Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20011031.htm

NUMBERS: ON SPIRITUAL CASUALTIES AND VICTORS
Part IX - Blessing By Following God Through His Appointed Human Leaders' Actions
(Numbers 9:15-10:10)
  1. Introduction
    1. We have taught to discern God's leading on a given issue, the believer should expect the Holy Spirit to lead him in descending order of authority by means of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:15-17), then godly advisers (Prov. 11:14), then circumstances (Acts 16:6-10) and finally what he himself wants (Phil. 2:12-13).
    2. Now, in regards to "godly advisers," there is a descending order of import in God's leading as to which godly advisers are to be heeded even above others, and Numbers 9:15-10:10 reveals this order as follows:
  2. Blessing By Following God Through His Appointed Human Leaders' Actions, Numbers 9:15-10:10:
    1. We discovered last lesson God led Israel through the wilderness by way of His direct leadership, moving His cloudy pillar by day and fiery pillar by night that stood atop the tabernacle, Numbers 9:15-23.
    2. However, just because the Lord's CLOUD even MOVED did NOT mean a given individual man in Israel was just to pull up his tent pegs, pack and start of following the cloud! In fact, God called for the INDIVIDUALS in Israel to FOLLOW the LEAD of the PRIESTS under MOSES as to know WHEN and HOW to follow that CLOUD when it moved, Numbers 10:1-10:
      1. The Lord dictated Moses construct two silver trumpets that human leaders, the priestly sons of Aaron, were to blow for purposes of calling assemblies and the actual movement of the camps, Num. 10:1, 8.
      2. These trumpets were to be used for calling assemblies, so God had an order that the human leaders, the priestly sons of Aaron, were to follow for leading the nation:
        1. The sounding of a single horn signaled the assembly only of the tribal leaders, Numbers 10:3-4.
        2. However, at the sound of both horns, each of which was apparently at a different pitch so they could be distinguished from one another, the entire nation was to assemble, Numbers 10:3.
      3. These trumpets were to be used for moving the nation geographically, so God had an order that the human leaders, the priestly sons of Aaron, were to use for leading the nation:
        1. A different type of sound, a loud blast, was to be played by the human leaders, the priestly sons of Aaron, to announce the moving of the camp, and when that sound was first played, only the eastern part could begin moving, Numbers 10:5, 7 NIV.
        2. When the same loud blast was later repeated, the southern part of the nation could move, 10:6 NIV.
      4. These trumpets were to be used for calling upon the Lord for help in time of war, so God had an order that the human leaders, the priestly sons of Aaron, were to use for officially asking God's help, 10:9.
      5. These trumpets were to be used for a memorial unto the Lord at various national celebrations, so God had an order that the human leaders, the priestly sons of Aaron, were to use for this memorial:
        1. There were gatherings of the nation for purposes of celebration or for solemn observances, 10:10a.
        2. In either case, these silver trumpets were to be blown by the human leaders, the priestly sons of Aaron, to recall and testify of God's leading, help and lordship over Israel in each case, 10:10b.
Lesson: Though God led Israel by His DIRECT and PERSONAL vehicle of His moving His cloudy pillar by day and pillar of fire by night, God expected the INDIVIDUAL in Israel to FOLLOW Him WITHIN the ORDER of HUMAN leader-follower arrangements He had established so that the human leader ASSIGNED for the individual became a VEHICLE of God's leading for that individual.

Application: (1) We need to be sure our understanding of God's leading for us re: geographical moves, assemblages and corporate expressions of gladness, solemnity, etc. as a Church Body fit WITHIN the ACTIONS of the HUMAN LEADERS God has CLEARLY and BIBLICALLY established over us. (2) In seeking "godly advice" about God's will, we should put a HIGHER priority on that advice we get from the HUMAN leaders IMMEDIATELY BIBLICALLY ASSIGNED to us as OVER those who are NOT Biblically IMMEDIATELY assigned over us (i.e., our own leaders versus another church's, etc.)! (3) Only if these RIGHTLY assigned leaders are UNBIBLICAL can we favor the Scriptural advice of other "godly counsel" over the advice of these BIBLICALLY assigned leaders, cf. Acts 5:29.