w, not in God. Men have eyes, yet see not; ears, yet hear not. They clamour for more light, more evidence, ·more signs. " If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead." .And now they have also Christ and the apostles to listen to. All the great Bppeals and proclamations of the gospel have the trumpet sound in them; only men are so drenched and stupefied with the opiates of sin that the sound is as if it were not. II. Goo COULD USII: THE ONE AGENT TO INDICATE MANY BEQUIREMENTS. There were always the same two trumpets, but sounded in different ways for different purposes. There was one sound for the princes, and another for the people. The trumpet called them to the march, and in later days, when the marching was over, it called them to the battle. It had to do with great religious occasions, and times of special gladness, e. g. the jubilee year (Levit. xxv. 9). So there is one Spirit and diversity of opera - tione. There is the Spirit calling the attention of men by signs and wonders; there is the same Spirit breathing through the men who wrote book after book of the Scriptures. .And now these Scriptures lie like a silent ail ver trumpet, till the same Spirit, breathing through them, makes them to teach, console, promise, warn, accord- ing to the need of the individual who listens. The trumpet of God gives no uncer- tain sound (1 Cor. xiv. 8). Paul trusted it with the most complete confidence in his missionary work (Acts xvi. 6-10). There is a trumpet sound telling us not only to do something for God, but exactly what to do. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." III. THE TBUMPET WAS ll'OR SPECIAL OCCASIONS. It was not a daily sound. It indicated fresh departures, and was associated with great celebrations. Between the soundings there were intervals for the quiet practice of every day duties. It is good thus to have the ordinary and the extraordinary mingled in our life. It is nn ill thing both for individuals and communities to be settled too long in th'l same circum- stances. Too much change is bad, but too much rest is worse. Times of quiet, plodding toil scarcely noticed, faithfulness in little things day after day-then the trumpet sounds and there is change and strife. But though the trumpet is there for special occasions, God has voices for every day to all who have the listening ear. (2 Chron. v. 12-14; lea. xviii. 3; xxvii. 13; lviii. 1; Jar. iv. 5; vi 1 ; xiii. 14; Ji. 27; Ezek. xxxiii. 1-6; Hosea viii. 1; Joel ii. 1; A.mos iii. 6; Zeph. i. 16; Zech. ix. 14; Rev. i. 10.)-Y.
EXPOSITION. THB ORDER 011' MA.ROH FROM SINA.I (vere. Paran. Te.ken by itself this would seem 11-28). Ver. 11.-0n the twentieth day to apply to the first resting of the cloud of the aeoond month. This answered ap• and the first hnlt of the host after break- proximately to our May 6th, when the ing up from "the wilderness of Sino.i." It sprina verdure would still be on the land, appears, however, from eh. xii. 16 tlrnt " tho but tte heat of the day would already have wilderness of Paran" was only reached o.fter become intense. We may well suppose that lenving Hazeroth at the end of three dnys' the departure would have taken place a month journey from Sino.i, nor would a shorter spo.ce enrlier, hnd it not been necessary to wait for of time suffice to carry the host across the the due celebration of the second or supple- mountain barrier of the J ebel et-Tih, which mento.l passover (eh. ix. 11). As this march forms the clearly-marked southern limit of wns, next to the actunl exodus, the great trial the desert plateau of Po.ran (seo next note). of Israel's faith nnd obedience, it was most Some critics have arbitrarily extended the important that n011e should commence it Ii.mi ts of " the wilderness of Pnrnn " so as to otherwise than in full communion with their include the so.ndy waste between Sino.i nnd God nnd with one nnother. The oloud waa the Jebel et-Tih, and therefore the very first taken up. For the first time since the tnber- halting-pince of Israel. This, however, is nncle had been reared up (Exod. xl. 34). unnecessary as well as nrbitrary; for (1) vers. This being the Divine signal for depnrture, 12, 13 nre evidently in the nnture of a sum- the silver trumpets would immediately an- mary, and the same subject is confessedly nounce the fact to all the hosts. taken up ngain in ver. 33, sq. ; and (2) tho Ver. 12.-Took their joumeya. Literally, departure from Sinai is e:'Pressly said to havo " marched according to their journeys " been for a "three days' Journey" (ver. 33), (C::J'llll!Q~). Septuagint, l£ppav avv hap• which mnst mean that the mnrch, nlthough ria,, abrwv, set forward with their baggage. actually divided into three stages, was re- And the oloud rested in the wildemeaa of garded as a single journey, bccl\use it brought 88 THE BOOK OF ~UM.BERS. [01:1. :x. 11-i8.