who wants to direct us in our pathway too.
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So it says in the 34th verse. And the cloud of the Lord was upon them by day when they went out of the camp. It's as though the Lord were saying, Moses, all you had to do was look up. All you had to do was look up. You didn't need to ask Holdab to guide you. And we have a little song, don't we? My Lord knows the way through the willingness. All I have to do is follow. So he went before and the cloud went before.
And then tells.
In the 35th verse came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, didn't say rise up all that he said, Rise up Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered, and let them of hate thee flee before thee. And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel thou. It seemed to me that Moses learned something here.
And he looked away from Hold Dad, and he looked to the Lord.
The one who is the guide of his people. And he said, rise up Lord. And then I like to connect the other expression when it rested, he said return, O Lord, and doesn't that make us think of his coming? How we long for his return? He's going to return for the many thousands of his redeemed. We're expecting that showed at any moment. We're expecting to hear him when he descends from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel.
Of God is going to call his redeemed ones to be with Himself. And so this was the way, dear friends, the Lord died of his people of old. He guided them, I say, through all their journeys, and he wants to guide us too.
Israel's God is ours. Are we willing to seek His guidance? Do we desire to have His company? I say again that Ark represented the Lord's company with His people. There's nothing sweeter in life than to have the company of the Lord Jesus, and the only way we can have it is in the path of obedience to His Word. That's where we'll have His company. A disobedient child often doesn't enjoy their parents company, but.
Isn't it blessed that we can enjoy the Lords company in the path of obedience, as a little hymn says, when we walk through the Lord in the light of His word? What a glory He sheds on our way.
We do His sweet wills how our hearts He can fill with His love as we trust and obey well. May the Lord grant that we will seek His guidance and be directed of Him in our pathway, because He's soon going to return for the many thousands of His redeemed.