Daily Bible Reading - March 9 - The Trumpets of the Lord

While many kinds of musical instruments are mentioned in the Old Testament, from the time of Moses (1400 BC) until the time of David (1000 BC), the only instruments ordained by God for Israel's use in worship were the two silver trumpets described in today's reading (Numbers 10). According to the text, the trumpets had several uses:

• To gather the camp together to move out (10:2-6)
• To summon the camp for an assembly (10:7)
• To sound the alarm for battle (10:8-9)
• To announce the beginning of worship (10:10)

The New Testament refers to the trumpet of the Lord in connection with the coming of Jesus.

For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thess. 4:15-18)

And if you think about it, the last trumpet of God has the same purposes as those two silver trumpets. It will announce Jesus' coming - a time when God's people will assemble and "move out" to a new heavens and earth; when Jesus will defeat His enemies, especially the last enemy of death in the resurrection; and God's people will enter an eternal season of worship.