PM Feb 20th Num 9

February 20^th     Numbers 9        The Passover

1: And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2: Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. 3: In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. 4: And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover. 5: And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel. 6: And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: 7: And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel? 8: And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you. 9: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 10: Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD. 11: The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12: They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it. 13: But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. 14: And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.

The Cloud over the Tabernacle

15: And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. 16: So it was always: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17: And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents. 18: 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. 19: And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not. 20: And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed. 21: 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. 22: 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. 23: 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, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

Numbers 10      The Silver trumpets

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 but with one trumpet, 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 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.

The Israelites move forward

11: And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony. 12: And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran. 13: And they first took their journey according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 14: In the first place went the standard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies: and over his host was Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 15: And over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethaneel the son of Zuar. 16: And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon. 17: And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set forward, bearing the tabernacle. 18: And the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their armies: and over his host was Elizur the son of Shedeur. 19: And over the host of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 20: And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 21: And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary: and the other did set up the tabernacle against they came. 22: And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set forward according to their armies: and over his host was Elishama the son of Ammihud. 23: And over the host of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 24: And over the host of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni. 25: And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan set forward, which was the rereward of all the camps throughout their hosts: and over his host was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26: And over the host of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ocran. 27: And over the host of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan. 28: Thus were the journeyings of the children of Israel according to their armies, when they set forward. 29: And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel. 30: And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred. 31: And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes. 32: And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the LORD shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee. 33: 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. 34: And the cloud of the LORD was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp. 35: 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. 36: And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel.

In today’s Bible reading we read of the institution of the Passover and the cloud of the Lord which came over the Tabernacle. The children of Israel moved forward at the sound of the silver trumpets and so they were made and in this way the Children of Israel did go forward. First however we read of the institution of the Passover. It was the first of the feasts and when Israel fell away into backsliding it was the first to be abandoned. On one occasion certain men found that they were unclean because of contact with a dead body. Moses enquired of the Lord. The Lord pointed out that there might be cases in which men are caught on a journey or found unwittingly in an unclean state and if that is so then they are to celebrate the Passover but if men are clean and they refuse to celebrate the Passover then they are to be cut off from the people of God. On the day that the Tabernacle was set up the cloud of witness covered the tent of testimony. It was like a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night. The cloud was the visible means of knowing the presence of the LORD among them. Moses was instructed to make two silver trumpets from one piece of silver. These were used to give the signal to the whole company of Israel that they were to go forward. There were different sounds given by the trumpets. A single blast summoned the princes of the tribes but a double blow indicated that the tribes were to walk forward. The trumpets were also sounded over the offering that were made to the LORD. On the 20^th day of the second month the cloud rose from the Tabernacle and the children of Israel went forward together. The children of Israel moved north following the cloud and rested in the wilderness of Paran. Moses invited Hobab the son of Raguel the Midianite – Moses father in law to come with them Moses wanted his knowledge of the wilderness.