33 And so off they marched. From the Mountain of God they marched three days with the Chest of the Covenant of God in the lead to scout out a campsite. 34 The Cloud of God was above them by day when they marched from the camp. 35 With the Chest leading the way, Moses would say, Get up, God! Put down your enemies! Chase those who hate you to the hills! 36 And when the Chest was set down, he would say, Rest with us, God, Stay with the many, Many thousands of Israel.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Numbers 10:33-36
Commentary on Numbers 10:33-36
(Read Numbers 10:33-36)
Their going out and coming in, gives an example to us to begin and end every day's journey and every day's work with prayer. Here is Moses's prayer when the ark set forward, "Rise up, and let thine enemies be scattered." There are those in the world who are enemies to God and haters of him; secret and open enemies; enemies to his truths, his laws, his ordinances, his people. But for the scattering and defeating of God's enemies, there needs no more than God's arising. Observe also the prayer of Moses when the ark rested, that God would cause his people to rest. The welfare and happiness of the Israel of God, consist in the continual presence of God among them. Their safety is not in their numbers, but in the favour of God, and his gracious return to them, and resting with them. Upon this account, Happy art thou, O Israel! who is like unto thee, O people! God will go before them, to find them resting-places by the way. His promise is, and their prayers are, that he will never leave them nor forsake them.