By David Faust
I told my grade school music teacher I wanted to play the trumpet, but she looked at me and shook her head. “No,” she said emphatically. “You have a big mouth. You should play the trombone.” I used my big mouth to play trombone in the high school band, but secretly I always envied the trumpet players.
Throughout history, trumpets have made their mark—and not only in symphony orchestras and high school bands. Jazz innovators Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong had unique singing voices, but they also played trumpets. In 1964, at the age of 63, Armstrong knocked The Beatles off the top of the chart with his rendition of “Hello, Dolly.” That same decade, trumpet player Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass cranked out popular songs listeners still hum along with today, including “Spanish Flea” and “This Guy’s in Love with You.” Many TV viewers remember Doc Severinsen, the trumpeter and band leader for Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show.
The Bible mentions trumpets more than any other musical instrument. Some ancient trumpets were made of silver (Numbers 10:2), but most were hollowed-out rams’ horns (shofars). Trumpets were used to worship God (Psalm 98:6), announce approaching festivals (Leviticus 23:24), call troops into battle (Judges 3:27; 6:34), and alert people to danger (Nehemiah 4:18-20). Trumpets sounded during the battle of Jericho (Joshua 6:4-20). There was even a Jewish festival called the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25; Numbers 29:1-6)—today known as Rosh Hashanah.
When the final judgment approaches, the Lord “will send his angels with a loud trumpet call” to gather his people (Matthew 24:31). The apostle Paul predicted that “the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” at the final resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:52; see also 1 Thessalonians 4:16). John’s vision of the future includes seven angels whose trumpets signal woes that will come upon the earth (Revelation 8:2).
Unwelcome but Necessary Sounds
For generations of military members, bugles or trumpets literally served as a wake-up call when the rousing notes of “Reveille” stirred soldiers from slumber. This kind of trumpet call illustrates what the Lord had in mind when he told the prophet Ezekiel to be a watchman for the people of Israel. Like a soldier on guard duty, the watchman “sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people” (Ezekiel 33:3).
How does this principle apply to us today? Parents and grandparents, it is part of our responsibility to wake, warn, and prepare the next generation for battles they will face. Preachers, it is our responsibility to sound the alarm when we see spiritual dangers on the horizon.
Being a watchman is a tough job. Trumpet blasts are unwelcome sounds in a culture where no one wants to hear bad news—where a call to repentance or even a mild suggestion of wrongdoing can trigger a negative response. Remember, the Bible says to give the reasons for our hope “with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15), speaking truth with wisdom and grace. If we call others to repentance, we must do so with humility, self-awareness, and tact, recognizing our own weakness and vulnerability. But let’s not be afraid to speak up, for “if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?” (1 Corinthians 14:8).
Personal Challenge: Has anyone ever “sounded the trumpet” to warn you about impending spiritual danger? Have you ever done that for someone else? When you see others threatened by dangerous ideas, what prevents you from speaking up—fear of rejection, unwillingness to get involved, caution about coming across as judgmental? Ask the Lord to give you boldness and discernment so you will know when and how to speak up and when to remain silent.
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This Application by David Faust is a companion piece to the weekly Bible Lesson by Mark Scott and Discovery Questions by Michael C. Mack. This small-group Lookout Bible study material is free. Download a PDF of this week’s lesson material: LOOKOUT_September4_2022.
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