Numbers 10:11-36; Leading, Evangelizing, Proclaiming the Presence ~ 20260208 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
2026 02/08 Numbers 10:11-36; Leading, Evangelizing, Proclaiming the Presence; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20260208_numbers-10_11-36.mp3
God’s people have been delivered from slavery, brought to Mount Sinai, where they entered into a covenant relationship with YHWH God, constructed the tabernacle where the Lord manifested his presence among them, they celebrated the Passover on the first anniversary of their exodus from Egypt, and now, a month later, they are organized and ready to set out to the promised land.
In Numbers 9, the Lord promises to be with them, to lead and guide them through the wilderness in cloud and fire, and they walk in obedience to God’s guiding cloud. In 10:1-10, God instructs them to use two silver trumpets, a tool to summon the leaders, assemble the camp, to signal the tribes to set out in sequence.
God’s People on the March
In Numbers 10:11 after about 11 months at the foot of Mount Sinai, the cloud of YHWH lifts, signaling them to break camp and set out from Sinai to the promised land. This is a momentous day.
Numbers 10:11 In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony, 12 and the people of Israel set out by stages from the wilderness of Sinai. And the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran. 13 They set out for the first time at the command of the LORD by Moses.
God’s glory cloud lifted, the signal was given; the million plus camp sprang into action. Each family packed up and got ready to move at the signal; Aaron and his sons carefully prepared God’s holy furniture for transport according to Numbers 4, and entrusted these items to be carried on the shoulders of the Kohathites. The Gershonites took down the layers of curtains of God’s tent and loaded them on their two ox carts, and the Merarites disassembled the structure, the frames and bases and loaded them on their four carts to be transported (Nu.7:7-8).
The trumpets sounded the alarm, and the tribes under the standard of Judah, camped to the east, at the entrance to the tabernacle set out.
Numbers 10:14 The standard of the camp of the people of Judah set out first by their companies, and over their company was Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 15 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar. 16 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.
In chapter 2 the camps of the tribes were arranged facing the tabernacle, on each of the four points of the compass. The tribes on the east and south were to set out first, and the tent of meeting was to set out, carried by the Levites, in the midst of the camps, each in its position (Nu.2:17). Here we see that the tent itself was to be transported on the carts from chapter 7 in between the standard of Judah and the standard of Reuben.
Numbers 10:17 And when the tabernacle was taken down, the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who carried the tabernacle, set out. 18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben set out by their companies, and over their company was Elizur the son of Shedeur. 19 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 20 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
Now we are told why the Gershonites and Merarites carried God’s tent ahead of the tribes under Reuben.
Numbers 10:21 Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things, and the tabernacle was set up before their arrival. 22 And the standard of the camp of the people of Ephraim set out by their companies, and over their company was Elishama the son of Ammihud. 23 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 24 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni. 25 Then the standard of the camp of the people of Dan, acting as the rear guard of all the camps, set out by their companies, and over their company was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ochran. 27 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan. 28 This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they set out.
Lists of Leaders; Heads of Houses, Chiefs of Tribes
This is the fourth and final listing of the names of the chiefs, the heads of the tribes. Back in chapter 1, where God instructed Moses to take a census of the tribes, he said:
Numbers 1:4 And there shall be with you a man from each tribe, each man being the head of the house of his fathers. 5 And these are the names of the men who shall assist you.
At the end of the list of each tribe with its head,
Numbers 1:16 These were the ones chosen from the congregation, the chiefs of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel.
In chapter 2, where the tribes are grouped under four standards and assigned their camping spots around the tabernacle, the chief of each tribe was listed. In chapter 7, at the dedication of the newly erected tabernacle, each of the tribes on twelve successive days presented offerings to God;
Numbers 7:2 the chiefs of Israel, heads of their fathers' houses, who were the chiefs of the tribes, who were over those who were listed, approached 3 and brought their offerings before the LORD, ... 10 And the chiefs offered offerings for the dedication of the altar on the day it was anointed; and the chiefs offered their offering before the altar. 11 And the LORD said to Moses, “They shall offer their offerings, one chief each day, for the dedication of the altar.”
Leaders and Fathers, Authority, Responsibility, Accountability
In each of these four passages, the name of the tribe, with the name of the chief and the name of his father is rehearsed. That’s three names for each of the twelve tribes in each of these four lists. That’s a lot of repetition, a lot of names (144), a lot of wasted ink on vellum or parchment or paper. A lot of us, when we’re reading our Bibles, and we get to a list of names, our eyes glaze over, our minds tune out and its blah blah blah until we get back into the story. But we believe ‘all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable’ (2Tim.3:16). So why the repetition? Why the lists of names?
First, it’s a reminder that these are real people. These lists provide a great resource for unique baby names, but remember, these are real people who lived real lives, who had relationships, who raised families, who faced struggles, who worked hard. We see their father’s names because back then they didn’t have last names and social security numbers to distinguish which ‘John Johnson’ we’re talking about. Johnson by the way is means John’s son or son of John. So that’s simply a way to distinguish two different people with the same name. But it’s bigger than that. There’s a legacy. The way parents raise their children matters, and the conduct and character of the kids reflect on their parents. That’s not a guarantee, but it is a general rule;
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 29:17 Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.
Sometimes good parents have rebellious rotten kids, and sometimes that is only for a time. And some kids with rotten parents turn out great. Fathers, it matters how you invest in the lives of your children. And moms, you aren’t off the hook either; several times in the lists of the heroes or villains of the Bible, the mom is also listed, to give credit (or blame) where credit is due.
But these repeated lists are lists of the twelve leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel. Leaders are listed by name because leaders are important. Leaders lead, for good or for ill. They are responsible for people, and they will be held accountable for how they lead. This is the last time these twelve are listed, but it’s not the last time they show up in the story. In Exodus 13, we see a list of twelve different representatives of the tribes chosen to spy out the land. But back in Exodus,
Exodus 18:25 Moses chose capable men from all Israel, and he made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
So there were a lot of leaders to choose from. In Numbers 16, Korah, a Kohathite Levite, led a rebellion of 250 leaders of the community against Moses, and the Lord destroyed them. In chapter 17, the community continued grumbling against Moses and Aaron, so the Lord instructed them to take the staff of each of the 12 tribal leaders, write their names on their staffs and place them before the Lord. By the next day Aaron’s staff had blossomed and bore fruit!
In Numbers 25, in response to the immorality and idolatry of the people in the matter of Baal Peor,
Numbers 25:4 And the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the LORD, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.”
Leaders are called to lead, to represent the people before God, and with that great responsibility comes great accountability. These lists of names are men who were chosen by God to lead, who started well, who gave generously to the Lord, who had a lot of people who were looking up to them for leadership, who led those people out toward God’s promised land in obedience to God’s command, but whose promising start didn’t persevere; instead they led God’s people in disobedience and rebellion, and fell in the wilderness, and their names are now remembered as those who led in unbelief. Be careful how you lead, and be careful who you follow. Follow God, and submit to your leaders insofar as they are submitting to Christ. Remember, Jesus is the head of his church.
Evangelizing the In-Laws
Numbers 10:29 And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the LORD has promised good to Israel.” 30 But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.” 31 And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us. 32 And if you do go with us, whatever good the LORD will do to us, the same will we do to you.”
Back in Exodus 2 we seek Moses fleeing from Egypt, coming to the land of Midian, meeting the daughters of Reuel, priest of Midian, who in Exodus 3 is called Jethro, who became Moses’ father-in-law. In Exodus 18, after Moses had led the people out of Egypt, Jethro brought Moses’ wife and sons to him, and it appears he became a believer in YHWH;
Exodus 18:8 Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the LORD had delivered them. 9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the LORD had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10 Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.”
Jethro also gave him wise advice about delegating leadership, which Moses followed.
Here in Numbers 10, Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law, son of Reuel, is with Moses, and Moses invites him to join them on the journey to the promised land. To be connected with God’s people is to enjoy God’s blessing. But Hobab declines. The draw of land and family is strong. But Moses persists; we need your wisdom in the wilderness; God would lead his people, and trumpets were a practical way to communicate to the people. God would guide his people, and a guide who knew how to shepherd flocks in that wilderness, how to find the resources they needed wherever God led, would be a blessing, and in return he would be blessed by God. Numbers doesn’t record his answer, but in Judges we do see the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the descendents of Hobab in the land (Jud.1:16; 4:11,17; cf. 1Sam.15:6), so apparently Hobab was persuaded to join them. Moses was leading God’s people, but he also had family relationships; he was evangelizing his in-laws, inviting non-Jews to believe in and follow YHWH. He was sharing his own testimony; how he had experienced God’s deliverance, how God had been good to him even through hardships, and how God had promised good to them. He was sharing the blessings of YHWH with outsiders, inviting them in, including them in the promises. Remember, the exodus was pointing us to Jesus. Have you experienced all the good promises of God in the gospel, in Jesus? How has Jesus set you free? Invite others to come with you as you experience his goodness.
Moses’ Blessing
Numbers 10:33 So they set out from the mount of the LORD three days' journey. And the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them three days' journey, to seek out a resting place for them. 34 And the cloud of the LORD was over them by day, whenever they set out from the camp. 35 And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, “Arise, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” 36 And when it rested, he said, “Return, O LORD, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.”
God’s people were on the move to the promised land, following the Lord’s leading, enjoying God’s sheltering covering. God was leading them toward their rest. We learn here that although the Kohathites were arranged in the middle of the tribes on the march carrying the holy furniture of God’s tent, the ark itself was out front, the containter of their covenant relationship with God, the meeting place of God with man, and he was visibly with them, leading them.
Moses’ blessing, Moses prayer whenever the ark set out, was a verbal reminder of God’s presence and protection: ‘Arise, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.’ The sovereign warrior King was leading his troops into battle, advancing into enemy territory, and when God is on the move, his enemies have no chance. When the ark came to rest and the people encamped, he prayed ‘Return, O LORD, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.’ You are our Shepherd, our protector; we are your army, but we are needy sheep. As you promised to Abraham, we have become a countless multitude, but we are nothing without you, without your defining presence with us. We need you. Return, encamp in our midst, cover us, dwell with us and be our God and we will be your people.
***
2026.02.08 Sermon Notes
Numbers 10:11-36; Leading, Evangelizing, Proclaiming the Presence
God’s people organized and on the march
Numbers 10:11-28
The lists of the leaders:
Numbers 1, 2, 7, 10
The importance of parents
Proverbs 22:6; 29:17
Leaders; authority, responsibility, accountability
Exodus 18:25; Numbers 16, 17, 25; Ephesians 4:11-16
Evangelizing the in-laws
Exodus 2-3, 18; Numbers 10:29-32 (Judges 1:16, 4:11)
Moses’ battle cry and blessing;
a morning and evening prayer [Numbers 10:33-36]
‘Arise, O LORD,
and let your enemies be scattered,
and let those who hate you flee before you.’
‘Return, O LORD,
to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.’
***
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org