In Leviticus 23:24 the LORD gives the command to have a set-apart gathering for the purpose of remembering the blowing of trumpets. In Hebrew it actually states that we are to gather to remember “teruah”.
The word “teruah” is translated into English as “blowing of trumpets (shofar)”. However, the literal Hebrew meaning of “teruah” is “soundings, by instrument or human voice”. It denotes according to Brown-Driver-Briggs Commentary an “alarm, sound of tempest, shout, shout or blast of war or alarm or joy, war-cry, blast for march, shout of joy”.
Strong's Concordance states that it means: “clamor, acclamation of joy or battle cry, jubilee, loud noise, shout, rejoicing”.
Anyway, they agree in their defining of the word.
Rabbi's have never understood exactly what purpose Yahweh had in mind for the keeping of Yom Teruah (Day of Trumpets). What was it a remembering of?
I would like to share my thoughts on this appointed day and what I believe it could represent.
If you will go back with me in time to the Battle of Jericho. When Joshua was instructed that it was time to cross over and take the Promised Land the first battle was at Jericho, the entrance to the heartland of Canaan. When we read about this event in Joshua chapter 6 we find some very interesting things.
For six days the Israelite men of war were to march around the city just once while the priests bore the Ark of the Covenant and blew seven trumpets of rams' horns (shofars). Now, this is where it gets interesting. On the 7th day they were to march around the city 7 times and the priests were to BLOW WITH the SEVEN SHOFARS. Then, when the long blast of the trumpet was heard, ALL THE PEOPLE were to SHOUT (rua) with a GREAT SHOUT (TERUAH) and then the walls of Jericho fell down and the people went over and easily conquered the city. They had now staked a claim to their Promised Land.
If we apply this to Yom Teruah and what we should be remembering and rehearsing for it would look like this: on a Yom Teruah in the future a trumpet is going to sound and a great shout is going to take place and the people of God, blood bought in Yeshua the Messiah, are going to arise from the dead or see their bodies changed into incorruptible bodies, and then we will begin our own journey of inheriting our Promised Land – the Kingdom established by Yeshua when He rules and reigns from Jerusalem (and eventually the Renewed Heaven and Earth).
This should bring a clearer understanding to this scripture:
“Because the Lord Himself shall come down from heaven with a SHOUT, with the voice of a chief angel, and with the TRUMPET of Elohim, and the dead in Messiah shall rise first. Then we, the living who are left over, shall be caught away together with them in the clouds to meet the Master in the air-and so we shall always be with the Master. So, then, encourage one another with these words.”
I Thessalonians 4:16-18.
I bet that I will also be shouting on that day! How about you?
Shalom!
Leisa
