c



    
c
Arthur L. Finkle


The Shofar had several religious roles recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures,
such as the transfer of the Ark ofthe Covenant (2 Samuel 6:15; 1
Chronicles 15:28); the announcement of the New Moon (Psalms 81:4); the
beginning of the religious New Year (Numbers 29:1); the Day of Atonement
(Leviticus 25:9); the procession preparatory to the Feast of Tabernacles
(Mishnah, Hullin 1:7); the Havdalah ceremony marking the end of a festival
(Mishnah, Hullin 1:7);and other uses mentioned in Hebrew Writings
(Mishnah and Talmud) after the fall of the Temple in 70 Common Era (CE).

V

The Shofar is primarily associated with Rosh HaShanah. Indeed, Rosh
HaShanah is called Yom T'ru'ah (the day of the Shofar blast). ³And in the
seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have a holy
convocation: ye shall do no manner of servile work; it is a day of blowing
the horn unto you.´ (Numbers 29:1) [ This is 1 Tishrei, which is Rosh
HaShanah, the Hebrew New Year.] See also Leviticus 23:24). .

In the Mishnah (book of early Rabbinic laws derived from the Torah), a
discussion in Tractate Rosh HaShanah centers around the centrality of the
Shofar in the time before the destruction of the SecondTemple (70 C.O.
Those debating never experienced the ceremony itself but their
grandfathers may have. Indeed, the Shofar was the center of the
ceremony, with two silver trumpets playing a lesser role. On other solemn
holidays, fasts, and New Moon celebrations, two silver trumpets were
featured, with one Shofar playing a lesser role. The Shofar is also
associated with the Jubilee Year in which, every fifty years, Jewish Law
provided for the release of all slaves, land, and debts. The sound of the
Shofar on Yom Kippur proclaimed the Jubilee Year that provided the actual
release of financial encumbrances.
Î
 
The legislation concerning the year of Jubilee is found in Leviticus, xxv, 8-
54, and xxvii, 16-24. It contains three main enactments:
Πrest of the soil;
Πreversion of landed property to its original owner, who had been
driven by poverty to sell it; and
Πthe freeing or manumission of those Israelites who, through poverty
or otherwise, had become the slaves of their brethren.
Ten days after Rosh HaShanah, at the Yom Kippur service it reads. ³And
thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven
years; and there shall be unto thee the days of seven sabbaths of years,
even forty and nine years.´ See Leviticus 16:29, 23:27.

Further, the Scriptures herald: Then shalt thou make proclamation with the
blast of the horn on the tenth day of the seventh month; in the day of
atonement shall ye make proclamation with the horn throughout all your
land. See Lev 25: 9
New Moon

The new moon offering comes before the Rosh HaShanah offering,
because that which is brought the most often has precedence (Yad,
Temidim 9:2).

The Israelites and the subsequent Jews celebrated a lunar calendar

intercalated so that the seasons are correct. New moons were extremely
important. Accordingly, the Shofar was sounded upon the occurrence of the
new moon. (Numbers 29:11; Rosh HaShanah 1:1). The Talmud tells us
that this custom was discontinued when the Samaritans attempted to
disrupt this system of sounding from mountain to mountain announcing the
new moon.

Scripture further proclaims the sounding on the appearance of the new

moon:

And the sons of Aaron,

the priests, shall blow
with the trumpets; and
they shall be to you for
 an ordinance forever
throughout your
generations.

Also in the day of your

gladness, and in your
solemn days, and in
the beginnings of your
months, ye shall blow
with the trumpets over
your burnt offerings,
and over the sacrifices
of your peace
offerings; that they
may be to you for a
memorial before your
God: I am the LORD
your God. See
Numbers 10:10.

Finally we have the famous passage in PSALMS 81:3: ³Blow up the

trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.´

V

 Î
  
 
Relationship

God did not visit

Abraham for religious
purposes. Moses did
not go up on the
mountain to get
religion, but to meet
with and hear from
God. Jesus did not
come to earth to make
us religious but to
restore us to
relationship with God.
 It's all about
relationship.

http://www.who-is-god-really.org/shofar.html

Indeed, Existentialism has captured Christian theology throughout the 20th

mid-century. Following in the steps Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard,
Martin Heidegger made human existence his since the 1920s, and Karl
Jaspers in the 1930s. Human relationships
Enhance humanity by interacting with one another in a spiritual way. The
sparks of each soul contributes to a whole is greaterthan the sum of its
parts.

Jewish Biblical Roots

Others flock to their Jewish biblical roots because they want to follow in the
footsteps of Jesus and the disciples. They celebrate the Jewish holidays
that Jesus celebrated and tend to refer the Holy Temple celebrations that
were extent in Jesus¶ time.They tend to be highly structured that
predominates in the American culture. They want a more authentic religion.

ACTS 2:2: Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

2:1-4 They
[disciples] had
prayed more
together of late.
Would we have
the Spirit poured
out upon us from
on high, let us be
all of one accord.
And
notwithstanding
differences of
sentiments and
interests, as
there were
among those
disciples, let us
agree to love
one another; for
where brethren
dwell together in
unity, there the
Lord commands
his blessing. A
rushing mighty
wind came with
great force. This
was to signify the
powerful
influences and
working of the
Spirit of God
upon the minds
of men, and
thereby upon the
world. Thus the
convictions of
the Spirit make
way for his
comforts; and
the rough blasts
of that blessed
wind, prepare
the soul for its
soft and gentle
gales. There was
an appearance
of something like
flaming fire,
lighting on every
one of them,
according to
John Baptist's
saying
concerning
Christ;
 http://bible.cc/act
s/2-2.htm

On Rosh HasShana, the shofar-like blast coming from the Throne of God,
calling us to return to the simplicity of the faith as it was originally given to
us. It is a call to pursue God out of love, not religion. The gospel of Jesus
Christ is anything but religious. It is about relationship.

The gospels, the Psalms or the Prophets bespoke ordinary people living
extraordinary lives. They were down-to-earth, hearty and knew how to
touch God. They were able, through their daily connection to Him, to
change the course of battles, rescue whole nations out of slavery, heal the
sick, even raise the dead.

The Resurrection
of the Dead even
as we wait to
hear the trumpet
blast of the king,
the great shofar
of our returning
Redeemer, we
celebrate the
appointed time of
the Rosh
Hashanah. The
annual blast of
the shofar during
the Feast of
Trumpets
foreshadows that
day when the
heavens will be
rent by the blast
of Messiah's
trumpet. For
disciples of the
Messiah, Rosh
Hashanah is a
reminder of that
 appointed time
yet to come
when the Master
"will send forth
His angels with a
great trumpet
and they will
gather together
His elect from
the four winds,
from one end of
the sky to the
other." (Matthew
24:31)

Responding to the Shofar's Call reveals how this change took place.
These Messianic Jewish Christians posit that the Jewish religion of
closeness to and love God was hijacked by the Greek philosophers, who
have an enormous persuasion on the Earth Church Fathers. Indeed,
Ambrose, Chrysostom and Augustine. The philosophizing took the
authentic nature of love out of the equation. Instead of relying on outdated,
hellenize3d creeds, the Jews continue to question the ways of God and the
ways to lead a better life.

What we are
involved in is a
culture war. The
true biblical
culture of
thebeliever is
Hebraic in
nature. There is
nothing wrong
with
demonstrating a
biblical culture
and yetbeing
comfortable and
natural in our
own nation¶s
culture²as long
as it isour biblical
culture which
dominates us
and as long as
the national
culturalcharacteri
stics are not
harmful to our
faith and walk in
the Lord.

True Hebraic
culture is what
Jesus
demonstrated.Je
sus was
perfectlycomforta
ble in His own
skin as the holy
Son of God and
as a Hebrew
whowas practical
and simple. He
didn¶t theorize
and theologize.
He didn¶t
seekafter or exalt
knowledge. He
exalted those
with a humble
heart who
livedout what
they believed.
He was capable
of reaching out
to and
 befriendingthose
who were in a
sinful state²a
worldly culture²
like the tax
collectorsand
³sinners,´ without
ever becoming
like
them.http://www.
who-is-god-
really.org/shofar.
html

Footsteps of Jesus and the Disciples

Others flock to their Jewish biblical roots because they want to follow in the
footsteps of Jesus and the disciples. They celebrate THE Jewish holidays
that Jesus celebrated and tend to refer the Holy Temple celebrations that
existed in Jesus¶ brief earthlytime.

To a professional trumpet player, the µcall of the shofar¶ signifies:

ΠTruth (2 Chronicles 15 v.14)

ΠRepentance (Joel 2 vs. 1 + 15)
ΠObedience (Jeremiah 6 v.17)
ΠA call to worship God (Isaiah 27 v.13, Revelation 1 v.10 )
ΠRestoration
ΠSanctification
ΠThe Joy of Trumpets
|Ryan Malone,September 8, 2010, www.thetrumpet.com

The sound of the shofar could be joyful blasts heralding a king. In fact,
five references of shofar in the Old Testament refer to coronations²
namely those on the throne of David. The blast of the seventh trumpet
angel heralds the coronation of Jesus Christ to return to the throne of
David and assume rulership of all the kingdoms of the Earth! (Revelation
11:15; Isaiah 9:7). What joy that means for God¶s people!
 This angelic trumpet blast also indicates war. (Revelation 11:18). Jesus,
Himself said that, at His Second Coming, ³shall all the tribes of the earth
mourn «. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet´
(Matthew 24:30-31).

Also when the seventh trumpet sounds, pictured by the Feast of

Trumpets, the dead in Christ will be resurrected! The sound of the
trumpet will initiate the first resurrection. John 5:28 says ³all that are in
the graves shall hear his voice.´ God¶s voice is likened to a shofar blast
in Exodus 19:16-19 (and in the New Testament: Revelation 1:10; 4:1).
Even God¶s prophets throughout history were symbolically to use their
voices like trumpets (Isaiah 58:1). By lifting their voices like trumpets,
God¶s prophets were emulating God¶s voice! Today, when we trumpet
this warning that is a type of God speaking.

Until that point in history, God¶s voice will have been trumpeted through
His work. But finally, on this day, God will speak²and, just as at Mt.
Sinai, it will be an earthshaking event.

http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?q=7357.5930.0.0

A   V  

Shofar is the Hebrew word for a trumpet made from a ram¶s horn. Most
places in the Old Testament where the English translation is trumpet, the
Hebrew word is µShofar¶.

We believe that God has given us a revelation that we wish to share with
the Body of Messiah. We believe this will add a new dimension to our
prayer and spiritual warfare. The Lord has revealed the spiritual
dynamic of the use of the Shofar or Ram¶s Horn as used by the
Israelites in the Old Testament times. We don¶t fully under- stand the
power of it, why or how it works - but it works !

The Lord led us to the story of Gideon (Judges 7). As is the pattern
throughout the book of Judges, the Israelites again turned away from God
after 40 years of peace brought by Deborah's victory over Canaan and
were allowed to be attacked by the neighboring Midianites and Amalekites.
God chose Gideon, a young man from an otherwise unremarkable clan
from the tribe of Manasseh, to free the people of Israel and to condemn
their worship of idols. God sent a reluctant Gideon and 300 warriors to
battle with a heavily armed enemy of thousands. However, He instructed
Gideon to go out with a pitcher and torch in one hand, and a Shofar in the
other hand. At the appointed time, the 300 blew their Shofars in unity,
which firstly caused restlessness in the enemy¶s camp, resulting in their
total confusion; turning and killing each other with their swords. We also
see in the story of Joshua that he too, won the war by blowing the Shofar.
A similar episode occurred at Jericho. The Holy Spirit revealed that,
blowing the Shofar brings about some cosmic effect.

In the Bible, the blowing of the Shofar was first heard when God called
Moses to the summit of Mt. Sinai to receive the tablets of the Law. And, it
will be sounded at the end of days to announce the Return of the Messiah
and the Rapture of His Bride. ( 1 Thess 4:16 )
Biblical Blowing of the Shofar.

1 Thess 4:16 ³For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, with the Shofar of God and the dead in
Christ shall rise.´
A Shofar will be blown before the dead rise:
1 Cor 15:52 ³In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last Shofar; for
the Shofar will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we
shall be changed.´

http://opentheword.org/index.php/forgiveness/index.php?option=com_conte
nt&view=article&id=341:blow-the-trumpet&catid=99:sound&Itemid=265

1 Corinthians 15:52 states: ³ . . . in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the

last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised
imperishable, and we will be changed.´

The Shofar (trumpet) is the sound of God's voice.

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great
voice, as of a trumpet, Revelation 1:10

John Was Heaven Sent by the sound of the Shofar.

 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and
the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with
me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which
must be hereafter. Revelation 4:1

Seven trumpets (Shofar) are sounded when God judges the earth during
the tribulation.

And when he
had opened the
seventh seal,
there was
silence in
heaven about
the space of half
an hour. And I
saw the seven
angels which
stood before
God; and to
them were given
seven trumpets.
And another
angel came and
stood at the
altar, having a
golden censer;
and there was
given unto him
much incense,
that he should
offer it with the
prayers of all
saints upon the
golden altar
which was
before the
throne. And the
smoke of the
incense, which
came with the
prayers of the
saints, ascended
up before God
out of the angel's
hand. And the
angel took the
censer, and filled
it with fire of the
altar, and cast it
into the earth:
and there were
voices, and
thunderings, and
lightnings, and
an earthquake.
And the seven
angels which
had the seven
trumpets
prepared
themselves to
sound.

But in the days

of the voice of
the seventh
angel, when he
shall begin to
sound the
shofar, the
mystery of God
should be
finished, as he
hath declared to
his servants the
prophets.
Revelation 8:1-
10:7
Acts 2:2 states: ³Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came
from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ Matthew
Henry's Concise Commentary comments:

2:1-4 We cannot
forget how often,
while their
Master was with
them there were
strifes among the
disciples which
should be the
greatest; but now
all these strifes
were at an end.
They had prayed
more together of
late. Would we
have the Spirit
poured out upon
us from on high,
let us be all of
one accord. And
notwithstanding
differences of
sentiments and
interests, as
there were
among those
disciples, let us
agree to love
one another; for
where brethren
dwell together in
unity, there the
Lord commands
his blessing. A
rushing mighty
wind came with
great force. This
was to signify the
powerful
influences and
working of the
Spirit of God
upon the minds
of men, and
thereby upon the
world. Thus the
convictions of
the Spirit make
way for his
comforts; and
the rough blasts
of that blessed
wind, prepare
the soul for its
soft and gentle
gales. There was
an appearance
of something like
flaming fire,
lighting on every
one of them,
according to
John Baptist's
saying
concerning
Christ; He shall
baptize you with
the Holy Ghost,
and with fire. The
Spirit, like fire,
melts the heart,
burns up the
dross, and
kindles pious
and devout
affections in the
soul; in which, as
in the fire on the
altar, the spiritual
sacrifices are
offered up. They
were all filled
with the Holy
Ghost, more
than before.
They were filled
with the graces
of the Spirit, and
more than ever
under his
sanctifying
influences; more
weaned from this
world, and better
acquainted with
the other. They
were more filled
with the comforts
of the Spirit,
rejoiced more
than ever in the
love of Christ
and the hope of
heaven: in it all
their griefs and
fears were
swallowed up.
They were filled
with the gifts of
the Holy Ghost;
they had
miraculous
powers for the
furtherance of
the gospel. They
 spake, not from
previous though
or meditation,
but as the Spirit
gave them
utterance.

http://bible.cc/act
s/2-2.htm.



  V 

We have taken a journey into Christian theology in which the shofar
symbolizes the voice and power of God in His guidance to our present and
future. By adhering to the Old Testament, we receive a different
perspective of the New Testament, as it was intended.