What are we remembering on the Feast of Trumpets?

 

What are we remembering on the Feast of Trumpets?

 

Yehovah declared holy days for His people to do and remember.  He chose the timing of them and what would be done on each one. 

Leviticus 23:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.’”

For some of the Feasts He gave specific instructions to do things, but we don’t always know why.  Today I am only focusing on Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets.  As I write, today is The Feast of Trumpets 2020 (9/19/20).

Leviticus 23:23 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 'You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.'"

Numbers 29:1 “And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work. For you it is a day of blowing the trumpets.”

Clearly, we can see God intended us to blow trumpets on this day.  But what about the MEMORIAL part? I have heard several teachings about this day, and many comments that we are told to remember ‘something’ but aren’t told ‘what to remember’.

Over the years I have considered this and come up with different answers.  I think of Jericho and the walls coming down.  I think of shofars or trumpets being blown in the Temple or when a King is anointed.  There are also times when the shofar is blown for battle or to stop a battle and call the people together.  I don’t want to go into each of these examples right now.

I was thinking of these things last night, but then a thought went through my head.  Wasn’t there a trumpet blowing on Mount Sinai before God proclaimed the Ten Commandments?

 

Exodus 19:1 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.

 Yehovah explained to Moses what He planned to do and why.

Exodus 19:9 And the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you and believe you forever." So, Moses told the words of the people to the LORD. 10 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow and let them wash their clothes. 11 And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.”

 

Exodus 19:16 Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.

 17 And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.

 18 Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.

 19 And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice.

 

Right after this, Yehovah spoke forth His Ten Commandments.

Exodus 20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying: 2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

 3 "You shall have no other gods before Me.  (ONE)

 4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;  5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.  (TWO)

 7 "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.  (THREE)

 8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (FOUR)

 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

 12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.   (FIVE)

 13 "You shall not murder.   (SIX)

 14 "You shall not commit adultery.   (SEVEN)

 15 "You shall not steal.   (EIGHT)

 16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.   (NINE)

 17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."   (TEN)

 

Exodus 20:18 Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. 19 Then they said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die." 20 And Moses said to the people, "Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin."

 

Think about all that has just happened.  Yehovah did ALL OF THIS so the people would believe Moses forever.  That means He wanted them to listen to what Moses had to say and do as he taught.  Not just for that current generation, but throughout their generations forever. 

In other words, God wanted His people to remember His commandments always.  The Ten Commandments were the big ones, but over time He gave other instructions – His statutes and judgments. These helped clarify how God wanted us to live out His ways.  Over and over He said we are to keep them forever. 

Leviticus 18:5 “You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.”

 Leviticus 18:26 “You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you 27 '(for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), 28 'lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. 29 'For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people.

 Leviticus 19:37 'Therefore you shall observe all My statutes and all My judgments and perform them: I am the LORD.'"

 Leviticus 20:22 “You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out.”

 Leviticus 25:18 “So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety.”

 

When you wonder, “Why do we blow the shofar on the Day of Trumpets or Day of Blowing, called Yom Teruah?” Remember this time.  This place.  Mount Sinai.  There was great noise.  There was thunder, lightning, fire and the mountain quaked.  On top of that there was a shofar being blown and it got louder and louder and louder!

We may be able to think of other events when shofars were blown but this is the Big One.  As far as I know, other than the Trumpets that will be blown as seen in the Book of Revelation, this day, the Blowing of the Shofar was loud and it was for a reason.  God announced His Commandments to His people.  He wanted us to fear Him.  He wanted us to believe Moses.  Most importantly, He wanted us to remember this event and to keep His commandments forever. 

 

  

 

Compiled by G.E. Walker                                                                                                                                  September 2020