10 Reasons for Sounding the Shofar
The shofar is a traditional Hebraic instrument that's still used by Jews and Christians alike. The shofar, traditionally a ram's horn, is blown like a trumpet. The reasons for blowing a shofar are many and varied. Blowing a shofar properly requires some training, and several of the sounds are specific to ritual and tradition and should not be altered.
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Rosh Hashanah
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The shofar is traditionally blown on the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. According to Rabbi Saadia Gaon, it is blown this day to call people to wake up, repent and seek redemption.
A Call to Study
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The blowing of the shofar reminds God's people to study and love His word. A shofar was blown at Mount Sinai in ancient Bible times, when God gave the Torah to Moses. The blowing of the shofar can act as a reminder of that event.
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Call to Humility
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One purpose of blowing the shofar can be to call people to humility and to prostrate themselves before God.
Healing
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Many use the shofar as a tool for declaring healing from physical ailments over another person's body, mind and spirit. The vibrations from the instrument are believed to be powerful and spiritual in nature.
Praise and Worship
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Blowing the shofar also can be a way of praising and glorifying God. Chronicles 29:26 states that the Levites used the instrument for this purpose.
Call to War
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In ancient times, the shofar was used to call people to war. In modern times, this is meant as a call to fight for principles of belief held in common by God's people; by comparison, in ancient times, blowing the shofar was a literal call to begin war.
Announcing the Messiah
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The shofar is to be the instrument used to announce the coming of the Messiah. For Jews, this will be the first Messiah's coming, while Christians see this as the second coming of Christ.
Confuse the Enemy
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Blowing of the shofar is believed to cause confusion in the spiritual realm to demons and evil spirits. The sound also is used by intercessors as a means to break up confusion in the spirit world and bring clarity to the people of God.
Call to Gather
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Shofars are blown to call people to gather for a time of worship or intercession. It is believed that the sound does not need to be heard by the physical ears but transcends to reach those who need to be present at a gathering.
Annoucing the King
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The blowing of a shofar is used to announce the coronation of a king and, in the present day, the ushering in of the Spirit of God.
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References
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