The Sound of the Shofar
written by
Tom G. Jeran and Henry A. Benach
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The sounding of the Shofar has always been an urgent call for Israel. The Shofar has been used to call Israel to assembly, to prepare for war, and most importantly as a call to repentance.
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Leviticus 25:9 "Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the Day of Atonement shall ye make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land."
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On the Day of Atonement the Shofar was blown to proclaim a national day of repentance. Today on the Feast of Trumpets, the Jewish New Year, Rosh Ha Shanah, the Shofar is blown in a call to repent of your sin.
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The watchman was told to blow the Shofar when a sword was coming into the land. If he blows the Shofar and warns the people, those that do not heed the warning and are killed are taken in their sin.
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Ezekiel 33:6 "But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand."
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The Shofar shows the plan of G-D
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Every year for the last 2-thousand years, in the Jewish month Elul, which comes before the Feast of Trumpets, the Shofar is blown 100 times. It is a time when the Jewish people must examine their spiritual life and come to repentance, making all things right before the Lord and man.
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The Rabbis teach that G-d opens three books, the Book of the Righteous, the Book of the Intermediate, and the Book of the Wholly Wicked. Even with the blowing of the Shofar, the call to repentance, how can you know for sure that your name is written in the Book of the Righteous?
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Do you know for sure that your sins are forgiven? Do you know for sure, from the Tenach, that you have been decreed righteous? Will your name be written in the Book of Life? Does the Lord even have His books? Yes, He does! Listen to the words of the Lord as he spoke to Moses. Exodus 32:33 "And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book."
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The Shofar pictures the Messiah
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In Genesis 22 the Lord told Abraham to take his only son to Mount Moriah and there offer him as a sacrifice. Without question, Abraham goes with Isaac to the mountain, lays the wood on the altar and ties his only son ready to be offered. As the knife is raised, the Angel of the Lord stops Abraham who had proved his faithfulness to G-d.
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Genesis 22:13 "And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son."
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The Shofar brings to our mind the ram that was caught in the thicket which Abraham sacrificed. The ram is a picture of the "Ram of G-d", the blessed Messiah, Yeshua Ha Machiach, who was sacrificed in our place for our sins. The blowing of the ram's horn is a warning for us to avoid the penalty of sin and accept G-d's sacrifice for our sins. Have you heeded this warning?
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All of us have sinned and must accept G-d's sacrifice. Isaiah 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." G-d knew we weree in need of a blood sacrifice and came to this earth as a child to live and then shed His blood as the final sacrifice.
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Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
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Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty G-d, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
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The Shofar Announces His soon Return
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The Bible reveals that the Messiah will soon return to take those who have placed their faith and trust in Him. The Jewish Scriptures reveal who the Messiah would be, where He would be born, how He would die, and what His purpose would be on earth. Daniel chapter 9 even tells us when He would appear on earth the first time. According to that chapter, we can be sure that Jesus the Messiah appeared just before the Feast of Passover, was proclaimed spotless four days later and was killed on the same day the Jewish people killed the passover lamb. To prove that the Messiah, Jesus, was the final sacrifice, G-d tore the veil of the Holy of Holies from top to bottom.
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Three days later, as prophesied in the Bible, the Messiah arose and told everyone that He would return to take those who believed in Him back to Heaven. When will that be? No one knows for sure, but we know that when that happens, the Shofar will sound first.
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According to the Brit Hadassah, (the new Covenant), I Thessalonians 4:16 "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of G-d..."
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The sound of the Shofar will announce the return of the Messiah. He came 2-thousand years ago to announce His plan to redeem mankind and bring forgiveness of sin. He will return again to gather those who believe in Him.
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If that is not you, it can be! The Scriptures tell us that, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13
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Call upon Him today.
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Published by Jewish End-time Fellowship, PO Box 300, Graysville, GA 30726
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