|
Numbers 23:21
In Hebrew, the Feast of Trumpets is called Yom Teruah, based on the sparse instructions in Leviticus 23:23-25 and Numbers 29:1-6. Yom (Strong's #3117) is the Hebrew word for “day,” while translators commonly render teruah (Strong's #8643) in those places as “a trumpet blast,” “a blowing of trumpets,” or even “loud blasts on the ram's horn.” But in the instructions, God does not specify why. He only indicates that it is to be a day of great noise, a day of alarm, joy, rejoicing, and shouting, which is what teruah literally means. The root of teruah is ruwa (Strong's #7321), and its figurative meaning is “to split the ears (with sound).” The sound can signify alarm or rejoicing. It can be destructive or joyful. Regardless of the occasion, ruwa is piercing, thunderous, or otherwise deafening. The emphasis in teruah lies in earsplitting noise rather than its source. It does not directly mean “trumpets,” “ram's horn,” or “shofar,” but instead points to an arresting noise like the sound those instruments make. But it also describes the sound a throng of people makes when shouting with a full-throated roar, and particularly in shouting to God (Psalm 47:1; 66:1; 81:2; 100:1). In God's church, our observance tends to be subdued compared to how Scripture uses teruah and its root, but we at least have a song service during which we can lift our voices—“make a joyful noise”—as commanded. A survey of the three dozen places teruah appears uncovers a few common themes, such as war, alarm, rejoicing, warning, and victory. However, another theme of teruah, often overlooked, is found in a Messianic prophecy given through the soothsayer or priest-diviner, Balaam, in Numbers 23:21. Balak, king of Moab, had hired him to curse Israel, but God ensured he could only bless the nation. Through Balaam, God explains why He could not curse Israel as Balak desired. He essentially says that He had chosen to overlook the sins of Israel because of what He was working out. We can readily see an example of His sparing them in the Exodus Passover, where God “passed over” the sinful nation to fulfill His promises to Abraham. God is not saying Israel was without iniquity, only that He had chosen not to focus on it. He would not curse Israel just because Balaam or Balak asked Him to. Teruah appears in the last half of the verse: “The LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a King is among them” (emphasis ours). This couplet contains an example of parallelism, in which the two phrases express the same idea. The word “shout” shows a common usage that can help us appreciate this holy day: Teruah—which is shouting, the blowing of trumpets, or the splitting of the air with an arresting noise—draws attention to the presence of God. Of course, we understand that He is always present, but the deafening noise, from whatever source, draws attention to the reality of His presence. In this prophetic utterance, God says He is with Israel, and His shout—the noise that cannot be ignored—rings among His people. Thus, on Yom Teruah, this Day of Trumpets or Day of Shouting, we remember His presence because the sounds of this day should capture our attention and redirect it to what the King is doing. It is a highly effective way to begin the fall holy day season, focusing God's people on the right things because it is nearly impossible to ignore a noise like teruah describes. Remember, in the prophecy, God is explaining why He is defending Israel, even though His people were really not any better than their neighbors. In many ways, they were worse because they were accountable for much more. God defended them simply because of His faithfulness to Abraham. On that basis, the shout of rejoicing went up because the Creator God was their King and in their midst, favoring them.
David C. Grabbe
The Shout of a King
|
