Numbers 10 Devotional

The Ark Goes Ahead

“So they set out on a three-day journey from the mountain of the LORD, with the ark of the covenant of the LORD traveling ahead of them for those three days to seek a resting place for them.”Numbers 10:33 (BSB)

In the second year after the exodus, the cloud lifts from the tabernacle and Israel sets out from Sinai (10:11-12). Silver trumpets now gather the people, signal the march, and sound in battle, so that the LORD will remember Israel (10:2, 9).

Two details stand out. Moses urges Hobab, a Midianite relative, to come along and share whatever good the LORD gives, because the LORD has pledged good to Israel (10:29, 32). The good God promised was meant to be shared, even with an outsider. And as they leave the mountain, the ark of the covenant travels ahead of them for three days to find them a place to rest (10:33). Whenever it set out, Moses asked the LORD to arise and drive off his enemies, and whenever it stopped, to come back to Israel's many thousands (10:35-36). God goes in front of his people and looks for their rest before they arrive. You do not walk into any day ahead of him.

To think about: What part of the road ahead could you face differently if you believed God has already gone before you?