The First Passover, Getting ready to Move on

Today's readings are in Numbers 9 & 10

The Israelites are still near Mt. Sinai, but they are getting ready to move on. A whole year has passed since they left Egypt. In that time the Tabernacle has been built and they have received the laws that will direct them as a nation. They are ready to go to the promised land that is north of them.

The first thing that marks their preparation to leave is the first Passover worship. On the fourteenth day of the 1st month (around April) they celebrate Passover. Provisions for those who cannot celebrate are made. All are included, even those who are foreigners dwelling among them. God is the God of all peoples and the purpose is to bring glory to God's redemption to the nations - beginning with this one nation.

The next chapter seems at first to be another of those "minor details" - making trumpets. Yet the trumpets were an integral part of their communication - sort of their warning system, their noon whistle, the church bells on Sunday I grew up hearing. They were used to summons leaders, to break camp in preparation for leaving, to call to worship, to summons the military for warfare. Think of trumpets at a military funeral - their distinctive sound is meant to convey solemnness and honor of a former soldier.

At last they break camp: "On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle of the covenant law...Then the Israelites set out from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the cloud came to rest in the Desert of Paran."

The description is amazing if we can imagine a camp of 2 million people taking down everything from their tents, household furnishings, the Tabernacle, all of the animals, children, etc...and moving across the desert in an orderly way. It must have been quite the sight.

God's development of this nation is an awesome display of his purposes. He gathers these people out of slavery, redeems them, delivers them, and gives them victory over their enemy. Then, as redeemed people, he gives them instruction in terms of their culture, and his ways. He calls them to be a nation of priests - a nation that is going to show the other nations what it means to know and follow the Lord - Yahweh. Everything is prepared...it all looks good, BUT... that's tomorrow.

Peace


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