Word of Salvation – October 2010

 

Numbers 10 – THE JOURNEY (…ON WHICH WE INVITE OTHERS) – by John Westendorp

(Sermon 10 in a series on Numbers)

 Scripture Reading: Numbers 10:1-13 & 29-36.

Singing: Book of Worship: 96 / 385 / 441 / 136a

 

Introduction: When all is said and done there are really only two basic views of life.

One is the view that this life is the goal of living. It’s all about the here and now.
If that’s your view of life then you’ll really want to live life to the max.
You’ve only got one life to live… so make the most of it.
So you must work hard to get through your list of “a thousand things to do” before you die.
And too bad if things come unstuck and you don’t get even the first one hundred ticked off.

 

A second view of life is that this life is a journey that we are on.
This life isn’t our destination… the final destination is still ahead.
So we certainly want the journey to be as interesting and comfortable as possible.
But if that doesn’t happen we really don’t get too stressed out about it.
Because it’s the wonderful destination at the end of the journey that is all important.

 

In our studies of Numbers we’ve again and again found valuable lessons.
And we’ve been able to do that because there are so many parallels to the Christian life.
In the book of Numbers Israel is on a journey.
And we must never say that their journey was not important… it was vitally important.
But their life in the wilderness was not their goal. They were just passing through.

It was their destination… the Promised Land of Canaan that was their goal.
The journey would not be easy but the destination made it all worthwhile.
Here in Numbers 10 – as Israel now sets out – we again find parallels to the Christian life.

 

A] A JOURNEY ACCOMPANIED BY TRUMPETS.

 

1. There is, however, one last thing that needs to be mentioned as Israel sets off for Canaan.

An important piece of equipment is still needed: a signalling device.
Something that will actually let all the Israelites know that they’re about to move.
Some young people seem to think that mobile phones and text messaging have always existed.
But how do you communicate with a huge crowd in an age before modern telecommunications?

 

Well, God instructs Moses to make two silver trumpets.
These are not musical instruments… these are signalling devices.
A little like an army bugle that blows the reveille for morning roll call.
In the same way these trumpets alerted all Israel to get ready to move as one.
So the journey begins only as these silver trumpets are sounded.

 

Please notice that once again this is prescribed by God.
Moses and Israel are to do precisely what God commands.
They are not free to ignore the trumpets and use smoke signals instead.
Semaphore flags and carrier pigeons are out. Trumpets are mandatory.

 

One of the reasons for that is that the Lord God links these trumpets to Himself.
We notice here in Numbers 10 that they are multi-purpose signals.
Different signals for different purposes… but somehow linked to God… in two ways.

 

First, they are to be blown in times of war… when enemies attack the nation.
And God says that He will then hear and will help them overcome their enemies.

Second, they are associated with worship; with sacrifices and feast days.
And God says that the trumpets will then be a remembrance of Him. A memorial!
Because Israel had once heard the trumpet blast of God at Mt Sinai (Exodus 19).

 

2. That right away tells us something about the journey these people were on.

Israel’s wilderness journey would be associated with the two themes of warfare and worship.
Ahead of them lay many battles to be fought… when the trumpet would rally their soldiers.
But in war it would also rally God’s help from heaven to overcome their enemies.
Ahead of them also lay regular times of worship… when the trumpet would call them together.
And that would remind them of the trumpet call of God that had sounded from Sinai.

 

Please notice that these trumpets were not only for this journey from Egypt to Canaan.
Verse 8 says that these uses of the trumpet are to be a lasting ordinance.
They will continue to be used for generations to come… throughout their history.
So these trumpets are not just for this present trip thru the wilderness.

 

It’s not surprising therefore to find more than 100 references to trumpets in the Old Testament.
Over and over we read of trumpets being blown in times of war.
In the book of Judges, Gideon blows the trumpet and people gather to fight.
And God too hears the trumpet sound and delivers His people.
King Saul blows the trumpet in his battle with the Philistines.
And again, God gives a victory to Israel in that battle.

But we also read often of the trumpet being blown in worship settings.
When King Hezekiah restores the worship of God it is with sounding of trumpets.
They are blown to the glory of God and in His memory.
When Ezra dedicates the rebuilt walls of Jerusalem priests blow the trumpets.
God is honoured in that worship service as trumpets sounds His praise.

 

3. I can imagine you thinking: Fine! But what on earth has all that got to do with me?

Warfare today doesn’t need trumpets anymore – I’m not even sure that armies still use the bugle.
We have much more sophisticated signalling devices.

And trumpets in celebration? The nearest we get is to blow the car horn on New Year’s Eve.

 

Some folk try to force this all into some meaningful symbolism for Christians today.
They suggest that these silver trumpets represent the Word of God.
And that there were two of them because there are two parts to the Bible (O.T. & N.T.).
But that becomes quite fanciful and forced and it’s not all that helpful.

 

It’s better for us to think of Israel’s journey as a picture of the Christian life.
Life is not about the here and now… life is about a journey that we are on.
For ancient Israel it was a journey to the promised land.
For us today it’s a journey to God’s wonderful new world when Jesus returns.

 

If we think of it that way then these two trumpets become very relevant.

Because those two themes of worship and warfare are also part of our journey as Christians.
Life for us still accompanied by worship… it’s part of your journey as a Christian.
We’re here this morning not because we’re bored… and have nothing else to do.
Far from it… we got up early enough to make it here by 9am [fill in your time slot].
We gave up other things that we might well have done, so as to be here.
Why? Because worship is important to us on our journey through life.
It links us with the God whose trumpet blast shook Mt. Sinai.

But this journey of life will also be accompanied by warfare… not physical war.
We’re involved in a battle against the Devil and demons who want to destroy our faith.
We’re engaged in a spiritual warfare that threatens to destroy us.
There are battles against injustice and dishonesty, against abuse and prejudice.
But just as God helped those who blew the trumpet in Israel so He still helps us.
And God will keep helping us until the last trumpet blast ushers in Christ’s return.

 

B] THE GOOD BEGINNING OF THE JOURNEY.

 

1. So as the trumpets sounded Israel set out from Mt Sinai.

It was a year since they had left Egypt… and all this time they were camped at Mt Sinai.

Much had happened in that time. God had given them the Ten Commandments.
The Tabernacle and the Priesthood had been set up.
Lots of rules to regulate Israel’s social life had been given.
But now – finally – they are on the move.

 

And we see here that they make a good beginning to their journey.
In the verses we didn’t read, they set out in an orderly fashion – precisely as directed by God.
Tribal grouping by tribal grouping… and in between are the Levites.
They carry the tabernacle and the sacred things that have to do with Israel’s worship.
Three days journey to the Desert of Paran – that’s the first stage from Mt. Sinai.

 

Of course the great tragedy is that Israel didn’t keep up this good beginning.
This journey should only have taken a few of weeks.
Instead do you remember how long it took? Forty years! Forty years of wilderness wanderings.
That was due to their later disobedience as they constantly rebelled against God.

 

That makes us realise that getting off to a good start on the journey of the Christian life isn’t enough.
It’s good… but it’s not enough.
Many years ago a neighbour unexpectedly and suddenly lost his wife to cancer.
That loss made the man search for God. Under my parent’s guidance he became a Christian.
That man started off his Christian journey well.
He discovered the importance of worship and was there every Sunday He got involved.
He even began to think about training for the ministry of our churches.

But then gradually things started to slacken up… distractions kept him away from worship.
Before too long he disappeared off the radar altogether.
No one in the family even knew anymore where he was.
He started off well… but like Israel of old he ended wandering aimlessly in the desert.
We need to start off well… but we also need to persevere for the long haul.
The Christian life is not a 100 metre dash… it’s a 50km marathon.

 

2. At the same time there were many things that were designed to help Israel stay on track.

They were accompanied by the presence of the Ark of the Covenant.
That was a special gold-plated chest in which was stored the Ten Commandments.
The lid of it was also the throne of God in the midst of His people.
We’re told that day by day the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them.
In other words, God was always there with them, leading them on this journey.

 

That was not the only visible sign of God’s presence either.
There was also that supernatural cloud hovering over them.
It not only guided them day by day… we read that it also overshadowed them.
It not only lifted as a signal for Israel to start the journey… it also protected them.
It shielded them from the blazing desert sun.
So again a reminder that they were journeying with God… they were not alone.

 

What’s more both the Ark and the Cloud were focused on the destination at the end of the journey.
In other words, their wanderings were not an aimless wandering in the wilderness.
Always the cloud and the Ark were heading in the direction of the Promised Land.

 

We as Christians travel with the Spirit of Jesus Christ as our guide. And his leading is not aimless.

We journey with our wonderful Saviour to that place where we will forever be with Him in glory.

 

3. All of these things remind us that this journey is all about God.

And it’s good for us to keep that in mind.
We human beings can become horribly self-absorbed.
We behave as if life is all about us and it isn’t.

In fact – when that becomes our focus we’re at the same place Israel were later on.
It’s the very reason why their journey took forty years instead of four weeks.
Their self-centred rebellion made them lose sight of God. It was about them… not God!
And they paid the penalty for it in a prolonged journey till they learnt the lesson.

For the Christian, life is not about us… it’s about the God… it’s about Jesus and His glory.
We have this amazingly contradictory teaching at the heart of the Christian faith.
It’s as we die to self that we live. It’s as we give that we receive.
It’s as we keep our focus on Jesus that we find ourselves to be most contented.

 

Chapter 10 closes with some words of Moses that remind us that the journey is about God.
Whenever the Ark sets out Moses says:
Rise up, O Lord! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you.
And whenever the Ark comes to rest Moses says:
Return O Lord, to the countless thousands of Israel.

 

Those lines offer us some additional perspectives as well.
It’s a powerful reminder that Israel’s enemies are God’s enemies.
He identifies with His people. It’s part of His care and protection.
Calling God to return to the countless thousands of Israel is a great reminder of God’s blessing.
But at the end of the day these words simply shift the focus of the journey back onto God.
The journey we are on is not primarily about us… it’s about our God.

 

C] THE INVITATION TO JOIN THE JOURNEY.

 

1. There is one other wonderful thing we ought not overlook in Numbers 10.

And that’s the wonderful little story about Moses urging his in-laws to come along with them.

Hobab the Midianite is invited along on the journey.

 

What is interesting about that is that Hobab and his family are not Israelites.
In fact, not only is he a non-Israelite, he belongs to a nation that later oppressed Israel.
This man is a Gentile… a non-Hebrew.
The destination of the Promised Land was promised to Israel, not to Gentiles.
And yet Moses gets into some tough negotiations to try to get Hobab along.

 

At first Hobab declines… maybe that’s middle-eastern politeness… not to accept right away.
So Moses asks Hobab to assist them… after all Hobab is a desert dweller.
He’s someone with wilderness expertise who can act as Israel’s eyes.
And on that basis he urges Hobab to go with them. That’s fascinating, for two reasons.

 

First Moses is not afraid to ask for practical help from a non Israelite.
He’s prepared to recognise that God’s people don’t always have all the answers to everything.
That’s something that some Christians sometimes forget.

 

Secondly Moses is so very aware that God leads them and guides them through the cloud and the Ark.
Yet that doesn’t cancel out human responsibility.
Moses still makes certain precautions by inviting Hobab along on the journey.

 

It’s a strange little story. We’re not even completely sure from Numbers 10 if he went along or not.

From later history it seems he did, for we find these people living in Israel at the time of the Judges.

 

2. But this little story is important for a couple of other reasons.

It’s a lovely picture of the concern that God’s people ought to have for those who are not God’s people.

 

Moses wants this non-Israelite to benefit.

And if Hobab comes along then he will basically benefit in two ways.

 

First Moses says: “We will treat you well…!”
And a little later: “We’ll share with you whatever good things God gives us.”
That’s a lovely picture of the care God’s people ought to extend to others.
It’s a promise to Hobab of being treated well by God’s people.

 

That’s a real encouragement to us as Christians today.
God’s people are to be those who do good to others. And they do.
Many non-Christians have found that it’s wonderful to be with Christians.
Not only are they people who have it together… they share the blessings of that.

 

That came out in a debate on the ABC recently.
It was a panel talking about Christian influence in government.
It was pointed out that many of our Prime Ministers had strong Christian ties.
Prime Minister Bob Hawke grew up in a manse.
Prime Ministers Howard was a churchgoer… so was Prime Minister Rudd.

The question was then asked whether the panel could foresee a non-Christian PM.
The answers were very politically correct… an atheist could well be a Prime Minister.
And yet the panel expressed their conviction that the Christian influence would last.
There was a grudging respect that Christians bring good things along with them.
And Christians do that because they have learned it from Jesus their Lord and Master.

 

3. A second way in which Hobab will benefit is that some of God’s blessings will – as it were – rub off.

God has promised to bless His people.
That is a huge theme of the Old Testament part of the Bible.
It comes out repeatedly: God is determined to bless His people.

Well that means that if you’re closely associated with God’s people you stand to gain.
If you journey through life with Christians you are within the sphere of God’s blessings.
And some of those blessings will rub off on those accompanying us on the journey.

 

Let me give you one very clear example of that.
In I Corinthians 7 Paul talks about a marriage where one partner becomes a Christian.
And he says that the unbelieving partner is sanctified through the believing partner.
What he means is that they are special simply by virtue of being married to a Christian.

Please… Paul is not saying that it’s okay for Christians to marry non-Christians.
That is a huge gamble – because you are not united in the most important area of life.
He’s simply saying that an unbelieving partner lives within the sphere of God’s blessing.

 

Moses says: God has promised good things to Israel… and we’ll share whatever good things God gives.
What are those good thing? For Israel it was the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey.
And the wonderful thing is that the descendants of Hobab were later found in Canaan.

For us the wonderful blessing God promises us as believers in Jesus…
is forgiveness of our sins… a home in heaven and a place in God’s great new creation.
It’s wonderful to be able to invite others to share those blessings.
How marvellous when those we invite actually respond by accompanying us on the journey.
As they too put their trust in Jesus they will be headed for that glorious destination
to spend all eternity in God’s presence in His wonderful new creation. Amen.