Episode 6: The Feast of Trumpets

Dree Hogue: Erin, I have a story for you that you are going to love. It happened yesterday in my kitchen. I had done something that was really hard for me to do that I didn't want to do, and I had made that apparent to my family. And so, my husband who knows me very, very well called my daughter into the kitchen and they had me walk between the two of them as they threw a parade for me and over my accomplishments. They celebrated me, they hooted and hollered, and they cheered, and I proudly walked down my galley kitchen floorway.

Erin Davis: I love it, bring on the kitchen parade.

Dree: I know.

Erin: That’s something that needs to catch on. I love parades myself. I don't know that I've ever had a kitchen parade. But I think my favorite part of parades is the trumpets or those marching bands, you know, they just are worth watching. I started noticing trumpets after I studied the Feast of Trumpets here in Leviticus 23. And I found them all over the Bible.

Dree: Welcome to the Deep Well with Erin Davis. This is a new podcast from Revive Our Hearts. I'm Dree Hogue.

We are here to explore Leviticus 23 with Erin. I've gone through Erin's Bible study called Seven Feasts, and I am really excited for you to also learn the deep truths that come out of exploring this Old Testament Scripture. To get yourself a copy, just go to ReviveOurHearts.com/TheDeepWell. Again, that's ReviveOurHearts.com/TheDeepWell. We're going to jump into one of these celebrations described in Leviticus 23, called the Feast of Trumpets.

Erin: Well nothing exhausts me quite like the battle with sin. I’m worn out by it. I’ve had it up to here with my pride, with my selfishness, with my idolatry, and I’m deeply grieved by the way my sin affects others—my husband, my siblings, my sons, some of my dearest friends, some of my fellow Christ followers. They are all walking around with shrapnel inside their hearts, because of my sin. 

I was feeling extra disgusted with my sin tendencies one day while cruising down the highway at 75 mph. My steering wheel was streaked with tears, I was so frustrated. In this case I was frustrated with the way that I had treated my family before I had to get in the car and go somewhere. 

I cried out to the Lord, out loud, and I said, “When Lord? When will I win against sin and be holy like You’re holy?” This phrase bubbled up in my heart, and I’ve got to be honest, it startled me. The phrase was this, “In a moment.”

And if I am going to be honest with you about what I felt in that moment, I thought I was about to get hit by a semi. Because I know that the reality is that as long as I live in this body, as long as I live on this side of heaven, I will remain a sinner.

And the seven feasts are reminders that Jesus died to pay the price for my sin, that He rose to give me victory over sin, and that He sent the Holy Spirit to help me go to war against sin. But the sanctification process is much too slow for my taste. I want to live sin free right now. 

That night I pulled out my Bible. It seemed like I had heard that phrase “in a moment” somewhere before in the pages of Scripture. I flipped to 1 Corinthians 15:51–52, and suddenly, there it was. The answer to my question of when I will shift from sinner to saint.

Let me read us 1 Corinthians 15:51–52, 

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment [there’s that phrase, “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.

When? When will we be changed? In a moment. And how will we know that the moment has come? It will be announced with a trumpet blast.

Well, of the seven feasts, the Feast of Trumpets is hands down my favorite. You’re right if just reading through Leviticus 23, there’s just a few sentences there for this feast. But you really don’t have to do a lot of digging to see that it points forward with hope. I want to think about the Lord returning all of the time, and that’s what this feast does for me now. I see how it points forward and what I hope it does for others.

How will we know when the moment has come? It will be announced with a trumpet blast. We’ve been walking through the seven feasts of Israel; they’re all recorded in the book of Leviticus chapter 23. And today we will consider the fifth feast, the Feast of Trumpets. Before we do let’s flip even further back in our Bibles all the way back to Genesis 20:22.

Let me tell you or remind you of the story of Abraham and Isaac. It’s described in these verses. I hope the story is familiar to you, but it's just so deep. We can keep mining it and mining it and mining it, and still find treasure.

God had asked Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. This was a foreshadowing of the moment of when God the Father would send His one and only Son, Jesus, to die on our behalf. Now, in Abraham’s case, his son was spared. God mercifully provided a sacrificial ram instead.

Let me pick up the story at Genesis 22:13, 

And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

As we consider the significance of the Feast of Trumpets, we’ll discover that it points to the moment when human history comes to its final crescendo at the blast of the final trumpet. And as you read about it, your mind might naturally conjure the image of our modern trumpets. Trumpets are used often throughout the Bible, and we tend to think of maybe that trumpet you played when you were in marching band. But more likely, God’s people blew a shofar, or a ram’s horn. 

So, literally from Genesis to Revelation, God uses the horn to declare His salvation. Here it’s the ram’s horn in the thicket. We will look at the horns that God’s people blasted toward Jericho, and the fourth feast where the trumpets point forward to the Day of the Lord, when the trumpet blast will be the pronouncement that God’s people are saved from sin and death once and for all. 

Before I read you the description of the fourth feast, here’s one more little nugget of truth that I hope will become one of your heart’s greatest treasures, Jesus observed many of the seven feasts during His time on earth, but not the Feast of Trumpets, at least not yet. 

We’ll see why as we read about feast number five in Leviticus 23:23–25. Let me read us Leviticus 23:23–25: 

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “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. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the Lord.'”

Now, again much of the feast feels foreign to us, but this one is actually pretty simple. They’re to have a day of rest. They are to present an offering. And what sets this feast apart from the others is that they are to announce it at the blast of the trumpet. 

Trumpets symbolize many things in Scripture. I wish we had the time to unpack all of the symbolism we see between horns and the Word of God, but all of them are filled with hope for God’s people. 

In the book of Exodus the trumpet blast symbolized the power and presence of God. Throughout the psalms the trumpets were used as calls to worship. Listen for example to Psalm 98:6, “With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!”

Now, I can’t think of a time when trumpets were used in worship in my church. But here in the Old Testament they were very common instruments used to celebrate what God had done. This is an invitation to make some noise, in celebration of who God is. 

In Joshua 6, we find trumpets blasting again in maybe another familiar story. Listen to Joshua 6:8–16, 

And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. 

Picture it! The trumpets are blowing continually in this procession of God’s people as they are heading off to war.

But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp. Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. 

That’s repeated in Scripture so we get the picture, the horns are blowing and blowing and blowing and blowing. 

And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days.On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city.”

Seven trumpets blaring continually for seven days. For the people inside the walls of Jericho, it must have been an intimidating sound, like one continual foreboding wail. For God’s people it was a battle cry. 

As long as the trumpets were blaring, their eardrums were reverberating with reminders that God had promised them the victory. Joshua 6 is much like the seven feasts, like all of Scripture in that it points to something greater. 

We are going to fast forward in our Bibles to a greater trumpet blast, but as we do I want you to keep some pieces of the story of the fall of Jericho close to your heart. Note takers, this is you cue, jot these down:

1. God’s people triumph over their enemies—not in their own power but in God’s.
2. The trump blast was the signal that the victory was won.
3. Upon hearing it, the children of God entered the city and began their reign as rulers of the Promised Land.

Let’s go back to 1 Corinthians 15. Paul wrote this letter to Corinthian believers. Chapter 15 has one big idea, the Resurrection. I’m going to guess that the Corinthian believers had some questions about how the Resurrection was going to work, thus Paul’s need to address it. And who could blame them?

He talks to them first about Jesus’ resurrection, and he reminds them that’s of foremost importance. But then he talks about the fact that they will be resurrected. I have questions too, like: What will it be like? When will it happen?

We don’t get to know the “when” but we aren't left to wonder what it will be like. Our Bible is chock full of beautiful descriptions of the Day of the Lord—Old Testament, New Testament all over our Bibles describes the Day of the Lord. 

I am going to read you a favorite of mine; it comes from Revelation 11:15–19, 

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

I hope that you’re getting excited about all of the connections between this verse and the one we just read in Joshua 6. Jesus is coming back for us, and when He does His return will be unmistakable.

My fearful heart sometimes worries I’ll miss it or that I’ve missed it already. There will be no missing it. It will be awe-inspiring; it will be earth-shaking; and it will be loud. Signaled by the blast of the seventh trumpet.

Way back in Leviticus 23, God was scheduling a reminder of the supernatural hope we have in Him. Every single year when the Israelites blew the trumpets, those sound waves were moving forward in history to the moment when all of God’s children would live in the Promised Land, finally and forever sin free.

Let’s think about Jericho again for a moment. That trumpet blast meant that God’s people had triumphed over their enemies. When the final trumpet sounds, it will mean that because of Jesus, we have triumphed over our two terrible enemies—Satan and sin. That’s what the trumpet will mean. 

At Jericho the trumpet was the symbol that spiritually speaking the battle was already won. God had already promised that the children of Israel would emerge victorious, and on the cross our war with sin and death was finished.

My pastor will sometimes stand at the pulpit and say, “The war with cancer was won at the cross. Your struggle with your prodigal child was won at the cross. The brokenness in your body was won at the cross.” I can just hear him say those statements over us forever. It’s true there are skirmishes, but the battle’s won. 

The final trumpet will be a declaration that we can live in Christ’s victory forever. Upon hearing the final trumpet blast toward Jericho, the children of God entered the city, and they began their reign as rulers of the Promised Land.

And what will happen to us upon Christ’s return? I can never read Revelation chapter 21 without crying, and I don’t apologize for it, because it’s so precious. Revelation 21:1–3,

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

What will happen to us when the final trumpet blasts? We will enter the city, the new Jerusalem that Jesus has prepared for us, and we will reign in righteousness with Christ our King. 

Listen to the prophet Joel’s words about that final trumpet blast. This comes from Joel chapter 2,

Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near (v. 1). 

From Joel’s prospective it probably didn’t seem near. And yet it is, a trumpet blast is coming. And friends, it is near. Compared to eternity, the time between now and the blast of that final trumpet is a blip. I like to say, “It won’t be long now, because Christ is coming for His bride, to rescue us and lead us to a place free from sin.”

Did you know there were only a couple of commandments for the Feast of Trumpets? Blow the trumpet, don’t work, and give God an offering. That’s it! It’s that simple. The trumpet’s going to blow, and we’re going rest in all that He has done for us. 

On that day the children of God will celebrate the Feast of Trumpets with Jesus. I long to hear the trumpet blast. So many days I say, “Today is a good day. Jesus there’s still time today.” But it’s coming. I don’t for a nano second doubt that the Feast of Trumpets for the children of God is coming. But for now we wait in hope. 

Erin Unscripted

Dree: Erin has been reminding us of the hope that we have for the future. When we are anchored into the truth of Jesus, the gospel changes everything. No matter what brokenness or struggles you're facing right now, we have been saved by Jesus, and He's coming back for us.

She's been exploring the Feast of Trumpets described in Leviticus 23. When we study these Old Testament feasts with Erin, we can see them parallel the gospel; we can see arrows pointing us to the gospel again and again and again. And for me, it's opened my eyes to that in a fresh way.

I hope that you, too, will get a copy of Erin's Bible study, Seven Feasts, so you can explore these truths on your own. I promise there will be a deepening in your heart and soul over how God planned everything, pointed us to Jesus, and sent Him for our rescue and our future hope. You can get a copy of Seven Feasts by visiting ReviveOurHearts.com/TheDeepWell.

Erin, I was working through the chapter of the Bible study, and also re-listening to these teachings, and I'm excited for our time together with Erin Unscripted. Today's teaching has pointed us to the second coming, which we can for sure be excited about, but we don't always remember it or think about it or feel excited about it. 

Erin: Well, it's one of my favorite topics. My sons and I talk about it often. I remember one time when my husband was traveling for work, and one of them said, out of the blue, “Well, what happens if Jesus comes back today and Daddy's in another state?” One of the other boys without missing a beat said, “Well, then we'll meet him in the sky.” And it was one of my proudest parenting moments because I thought, Oh, they've heard us talk about this. This isn't something that we've acted like was mysterious, or refused to talk about, although there are some mysteries related to it.

So, it is a favorite subject of mine. I truly do look forward to it with great longing, although I can certainly remember seasons in my life when I didn't, when I thought, oh, I'm not ready, or I want to accomplish XYZ, before that happens, or it's scary to me. And what has changed that, for me, is the Word of God. It is talked about in such celebratory terms in Scripture, as such an event to look forward to with great expectation. The trumpets will blast and we will be with Him. And I do long for it. 

I think of an email I got recently from a woman who has heard me teach on the return of Christ. She was very honest. She said, “I'm not looking forward to it. I'm afraid of it. I have a comfortable life, a husband I love, children I love.” And I just asked back, “Are you reading your Bible for yourself?” And she kind of wrote back like, “Ugh, I knew you were going to say that, and no, I'm not.” I think if it's just this idea, and we imagine it for ourselves, we will imagine it in ways that maybe aren’t accurate or that God doesn't reveal to us what it'll be like. But when we actually read about it in Scripture, we see what a wonderful day it will be. And I can't wait.

Dree: Yeah, I think that's a really good reminder. I, too, long for it. For example, my son came out of his bedroom, in the middle of the night one night in tears because he was afraid to die. I think developmentally, everybody kind of goes through that. They start thinking about what it would be like and what's going to happen. We anchored him to the gospel, we told the whole story, and we talked about the Second Coming. Then he had so many questions about all of that, and as I was telling him, I had an equal amount of hope for the future of what that will be like in all eternity, and a twinge of “I don't want to miss out. I want to know what he's going to be like when he's seventeen and twenty-seven. And I don't want to miss out on my grandkids.”

Erin: Or even another layer of that is that we all know somebody and we all love somebody who has not given their life to Jesus.

Dree: Yeah.

Erin: And, there is finality in that moment. 

Dree: Yes.

Erin: I think it's right and good for it to be sobering and not just the parade we've been talking about. Because if it was today, if He came on the clouds today, if we heard the trumpet blast today, the reality is that many, many people who have not bowed their knees to Him will be separated from Him for eternity. 

I think of all the emotions related to the return of Christ, and none of them surprise the Lord. And I wouldn't categorize any of them as bad or wrong.

Dree: Yeah, I think it just is a mirror to where our heart is. Do we see what we don't want to miss out on? Are those things potentially idols in our life? Do we need to submit them? Do we see the urgency of the need? I think if you really engage with these next feasts that we're going to talk about, you really see the need to share the gospel, to share the good story of rescue with people. I think you're exactly right. 

I was talking to somebody in the middle of some hard things. I said, these are the moments where I just want Jesus to return, and she said, “Not yet, not yet. I've got some of my kids who aren't ready.” And it reminded me of the urgency. I don't know that I naturally go to that urgency. I wish I did, but that is a very real part of it because that trumpet is going to blast. It's going to be a wakeup call, right? For all of us.

Erin: Yeah, God's children, meaning the nation of Israel in the Old Testament that we've been studying, certainly didn't get everything right, and we hold them up as poster children for failure to walk with God. But I think they lived with that expectancy, that the trumpet was going to blast and it was going to signal something significant. And I think you're right, Dree. I don't know that we, as followers of Christ in this era, live with that expectancy. I think if we did, it would change a lot about how we live.

Dree: Yeah, for sure. We would worry a lot less about what it looks like to share His good story, a lot less about all of that. We would see that love is the motivation of that—love for others and love for our Father in heaven, and the story we help steward as His followers.

Erin: Right. That's true. For those of us who are in Christ, the Feast of Trumpets, the second Feast of Trumpets when Jesus returns, will be a day of great excitement. For those who are not in Christ, it will be a day of unmatched terror. And you're right, I think we would have those conversations with greater frequency and greater urgency and greater love and greater compassion if we lived with the Feast of Trumpets in the view of our hearts and minds.

Dree: I certainly want to make a daily habit of just celebrating the reality of His return—that it is real. It's a promise I can stand on. It's a promise I can trust. I won't feel the suffering forever. 

Erin: Amen.

Dree: Do you ever struggle to know that you're forgiven? Erin has something important to say about the sacrifice Jesus has made for you.

Erin: You are not the one person the cross is not big enough for. You're not the one woman in the crowd on the Day of Atonement that cannot be one with God. You are the recipient of over the top elaborate, permanent grace.

Dree: Erin will show you the power of forgiveness on the next episode of TheDeep Well.

The Deep Well with Erin Davis is an outreach of Revive Our Hearts, calling women to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.

All Scripture is taken from the ESV.

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