Trumpet Blowing
The work of God's grace, in converting souls after the rapture of the Church who will have a portion in heaven having been just intimated, as we have seen, work more fully referred to in Rev. 6:9; 14:2; 15: 2-4; 20:4; Psa. 79:2, 3; we are reminded by what follows in this chapter of the Lord's ways in goodness with His earthly people Israel, For He that scattered Israel will gather him (Jer. 31:10). So the prelude to their final blessing will be the return to their own and, and the knowledge pressed home on them by the Spirit of God of the beneficial results of the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Jews will first be brought back, the bulk of them in unbelief, to become followers of antichrist, and worshippers of the image of the beast. The ten tribes will return, but only to enter the land after the transgressors amongst them have been purged out on the way (Ezek. 20:38). To accomplish, then, all this, God must take up afresh-His earthly people, for He will not forget them, but until He has done that, rest and blessing under the millennial sway of the Lord Jesus Christ cannot be known upon this earth.
In harmony with this we read, " And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath (rather, a rest) Shabbathon, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation, ye shall do no servile work therein, but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord," (Lev. 23:23-25). At the recurrence of each new moon special sacrifices were appointed (Num. 28:11-15); and trumpets were blown (Num. 10:10)," but this day was a special one, marked by absence of servile work, kept as a day of rest, and characterized by the presentation of special offerings (Num. 29:1-6), besides the monthly and daily sacrifices. What these were the lawgiver sets forth in Numbers in detail, viz., a burnt offering, consisting of one bullock, one ram, and seven lambs with their meat offerings and drink offerings, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering. Hence we gather that as one bullock only was offered in the burnt offering, that memorial of blowing of trumpets directly concerns Israel, and Israel only. And tracing out their future history, as the divine word enables us to do, we can see that the day of blowing of trumpets was typical of something that they will some day, and perhaps ere long, know. The blast of the trumpet t'ruah on their solemn day was for a memorial before their God.
For centuries the Jews have been scattered abroad, and for ages have the ten tribes been exiles, the whole nation regarded as "Lo-ammi " by God (Hos. 1:9), but His mercy endureth forever, as they will own, when gathered out of all lands, and the prayer of Psa. 106:47, is fulfilled, "Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto Thy holy name, and to triumph in Thy praise." Of that the entrance of the ark into Jerusalem under David was the earnest (1 Chron. 16:34-35). How soon shall we from on high witness its accomplishment? The gathering back of Israel into their own land there will be, but as that cannot take place till all those who are to form the body of Christ have been called out to believe on Him, and the rapture has been effected, we have It considerable interval between Pentecost and the seventh month, during which we read of nothing about the people beyond the weekly sabbath, which betokens rest, and the monthly new moon, which tells of renovation. But with the arrival of the seventh month a great change took place. The silence was broken, and the Lord was once more occupied with His people, and they with Him. The memorial of blowing of trumpets inaugurated some further and fresh displays of divine grace on their behalf, consequent upon which those words of Psa. 89:15, will have their application, Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound, t’ruah, they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance."
What a time has elapsed since this revelation about the feast of trumpets was given to Israel; the witness, when as yet they were under the shadow of Mount 'Sinai, that the Lord would not forsake them, nor leave them to suffer forever the consequences of national unfaithfulness. “Ye shall be gathered one by one " Is the word of the prophet (Isa. 27:12). " He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, he shall gather the lambs with his arms and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young “(Isa. 40:11).
An earnest of this future gathering together of His exiled people, we have in the return of the Jewish remnant under Zerubbabel from their captivity in Babylon. And it was by the commencement of the seventh month that they were once more in their cities (Ezra 3:1-6). Under Joshua the people had entered in Nisan. Under Zerubbabel they were back for the first of Tisri. Under Joshua they entered as the people of the Lord, to take possession of their inheritance which He had provided for them. So the first great feast which they kept after crossing the Jordan was the Passover, and the feast of unleavened bread; the reminder that they had been sheltered by blood from divine judgment, and redeemed by the arm of God's power out of Egypt. That if remembered, would nerve them for their conflicts, and the task which lay before them. In the days of Zerubbabel it was otherwise. They were coming back to the land they had once enjoyed, but now without a king, and without national freedom, though they had regained, in a measure, national existence and position. So they entered the land just before Tisri commenced; and the first great festival of the three chief ones, which they had to observe, was that of tabernacles, typical of future and millennial rest. Thus at this time, when painfully conscious of weakness, they could look forward in hope. How suited to encourage them was the time of their arrival, just previous to the seventh month!