Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! With trumpets and the sound of the horn, make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord! (Verses 4-6)
And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies. On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before God: I am the Lord your God. Numbers 10
God told Moses to make two trumpets of hammered silver to be used for summoning the massive numbers of people camping in the wilderness to assemble at the tent of meeting or to let them know it was time to break camp and move forward. The horns were signals, also, of danger. But two long blasts of the trumpets meant God had something to say to His people and they were to gather before His presence in the traveling tabernacle. On all these occasions, it seems the blaring of the silver trumpets reminded God of the fact that He is, indeed, the Lord, their God. It's God's call to take note of the children He's adopted and either rescue them or meet with them as they rejoice over His sovereignty in their lives.
And the sound of the horn, or shofar, should make our feet dance and our hearts sing! Every year, at Rosh Hashanah, the shofars are blown to welcome in the Jewish New Year, a high holy day. The Feast of the Trumpets occurred on the first day of the Hebrew month, Tishri, at the new moon, when only the tiniest crescent could be seen. The sighting of the new moon required that there be watchers to witness its first appearing since even the slightest cloud cover could obscure the moon from view. Israel had to be vigilant in order to see the new moon appear.
So what's this joyful noise all about? We are a part of it every Sunday in our worship services with drums, pianos, keyboards and guitars. Some congregations sing hymns; others dance about to the melodies and lyrics of more modern worship. But the heart of it all should be joy. We should overflow with the acknowledgement our God is great, and greatly to be praised. He lives there in our praises (Psalm 22)--comes down to be in the midst of them to enjoy our exultation and dance with us. The drumming of tympani and the strumming of the guitars in acknowledgment of His glory summons us to Him and Him to us. Like the blasts from the silver trumpets call us to the holy of holies to prepare us for a word from Him, our melodies sung to our God bring us into His presence, make us ready to hear His heart.
Deeper still for me this morning, though, is what the blasts from the trumpets and horns were about. They were used to call to a new place, to war or to worship. When the sound reached His ears, it made God remember that, oh yes, He is the Lord our God. And He will save us, lead us or revel with us. The calling of the trumpet is a reminder that He delivered them out of slavery to be their King and God--set them apart and made them holy. Reminded God and them of the covenant He established with His children. In unison the trumpets beckoned God's nation to His presence. The sound of our worship should rise like the incense it is even in the midst of our battles--or before we ever begin to fight. Our praises in advance remind us that we don't battle alone. Call God to our rescue. And the shofar announced the new year as it heralded the new moon of Tishri. A new beginning. The end of the old era. The slate wiped clean. God in our midst. Trumpets and horns, banjos and guitars, melodies sung, maybe imperfectly, make a sound dear to the heart of our Father, Who waits in heaven for the more perfect choir that will assemble one day to forever make a joyful noise that will resound and echo throughout eternity.
For the Lord Himself with descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage each other with these words. I Thessalonians 4
And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies. On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before God: I am the Lord your God. Numbers 10
God told Moses to make two trumpets of hammered silver to be used for summoning the massive numbers of people camping in the wilderness to assemble at the tent of meeting or to let them know it was time to break camp and move forward. The horns were signals, also, of danger. But two long blasts of the trumpets meant God had something to say to His people and they were to gather before His presence in the traveling tabernacle. On all these occasions, it seems the blaring of the silver trumpets reminded God of the fact that He is, indeed, the Lord, their God. It's God's call to take note of the children He's adopted and either rescue them or meet with them as they rejoice over His sovereignty in their lives.
And the sound of the horn, or shofar, should make our feet dance and our hearts sing! Every year, at Rosh Hashanah, the shofars are blown to welcome in the Jewish New Year, a high holy day. The Feast of the Trumpets occurred on the first day of the Hebrew month, Tishri, at the new moon, when only the tiniest crescent could be seen. The sighting of the new moon required that there be watchers to witness its first appearing since even the slightest cloud cover could obscure the moon from view. Israel had to be vigilant in order to see the new moon appear.
So what's this joyful noise all about? We are a part of it every Sunday in our worship services with drums, pianos, keyboards and guitars. Some congregations sing hymns; others dance about to the melodies and lyrics of more modern worship. But the heart of it all should be joy. We should overflow with the acknowledgement our God is great, and greatly to be praised. He lives there in our praises (Psalm 22)--comes down to be in the midst of them to enjoy our exultation and dance with us. The drumming of tympani and the strumming of the guitars in acknowledgment of His glory summons us to Him and Him to us. Like the blasts from the silver trumpets call us to the holy of holies to prepare us for a word from Him, our melodies sung to our God bring us into His presence, make us ready to hear His heart.
Deeper still for me this morning, though, is what the blasts from the trumpets and horns were about. They were used to call to a new place, to war or to worship. When the sound reached His ears, it made God remember that, oh yes, He is the Lord our God. And He will save us, lead us or revel with us. The calling of the trumpet is a reminder that He delivered them out of slavery to be their King and God--set them apart and made them holy. Reminded God and them of the covenant He established with His children. In unison the trumpets beckoned God's nation to His presence. The sound of our worship should rise like the incense it is even in the midst of our battles--or before we ever begin to fight. Our praises in advance remind us that we don't battle alone. Call God to our rescue. And the shofar announced the new year as it heralded the new moon of Tishri. A new beginning. The end of the old era. The slate wiped clean. God in our midst. Trumpets and horns, banjos and guitars, melodies sung, maybe imperfectly, make a sound dear to the heart of our Father, Who waits in heaven for the more perfect choir that will assemble one day to forever make a joyful noise that will resound and echo throughout eternity.
For the Lord Himself with descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage each other with these words. I Thessalonians 4
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