The Feast of Trumpets
The year was 1,400 BC. Founded almost 8,000 years prior, Jericho was a city of many riches, with what is widely considered the first protective wall to surround the city. The wall stands about 12 feet (~4 meters) tall, with guard towers stretching up to 28 feet (9.5 meters) in height (Ramos, 2016). Many at the time considered Jericho, a prosperous town, to be the most protected of its time.
Behind the protective barrier, some watched, bemused, as the Israelite army again circled the city. For the last seven days, they had been carrying their emblem, the Ark of the Covenant, around the city. On this final day, all eyes were on Joshua as he led his people to a halt. What happened next was nothing short of the power of God. From within the folds of his robe, Joshua withdrew a curved ram's horn and blasted the tune of war. Without a single Israelite lifting a finger, the great walls that had protected the city for so long crashed flat to the ground.
Trumpets play an important role in biblical history. Yet for many, the significance of these beautiful instruments is lost to the ages. Likewise, the Feast of Trumpets, a holy convocation to Yahweh God, has also been largely forgotten in Messianic circles. Many professing Christians today might not even know what the Feast of Trumpets is! That is exactly what this article hopes to clarify: What is the Feast of Trumpets, and why should we celebrate it?
What is the Feast of Trumpets?
The Feast of Trumpets is one of seven feasts appointed to the nation of Israel from Yahweh God. On the first day of the seventh month, the Feast of Trumpets lies directly on the Jewish New Year. The day was marked by blowing trumpets and was supposed to be a holy convocation of the people of Israel (Read: Leviticus 23:23-25).
This festival was an important one for ancient Israel. It fell 10 days directly before the Day of Atonement. The blasting of the trumpets signaled, not just the start of a new civil calendar, but also the beginning of “the Ten Days of Repentance” or the “Days of Awe”, in which the Jewish people prepared themselves for the coming Day of Atonement and the following Feast of Booths, the latter of which required them to travel (GotQuestions, 2022).
Over the years, the Feast of Trumpets was either forgotten or replaced. Jewish people today use the trumpets to celebrate “Rosh Hashanah”, or the Jewish New Year. After the day of trumpets, they will consecrate themselves for 10 days in preparation for the Day of Atonement, where they must confess their sins and give sacrifices to the temple to be cleansed. Christians, meanwhile, often completely ignore the Feast of Trumpets because it is part of the Law, and they feel the Law has been replaced in its entirety in Christ. In fact, many today have never even heard of the Feast of Trumpets.
While the Feast of Trumpets may be largely forgotten, it is in incredibly important both now and in the future. Followers of Jesus would do well to not only study about it but celebrate it! Though not a part of the New Covenant requirements, the Feast of Trumpets has symbolic significance that helps us remember what all of this is for: the coming Messianic age.
Trumpets in the Bible
In ancient Israel, trumpets were used for a great many purposes. A trumpet is loud and reverberant; in other words, it’s hard to ignore! When Yahweh spoke, it was said to sound like a trumpet as loud as thunder (Read: Exodus 19:19). The sound of the trumpet- specifically, a ram’s horn called a shofar -came to be associated with Yahweh worship in a multitude of ways.
The most obvious use of trumpets in the Old Testament is for battle (Read: Joshua 6). In the battle of Jericho, the trumpets were sounded “continually” to bring Yahweh’s glory to war with them. Once the trumpets were blown, they gave a shout and the walls of Jericho fell flat! Numbers 10:9 tells us that the trumpet sounds before a battle call Yahweh into the battle with us, giving us assured victory in His strength.
Trumpets were also used in the bible for the declaration of a new king. When King David was close to death, he called his son Solomon forth and named him king. The response of the prophet was the blow the trumpet to announce the new king Solomon (Read: 1 Kings 1:39).
The bible records the use of trumpets for “shouts of joy” (Psalm 98:6) and for celebrating successes (1 Chronicles 13:8). For each reason the trumpet was blown, it was for the expressed purpose of drawing closer to Yahweh. Each trumpet blasts not only calls our attention to our God, but our God’s attention onto us.
Trumpets in the Bible
Trumpets serve a prominent role in the New Testament as well. The prophet Joel proclaimed that trumpet blasts would mark the “day of the Lord” (Joel 2:1). Revelation reveals that it won’t be one, but several trumpet blasts that wage war on this wicked system and bring it to an end. These trumpet blasts coincide with judgements, the last of which will signal the Final Battle (Revelation 8:2). A trumpet blast will signal the Millennial Reign of our King Jesus the Messiah (Revelation 11:15). It will be the sound of trumpets that call loyal followers of Yahweh to the promised paradise in the future.
Another important role trumpets play in scripture is the symbolism associated with Jesus. The bible says Jesus is the “Horn of Israel” (Read: Luke 1:68-71). In what ways does Jesus serve as the Horn of Israel?
Jesus calls us to war in the final days (Revelation 19:13, 16-17). He was named King of Kings by His father Yahweh, and serves as the Millennial King in the time before Judgement. With his blood, Jesus formed the New Covenant between God and man and serves as our Mediator.
Most important is to recognize that in all that he does, Jesus calls us to God. In his role as Mediator, Jesus speaks on our behalf to his Father. In his ministry, Jesus repeatedly calls us to repent of our sins. Only by accepting his message are we able to draw close to Yahweh God.
How Should We Celebrate?
Celebrating the Feast of Trumpets is not a requirement of the New Covenant, but that does not mean we should not keep it. Each of the Feasts is meant to serve as a reminder of our place with Yahweh and to glorify Him. Jesus kept the Feasts, as did his disciples after Jesus ascended into heaven. Before the Feasts were installed, those who kept close to Yahweh were to keep His Sabbaths, and today that includes the Feasts. Keeping the Feasts will bring us closer to Yahweh and allow us to better understand His will.
So how should we keep the Feast of Trumpets? Firstly, the Feast of Trumpets is to be commemorated with the blasting of trumpets. When we blow the shofar, the sound calls our attention to God and God’s attention to us.
The Feast of Trumpets is a holy convocation, meaning that we are to refrain of conducting regular work or business on that day as we would on the Sabbath. Further, we are supposed to gather on that day and offer praise to Yahweh. In our bible studies on the Feast of Trumpets, we can remind ourselves of our identity in Yahweh. The trumpet blasts will point us to the future, when the blasts of Yeshua’s trumpets will free us from sin and bring us into a paradise with God (Read: 1 Corinthians 15:52).
Works Cited
Booker, R. (2009). Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts: Discovering Their Significance to You As a Christian. Destiny Image, Inc. Shippensburg, PA. ISBN 9780768427370
Davis, E. (2020). 7 Feasts: Finding Christ in the Sacred Celebrations of the Old Testament. Moody Publishers. ISBN 9780802419552
GotQuestions Editors. (2022, January 4). What is the Feast of Trumpets? Got Questions Ministries. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from: https://www.gotquestions.org/Feast-of-Trumpets.html
Ramos, A. (2016, September 19). Early Jericho. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 20, 2022, from: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/951/early-jericho/