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Lift Up Your Voice Like a Trumpet
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughYom Teruah, known as the Day of Shouting, is a significant holy day in God's appointed times, as described in Leviticus 23:24-25. It is referred to as a memorial of shouting or a remembrance of shouting, though its precise meaning remains unclear in the scriptural context. The Hebrew term "zichron teruah" can be understood as a mentioning of shouting, possibly indicating a day dedicated to proclaiming or praising God's covenant name, YHWH. Some believe it involves the congregation gathering for a holy convocation to shout and praise God's name in unison, reflecting a joyful and triumphant expression of worship. Historically, this day has been associated with Rosh Hashanah, meaning the head of the year or New Year, due to cultural influences from other nations like the Babylonians. However, according to Exodus 12:2, God designated the month of Abib as the beginning of months, not Tishri 1, the date of Yom Teruah. Despite this, the association with a new year celebration on this day emerged over time, though God never commanded such a celebration for Yom Teruah. The essence of Yom Teruah may also tie to the broader use of trumpets in Israelite life, where the sound signaled various purposes, including praise to God. Trumpets were blown on feast days and during worship, not only to announce appointed times but also to glorify and honor Him. This day, therefore, could emphasize lifting voices in gladness and triumphant praise, aligning with the scriptural encouragement to make a joyful noise unto God.
The Shout of a King
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeThe prophecy in which the daughter of Jerusalem must shout to her king riding on a donkey was fulfilled when Jesus triumphantly rode into Jerusalem.
The Shout of a King
'Prophecy Watch' by David C. GrabbeIn Hebrew, the Day of Trumpets is called Yom Teruah, derived from the instructions in Leviticus 23:23-25 and Numbers 29:1-6. Yom means day, and teruah is often translated as a trumpet blast or loud blasts on the ram's horn, though it literally signifies a day of great noise, alarm, joy, rejoicing, and shouting. The root of teruah, ruwa, carries a figurative meaning of splitting the ears with sound, indicating a piercing, thunderous, or deafening noise, whether of alarm or rejoicing. The emphasis in teruah is on the earsplitting noise itself, not necessarily its source, encompassing both the sound of instruments like trumpets or shofars and the roar of a shouting throng, especially when directed to God. A significant theme of teruah emerges in a Messianic prophecy through Balaam in Numbers 23:21, where God declares His presence with Israel, and the shout of a King is among them. This shout, teruah, whether through shouting or trumpet blasts, draws attention to the reality of God's presence, emphasizing that the noise cannot be ignored. On Yom Teruah, this Day of Shouting, the sounds serve to capture attention and redirect focus to what the King is doing, effectively initiating the fall holy day season by centering God's people on His presence and actions. Scripture provides further examples linking shouting with God's presence, such as when the Ark of the Covenant, representing God, prompted the Israelites to shout, acknowledging their divine King among them. Similarly, in I Chronicles 15, the presence of God, celebrated through shouting by the people and the sounding of horns and trumpets, marked the proper movement of the Ark under King David's guidance. In the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, fulfilling prophecy, the multitudes shouted in recognition of their King, announcing His presence as He brought salvation, underscoring that such shouting was fitting and required on this extraordinary occasion.
Trumpets: Glorious Appearings
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Day of Trumpets, known as Yom Teruah in Hebrew, is a significant feast detailed in Leviticus 23:24 as a memorial of the blowing of trumpets. The term "teruah" carries a connotation of shouting, representing a loud, forceful blaring or blast, akin to the sound of a shofar or a trumpet. This word encompasses a range of meanings, including the shout of many voices, as seen around the wall of Jericho, or shouts of joy in the presence of God, as noted in the Psalms and in I Samuel 4 when the ark was brought into Israel's camp, causing the ground to shake from their cries. This feast, observed on the first day of the seventh month, marks the beginning of the civil year in ancient Hebrew tradition, a time when reigns of kings commenced and many Israelites counted their birthdays. Distinct from other holy days, which are Sabbaths and holy convocations where no work is done and offerings are made, the Day of Trumpets uniquely centers on the memorial of trumpet blowing. This act of remembrance—whether of a trumpet blast, a shofar shout, or voices raised in joy or alarm—sets this day apart, rendering its symbolism somewhat enigmatic due to the broad implications of "teruah." The command to keep this feast as a memorial suggests a specific historical event tied to trumpet blasts that God intended Israel to recall. Prior to Leviticus 23, the only significant biblical mention of trumpets is found in Exodus 19, during the awe-inspiring appearance of God on Mt. Sinai. Here, amidst thunder, lightning, earthquake, fire, smoke, and a deafening trumpet blast that grew louder, the Israelites trembled in fear, overwhelmed by His presence as He delivered the covenant and commandments. This event, marked by the sound of trumpets, is likely the memory God wished to instill through Yom Teruah—a reminder of His power, majesty, and the fear it inspired, urging obedience and recommitment to His covenant at the start of each civil year. Thus, the Day of Trumpets serves as a call to remember God's overwhelming manifestations, to reflect on His incomprehensible might, and to inspire a renewed dedication to walking in His ways, recognizing one's place before Him.
Jesus in the Feasts (Part Three): Divine King
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe material presents Yom Teruah as the seventh-month festival on the first day, observed as a Sabbath-rest, holy convocation, and memorial of blowing of trumpets on which no customary work is done and an offering is made by fire. This day is literally a remembrance of shouting, referring to the prolonged, increasingly loud blast of a shofar or the loud voices of people, and the name itself means day of shouting. Trumpets had been ordained forever in Numbers 10 for calling assemblies, directing camp movements, signaling war, marking days of gladness, appointed feasts, new moons, and offerings, and the same uses apply directly to this feast as a day of assembly, gladness, worship, sacrifice, and the announcement of the King. The material develops the meaning of the shouting by returning to the events at Sinai in Exodus 19, where God descended in fire and thick cloud amid thunder, earthquake, and the long, ever-louder blast of the shofar. That unprecedented theophany visibly and audibly manifested the sovereign Lawgiver who had come to make covenant with His people and establish them as a kingdom of priests and holy nation. The Israelites trembled at the sound, which served as the original memorial of shouting that the festival later required them to recall. The same pattern of loud acclamation appears throughout the Psalms, where the verb form of teruah urges joyful shouting, singing, and trumpet blasts to exalt God as King, Creator, and Redeemer. In the New Testament the pattern continues in the triumphal entry, where multitudes loudly proclaimed Jesus as the Son of David and King of Israel, and in Revelation, where innumerable voices, thunderings, and trumpet blasts continually declare the Lamb and the One on the throne as King of kings and Lord of lords. The festival therefore directs attention to Christ's kingship, both in His future manifestation and in His present indwelling of the saints, so that the annual memorial continually affirms allegiance to the divine Sovereign who already reigns.
Would Our God Do That?
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughYom Teruah, also called the Day of Trumpets or Feast of Trumpets, is observed on the first day of the seventh month as a sabbath rest and holy convocation on which no customary work is done and an offering made by fire is presented to the Lord. The Hebrew term teruwah conveys shouting, alarm, loudness, and joy, yet it most frequently signals the noise of war. This feast therefore functions as an annual memorial that warns of the approaching Day of the Lord, a time when God's wrath will be poured out in devastation, darkness, and destruction upon fortified cities and high towers because of accumulated sin. The sounding of the shofar on this day announces three realities: God Himself is drawing near, the law that measures human conduct is being proclaimed, and a decisive test or judgment is about to occur. At Sinai the shofar blast accompanied thunder, lightning, and the descent of the Lord in fire, causing the people to tremble and separating those who could approach Him from those who could not. The same trumpet call will one day herald the return of the identical divine Being who gave the law, led Israel, and now sits at the Father's right hand. Thus Yom Teruah confronts every generation with the fullness of God's character. He is not only gracious and merciful but also a consuming fire who repays sin with righteous vengeance. Those who heed the warning repent, watch, and prepare themselves; those who refuse face the sudden destruction that falls when the waters of judgment, long held back, are finally released.
A Reminder and a Warning to Be Prepared
Sermon by Clyde FinkleaThe Feast of Trumpets signifies a spiritual alarm, admonishing us to repent, reflect, and prepare for the Day of the Lord, a horrendous time of judgment.
Psalms: Book Three (Part Five)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughYom Teruah, the day of shouting, receives its scriptural designation in Leviticus 23:24-25 as a Sabbath rest and memorial of blowing of trumpets on the first day of the seventh month. The Hebrew phrase Zichron Teruah conveys a remembrance of shouting, referring both to the blast of the ram's horn that marks the new moon and the beginning of the fall holy day season and to the collective vocal praise of God's covenant name. This minimal description contrasts with the fuller instructions given for the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles, underscoring the enigmatic character of the observance. Psalm 81 supplies the thematic development. Its opening verses command joyful shouting, singing, and instrumental praise on the new moon and solemn feast day, establishing the proper attitude of exuberant worship that should accompany the trumpet blast. The psalm then rehearses God's redemptive acts from the time of Joseph onward, culminating in the giving of the law at Sinai and the testing at Meribah. When Israel refuses to heed the divine voice and rejects every foreign god, God laments that the people would have none of Him and therefore hands them over to their own stubborn counsel. The closing verses express divine grief over the blessings forfeited—subdued enemies, finest wheat, honey from the rock—because the nation would not listen. Thus Yom Teruah functions as a final warning trumpet. The day calls God's people to remember both the joyful shout of true worship and the sobering shout of impending judgment, urging them to avoid the rebellious pattern that brought Israel into captivity and to walk instead in the ways that would have secured lasting peace and provision.
Christ's Second Coming
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Day of Trumpets, or Yom Teruah, stands as the pivotal fourth holy day among seven, forming the keystone that divides the three festivals focused on the present age from the three that follow. Its fulfillment centers on the return of Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords, when He descends to subdue enemies, execute judgment, and establish God's government on earth. To the saints this day signals the long-awaited beginning of salvation and reward, while to God's adversaries it brings violent overthrow of all human opposition. Leviticus 23:23-25 describes the observance as a sabbath-rest and memorial of blowing trumpets on the first day of the seventh month, a holy convocation without customary work. The phrase rendered "blowing of trumpets" originates in a remembrance of shouting, as confirmed in Psalm 81:1-4, where joyful shouts and trumpet blasts at the new moon mark the statute for Israel. This day looks backward in memorial to God's deliverance of ancient Israel from Joseph's time through the Exodus and into the Promised Land, yet it simultaneously anticipates the full redemption of spiritual Israel. Psalm 81:14-16 further illustrates the outcome: enemies subdued, enduring judgment upon the haters of the Lord, and the saints satisfied with finest wheat and honey from the rock in a millennial setting. Numbers 10:1-10 details multiple purposes for sounding silver trumpets, including assembling the congregation, directing camp movements, signaling advance in war, and marking appointed feasts and new moons. Each function finds antitypical fulfillment at Christ's return: a trumpet gathers the elect, marshals the saints as an army, sounds the advance against foes, and proclaims both war and gladness. Revelation 11:15-19 shows the seventh trumpet announcing the kingdoms of this world becoming those of the Lord and His Christ, accompanied by earthquake, hail, and the opening of the heavenly temple. Subsequent bowl judgments in Revelation 16 soften earthly resistance through plagues before the climactic events of chapter 19, where Christ appears on a white horse to judge and make war, casting the Beast and False Prophet into the lake of fire. Old Testament prophecies in Isaiah 63, Joel 2-3, and Zechariah 14 depict the same sequence of cosmic shaking, divine wrath, and ultimate shelter for God's people. The day therefore encompasses both vengeance upon the wicked and comfort, healing, and glorification for the righteous. At the last trumpet the dead in Christ rise first, the living saints are changed into incorruptible spirit beings, and together they meet their returning Lord to reign with Him in an everlasting kingdom. Thus Yom Teruah marks the decisive transition from the present age of preparation to the future age of God's unchallenged rule.
When Our Change Comes
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughRepentance and conversion leading to transforming into Christ's image depend on change. Christianity is a force for personal change, leading to universal change.