Feast of Trumpets

Our Theme for 2020 is “Seeing Spiritually.”

We are coming into the Fall season and The Lord’s Feasts.

The Feasts of Israel and the biblical calendar are not just for Jews, but they outline God’s plan of redemption through history.

The three Spring Feasts tell the story of Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection.

Then comes Pentecost in early summer to mark the sending of the Holy Spirit which was also the birth of the church.

The Fall Feasts then represent events which are yet to come - the second coming of Christ to His people.

If we are going to “see spiritually” we need to be looking not only at what God is doing, but also have a sense about what God is about to do.

Matthew 24:37–39 NLT

37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

God does not want us to be unaware of what’s happening. That’s why we have the Feast of Trumpets. It is a time to awaken, a time to remember and a time to take warning.

A time to awaken

Leviticus 23:23–25 ESV

23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the Lord.”

A trumpet blast is designed to get your attention.

Have Dave demonstrate the blowing of the shofar.

Loud noises startle people.

Within milliseconds of hearing a loud noise, your jaw muscles will tighten, your eyes will blink and your neck will pull your head back rapidly. The synapse will travel down your spine preparing your body for a possible fight or flight response.

An alarm clock is designed to wake you out of a deep sleep.

The shofar is designed to awaken us out of spiritual slumber.

What does God need to do to get our attention?

In Elijah House there is a teaching about the slumbering spirit.

It’s about the part of us that is meant to know and perceive spiritual reality - it’s the part that communes with God.

When our spirit is awake we are inspired and our spirit soars when we experience the awesomeness of God’s beauty or majesty.

But a slumbering spirit is just trudging through life, trying not to feel too much, especially things that might bring conviction.

Life has a way of making us dull in our senses. Pain, hurts and woundedness cause us to shut down and shut out the goodness of God.

If you know that God is good and that your hurts can be healed; then you can pray, “God awaken my senses to see what you are doing.”

The trumpet was used to call people to action.

Numbers 10:9 ESV

9 And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies.

Trumpets were also used to gather the armies for war.

They were used to announce a new King.

At the same time, it would strike terror in the hearts of those who were in opposition.

As long as people stay passive; as long as they stay asleep, so to speak, raiders can ravage villages, rival factions can lead rebellions, oppressors can oppress.

As long as most people either don’t know what’s going on or don’t care, other people get away with murder.

The trumpet calls people to attention.

When you hear the trumpet it calls for a response.

Hear the announcement.

Gather at the assembly point.

Prepare for action.

This verse in the book of Numbers tells us that God also responds to the sound of the trumpet and comes to our aid.

The blast would be varied in tone and duration to give direction.

Sometimes a trumpet blast meant that an announcement was to follow and sometimes the type of blast was specific as to its meaning.

Joshua 6:4–5 ESV

4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.”

For seven days the purpose of the trumpets was to let the enemy know that they were surrounded.

But on the seventh day, a sustained blast was intended to signal the time of attack.

The shofar was used to call Israel’s armies to battle, but there are also multiple examples in the Scriptures of the shofar being blown to call off an attack or to signal that the battle has been won.

I would think that it would be really important to know the difference between the signals;

to know when to advance and when to retreat;

to know when it’s the call to battle and when its the sound of victory.

The signals would be specific to each nation otherwise the enemy would know your next move.

What that means for us it that we need to be informed and attuned as a people to what God is saying.

Be aware of the times that we are living in so that we are not caught off guard.

Know what the Bible says will happen so that you are not surprised.

Most of all be attuned to the Spirit, because historically, the majority opinion usually gets it wrong.

A time of remembering

We remember the Spirit of God.

The Feast of Trumpets is called by several names.

“The Memorial of Blasting” Jill Shannon calls it in her book “A Prophetic Calendar” (Zikron Teruah).

Another author calls it the festival of blowing (meaning blowing of trumpets).

But it reminds me off another kind of blowing… (ruach)

Genesis 1:2 ESV

2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

The Spirit of God is blowing over the waters at creation.

The earth was in a state of chaos, but the Spirit was blowing.

God speaks and the elements separate and come into order, but the Spirit of God keeps on blowing.

God creates living creatures that move and breath, and the Spirit of God continues to blow over the face of the earth.

Then God creates man in His own image.

He’s not the only living creature, but God gives him an extra breath.

There is a different form of the word used here; one that probably means to gasp or to exhale.

It’s like that long sustained note that says, “this is not a warning, this is an act of God.”

Luke 23:46 ESV

46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

There is one other time that the Bible mentions such a blast of breath.

2 Thessalonians 2:8 ESV

8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

It doesn’t say it’s a trumpet blast, but it has the same startling effect.

We remember the promise of new beginnings.

The Feast of Trumpets is also commonly called “Rosh Hoshanna” which means “The Head of the Year.”

It is one of several Jewish “New Year” celebrations.

The calendar year begins two weeks before Passover.

Rosh Hoshana is an agricultural new year.

Kind of like a “fiscal new year.”

It is the time when most Jews celebrate the new year.

It is common to serve apples dipped in honey as a way of wishing each other “sweetness” for the coming year.

Sometimes we need to come back to remembering the goodness of God.

Life is hard and so many things can leave a bitter taste in our mouth - but God is still good.

Do you remember what sweetness tastes like?

Do you remember what it is like to be young and innocent, to have your needs met and to be able to trust that someone is taking care of you?

Do you remember what it is like to be in love, to be enraptured with feelings of affection and longing just to be with that special someone?

Do you remember that feeling you had when you first believed and you knew for the first time in your life that you are loved by God and that your sin is forgiven?

Do you remember what it felt like to be so completely clean?

Rosh Hoshana takes us back to the beginning and asks us to pause, reflect and remember what beginnings are like.

Revelation 21:5 TPT

5 And God-Enthroned spoke to me and said, “Consider this! I am making everything to be new and fresh. Write down at once all that I have told you, because each word is trustworthy and dependable.”

We remember that Jesus is coming.

If the Spring Feasts depict Christ’s first advent and the sending of the Spirit at Pentecost is the central feast, like the center light on the lampstand in the temple, then the Fall Feasts represent the second coming of Christ to earth.

1 Corinthians 15:50–52 ESV

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

The Fall Feast begin with a trumpet blast, just as the second advent of Christ is announced with a trumpet.

And the Scripture says that we will be changed, literally take on another state of being.

Remember how it was in the beginning, when mankind and God walked together and there was no veil between us? So shall it be in the end.

This is what we are living for. This is what we are longing for.

Every new year we blow the trumpets to remind ourselves of where we come from and where we are going.

Every trumpet note reminds the enemy that we are still here and they are surrounded.

But one long blast will signal the final victory! That is when we turn and shout while the walls come down!

A time to raise a sound

Open yourself to understanding the Word of God.

Oddly enough, we don’t read about the feasts being celebrated with any regularity throughout the Old Testament.

Some commentaries say that the Feast of Trumpets was never celebrated at all.

However, there is one passage, although trumpets are never mentioned, does fit the occasion:

Nehemiah 8:2–3 ESV

2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

It happened on the fist day of the seventh month, the time when the Feast of Tabernacles was to be celebrated.

It’s unclear whether Ezra the scribe chose that date to read the Torah because it was to be a feast day or if it was a coincidence that they read about the feasts on the very day it was to be celebrated and then suddenly realized that they were not obeying God’s command.

What is clear is that they were struck with the conviction that they had ignored God’s law and His commands.

They began to wail, crying out loud in repentance for their sin.

Repetition is emphasis. Several times in this passage it is noted that not only did they hear the words of the law, but they understood.

That is what we need right now in our nation, for people to not only hear the Word of God, but to get it!

If we really understood God’s principles we would obey them.

If we really understood our sin, we would stop in our tracks and repent.

If we really understood the gravity of our ignorance we would weep for our nation.

Let the sound of the shofar awaken our spiritual senses to really understand our spiritual condition.

The Feast of Trumpets is a solemn occasion, but it is also a joyful occasion.

Let your sorrow turn to rejoicing.

Nehemiah 8:9–12 ESV

9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

Nehemiah has a curious response to all of this - he tells the people not to weep but to rejoice!

There is a time for mourning, but if our grief doesn’t resolve along the way it can become an unbearable burden.

Sorrow without hope leads to depression.

It can be good to express grief, but we also need relief.

Besides, what will Israel’s neighbors think if they come into their land and built their temple only to find themselves in a state of perpetual mourning?

What will their children remember of this day when the Law is read? Will they remember this day, or will they want to forget?

It is important that we mourn when it is appropriate to do so, but let your sorrow be turned to joy.

It is the joy of the Lord that gives strength.

Remember the sweetness of God who gives new beginnings.

Remember that God is making all things new.

You are going to need that strength for the days ahead.

Give a shout of victory!

Psalm 81:1–3 ESV

1 Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob! 2 Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp. 3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day.

Here is a Psalm that might be used on the occasion of the Feast of Trumpets.

Notice it’s not just the instruments that are making a blast.

You have your own instrument and sometimes you need to use it.

Give a shout when you need to awaken yourself spiritually.

Give a shout when you need a breakthrough in your mind and in your soul.

Give a shout when you are under the weight of oppression and need to break free.

Give a shout to remind your self of God’s goodness and of life and hope.

Shout until you mean it, until you understand what you are shouting for, until you finally get it.

Shout for the Lord your God has given us the victory in Jesus Christ!

Questions for reflection:

Are you awake? I mean are you spiritually awake? Are your spiritual senses alert an and attuned to what God is saying and doing? What will it take to wake up?

Take some time to pause and reflect as God commanded. Try to remember how it was in the beginning? Remember where you are going and what life is about? Remember that Jesus is coming soon.

Maybe this morning, or maybe sometime this week, you can find the time and space to lift up a shout. What does your heart need to express? How can you move from sorrow to joy? Shout until you get victory!