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Scripture Reading: Num. 9:15-23; 10:1-10
After the children of Israel had been formed into an army, they were ready to journey to fight for God so that He could gain the ground on earth to build up His kingdom with His house. Their moving was not up to them; it was altogether according to the Lord's leading. They did not move when they wanted to move but when the Lord led them to move. In this message we will begin to consider the journeying of God's people.
The children of Israel set out according to the Lord's guidance (9:15—10:10). Godless people, those who are without God and the Lord, do not have a guide. The worldly people are very busy, but they are without a guide. However, God's people have a guide, and this guide is God Himself.
The children of Israel set out under the guidance of the cloud (9:15-23). When God came to be our Redeemer, He came in type as a lamb. The Lord Jesus is the Lamb of God to take away our sins (John 1:29). But when God came to be our guidance, He came as the cloud. This guidance in the form of a cloud is God consummated to be the Spirit.
A cloud has much to do with the earth, yet it belongs not to the earth but to the heavens. A cloud is closely related to rain and is nearly the same as rain. Often a cloud will actually become rain. When rain comes, something from the heavens reaches the earth, benefiting the people on earth.
Zechariah 12:1 says that God stretched forth the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirit of man within him. We may say that the heavens are for the earth, the earth is for man, and man, with his spirit, is for God. In what way are the heavens for the earth? When the heavens rain, this rain is for the earth. The earth receives the rain from the heavens. The earth is for man because the earth by the rain produces all kinds of food and foodstuff. Man should live by his spirit for God. This is a simple picture of the scenery concerning man on earth.
The history of human civilization shows that man has usually "followed the cloud" and settled where there is water. Primarily, man lives not in dry places but near the rivers, the seas, and the oceans. Hence, man must follow the cloud. If people do not want to wither and die of thirst, they must go where there is water.
In typology the cloud from the heavens signifies God in the sense of God's presence. When the cloud was in a certain place with God's people, God's actual presence was with His people. When they saw the cloud, they knew that God was present with them. When the cloud, God's presence, remained, the children of Israel stayed where they were. But when the cloud moved, that was a sign that God was ready to move and that the people should also get ready to move. Thus, when the cloud set out, Israel moved, and when the cloud stopped, Israel stopped. From this we see that the guidance was God Himself in the form of a cloud.
Now we need to consider how to apply the matter of God's guidance by the cloud to our experience today. Christians should always follow the Spirit. However, whereas the cloud in the Old Testament was visible, the Spirit is altogether invisible. Also, the cloud was somewhat concrete, but the Spirit is altogether abstract. The children of Israel could see the cloud, but we cannot see the Spirit. How, then, can we know that God is with us? What is the sign of God's presence? Concerning these questions, we need to learn a lesson from our forefathers — go where there is water.
Water comes from rain, and rain is from the cloud. In a sense, rain is another form of the cloud. The cloud and the rain are the same in substance. In essence the cloud and the rain are the same. The cloud becomes rain, and when the rain comes, we have water. Therefore, we may say that the cloud, the rain, and the water are three-in-one.
Today we cannot see the Spirit, but we can see what issues from the Spirit. This issue is the sense within us that we are being watered. However, often as we move we have the sense deep within that we are dry. When we are dry, we should not move, but neither should we stay. This dryness is a strong sign that we are wrong with God, either in our position or in other matters. Hence, we need to pray, not in a general way but by confessing. Often we do not know in what we are wrong. Since our dryness is a sign that we are wrong and since we may not know in what we are wrong and therefore do not know what to confess, we need to grope. In our groping, we may confess from different angles concerning our mistakes, shortcomings, wrongdoings, defects, and even fleshly activities and lustful desires. We may need to confess from many different directions. We need to confess by groping until our feeling in our prayer reaches something, and the cloud is there. Then we know the Lord's leading.
The presence of the Spirit today is altogether invisible and abstract, and it has absolutely something to do with our situation before God, especially in our spirit. When our spirit is wrong, we need to go to God to adjust our spirit. We may not be able to adjust our spirit in a morning watch of only ten minutes. It may take more than half an hour for us to adjust our spirit in full. If we are wrong in something and if the Lord has the purpose of teaching us to know His way, He may not be quick to show us in what we are wrong. Rather, He may leave us in a puzzled state for quite a while, even for several days. During this time, we may pray in a groping way seemingly without getting anywhere. Because the Lord has a deep lesson for us to learn, He will train us during these puzzling days of groping. Then one day we will reach the point where the Lord wants us to be. There we either touch the rain or see the cloud. It is in this way that we learn.
We need to keep in mind that God's guidance is actually God Himself in His presence with us. In ancient times, God's guidance was in the form of a cloud. Today we do not have the cloud; we have the Spirit within us.
"On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of testimony" (Num. 9:15a). Here we see that on the day the tabernacle was set up, the cloud (the Spirit) covered (overshadowed) the tabernacle of the testimony. This overshadowing in the vast and terrible wilderness was a great salvation. Furthermore, I believe that the cloud overshadowed not only the tabernacle but the entire camp of the children of Israel. In the wilderness there was an array, and above that array was an overshadowing cloud. This overshadowing cloud was an indication, a testimony, that there was something on earth for God.
"At evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. So it was continually; the cloud covered it, and at night it had the appearance of fire" (vv. 15b-16). In typology, the cloud signifies the Spirit, and the fire, for enlightening, signifies the Word. When we have a clear sky in our spiritual life, we feel the presence of the Spirit. Quite often, however, we are in the night, and then the Spirit becomes the Word to us. This is a strong proof that the Spirit is the Word (cf. Eph. 6:17-18). The over-shadowing element becomes the shining essence. Today we have both the Holy Spirit as the cloud and the holy Word as the fire. The Holy Spirit as the cloud overshadows, and the holy Word as the fire shines.
When the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel set out. Where the cloud settled down, they encamped. When the cloud abode over the tabernacle, they remained encamped (Num. 9:17-22). Because the children of Israel followed the cloud, they did not need to worry or be anxious about when to move. Instead of being anxious, they could be at peace.
The children of Israel followed the cloud in order to keep the charge of God according to the word of God by Moses. "At the word of Jehovah they encamped, and at the word of Jehovah they set out; they kept the charge of Jehovah according to the word of Jehovah by Moses" (v. 23).
In the wilderness, the children of Israel numbered more than two million, but they were in good order and were under a divine arrangement. They did not stay or move according to their own likes, dislikes, or preferences. Rather, they stayed together or moved together according to the word given by God to Moses.
First, Israel's guidance was God Himself in the form of a cloud. Second, the children of Israel were guided by the two trumpets (10:1-10). Because the trumpets made a loud sound, they could become a means of guidance.
"Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, Make for yourself two silver trumpets; of hammered work you shall make them" (vv. 1-2a). In typology, silver signifies Christ's redemption. The fact that the trumpets were made of hammered work indicates that they were made through beating.
The two silver trumpets were to be used for summoning the assembly and for having the camp set out (v. 2b).
The blowing of both trumpets was for assembling. "When both are blown, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to you at the entrance of the tent of meeting" (v. 3).
The blowing of just one trumpet was for the assembling of the leaders. "But if they blow only one, then the leaders, the heads of the thousands of Israel, shall assemble themselves to you" (v. 4).
The blowing of an alarm was for the camps on the east side to set out. "When you blow an alarm, the camps that are encamped on the east side shall set out" (v. 5).
The blowing of the second alarm was for the camps on the south side to set out. "When you blow an alarm the second time, the camps that are encamped on the south side shall set out. An alarm is to be blown whenever they are to set out" (v. 6).
Here in Numbers the sound of the trumpet was called an alarm because, in God's thought, the children of Israel were continually at war. At any time they could hear the alarm for fighting. When they moved, they moved in a fighting way. This signifies that our Christian walk, our Christian move, is a fighting move. However, quite often we have been negligent in this matter and have suffered as a result. Concerning certain moves, we suffered a great deal because we did not have the consciousness that we were in a battle. We are always at war, and therefore we should constantly be under the sounding of the alarm.
"The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets" (v. 8a). Only the sons of Aaron, the most spiritual persons, those closest to God, those who knew His heart and intention, could blow the trumpets.
The sons of Israel were to sound an alarm with the trumpets when they went to war in their own land against their adversary. "When you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you shall be remembered before Jehovah your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies" (v. 9). This verse speaks of the adversary, the enemy, and being remembered before God. An adversary is different from an enemy. Whereas an enemy comes from without, an adversary comes from within. To sound an alarm with the trumpet is a marvelous thing because this causes us to be remembered by God and to be saved from our enemies.
"On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts, and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; they shall be to you for remembrance before your God: I am Jehovah your God" (v. 10). This verse speaks of three kinds of occasions: the day of gladness, the appointed feasts, and the beginning of months. (In typology God pays much attention to the new moon, to the beginning of a new month; we, however, may not pay adequate attention to the matter of a new beginning daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly.) On these occasions the sons of Israel were to blow the trumpets over their burnt offerings and their peace offerings. The burnt offering signifies Christ as our acceptance by God and as our living; the peace offering signifies Christ as our peace and enjoyment with God.
Of the five basic offerings, the burnt offering and the peace offering are great enjoyments to God and to His people. The burnt offering indicates that God's people are absolute for Him. Because of this offering, God has enjoyment, and His people also have enjoyment. Hence, both God and His people are happy, and the day becomes a day of gladness, even a feast. At such a time, the trumpets were to be sounded over the burnt offerings. This indicates that when we are absolute for God, there will be a day of gladness, a day for both God and us to have enjoyment. In the same principle, when we and God live in peace, remain in peace, and enjoy peace as a mutual fellowship, there will also be a great day. When in the church today God's children are absolute for Him and dwell together with God in peace, there will be a great day, a day worthy of blowing the trumpets.
The guidance for the children of Israel in their move was both from the heavens (the cloud) and from the earth (the two trumpets). When the cloud moved, all the people received the sign to move. When the trumpets sounded, they took action to set out. Today we have the Spirit and the Word, and quite often the Word becomes an alarm to us.
