And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work; you shall use them for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps. 3 When they blow both of them, all the congregation shall gather before you at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 4 But if they blow only one, then the leaders, the heads of the divisions of Israel, shall gather to you. 5 When you sound the advance, the camps that lie on the east side shall then begin their journey. 6 When you sound the advance the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall begin their journey; they shall sound the call for them to begin their journeys. 7 And when the assembly is to be gathered together, you shall blow, but not sound the advance. 8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and these shall be to you as an ordinance forever throughout your generations.
9 “When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the Lord your God, and you will be saved from your enemies. 10 Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am the Lord your God.”
Comment:
This commandment is amber because a) it is specifically to Aaron and his sons, and b) it requires the two silver trumpets which we do not have.
The first part, verses 1 to 8, is specific to when the Israelites were in the wilderness and although it is an “ordinance forever” this relates to the generations of Aaron, which may have come to an end. So it may be that these verses don’t actually belong in the list of commandments for today.
The second part, verses 9 to 10, is more general in nature but it does refer to being “in the land” and so while we think that this is more likely to be relevant to us, it would still be coded amber because we are not currently in the land and we don’t have the trumpets referred to.
This is all still under discussion…