Feast of Trumpets

The Feast of Trumpets, known in the Hebrew Scriptures as Yom Teruah (Day of the Blasting/Shouting) and traditionally observed as Rosh Hashanah, is the first of the biblical Fall Moedim (appointed times).

Biblical Foundation

Commandment: Established in Leviticus 23:23–25 and Numbers 29:1–6 as a sacred day of rest, memorial, and trumpet blasts on the first day of the seventh Hebrew month (Tishrei).

Work & Assembly: It is observed as a Sabbath—no regular laborious work is permitted, and a holy convocation is gathered.

The Shofar: Central to the day is the blowing of the shofar (ram’s horn), serving as a spiritual alarm and call to assembly.

The thin crescent of the new moon hung low in the twilight sky over the Judean hills, marking the arrival of the first day of the seventh month, Ethanim. The harvest season was drawing to a close, and a cool autumn breeze rustled through the olive groves outside the village where Gideon and his young son, Asher, stood at the stone watchtower.

In Gideon’s hands rested a curved ram’s horn, dark and polished smooth from years of reverence. Below them in the village square, families were gathered in clean tunics, leaving their sickles and threshing floors untouched for the solemn day of rest.

"Father," Asher whispered, looking at the stillness settling over the valley, "we had to wait here on the tower for two nights just watching the western sky. Why is this the only feast where we had to wait for witnesses to sight the sliver of the moon before we could sound the blast?"

Gideon pointed upward toward the faint, silver arc emerging from the dusk. "Because Yom Teruah is the only appointed time that falls directly on the head of the month, the Rosh Chodesh. In all other feasts, the day is already established in the middle of the month when the moon is full. But here, until two witnesses spot the very first sliver of light, no one knows the day or the hour it begins. It is the feast hidden in expectation."

He turned to his son, the lamplight reflecting in his eyes. "When Yeshua spoke of His return, He pointed directly to this day, saying, 'But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.' It was an ancient Hebrew idiom, Asher, pointing every watchful eye to the feast of the trumpets—reminding us to live constantly prepared, with trimmed lamps and pure hearts, because the bridegroom comes at a moment when the world is caught asleep."

Gideon lifted the horn, looking out across the expanse of the land. "In Leviticus 23:24, Yehovah commanded: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.' The trumpet is not mere music, Asher. It is an alarm for the soul."

Gideon brought the shofar to his lips. He took a deep breath and released a clear, sustained blast—Tekiah—that echoed across the limestone cliffs and rolled through the valleys. The village below ceased all movement, every head lifting toward the watchtower.

"The long blast proclaims the King," Gideon said, lowering the horn. "It declares the sovereignty of the Creator over all the earth. When a king is crowned, the trumpets sound. But listen to what follows."

He raised the shofar again, blowing three broken, groaning notes—Shevarim—followed immediately by a staccato burst of nine sharp, rapid blasts—Teruah. The sound cut through the autumn evening like a sharp wake-up call, piercing and urgent.

"That staccato cry," Gideon explained, his eyes fixed on the horizon, "is the spiritual alarm. It calls every slumbering heart to wake up, to examine every thought and deed, and to return in repentance. It begins the ten solemn days leading to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. A man cannot afford to sleep through the warning when the King is drawing near."

Asher watched the villagers below embracing in quiet reconciliation, dipping fresh apples into golden honey as a prayer that the coming days of judgment and turning would yield fruitfulness, sweetness, and life in the Father's presence.

"And it looks forward to something greater, doesn't it?" Asher asked softly.

"It does," Gideon replied, his voice filled with steady assurance. "The prophets and the apostles told us of the day when the final great trumpet will sound—the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the righteous dead will be raised incorruptible, and the scattered remnant of Israel will be gathered from the four corners of the earth. Though no man knew the day or the hour until the sign appeared in the heavens, the faithful watchmen will not be taken by surprise. The Messiah will return in power to establish His Kingdom, and every knee will bow."

Gideon raised the ram's horn one last time, sounding the Tekiah Gedolah—the great, prolonged blast that seemed to stretch into eternity. As the sound resonated through the hills, father and son stood in silent awe, their hearts tuned to the call, ready for the King’s return.