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.

Remember, God had promised this land to the Israelites - a promise made to Abraham (Genesis 15:18).  God also told them that they would not have to fight for the land (if they obeyed Him). (Exodus 23:28) And yet, He gives them instructions about sounding the trumpet when going into battle.  By giving them these instructions God was warning them ahead of time that they would be disobedient and would have to fight their enemies for their OWN land.

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 Hobab help guide them through the desert. Why did Moses need Hobab if he had the cloud for guidance?  Big mistake!  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. Everyone had specific duties to perform, so most likely the taking down and setting up was done quickly. 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 the people obeyed (as far as moving was concerned), 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?  Was it because they Could it have been food poisoning from spoiled food?  Was this salmonella?  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. God will take of the Spirit in Moses and give it to the elders.

These 70 elders had the Spirit and they prophesied.  They spoke by inspiration of the Spirit.  We wonder how the commentator arrived at his statement that they prophesied "apparently in ecstatic utterances".  There is no Scriptural evidence of this - only that they prophesied.

Numbers 11:25b
When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again.

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?