Friday, 22 September 2017

Shofar

Tweet

shofar - the ram's horn trumpet blown by the priests and leaders in ancient Israel. This was the sound that greeted the Israelites at Mt. Sinai when G-d descended on the mountain to give the Torah to Moshe for the people (Shemot 19); it was the horn blown by the Israelites each day when they walked round the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6); it was the call used by the judges to summon the armies of Israel to fight (Judges 3, 6, 7). Joyful shouting and blasts on the shofar announced the Ark being brought up to Jerusalem by David (2 Samuel 6) and the accession of Solomon as king.

The shofar was used as the alarm call as Nehemiah's builders rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem after the exile, and most of the prophets spoke of G-d calling the peoples of the world with the shofar to announce the judgement. Yeshua told the disciples that a great shofar blast would send the angels of heaven throughout the earth to gather up the elect from the four winds (Matthew 24:31), while Rav Sha'ul wrote that the final shofar call will signal the resurrection when the dead shall rise to eternal life and we too will be changed (1 Corinthians 15:52).

Are you listening for that shofar? Are you blowing the shofar now as a warning to all those who will hear? Are you using the shofar to worship G-d and proclaim His coming? Are you ready to blow the shofar to be part of the great shofar?