The shofar is not
primarily a musical instrument. Its purpose has to
do with making a prophetic alarm - a proclamation
of what was to follow.
There are two types
of shofars used today: the small one is the ram's
horn, while the larger Yemenite shofar comes from
an African antelope called the Kudu.
The Shofar is Sounded:
As an instrument
of proclamation,
announcing the presence or coming of the Lord.
"When the sound of the
trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God
answered him with thunder." (Exodus 19:19 NASB)
To praise God.
"With trumpets and the
sound of the horn; shout joyfully before the King,
the LORD" (Psalm 98:6 NASB)
As an early warning siren.
"When you go to war in
your land against the adversary who attacks you, then
you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you
may be remembered before the LORD your God, and be
saved from your enemies." (Numbers 10:9 NASB)
To assemble the people.
"Then all the Midianites
and the Amalekites and the sons of the east assembled
themselves; and they crossed over and camped in the
valley of Jezreel. So the Spirit of the LORD
came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites
were called together to follow him." (Judges
6:33-34 NASB)
To assemble the troops.
"At whatever place you
hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there.
Our God will fight for us." (Nehemiah 4:20 NASB)
To call God's people to worship Him.
"It will come about also
in that day that a great trumpet will be blown, and
those who were perishing in the land of Assyria and
who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come
and worship the LORD in the holy mountain at Jerusalem."
(Isaiah 27:13 NASB)
At the swearing of an oath to
God.
"Moreover, they made an
oath to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting,
with trumpets and with horns." (2 Chronicles
15:14 NASB)
In the midst of battle.
"Then the LORD will appear
over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning;
and the Lord GOD will blow the trumpet, and will march
in the storm winds of the south." (Zechariah
9:14 NASB)
To announce the beginning of
festivals.
"You shall then sound
a ram's horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh
month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn
all through your land. You shall thus consecrate
the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the
land to all its inhabitants It shall be a jubilee
for you, and each of you shall return to his own property,
and each of you shall return to his family."
(Leviticus 25:9-10 NASB)
NOTE: One of
the Hebrew words for "trumpet" is also
the
word for "jubilee." The "Year
of Jubilee" begins with
the
sounding of the
trumpet.
Divine Theophanies
"After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven!
And the first voice which I had heard, addressing me like
[the calling of] a war trumpet said, Come up here, and
I will show you what must take place in the future."
(Revelation 4:1 AMP)
At the return of
the Messiah.
"For the Lord Himself
will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and
the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we
who are alive and remain will be caught up together
with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,
and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore
comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians
4:16-18 NASB)