SA Unite in Christ: 6. Methods of Advancement – The Shofar

6.METHODS OF ADVANCEMENT:

The Shofar

Introduction

Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in MY Holy Mountain. Let all inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the Lord is coming. (﴾Joel 2:1)﴿ Turn to ME with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping and with mourning (﴾Joel 2:12)﴿ Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; (﴾Joel 2:15)﴿ Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation (﴾Joel 2:16)﴿ The Shofar is a biblical “musical” instrument and is the Hebrew word for a ram’s horn. The sound of the shofar is like a trumpet but much more forceful -‐ commanding attention -‐ especially in the spiritual realm. In biblical times shofars were made of the long horns of male antelope. Today they may be made from the horns of sheep, goats or antelope. The horns of cattle can’t be used, and the reason for that is it would be too reminiscent of the golden calf incident and God’s utter displeasure in Exodus 32. In most Bibles the word shofar is translated trumpet, which in our day and age is actually a modern musical instrument made of metal, so we’d rather use the Hebrew word shofar instead of trumpet as it is a more accurate term for the original ram’s horn.

SA Unite in Christ: 6. Methods of Advancement – The Shofar

Why should God’s children blow the Shofar in South Africa?

In Joel 2 we see that blowing the shofar is a call to repentance and intercession. God makes known His sore displeasure because the people have sinned and turned away from Him to follow idols. So He orders the shofar to be blown to warn the people.

Hosea 5:8

“Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Rama.” God commands us as watchmen to blow the shofar to warn the people of the danger of eternal death as a result of their sin. (﴾Ezekiel 33:1-‐13)﴿

What happens when you blow the Shofar?

When the Shofar is blown, the spiritual atmosphere changes. It is a declaration of war against evil in the spiritual realm. People are healed, the enemy flees and God’s glory and presence becomes tangible. We also praise God through the blowing of the Shofar. How does this all relate? The Shofar originates from the ram’s horn. The ram was sacrificed as a substitute for Isaac just as Jesus Christ was sacrificed at the Cross as the substitute for man. The blowing of the shofar can therefore also denote victory, joy and glorification. The Shofar is being blown by millions of people all over the world… Through the centuries the shofar was blown by the Jewish people on selected occasions such as the biblical feast days. Lately millions of believers are blowing the Shofar – from Siberia to South Africa and sometimes in the most unlikely locations to proclaim the glory of the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:16…

“For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then, we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, encourage one another with these words.”

SA Unite in Christ: 6. Methods of Advancement – The Shofar

Another reference in scripture of the sounding of the last shofar is found in 1 Corinthians 15:51-‐52.

1 Corinthians 15:51-‐52

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptable and we shall be changed.” We should recognize, be in tune and anticipate the sound of the Shofar, eagerly awaiting the coming of our Messiah. Let the sound of the Shofar always remind us of the coming of our Messiah -‐ our Bridegroom. Let us fill our land with the sound of the Shofar!

Isaiah 18:3

“All inhabitants of the world And dwellers on the earth When he lifts up a banner on the mountains, You see it; And when he blows a trumpet You hear it”.

The Shofar will usher in the Kingdom of God

At the end of this dispensation on earth seven angels will each blow a shofar to release specific judgments of God on earth. Revelation 8:6 refers to the first six shofars. In Revelation 11:15 we read about the seventh and last shofar. “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world has become the kingdoms of our LORD and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’”

What does the sound of the Shofar symbolize?

Unlike other musical instruments used for creating music and songs, the shofar sounds the alarm. It is confrontational, it proclaims, it cuts right through the sound of every other instrument. In Hebrew this sound is called Teruah, which means a bold sound/war cry. In scripture we read how God used the Teruah of the Israelites as well as the sound of the shofar to break the stronghold of the enemy over Jericho and to seal the victory of His people.

SA Unite in Christ: 6. Methods of Advancement – The Shofar

Another reference of the Teruah is found in Judges 7:15. It describes how Gideon’s army of 300 men, armed with shofars and torches, shouted and blew on their shofars, making a big Teruah, and God caused the whole multitude of the enemy to turn unto one another in great panic and confusion and thus broke the yoke of the enemy. The enemy is trying his best to make us believe otherwise, but he has to flee before the sound of the shofar…

Psalm 89:15

“Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound (﴾Teruah)﴿. They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.” SA Unite! Let us all blow our shofars regularly in warnings, worship and declarations and so doing usher the Kingdom of Heaven in our country…