In typology silver signifies Christ’s redemption.

Here the sound of the trumpet was called an alarm because, in God’s thought, the children of Israel were continually at war. When they moved, they moved in a fighting way (cf. Exo. 12:51; 13:18). This signifies that the Christian walk, the Christian move, is a fighting move (Eph. 6:10-20; 1 Tim. 1:18; 6:12a; 2 Tim. 4:7a).

To blow the trumpet over our burnt offerings and the sacrifice of our peace offerings here signifies to proclaim what Christ is to God and His people. The burnt offering signifies Christ as our acceptance by God and as our living for God; the peace offering signifies Christ as our peace and enjoyment with God (see note Lev. 1:3^1a and note Lev. 3:1^1a). Of the five basic offerings (Lev. chs. 1—7) these two were great enjoyments to God and His people. When in the church today God’s children are absolute for God and dwell together with God in peace, there is a great day, a day worthy of the blowing of trumpets.

Lit., tabernacled.

Lit., he.

Moses thought that his father-in-law would be a great help, but God’s sovereignty would not allow any man to come in. Thus, Moses and the children of Israel had to put their trust in the Lord. This account of Moses’ trusting in man is inserted here to compare man’s leading with the leading of the Ark in the subsequent verses.

God’s guidance to His people in a general way was by the cloud and the trumpets (Num. 9:15-23; 10:1-10), whereas His leading of His people in a particular way was through the Ark (vv. 33-36), a type of the crucified and resurrected Christ in His resurrection. Hence, the unique Leader of God’s people is not any man (cf. vv. 29-32) but is the crucified and resurrected Christ (Matt. 23:10). He is the Leader, and He leads us to the proper place of rest on the long and rugged journey of the Christian life (Heb. 4:8-9 and notes).

The leading of the Ark of the Covenant indicates that the leading of Christ is faithful, according to a covenant. God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants to bring them into the good land (Gen. 17:1-8; cf. note Exo. 23:20^1a). Eventually, God’s covenant was placed in the Ark; thus, the Ark was called the Ark of the Covenant. Hence, the Christ who leads us into a resting place is the Christ of the covenant, the Christ of God’s faithfulness (cf. 2 Cor. 1:19-20).

Numbers 10:35 is quoted in Psa. 68:1. In Eph. 4:8-10 Paul applied the word in Psa. 68 to the ascension of Christ. Hence, the rising up in this verse refers to Christ’s rising up to the heavens in His ascension. See note Psa. 68:1¹.

Since the rising up in v. 35 refers to Christ’s rising up to the heavens in His ascension (see note Num. 10:35^1a), the word return spoken by Moses in this verse must refer to the second coming of Christ. Moses’ word in vv. 35-36 portrays a full view of God’s economy from Christ’s incarnation to be the Ark, the embodiment of the Triune God, through His ascension to His second coming.

Or, Jehovah of the ten thousands, to the thousands of Israel.