Feast of Trumpets 2025:

Good morning, brethren. Welcome to the Feast of Trumpets. It’s truly a beautiful, sunny day outside here on God’s campus. We truly appreciate the sun after many days of cloudy weather and rain.

Well, it is the Feast of Trumpets. It’s the first holy day of the Fall Holy Day season. We know, and we’ve heard often, trumpets, God uses to declare the big things He’s doing, the big things He’s done, the big things He’s going to do. We know and we’ve learned a high day, a holy day is a great day. I’m sure quickly, you can recall to mind all the great things that God won’t do before blowing a trumpet.

The events that come to mind; it might be the return of Christ, the day of the Lord, of the announcing of God’s presence, the seven trumpet plagues, and on and on, gathering of the elect. At that point in the future, when that is done, trumpets will be blown. Those are all great events that God shows that He has a declaration by blowing the trumpet before those events begin. And we can so easily see how this all connects to the Fall Holy Day season.

Well, God would want this on our minds before we keep all the fall Holy Day seasons, and all the big events that are ahead of us this fall with the Holy Day season and ahead of us in God’s plan. Trumpets are used for many things. Today, I want to focus on one of His commands. One of God’s commands on why in some ways also we should be using a trumpet. One, that he gave to the Israelites in the past, an instruction, a command to use a trumpet. And that command can also apply to us.

I want to take...we’ll go there. Let’s go to Numbers ten in verse nine. Let’s look at this command of God to blow a trumpet and when to blow a trumpet. We’re going to learn how it was used in the past, how it applies to us, and what we can learn from it. Let’s just first read it before we get into it. Let’s first read the Scripture to set it up. So we’re in numbers ten and verse nine. It’s in the Scripture...in the chapter I mean that God is explaining other instructions on when to blow a trumpet, and mostly for when the Israelites are to move and the encampments are to get up and move around the wilderness.

Let’s go look specifically at verse nine. “And if you go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresses you, then you shall blow an alarm with the trumpets and you shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies.” Yes, there are many great and big things that God will do after blowing a trumpet. I want to focus in on a trumpet. That means a lot to us, and can mean a lot to us in our daily lives, meant a lot to the ancient Israelites. Let’s just look at the verse.

God says, “Then you shall blow an alarm with trumpets.” Alarm, split the ears, destroy, a cry, alarm, a loud noise, an alarm. Before you go to war, God gave ancient Israel the command to blow an alarm. Now, why did He do that? It’s in the next words. “And you shall be remembered before the Lord, your God.” That’s an interesting point. God needs to be remembered that we exist. Would that be true? This is an instruction. God wants us in a greater way, and we’ll see this, wants us to remember Him.

He knows we are here, but the instruction is that you shall be remembered before the Lord. That God knows that you are in trouble. And the word “remembered” is to be marked, to be brought to remembrance. God knows all our doings. God knows our needs when we go into prayer before we ask them, but it’s an interesting instruction. God wants us to blow an alarm so He can remember us. And then what’s the reason for it? To close the verse out, “And you shall be saved from your enemies.”

So let’s think about ancient Israel for a moment. We’re going to talk about lessons from ancient Israel, how they went to war, what those lessons can provide for us. And then we’re going to see how God wants us as soldiers in Christ to go to war and to go to battle. But if you were given this command and you are a physical nation, and God, the creator God gave you this command, make sure you blow a trumpet and I will remember you and you shall be saved from your enemies. You shall be set free. You shall be made open, wide, and safe. I will avenge and I will defend and preserve and rescue you if you blow a trumpet, if you remember me before you go to war.

Now, wouldn’t you think that then every time mankind or ancient Israel, that anyone who read this, would blow a trumpet before going to war? I mean, God is promising to save you when you do. Let’s learn about ancient Israel. It’s a bit of a rhetorical point. Of course, you’d think that every time ancient Israel went to war, they would blow a trumpet.

Well, first, we’re going to look at some of the cases where they did blow a trumpet. They did seek God before going to war. Then we’ll look at the times where they forgot about it. They became a little presumptuous. But you would think from our standpoint, at least from my standpoint, if I was going to war, if I was going into battle, I’d be blowing that trumpet because God has a promise here to save us.

Let’s go to Numbers thirty-one. We’re going to look at a couple of good examples of what ancient Israel did. And this is shortly end of Numbers here. There are many examples, and we will look at a few. Just set the picture, what we can learn from ancient Israel and the blowing of trumpets before going to war.

Numbers thirty-one in verse six. In verse six, “And Moses sent them to war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas and the son, Eleazar, the priest to the war with the holy instruments and the trumpets to blow in his hand. And they warred against the Midianites as the Lord commanded Moses, and they slew all the males.” So here we see in verse six, they went to war, they blew the trumpets, and they were victorious. They were successful. They won that battle. Simply, they blew the trumpets and God backed them up.

Let’s go to Second Chronicles thirteen. Like I said, there are many stories in the Old Testament, but here is really, reading this a few times now, this one is an interesting one. Second Chronicles thirteen, we’ll begin reading in verse twelve, actually starting in part of verse eleven. “But after Jeroboam...” it’s a civil war, to give a little bit of context, between Israel and Judah is beginning or is about to go on. And we know that Israel rebelled against Judah and went their own way. And Judah are the ones that kept the temple, kept Jerusalem, kept doing God’s instructions.

So let’s read. Actually, let’s just begin in verse eleven. We’re going to read a little bit of the story here. “And they burned unto the Lord every morning and every evening, burnt sacrifices and sweet incense, and the showbread is also set in order upon the pure table and the candlestick of gold and the lamps thereof to burn every evening. For we keep...” So this is Judah speaking. This is those in Judah speaking at the time, the priests. “To burn every evening.” And then, “For we keep the charge of the Lord, our God, but you have forsaken Him.”

So, it’s a conversation between Judah and the rest of Israel. “We’re keeping what God instructed, and you have forsaken him. And behold God Himself is with us for our captain, and His priests with sounding trumpets to cry an alarm against you. Oh, children of Israel.” You can say, oh brother, they’re brothers, they’re cousins, they’re family, they’re aunts and uncles. “Oh, Israel, fight you not against the Lord of your Fathers. For you shall not prosper.” We’re following God’s way. We have the trumpets. We’ll cry an alarm. We know God’s promise. Don’t fight us. Don’t attack us, you are our brothers. Put yourself in that moment in time.

Verse thirteen. “But Jeroboam caused an ambush to come about behind them.” So they were before Judah, and the ambush was behind them. So Judah was completely surrounded. Judah, a little bit kind of you could say humanly they goaded them on. They said, Hey, we’ve got God with us. We know what we’re doing. We’re not afraid. And Jeroboam ambushed them.

Let’s continue to read. “And when Judah looked back, behold the battle was before and behind, and they cried unto the Lord.” So the battle was before and behind. They were completely surrounded. “And they cried unto the Lord, and the priests sounded with the trumpets. They took numbers ten and verse nine, and they applied it. And then verse fifteen, “Then the men of Judah gave a shout. As the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.” Verse sixteen. “And the children of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand.”

They blew the trumpet, they remembered God’s promise, and God saved them from an ambush. And Abijah and his people... verse seventeen, I want to read this as well. “Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter, so there fell down slain of Israel, five hundred thousand chosen men.” Let that sink in for a moment because this may just sound like, well, it was just an ambush. It was just in the promised land. It was just in Israel. It was just a few. It’s back then in the ancient times.

But in verse seventeen, this makes this picture, this makes how they were surrounded, their lives were at stake, they blew a trumpet, God saved them, and five hundred thousand, half a million men of Israel were killed. I looked it up. That was more than the soldiers that were killed during World War II by the US for us. So what kind of battle was this? What was going on here? How big was the battle? How dire was Judah’s position?

And they remembered the command, and God saved them. Sometimes the ancient stories from the past, Oh, that happened then, compare it to now. Five hundred thousand men lost their lives because Judah blew a trumpet, and Judah depended on God. They didn’t, they were warned. Just the strength of the story, the strength of God’s command to blow a trumpet, the strength to seek God before going to war, before going to battle. This is one of the good stories where Israel did remember.

Let’s go to Joshua ten and read another story. Paint the picture just the power behind the promise. And that is amazing. Judah completely surrounded by so many men, and God backed them up. Going to Joshua ten. And here we’ll read where God listens to man. Listens to Joshua here in dire straits. And there is, as you study throughout the Old Testament, no, there is not every battle that they mention, they blew a trumpet or they didn’t blow a trumpet. We’re beginning to set up what we will learn later, is that it is more than just the blowing of trumpet. It is a deep spiritual instruction in this command. It is more than just the physical blowing of the trumpet, but seeking God before going to battle.

So, we’ll read a few where it’s not mentioned, “trumpet” every time, but it’s the principle. And here, Joshua...this is just we will come to a verse that is amazing. But let’s begin in verse seven, just sets it up. “As Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor, and the Lord said unto Joshua, “Fear not, for I have delivered them into thy hand, and there shall not a man of them stand before you.” “So, God is promising to protect them here.

“Joshua therefore came into the camp suddenly and went up from Gilgal all night, and the Lord discomfort them from before Israel and slew them with great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased along the way that goes up to Beth-Horon and smote them to Azekah and Makkedah. And it came to pass as they fled from before Israel and were going down to Beth-Horon, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them onto Azekah, and they died.”

So here, seeing God is with them in this battle. And God throws great stones, which seem stones of hail from heaven. He is fighting their battle with them. “And they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.” God killed more of them.

“Then spoke Joshua to the Lord in the day, this is where Joshua is seeking God, going to God with a request in this battle. “When the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel. And He said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon and thou moon in the valley of Aijalon.” And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed until the people avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jashar? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven and has not to go down about a whole day.”

So here Joshua is in a battle. Joshua seeks God’s help, requests God’s help. And what did Joshua ask? He’s seeking His help, blowing a trumpet, seeking God, remembering God. Joshua asked God to stop the entire universe. Can you imagine that request? Could you imagine asking that request, and knowing that God is going to hear you? As he is in battle, as he is at war, he sought God, and he sought God’s help. And yes, it just says the sun stood still, and the moon stayed. We know the entire universe is an entire clock. It’s all clockwork. You move one thing, you have to move everything else. So Joshua asked, and the universe stopped. How important is it to blow a trumpet or to seek God in a time of trouble?

Let’s continue reading. “And there was no day like that before it or after it that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of man, for the Lord fought for Israel.” There’s never been a day like it where the Lord God heard man and stopped the universe. How important is it to blow a trumpet, to seek God in the time of trouble, in the time of war? It’s an amazing story. And I think this reminds me just almost a side proof of God, proof of God’s creation.

Where mankind, where astronomers have looked at the stars and know that the stars move, and they tried to go backwards in time. And as they go backwards in times in their calculations, if they don’t put these stories, they don’t put this into their calculations, things start to go awry as they calculate back where the stars should be.

Just that little thing there where Joshua asked God to stop the universe. We can also side-point nothing to do with why you need to blow a trumpet before going to war, but the awesome power of our creator, God, is proven if you take the stars and go back in time in their movements. If you don’t include these verses in your calculations, the universe goes awry. Things run into each other, literally. That’s amazing. It adds the inspiring story of Joshua here, seeking God’s help in a time of trouble, and the implications we see even to today.

Let’s look at a few bad examples. A few examples where Israel, Israelites, mankind, human nature got the best of them, and they didn’t quite seek God before going to war. They didn’t blow the trumpet as God has commanded, and yes, it’s so easy for us to say, “Why wouldn’t you do that?” Look at God’s promise. Now, after we’ve just read Joshua, we know God will stop the universe if it’s necessary, if it’s needed in a time of trouble, so why would you never blow that trumpet, seek God in that time of trouble?

Well, of course, we are all human. We do stumble. Let’s read in Numbers fourteen, and we’re going to read verse thirty-nine to forty-five, just Israel in the Exodus. As they’re traveling through the wilderness... we’re in Numbers, though, Numbers fourteen. In some ways, we’re only a few chapters later after the command was given, after the instruction was given about trumpets. And here it comes off of seeking out the promised land, going into it, scouting it out. Let’s just begin reading in verse thirty-nine. And some of Israel had a different opinion of what to do next. And it comes down to they didn’t seek God’s will, and they actually had contrary instruction. Let’s go and in verse thirty-nine.

“And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.” So they will not go up into the promised land at the time. “And they rose up early in the morning, and got them onto the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we are here, and we’ll go up into the place which the Lord has promised: for we have sinned.” So they look at the top of the mountain, they look over the promised land, and said, Lo, we are here, we can go in and get it for ourselves.

“And Moses said, Wherefore now do you transgress the commandment of the Lord? But you shall not prosper. Go not up, for the Lord is not among you, that you be smitten before your enemies, for the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword. Because you are turned away from the Lord, therefore, the Lord will not be with you. But they presumed to go up onto the hill top.”

So they presumed. They didn’t seek God. They didn’t even listen to Moses’ instructions. They didn’t see the command that God says, “When you go to war, seek me, blow a trumpet. Remind me that you are at war.” No, they presumed to go up to the hill top. “Nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and Moses departed not out of the camp. And the Amalekites came down, the Canaanites which dwelt in the hill, and smote them, and discomfort them, even unto Hormah.”

So they lost the battle. They made a presumption, they didn’t seek God, and when God did give him instructions, they ignored it. Just to wonder why, how quickly they forgot the command to blow a trumpet before going to war, to seek God’s instruction. It’s amazing there, even with God’s servant telling them not to, they went to anyways.

Let’s go to First Samuel four. There’s an interesting story here, an example of Israel being presumptuous. First Samuel four, and verse two. In all of these cases, reading a few of the verses to get the context, to get the story in our minds, the picture of what is going on and what they’re doing. And here, it’s just they have the instruction. I’m sure it was repeated often. I’m sure they knew what Numbers ten and verse nine said. But here, Israel, humans, human nature did it a little differently. Let’s read and break into the story in verse two.

“And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.” It’s not going well for the Israelites. “And when the people were come into the camp, the Elders of Israel said, Wherefore has the Lord smitten us today before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh onto us, that when it comes among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.”

It’s curious. Let us go fetch the ark of the covenant. We’ll read the effects of it. So like the ark of the covenant is some little trinket that they can carry with them into battle. Why doesn’t it say, you know, all of us read this, and as a sense if we were there, why don’t you grab the trumpet? Look what happened when Joshua sought God. Well, why don’t we seek God before going? They don’t even say, “Let us seek God before we move the ark. Let us just move the ark. Like it’s, as the world would call, some lucky trinket, some lucky charm. Let’s see the effect of it.

“So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant, the Lord of hosts, which dwells between the cherubims. And the two sons of Eli; Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of Lord. And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so the earth rang again.” They think if they have the physical ark, it’s going to go well. Well, it doesn’t.

Verse six, “And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What means the noise of the great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they stood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp. And the Philistines were afraid.” They don’t understand what it is. They think it has the power. “And they said God has come from the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there has not been such a thing heretofore.”

There hasn’t been such a thing before. “Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hands of the mighty gods? These are the gods that smote the Egyptians, and the plagues in the wilderness. Be strong.” Philistines talking, giving a self-talk, “and quit yourself like men, O you Philistines, that you be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Quit yourselves like men, and fight. And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man unto his tent, and there was a very great slaughter; for their fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.”

So here, a sad story, a disappointing story, example for us. The misuse of the ark. They did not seek God, they only sought the protection of a physical item. They didn’t blow that trumpet. And there, two priests are killed, and the ark was stolen.

Let’s go to another story. Judges twenty, verse eighteen. Judges twenty, and verse eighteen, where we change a little bit to a story where yes, it doesn’t mention trumpets, but they’re in a struggle. It’s another civil war with one of the tribes. Example where they do somewhat seek God. God has a lesson for them. It’s ultimately a lesson for us as well. Well, Judges twenty, in verse eighteen. We will read it beginning in verse eighteen. “And the children of Israel rose and went up to the house of God and asked council of God and said, “Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up first.” And the children of Israel rose up in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. And the minute Israel went out to battle against Benjamin and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against Gibeah, and the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah and destroyed down to the ground the Israelites that day, twenty and two thousand men.” It didn’t go well.

“And the people of Israel encouraged themselves and set their battle again in array in the place where they had put themselves in array the first day.” So they go to battle for the second day. It’s interesting, it just the way it is written, but I wonder, the Lord said, “Judah shall go up first,” and it says the men of Israel. It doesn’t say that Judah went up first. Was Israel fully following God’s instructions? Leave us to wonder about that because in verse twenty-three, they seek God again.

“And the children of Israel went up and went before the Lord until even and asked counsel of the Lord saying, “Shall I go up against the battle against the children of Benjamin, my brother?” And the Lord said unto them, “Go up against them.” So the Lord says, “Go up.” “And the children of Israel came near the children of Benjamin the second day, and Benjamin went forth against out of Gibeah at the second day and destroyed down to the ground the Israel children.” So the second day, eighteen thousand men who drew the sword are killed. So it doesn’t go well. God is ultimately teaching them a lesson.

Not every battle is won, but is the war, and ultimately they do win, and you’re wondering, is it because Judah didn’t go up first on the first day? They weren’t following instruction, they weren’t fully seeking God as much as they could or should have, because that comes to light in verse twenty six. “Then all the children of Israel and all the people went up and came into the house of God.” So they went up to the temple. No, at the time, they went up to the tabernacle. “And went and sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until even and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.”

So things are not going well. They got the message and they go to seek God in a greater way. They fasted, they prayed, they gave offerings and sacrifices. “And the children of Israel inquired of the Lord for the ark of the covenant was there in those days.” This is before the previous story. “And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar and the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Israel, my brother, or shall I cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I’ll deliver them into your hands.”

So here God wanted them to seek Him in a greater way, to seek Him more. Sometimes yes, the instruction or the help to us here is sometimes we need to continue to seek God in greater ways for the battle, the fight, the struggles that we have in our lives aren’t going exactly the right way. Again, sometimes there are battles we don’t win here with ancient Israel, but continue to seek God to ultimately in this case win the war, but we’ve seen by going over some of the stories that are there, there are many others to look up.

They are inspiring to see what God did in the past and encouraging for us today, but we can see when they sought God first, Israel won. When they applied that instruction to blow that trumpet, to seek God, they won, and simply when they didn’t, they lost battles and wars. Let’s go to read about King Asa in second Chronicles sixteen sums up what I just said, gives an example of it. So King Asa, second Chronicle sixteen, and his entire reign has an interesting story and lessons to learn, but I want to look at here at some summary statements at the end of his reign or near the end of his reign.

It’s interesting as we look back, sometimes we can do the typical Monday night quarterback in here as how come Asa did this? Let’s just read. Second Chronicles sixteen, verse seven. “And at that time, Hanani, the seer,” prophet of God, “came to Asa, the king of Judah and said unto him, “Because you have relied on the king of Syria and not relied on the Lord, your God, therefore as the host of king of Syria escaped out of your hand.”

It’s interesting how the Scriptures is this way around when we read the next one. So God’s servant is telling him, “You didn’t depend on God, so Syria has escaped out of your hand, “But however,” verse eight, “were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge host, a countless army and very many chariots and horsemen, yet because at that time, you, the king, did rely on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand.”

So there was a time that King Asa remembered to seek God, remembered to blow that trumpet and God delivered him from an army, an innumerable army, a huge host in abundance. The margin says many chariots and horsemen. Later on in his life, he forgot and Syria was escaped out of his hand. Verse nine, “Just for the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him. Herein, you has done foolishly, therefore from henceforth, you shall have wars.”

So the king did foolishly, he remembered, he knew... He did not remember what he once knew. He forgot to call on God, he forgot to seek God, and God’s servant tells him, therefore for the rest of your reign, you shall have wars. Reminds us a little of a king. This king here reminds us a little, those that remember God’s promises and those that forget God’s promises, forget that He’s there for us, forget that He will fight our battles. What did God call Asa, his actions? “You have done foolishly.” For those that are no longer among us that have forgotten God’s promises, they have done foolishly, they have forgotten, and a king can as well as we see here.

Just an example and a reminder to all of us, not to forget, of course, but when Israel sought God, when Israel blew the trumpet, Israel won. When you seek, when we, you, Israel, seek God first... Let’s look at how God fights. We’ve seen a couple of examples but I want to look at a few more. How does God fight? Now God is on your side. You’ve blown that trumpet, you’ve sought Him, how does God fight for you?

Were in Chronicles, let’s go to second Chronicles twenty. These stories, these examples written for our admonition should be inspiring to us in here, because there’s a long prayer in here that I’ll want to read. Here, I’m going to see how God fights his fights for us.

So let’s begin reading in verse one. “And it came to pass after this also that the children of Moab and the children of Ammon and with other besides the Amorites came against Jehoshaphat to battle. Then there came some that Jehoshaphat saying, “There come a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side of Syria, and behold they be in Hazezon Tamar, which is En Gedi.” And Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed to fast throughout all of Judah.” Good example here. “And Judah gathered themselves together to ask help of the Lord. Even unto all the cities of Judah, they came to seek the God. And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord before the new court.” So here he is standing in God’s temple. “And he said, O Lord, God of our fathers, art not thou God.” So here is Jehoshaphat’s prayer in heaven. “And rules not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen. And in thine hand, there is not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee.”

Jehoshaphat’s plea to God for help. Seeking God for help. “Are not thou our God who drives out the inhabitants of this land before your people, Israel, and give it to the seed of Abraham, your friend for ever?” What an awesome promise there in God’s word about Abraham. An awesome compliment of the father of the faithful. Friend forever. And he continues, “And they dwell therein, and have built you a sanctuary therein, for your name, saying...” So God’s people dwell on this land, they’ve built you, God, a temple.

“If when evil comes upon us as a sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in your presence, for your name is in this house, and cry unto thee in our affection, then you will hear and help. And now behold the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom thou does not let Israel invade when they come out of the land of Egypt, but they turn from them and destroy them not.”

“Behold, I say, how they rewarded us to come to cast us out of thy possession.” They’re going to come and chase us out of the Promised Land. “Which you have given us as an inheritance. O our God, will thou not judge them?” Pleading, seeking. We’ll come to the point where how does God fight. This is great command that comes against us. Neither we see what to do, but our eyes are upon thee, “And all Judas stood before thee, the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.” All the country stands before God. All the people, the little ones, and their wives. What a moment?

“Then upon Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, a Levite, the son of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation.” So he came there with God’s instruction. “And he said, Hearken you, O Judah, and all you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat. Thus says the Lord unto you, Be not afraid, nor dismayed, by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go you down.” To the battle. After that prayer, the battle goes, “The battle is not yours. It’s mine.”

Let’s read a few more verses. Could you imagine hearing those words? You do not have to go to battle. I, God, will go to battle for you. “Tomorrow go you down against them. Behold, they came up from the cliff of Ziz; they shall find them at the end of the brook before the wilderness. You shall not need to fight in this battle, yet set yourselves, be still and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed. Tomorrow go against them, for the Lord will be with you.” And they won that battle. God went to fight with them.

Let’s go to Isaiah thirty-one as we build a picture on how God fights. God says the battle is mine. In essence, Jehoshaphat put your weapons down. Don’t fear, the battle is mine. I will go and do it. Let’s go to Isaiah thirty-one. How does God go to war? How do God do that fight? Begin in verse one. “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help.” And we’re learning about how God is going to war. “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help and stay on horses and trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong. But they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord.” So they forgot. Numbers ten, nine. They forgot to blow the trumpet. They forgot to seek their God. They’re going to Egypt. They’re going to the war.

What does it say in verse two? “Yet He is also wise and will bring evil, and He will not call back His words but will rise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.” God will rise up against them. “Now the Egyptians are men and not God.” The Egyptians are physical and not spiritual, “And their horses are flesh and not spirit.”

Imagine the difference. Just let that sink in. The horses are flesh. The horses are physical.

So you’re going to the Egyptians. Let’s take the analogy to today. Egypt is a symbol of the world. We teach that often. So you go with all your modern armaments, your modern tech, your modern weapons. You have faith in all of that, and it’s amazing what man can do, and we see that on our screens daily. The evil that man has found to do, the evil that man can do with all those armaments.

God would say the same thing here. He would say the same thing about every single one of them. All those missiles, all those ships, all those aircraft carriers, they’re physical. They’re not spiritual. They’re flesh and I’m God. I’m spirit. What can I do? What can God do for us? “When the Lord shall stretch out His hand, both he that helps,” continue to read in verse three, “...shall fall, and he that has holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.” It really isn’t a fight. Physical versus spiritual. No matter how good man gets at it, you can’t cross that divide.

“For thus has the Lord spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey. He has called forth against them. He will not be afraid of their voice nor abase himself for their noise: so shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for Mount Zion and for the hill thereof,” as a lion, as a young lion on his prey, to attack it, to take it down, to take it out. That’s how God will fight. There is no challenge to God when it’s physical against spiritual. And verse five, “And as birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also He will deliver it, passing over He will preserve it.” So as a bird of prey, as an eagle with wings, and we know that God has wings, goes to battle against us, flies against the enemy, and conquers it. So God goes to battle for us.

That’s what God has in His hands when we go to Him to let Him fight our battles for us. An amazing picture, like as a lion and a young roaring lion on his prey, like a bird of prey through the sky, God will defend us, defend His people. That’s who we have with us when we seek God first in our troubles. We started to talk about physical versus spiritual. Let’s talk a little bit about how do we go to war, how do we go to battle. Yes, our battles are mostly spiritual in nature, but there is a New Testament command similar to Numbers ten and verse nine. But let’s just go to Numbers ten and verse nine just to reread it again. Let’s get it back in our mind, or I’ll flip over there, and then after that we’ll go to First Peter five and verse six, if you’ll turn there first.

Turn there now, and I’ll just reread Numbers ten and verse nine. And as we hear it again, think more of the spiritual element, first the physical element of Israel’s examples. “And if you go to war on your land against the enemy that oppresses you, then you shall blow an alarm with the trumpets and you shall be remembered before the Lord your God and you shall be saved from your enemies.” If you remember God in your time of trouble, you blow the trumpets. You seek God, He will remember you, and He will save you.

Let’s go now, go... You are there, and I’ll catch up to you. First Peter five and verse six. I’m going to read verse six and seven. There’s another one, similar. That’s worded the same way, but it has the same intent. “Humble yourselves therefore...” just the start in verse six, “...therefore under the Mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time. Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” It’s the same as blow that trumpet before going to war. Take all our cares, all our anxious thoughts, all our worries, and cast them upon God, and He will care for you. Blow that trumpet in our troubles, seek God in our troubles, and He will set us free.

And we can look at the physical and the spiritual side. We don’t go to battle, we don’t go to war, but we have trials, we have tribulations, we have tests, difficulties, persecutions, we have cares and anxiousness, thoughts, troubles. Go to God with them. Blow that trumpet. Seek God when those things come upon our lives. But we are Christian soldiers. Let’s learn. How are we to go to war? Start to set a few things up here.

Let’s go to Second Timothy two. Maybe a little bit of review, but why do I say that we’re Christian soldiers or soldiers in Christ? Second Timothy two and verse two to four we’ll read. The analogies are helpful, the analogies are inspiring, and analogies are motivating. God put it in His word for good reason. Should we begin reading in verse two? “And the things that you have heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit you to faithful men, also should be able to teach others.”

Verse three. Focus on verse three. “Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Christ.” We are. “And if a man strive away,” I really want to read verse five as well, “If man strive also for masteries,” masteries as a soldier, the way I read it, “he is not yet crowned, except he’s strive...” oh, no, I jumped over something here. Hold on a second. All right. Verse three. Well, let’s just go there. Verse three. “Therefore, endure hardness, as a good soldier of Christ. No man that wars entangles himself with affairs of this life that he may please Him who has chosen Him to be a soldier.”

So we are to endure hardness, trouble, and affliction, and given some instructions on how to endure that hardness, untangle ourselves from worldly pursuits. Yes, of course, we live in this world, but we are not of this world. We can’t get too entangled with it. If we’re a friend of the world, we’re an enemy of God. We got to be careful that we’re not. And as a good soldier of Christ, the only way we can is we keep unentangled from the world. And yes, it is a spiritual battle.

Let’s go to Second Corinthians ten and verse three. Yes, Second Corinthians ten and verse three. The analogy of being a warrior going to soldier in Christ. God knows that it’s there, that it pulls on our minds. It pulls on our heartstrings, you could say as well. It motivates us, but I’ll say a little bit personally, sometimes it’s difficult to make that analogy as you’re going to Second Corinthians ten. It’s difficult to see that as we are, as I, you know, my own personal example, I’ve never been to war. I’ve never had to put a uniform on, go in the trenches, go to war. I don’t know what it’s like to be shot at. I don’t know what it’s like to shoot.

You know, even the opportunity I had growing up in Canada, the Americans may not think it was an opportunity, but growing up in Canada, it was an opportunity. I’ve never held a gun in my hands. I don’t know what it’s like. Okay. I may have held an air rifle. I have no understanding of what it’s like to hold a gun in your hand that could take another person’s life. Maybe you may be similar in this day and age. Those that have gone to war are few, very, very few, but the analogy does pull on our hearts, pull on our minds, and God puts it there for good reason. It may be hard for us, but it’s there and we can put our minds to it.

Let’s go to... you’re all there, Second Corinthians ten and verse three. “For though you walk in the flesh, you not war after the flesh.” We’re going to expand out a little bit between physical and spiritual. “For you walk in the flesh, you’re not after the flesh.” Verse four. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, to casting down imaginations, every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

We are to be Christian warriors, be soldiers of Christ, and an instruction here, bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. What an instruction, what a command, and how hard truly that is to take every thought, every thought that we have, and put it into subjection of God? We will not be able to do that until we are perfect and into the God family, but what a struggle? But what an analogy as a soldier, as a physical soldier today?

Could you imagine yourself being one of the men that are stuck in the trenches in Ukraine on either side of that battle, or you are one of the men that have to go into the tunnels in Israel or in Lebanon, or in Palestine? You have to go in against all odds, against knowing that you’re going to be shot at. You have to have every thought under control. You have to have every worry tied down. And when your commander says, “Go into those tunnels,” you go. When your commander says to climb out of that trench and run into opposing fire, you do.

Can you put yourself in those shoes? Can you put yourself in those boots in that position? That’s hard. That’s tough. Those men can do it physically for a physical goal and a physical reason. As our weapons and we battle spiritual things, what does God’s tell us to do? Put every thought into subjection of Christ and obedience of Christ. If we can do that and we strive to do that, we can succeed. We can take those challenges. Any of those men that are in those units that start to falter, that start to not to have every thought into subjection of their commander, of their captain, and we say, of our God, they’re not going to succeed. We must do that.

Keep that analogy in your mind. They are set to run against death upon command, or we’re set to run our race, to have every thought subject to Christ. How hard that would be, and how much we want to strive for it? We just read about our weapons. Let me go back here for a second. “Our weapons of war are not carnal,” but what are our weapons? What is our armor? God leaves us with instruction. God leaves us with ability to know what we should have on, what our armor should be. Yes, we’ve been instructed to seek God before we go to war, to seek God in our time of trouble, to blow that trumpet. But here, this is the mind of God. Going back to the soldiers we just talked about, either in the Middle East or in the Ukraine and Russia. This is what the armor we have.

Romans thirteen and verse twelve. This is the mind of God. Remember how he goes to battle for us? And could you imagine going into a tunnel and putting this armor on? This is why we’re fighting spiritual battles here, not a physical one. So in Romans thirteen and verse twelve. “The night is far spent, the day is at hand.” How much more can we say that in this age? “Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness. Let us put on the armor of light.”

So the armor that God has for us is an armor of light. Do you imagine going into battle in the plains and the fields in Ukraine, and you’re putting on an armor of light? Or you’re going into a tunnel and your armor is lighting up the tunnel. What would those soldiers that are with you think? Think you’re crazy. They think you’ve lost a few screws. Physically, they’d probably try to take you out because you’re going to be taking them out with that bright light of yours. But that’s God’s instruction. That’s what God gives us. Let us put on the armor of light.

So let us read what that armor is, what God wants us to put on. Let’s go to Ephesians six. Could you imagine the laughingstock you’d be in any battle in man’s history, and you put on this armor called the armor of light? Well, we are not in those battles. We are in different battles, a spiritual battle. And that armor of light does attract attention to us as we are in this world, and it gets darker in this world every day. We also need this armor of light. Here we are in Ephesians six, and it’s a familiar chapter and familiar verses about the armor of God. We’ll begin reading in verse ten. We’ll read it through. Let me quote, and then we’ll comment on it.

Ephesians six and verse ten. “Finally, brethren, be strong of the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God.” Let’s make sure you put it all on, “...that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” So wiles of the God of this world. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” So that’s what we’re battling against. And when we have that armor of light, the spirits in high places can see us. We have no worry. We have God with us.

Let’s continue reading verse thirteen. “Therefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, having done all to stand. Stand there for having your loins gird about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation the gospel of peace. And above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Number seventeen. “And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” That’s the end of the description of the armor of God.

Let’s look at this a little more closely, where in verse twelve, we saw our battleground. And in that battleground was, we are physical. Yes, we have the Holy Spirit to help us and God to help us. But in that battleground, we definitely want to blow that trumpet. We definitely want to seek our God. If you see the battleground we have against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places, against this world, we want to make sure we have God on our side. We want to make sure we blow that trumpet.

Now, let’s look a little more closely at the armor of God. Verse fourteen. Your loids... I just moved two words together there. Sorry about that. Loins gird about with truth. And interesting, we don’t necessarily have this issued today, but this makes it much more clearer. “Your loins gird about with truth.” In the ancient times, the robes that the Middle East would wear, that the culture would have at the time. Even only, I’ll say a few years ago, centuries or so ago, man did wear kilts or robes. And when you have them, you can’t run very fast. You can’t move very well with those on, especially if they go all the way to the floor.

So here, take this into the picture. “Having your loins gird about with truth.” So you have pulled up your robes and you’ve tied them tight around your loins, around your waist, so you can move. So you’re ready for action. So you’re ready for activity. So you’re ready to run. This is what God’s truth does to us, helps us with. We take God’s truth. We live by God’s truth. We live by God’s way. We have taken up our skirts. This man has a robe, yes. That’s what we did. We take up our robes, we’ve gird our loins, and we are ready for action. We are ready to move. That’s what the truth of God allows us to do.

“And having on the breastplate of righteousness,” because the breastplate covers our chest, our most important and vital organs. Living righteously, following God’s way, putting the truth into practice, protects our heart, protects our lungs, protects our most important organs. Yes, again, it’s still all part of an armor of light. If you’re living the truth, running the truth, if you’re living righteously in this world, that light will be shining brighter.

And verse fifteen is the next part. “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” So the sandals you have on, the sandals of the gospel, the shoes of the gospel, the boots of the gospel, they give you direction in life. What are we to seek first? “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” What is the gospel? The gospel is the truth of the coming kingdom of God, that gives us direction, that gives us a sense of purpose like no other, that gives us when we’re in the trenches, when we’re in the tunnels, the proverbial tunnels in our lives, when we’re on that spiritual battleground, we have that purpose, pushing us, directing us, directing us forward. We need those boots on. We need those sandals on. And you can see...

Read again. “Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” God’s gospel. The gospel of the coming kingdom of God gives you direction, gives you purpose. And above all, taking the shield of faith wherein you shall quench, so the shield of faith, quench the fiery darts, or doubts I have written in my margin, of the wicked of this world. You think of recent news, and we’ve seen this before and may see this again, the missiles that have been shot at Israel. Here we have a shield. Think of their Iron Dome or their David Sling. They are two systems they have to protect themselves. That’s our shield. Our shield is a physical shield. Our shield will never fail if and when we use it.

To continue on with helmet of salvation. The hope of salvation. The hope that we have that God calls us sons and daughters, that God will give us by his grace, salvation. An opportunity to be in his family. The opportunity to be with him and rule with him. Protects our minds. Protects our minds, our brains, the way we think. And the sword of the Spirit, which, of course, is the Word of God, it helps us discern... and we are in a spiritual warfare, discern between good and evil, to discern between right and wrong. Without wielding that sword, we cannot see the difference as well. We cannot see what’s right and what’s wrong as well.

We put all this on. We’ve put on the armor of light. We have put on the armor of God that will help us in our battles. God gives us clear instructions on what to do, and what to clothe ourselves in, what to arm ourselves in all our battles. We’ve seen what our battleground is. We saw what Israel’s battleground is. But in all this, this is just cast all your cares upon God. We’ll just blow the trumpet, seek God and kick back and relax. To a certain degree, yes, but of course not. We have an ongoing fight to fight.

Let’s go to First Timothy six and verse twelve. First Timothy six and verse twelve. Of course, just because we’ve blown the trumpet, just because we’ve cast all our cares upon God, we are not to rest on our laurels. First Timothy six and verse twelve. And here’s Paul giving Timothy some encouragement, and also, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, where they are also called, and has professed a good profession before many witnesses.” So fight the good fight of faith. It is a fight. It is a fight daily. It is a fight that, yes, we win when we seek God first, but it’s a fight that we must do daily.

Let’s go to First Corinthians nine and verse twenty-four. Another similar scripture, but First Corinthians nine and verse twenty-four. Another encouragement by Paul. First Corinthians nine and verse twenty-four. “I know you not they that which run in a race run all, but receive the prize? So they run that they may obtain it.” Talking about those in the world they run that they may win the prize. Those soldiers go under those tunnels, those soldiers climb out of those trenches, they do that to win. They bring their minds under control to win that war, to run. “And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown.” So they do that to, thinking of those soldiers, to win a physical war. But we do it, we run this race, we run this fight, but we do it in an incorruptible.

“I therefore so run,” Paul continues, “...not as uncertainly; so I fight, not as one that beats the air. But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” So Paul here tells us he continues his fight continually each day, every day, so he should not be a castaway. So he should not forget the promises of God and how God will back him up in his battles, as King Asa did, he continues.

Let’s go to Hebrews twelve and verse one. We talk about Paul’s example, but here, I believe, we’ll see Christ’s example. Hebrews twelve in verse one. “Wherefore seeing also we are compassed about by so greater a cloud of witnesses.” As soldiers, soldiers of Christ, a great cloud of witnesses, all those that have gone before us, all those that have fought the fight, “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us.” So every thought that can easily distract us.

“And let us run with patience that the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith; for whom for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” He laid his life down for you and I. Christ went to the utmost in his battle, in his fight. We all must do the same. As we draw to a close, we have heard and seen God’s instruction on this feast of trumpets that we, daily, must also blow our trumpet, as we go to war, as we go to our battles, as we go to our struggles in this daily life as we walk in this way. God wants us to seek him with his battles. God wants us to blow that trumpet to remind him that we’re in need, and he promises to free us, to save us.

We take all our cares, and we cast upon him. We put on the Christian’s armor, and we’ve seen what God will do when he fights the battles for us. We’ve seen the power of God. So brethren, let’s go to Romans eight, verse thirty-one to close. Have that picture in your mind. We’ve blown the trumpet, we’ve sought God in our needs, in our troubles. We’ve put on the whole armor of God, and where does that put us? What an encouraging place does that put us? Romans eight and verse thirty-one. So with that picture in our minds, we are soldiers, we have the armor on, we’ve blown that trumpet. Brethren, “If God be with us, who can be against us?”