Sermon #53
Leviticus Sermons
Title: The Feast of Trumpets
Text: Leviticus
23:23-25
Subject: The
Feast of Trumpets—The Gospel Trumpet
Date: Sunday
Morning—January 12, 2003
Tape # X-41a
Reading: Psalm
81:1-4, 85:1-13 and 89:1-18
Introduction:
Gospel preachers are
trumpeters. The preaching of the gospel is frequently compared to the blowing
of a trumpet in the Scriptures. Sometimes it is compared to a trumpet sound of
joyous announcement. And sometimes it is compared to a sound of alarm in
preparation for war. “If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall
prepare himself to battle?” But throughout the Book gospel preaching is
compared to the blowing of a trumpet.
First
Mention
The first mention of a trumpet is found in
connection with the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai, when God called Moses up
into the mount (Ex. 19:13, 19; 20:18).
Exodus 19:13 There shall not an hand touch
it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast
or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up
to the mount.
Exodus 19:19 And when the voice of the
trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God
answered him by a voice.
Exodus 20:18-21 And all the people saw the
thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the
mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood
afar off. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will
hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20 And Moses said unto
the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be
before your faces, that ye sin not. 21 And the people stood afar off,
and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
Throughout the Old Testament, the Lord God used the blasts of trumpets
to call, to summons his people to himself.
·
To
Call for Solemn Assemblies.
·
In
Preparation for Journeys.
·
To
Prepare for War.
·
To
Announce the New Moons.
·
In
the Year of Jubilee.
All
this was, of course, highly symbolic. In fact, one of the annual feasts of
worship, one of Israel’s annual holy convocations, was The Feast of Trumpets. It is
describe in Leviticus 23:23-25.
Leviticus 23:23-25 And the
LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 24 Speak 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. 25 Ye
shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by
fire unto the LORD.
We are given a little more
detail in Numbers 10:1-10 and 29:1-6.
Numbers 10:1-10 And the LORD spake unto Moses,
saying, 2 Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a
whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for
the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of
the camps. 3 And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly
shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation. 4 And if they blow but with one trumpet,
then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall
gather themselves unto thee. 5 When ye blow an alarm, then the camps
that lie on the east parts shall go forward. 6 When ye blow an
alarm the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall
take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for their journeys. 7 But
when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall
not sound an alarm. 8 And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall
blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for
ever throughout your generations. 9 And if ye go to war in
your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm
with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God,
and ye shall be saved from your enemies. 10 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.
Numbers 29:1-6 And 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.
2 And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; one
young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without
blemish: 3 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with
oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram,
4 And one tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs: 5 And
one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you:
6 Beside 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 savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto
the LORD.
Proposition: Without a doubt, the Feast of Trumpets was a representation of that spiritual joy and gladness that belongs to God’s elect, the gladness of redemption and the joy of grace that is found in Christ (Isa. 35:10) when we are made to know the joyful sound of the gospel (Ps. 89:14-18).
Isaiah 35:10 And the ransomed of the LORD
shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads:
they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Psalms 89:14-18 Justice and judgment are the
habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face. 15 Blessed
is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the
light of thy countenance. 16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day:
and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. 17 For thou art the
glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted. 18 For
the LORD is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
Let’s look at this a little more closely and see what God the Holy Spirit would have us to learn from the Feast of Trumpets.
I.
As
the trumpet sounded as God’s voice, calling his people to himself, so the preaching of the gospel is God’s voice to
us.—“See that ye refuse not the voice of him that speaketh!”
As the trumpet at Sinai
represented the voice of the Almighty, when the Apostle John heard the Lord
Jesus speaking to him on the Isle of Patmos his voice was as the voice of a
great trumpet (Rev. 1:10). What a gracious God we have! He who spoke in terror
at Sinai calls us to everlasting bliss by the gospel.
Hebrews 12:25 See that ye refuse not him
that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much
more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh
from heaven:
A.
God’s voice is the voice of two trumpets (Num. 10:2)—The Old
Testament and the New.
B.
Yet, these two trumpets are one, “a whole piece.”—The Gospel is one message.
These trumpets were typical of the gospel. The
blowing of the trumpets symbolized the preaching of the gospel, which is called
“the great trumpet” (Isa. 27:13).
Isaiah 27:13 And it shall come to pass in
that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come
which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land
of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
Gospel preachers are to lift up their voice like a
trumpet, both to sound an alarm to perishing sinners, warning them of wrath to
come, and to call them to come to Christ for salvation (Isa. 58:1).
Isaiah 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up
thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house
of Jacob their sins.
C.
These trumpets were made of silver.
The Gospel is comparable to silver, because it is fetched out of the mines of the sacred Scriptures, because it is pure and free from the dross of errors and human inventions, because it will bear to be tried by the standard of the word, and because it is lasting and durable. It is the everlasting Gospel. It is compared to silver because it is of great value and infinitely precious. Here we find the unsearchable riches of Christ and all the treasures of divine truth, called “gold, silver, and precious stones.”
D.
These two trumpets, like the preaching of the gospel, were used “for
the calling of the assembly,” for the gathering of God’s elect.
·
Romans
10:13-17
·
1
Peter 2:23-25
E.
These same trumpets, like the gospel of Christ, were used to inspire
and direct the children of Israel in their journey to the land of promise.
F. These two silver trumpets were the weapons of Israel’s warfare along the way, by which they prevailed over their enemies (Num. 10:9; 2 Cor. 10:3-5).
Numbers 10:9 And if ye go to war in your
land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with
the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall
be saved from your enemies.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though
we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons
of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling
down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing
that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ;
G.
The trumpets were to be blown only by the sons of Aaron, only by
divinely appointed men (Num. 10:8).
H.
Now,
look at Numbers 10:10. These silver trumpets of grace were to be blown
over the sacrifices, for there is no good news for sinners but by the sacrifice
of Christ.
Numbers 10:10 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.
·
Blown
at the beginning of your months[1].
·
Blown
over the sacrifices.
·
Blown
as a memorial before the Lord.—A memorial of faith, joy and gratitude
remembering the past and in hope of the future.
II.
The
Feast of Trumpets was symbolical of God’s mercy, love and grace proclaimed in
the gospel. The blowing of the
trumpets portrayed the preaching of the gospel, the proclamation of good news,
the good news of a finished redemption, redemption finished and salvation
obtained by the sacrifice of Christ.
There is no good news in the gospel of the works-monger. Good news is the declaration that justice is satisfied, sin has been put away, righteousness has been brought in, eternal redemption has been obtained by the doing and dying of the Son of God!
It was in realization of
that which was signified by the blowing of these trumpets that David wrote
Psalm 89.
Psalms 89:14-18 Justice and judgment are the
habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face. 15 Blessed
is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in
the light of thy countenance. 16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the
day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. 17 For thou art the
glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted. 18 For
the LORD is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
In this Psalm David sets before us, in the most powerfully plain terms
imaginable, the gracious, covenant promises made with the Lord Jesus Christ
that are eternal and certain (Ps. 89:3, 28, 34, 37). Many commentators of
scripture have called this Psalm, "The glorious covenant Psalm," and
truly it is. We read about covenant mercies, covenant faithfulness of the
Surety, the covenant God Who rules over all and the promise to the covenant
seed being established forever in Christ Jesus (Ps. 89:4, 29, 36). He is a
covenant God, therefore His covenant people must be blessed (Eph. 1:3). God
gives us this glorious description of His people in verses 15,16, and 17 of
this Psalm.
A.
They know the joyful sound of the gospel. The sheep of Christ know
the effectual voice of the Great Shepherd and they delight to follow Him (John
10:27-30). It is the sound of victory over sin through His blood. It is the
sound of love, peace and pardon in and through Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:6).
B.
They shall walk in the light of His countenance. Their darkened heart has
been illuminated through the preaching of the gospel and the quickening of the
Holy Spirit to see the beauty, glory and necessity of their great Redeemer and
King (2 Cor. 4:6). Christ is our Light (John 9:5).
C.
They shall rejoice in His name all the day. Believers have every
reason to rejoice in Christ alone and have no confidence in the flesh (Phil.
3:3). They have been redeemed, justified and exalted in His name.
D.
They shall be exalted in His righteousness. The perfect righteousness
that Jesus Christ worked out for His elect has been freely, eternally and fully
imputed to them that believe (Rom. 4:6). Christ Jesus is the Lord our
Righteousness (Jer. 23:5; Phil. 3:7-9). From sin and misery to all grace and
glory. From the gutter-most sin to the uttermost salvation (Heb. 7:25).20
E.
The Lord Jesus Christ is our glory and strength. Without Him we can do
nothing and know nothing (John. 15:5). Any spiritual strength or spiritual
knowledge that we enjoy and experience, must be because of His grace worked
within us (Phil. 1:6; 4:13).
F.
The Lord is our defense. We are unable to defend ourselves against our
spiritual enemies, there are too many of them and they are too powerful for us
even to begin to fight. However, our Lord stood face to face with all our
enemies and won the glorious victory for us (Ps. 98:1). He defeated sin by
making atonement for it (Heb. 9:26). He honored the Law for us (Gal. 3:13). He
defeated Satan by crushing his dominion and power (Heb. 2:14). He defeated
death by raising Himself from the dead (Rev. 1:18).
III.
Like
the blowing of these silver trumpets, the
preaching of the gospel is a call to rest.
Leviticus 23:23-25 And the
LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 24 Speak 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. 25 Ye
shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by
fire unto the LORD.
Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto
me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in
heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light.
The trumpet sound was like
the word “behold” so commonly used in the New Testament, that word by
which we are called to Christ. Let me wrap this message up by sounding in your
ears a few blasts of the trumpet. May God the Holy Spirit, whose word I speak,
now call you by his almighty, omnipotent grace and irresistible mercy to Christ
and give you rest in him.
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus
coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin
of the world.
John 19:22 Pilate answered, What I have
written I have written.
1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I
show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
Hebrews 2:13 And again, I will put my trust
in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:
therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds;
and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all
kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Revelation 4:1-2 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 show thee things which must be hereafter. 2 And
immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one
sat on the throne.
Revelation 5:5 And one of the elders saith
unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David,
hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
Revelation 21:3-5 And I heard
a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with
men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow,
nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are
passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all
things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Revelation 22:7 Behold, I come quickly:
blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Revelation 22:12 And,
behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man
according as his work shall be.
[1]
The Jews had two
calendars and observed two new years each year. When the Lord brought Israel
out of Egypt, he proclaimed that their new year (Ex. 12:2). That was the day of
spiritual beginnings. But their civil, legal, political new year was the first
day of the seventh month. “This day then was the first day in the new year; and
the feast of trumpets was to them ‘a memorial;’ a memorial of mercies
received, and of mercies promised” (Charles Simeon).