Today we read about silver trumpets. These were to be blown only by the priests, but they signalled several things. An assembly. A move. An attack. A Festival. A new month. A burnt offering. A peace offering. This was a way to remember God and a way to ask God to intercede. Let’s take a quick look at each one and see if we can determine why it made the list.
An assembly: The whole community should be gathered together to hear or see something.
A move: God was directing the community to relocate.
An attack: Asking God to provide protection from the attack of the enemy.
A Festival: A call to a time set apart to God as Holy.
A new month: Each New Moon was a call to make several offerings to God (Num 28:11)
A burnt offering: This was an atonement for sin. It made the person/people ‘right’ with God.
A peace offering: This was done before a meal to show commitment and unity between two or more parties before God.
The trumpets were a call to gather, to be led by God, to rely on his provision, to set time apart for God, to give sacrificially to the Lord, to admit our guilt and seek reconciliation, and to be unified as a body of believers.
How much richer we would be if we were intentionally and consistently doing these things? Set reminders if you need to — certainly the Israelites did — and make these things a priority.
Be unified as you gather, seek, rely, reserve, give, and repent.
I’ll end today’s devotional with the same prayer that Moses ended Number 6:
May the Lord bless you and protect you,
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you,
May the Lord show you His favour and give you His peace.