Leviticus 23:23-32: Trumpet Blowing

Narrator: Chris Genthree
Leviticus 23:23‑32  •  5 min. read  •  grade level: 11
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THE work of God's grace, in converting souls after the rapture of the Church who will have a portion in heaven having been just intimated, as we have seen, work more fully referred to in Rev. 6:9; 14:2; 15: 2-4; 20:49And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: (Revelation 6:9)
2And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: (Revelation 14:2)
4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4); Psa. 79:2, 32The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth. 3Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them. (Psalm 79:2‑3); we are reminded by what follows in this chapter of the Lord's ways in goodness with His earthly people Israel, For He that scattered Israel will gather him (Jer. 31:1010Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. (Jeremiah 31:10)). So the prelude to their final blessing will be the return to their own and, and the knowledge pressed home on them by the Spirit of God of the beneficial results of the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Jews will first be brought back, the bulk of them in unbelief, to become followers of antichrist, and worshippers of the image of the beast. The ten tribes will return, but only to enter the land after the transgressors amongst them have been purged out on the way (Ezek. 20:3838And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 20:38)). To accomplish, then, all this, God must take up afresh-His earthly people, for He will not forget them, but until He has done that, rest and blessing under the millennial sway of the Lord Jesus Christ cannot be known upon this earth.
In harmony with this we read, " And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath (rather, a rest) Shabbathon, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation, ye shall do no servile work therein, but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord," (Lev. 23:23-2523And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 24Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. 25Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. (Leviticus 23:23‑25)). At the recurrence of each new moon special sacrifices were appointed (Num. 28:11-1511And in the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the Lord; two young bullocks, and one ram, seven lambs of the first year without spot; 12And three tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one bullock; and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one ram; 13And a several tenth deal of flour mingled with oil for a meat offering unto one lamb; for a burnt offering of a sweet savor, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord. 14And their drink offerings shall be half an hin of wine unto a bullock, and the third part of an hin unto a ram, and a fourth part of an hin unto a lamb: this is the burnt offering of every month throughout the months of the year. 15And one kid of the goats for a sin offering unto the Lord shall be offered, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering. (Numbers 28:11‑15)); and trumpets were blown (Num. 10:1010Also 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. (Numbers 10:10))," but this day was a special one, marked by absence of servile work, kept as a day of rest, and characterized by the presentation of special offerings (Num. 29:1-61And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you. 2And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savor unto the Lord; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without blemish: 3And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram, 4And one tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs: 5And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you: 6Beside the burnt offering of the month, and his meat offering, and the daily burnt offering, and his meat offering, and their drink offerings, according unto their manner, for a sweet savor, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord. (Numbers 29:1‑6)), besides the monthly and daily sacrifices. What these were the lawgiver sets forth in Numbers in detail, viz., a burnt offering, consisting of one bullock, one ram, and seven lambs with their meat offerings and drink offerings, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering. Hence we gather that as one bullock only was offered in the burnt offering, that memorial of blowing of trumpets directly concerns Israel, and Israel only. And tracing out their future history, as the divine word enables us to do, we can see that the day of blowing of trumpets was typical of something that they will some day, and perhaps ere long, know. The blast of the trumpet t'ruah on their solemn day was for a memorial before their God.
For centuries the Jews have been scattered abroad, and for ages have the ten tribes been exiles, the whole nation regarded as "Lo-ammi " by God (Hos. 1:99Then said God, Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. (Hosea 1:9)), but His mercy endureth forever, as they will own, when gathered out of all lands, and the prayer of Psa. 106:4747Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise. (Psalm 106:47), is fulfilled, "Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto Thy holy name, and to triumph in Thy praise." Of that the entrance of the ark into Jerusalem under David was the earnest (1 Chron. 16:34-3534O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. 35And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise. (1 Chronicles 16:34‑35)). How soon shall we from on high witness its accomplishment? The gathering back of Israel into their own land there will be, but as that cannot take place till all those who are to form the body of Christ have been called out to believe on Him, and the rapture has been effected, we have It considerable interval between Pentecost and the seventh month, during which we read of nothing about the people beyond the weekly sabbath, which betokens rest, and the monthly new moon, which tells of renovation. But with the arrival of the seventh month a great change took place. The silence was broken, and the Lord was once more occupied with His people, and they with Him. The memorial of blowing of trumpets inaugurated some further and fresh displays of divine grace on their behalf, consequent upon which those words of Psa. 89:1515Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. (Psalm 89:15), will have their application, Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound, t’ruah, they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance."
What a time has elapsed since this revelation about the feast of trumpets was given to Israel; the witness, when as yet they were under the shadow of Mount 'Sinai, that the Lord would not forsake them, nor leave them to suffer forever the consequences of national unfaithfulness. “Ye shall be gathered one by one " Is the word of the prophet (Isa. 27:1212And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. (Isaiah 27:12)). " He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, he shall gather the lambs with his arms and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young “(Isa. 40:1111He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40:11)).
An earnest of this future gathering together of His exiled people, we have in the return of the Jewish remnant under Zerubbabel from their captivity in Babylon. And it was by the commencement of the seventh month that they were once more in their cities (Ezra 3:1-61And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. 2Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. 3And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord, even burnt offerings morning and evening. 4They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required; 5And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the Lord. 6From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid. (Ezra 3:1‑6)). Under Joshua the people had entered in Nisan. Under Zerubbabel they were back for the first of Tisri. Under Joshua they entered as the people of the Lord, to take possession of their inheritance which He had provided for them. So the first great feast which they kept after crossing the Jordan was the Passover, and the feast of unleavened bread; the reminder that they had been sheltered by blood from divine judgment, and redeemed by the arm of God's power out of Egypt. That if remembered, would nerve them for their conflicts, and the task which lay before them. In the days of Zerubbabel it was otherwise. They were coming back to the land they had once enjoyed, but now without a king, and without national freedom, though they had regained, in a measure, national existence and position. So they entered the land just before Tisri commenced; and the first great festival of the three chief ones, which they had to observe, was that of tabernacles, typical of future and millennial rest. Thus at this time, when painfully conscious of weakness, they could look forward in hope. How suited to encourage them was the time of their arrival, just previous to the seventh month!