Once the people are numbered and duties assigned, the Israelites are ready to move. Many times ram’s horns were used for signaling - but God had them make trumpets of hammered silver for calling the community together.

God told the people to sound the trumpet when going into battle.  By this, God was warning them ahead of time that they would disobey Him and would then have to fight for their OWN land. (God had already promised them the land.)  But He gives them this promise that He will rescue them from their enemies.

The Israelites are given the command, via the movement of the cloud, to move in the twentieth of the month.  Isn't it fascinating that God allowed time for those who needed to celebrate the Passover a month later to have plenty of time to do that?

For some reason, Moses felt the need to have his brother-in-law Horeb help guide them through the desert. Why did Moses need Hobab if he had the cloud for guidance? Notice right after that the cloud moved sporadically and the people had to break camp and follow. Could it be that God was teaching Moses a lesson?  There are many repetitions concerning the movement of the camp. Sometimes they camped only a few days and sometimes they camped for a month or even a year or more.  It is clear from the reading today that they people obeyed, even when it may not have made sense to them.  Was God teaching them obedience?

The rabble ( a mixed crowd of Egyptians and others) that traveled with them began to crave other food. And then the Israelites begin to grumble and complain...again. This time they want meat. God answers in essence with "You want meat do you? I'll give you meat! I'll give you so much meat that it will come out of your nostrils!"

What was the severe plague that struck them because of the consumption of the quail? Could it have been food poisoning from spoiled food?  The great lesson to learn from this is that we need to be careful what we crave.

Moses continues to display a lack of faith when he questions God about all his trouble when the people wailed and complained. Moses complains that the burden is too heavy for him. God answers by telling Moses that He will give the seventy elders as helpers for him. However, this help comes with a high price. God will take of the Spirit in Moses and give it to the elders. This giving of the Spirit was a temporary empowerment for a specific purpose. Contrast that with the Holy Spirit that lives within us. For us as Believers, the Holy Spirit is not a temporary empowerment but a permanent one.

Moses had the presence of the Lord in the cloud for guidance. We have God's Word for guidance. Why would we as Believers want to go to other sources for our guidance?