The Feast of Trumpets
Ah, the Feast of Trumpets. Also known as Yom Teruah in Hebrew, or what many now call Rosh Hashanah. It is the first of the Fall Feasts in the Jewish calendar, a sacred echo that has rung through time from ancient mountaintops to our hearts today.
🕊️ In Ancient Times
In the days of old, this feast was a summons of sound. A clarion call blown through the shofar (ram’s horn), reverberating through camp and soul alike. It marked the beginning of the seventh month (Tishrei), a holy day of rest, remembrance, and awakening.
“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.”
— Leviticus 23:24–25
The trumpet blast was:
- A wake-up call, stirring souls from spiritual slumber
- A signal of preparation, leading to the Ten Days of Awe before Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
- A herald of the King, announcing God’s presence and reign
- A reminder of covenant, recalling Sinai, the Exodus, and the voice of God like a trumpet
It was a festival not of words, but of sound … mysterious, primal, shaking the marrow and spirit.
🌿 What It Means for Christians Today
For followers of Christ, the Feast of Trumpets holds layers of echo and fulfillment. Not as something obsolete, but as a shadow cast by Christ that still whispers.
It speaks of:
🔔 1. Awakening and Repentance
The trumpet call stirs the heart to return, to remember, to awaken from spiritual sleep. It beckons us toward reflection, to examine our lives in light of God’s mercy.
“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
— Ephesians 5:14
🌩️ 2. The Coming King
Trumpets are tied to the return of Jesus, when the final trumpet shall sound and the dead shall rise.
“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.”
— 1 Thessalonians 4:16
The Feast becomes a prophetic mirror, reflecting the future hope … that our King is returning, and every eye will see Him.
🕊️ 3. Joy and Reverence
Though it begins with awe, the Feast leads into celebration. It marks a new year, a new beginning. A sacred paradox of trembling joy.
🌌 A Dreamlike Reflection
If you listen, even now, you might hear the faint echo of that ancient trumpet. Not with your ears, but within … calling you to awaken, to lift your eyes, to prepare your heart.
Perhaps the trumpet still sounds:
Not from a mountaintop,
but from within your chest …
a shofar woven of breath and longing,
calling you back
to what you’ve always known
but almost forgotten.
