The Feast of Trumpets, also known as Rosh Hashanah in Jewish tradition, is one of the appointed feasts of the Lord as outlined in the Old Testament. It marks the beginning of the civil year in the Jewish calendar and is observed on the first day of the seventh month, Tishri. This feast is significant in its call to repentance and preparation for the Day of Atonement, which follows ten days later.

Biblical Foundation

The Feast of Trumpets is instituted in the Book of Leviticus: "The LORD also said to Moses, 'Speak to the Israelites and say, "On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly announced by trumpet blasts"'" (Leviticus 23:23-24). This command establishes the day as a holy convocation, a time set apart for worship and reflection.

Numbers 29:1 further elaborates on the observance: "On the first day of the seventh month you are to hold a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work. This is a day for you to sound the trumpets" . The emphasis on the sounding of trumpets highlights the central ritual of the feast.

Symbolism and Significance

The trumpet, or shofar, is a ram's horn traditionally used in biblical times for various purposes, including calling assemblies, signaling war, and announcing significant events. In the context of the Feast of Trumpets, the blowing of the shofar serves as a spiritual wake-up call, urging the people to examine their lives and turn back to God.

The feast is a time of introspection and repentance, setting the stage for the solemn observance of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It is a period of self-examination and spiritual renewal, aligning the hearts of the faithful with God's will.

Observance in Ancient Israel

In ancient Israel, the Feast of Trumpets was observed with the blowing of the shofar, cessation of regular work, and gathering for a sacred assembly. The day was marked by offerings and sacrifices as prescribed in Numbers 29:2-6, which included burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sin offerings.

The communal aspect of the feast emphasized unity and collective worship, as the nation came together to honor God and seek His favor. The trumpet blasts served as a reminder of God's sovereignty and the need for His people to remain faithful to His covenant.

Contemporary Observance

While the Feast of Trumpets is rooted in the Old Testament, its themes resonate with Christians today. Many see it as a foreshadowing of the return of Christ, as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God" . The imagery of the trumpet is thus linked to the anticipation of Christ's second coming and the final gathering of His people.

In Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashanah is observed with the sounding of the shofar, prayer, and reflection. It is a time for seeking forgiveness and making amends, aligning with the biblical call to repentance and renewal.

The Feast of Trumpets remains a powerful reminder of God's call to His people to live in holiness and readiness for His divine purposes.Leviticus 23:24,25
Speak to the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall you have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
Nave's Topical Index

Numbers 29:1-6
And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have an holy convocation; you shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets to you.
Nave's Topical Index

In the Last, the Great Day of the Feast'
... A threefold blast of the Priests' trumpets welcomed the arrival of ... removed; and the
peculiar rites of the Feast of Tabernacles no longer observed. ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter vii in the last.htm

Appendix xv. The Location of Sychar, and the Date of Our Lord's ...
... I can scarcely conceive our Lord going up to a feast observed with such ... of these
three, the Feast of the Ingathering of Wood, the Feast of Trumpets, or Day ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/appendix xv the location of.htm

At the Feast of Tabernacles
... of the Jews, they could not be observed; but when ... the most impressive ceremony of
the feast, one that ... a long, shrill blast upon their silver trumpets, and the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 49 at the feast.htm

At the Unknown' Feast in Jerusalem, and by the Pool of Bethesda.
... of the Altar; or else the Feast of Trumpets' on the ... He had been in the Temple at
the Feast; He had ... But they all now knew and observed this miracle of healing ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xii at the unknown.htm

Whether Sufficient Reason Can be Assigned for the Ceremonies ...
... The feast of Trumpets was a kind of invitation whereby they prepared themselves
to keep the ... On the eighth day another feast was observed, of "Assembly and ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether sufficient reason can be.htm

How Pekah Died by the Treachery of Hoshea who was a Little after ...
... priests returned the music, and sounded the trumpets which they ... thanks to God; but
as the feast of unleavened ... had this festival been so well observed from the ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 13 how pekah died.htm

Teaching in the Temple on the Octave of the Feast of Tabernacles.
... contributions - the so-called Shopharoth, or trumpets' - were placed ... Even at the
very Feast they had made it ... It was, as repeatedly observed, this death as the ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter viii teaching in the.htm

Festal Letters.
... moon, on the [solemn] day of your feast [3894] .' Since ... unto Moses, saying, Make
to thee two trumpets; of silver ... of Moses"yea, were to be observed so long as ...
/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/i festal letters.htm

Reading the Law with Tears and Joy
... But if the ritual had been irregularly observed, and the circle of ideas in the
law ... The first day of the seventh month was the Feast of trumpets; and when ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/reading the law with tears.htm

The Consecration of Joy
... present, and so was not to be observed then ... others marched through the courts blowing
their trumpets as they ... have one more allusion to the feast, considered as ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the consecration of joy.htm

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