Do You Hear the Trumpet Call to Love?

Meditate on this:

So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. Exodus 19:16-19 NASB 

This is the first passage of scripture that mentions “a trumpet” and it seems that God is using the trumpet to call His chosen people together. He has something important to tell them through Moses. At least the trumpet is calling Moses to speak with God. No one else gets to go up the mountain and have an audience with God Himself. They are left standing at the bottom of the mountain quaking in their sandals. It is cloudy, smoky and there is an earthquake. It’s no wonder that the Israelites were scared. It wasn’t a common occurrence to hear a loud trumpet—and where did that sound come from?

Forest recovering after a fire.
Along the Wenatachee River near Leavenworth, WA.

The fire and earthquake scenario sounds a lot like conditions in the Pacific Northwest the last couple of summers. Not so bad this summer, but last year we had a couple of months of smoke from nearby forest fires with the smoke so thick that visibility was reduced to a couple of miles and you could taste the smoke in the air. People were told to stay indoors whenever possible. During our smoky times last year football and soccer games were rescheduled or canceled completely. That is rare to cancel a soccer match. Rain, snow, wind and the games aren’t canceled. Smoky air conditions cancel a lot of things. It is just not healthy to be out in that low quality air. 

Was the air quality in question at the foot of Mt. Sinai? The trumpet sound didn’t alert the people to earthquakes or poor air quality, but called to them to meet God. Well—only Moses got to go up the mountain and really meet God. That was when he was given the Ten Commandments. God was calling His people to obedience. Letting them know what He really expects of them and of us. He specified how He wants mankind to live. It’s all about love. Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

Do you hear God calling you to love? To love Him and to love others?

Prayer ~ Lord God, I submit myself to You. I want to live to please You…to show my love for You and for others. Give me the wisdom to see my own motives in my actions and to respond to Your love.

Daily Bible Reading: Zechariah 5-9

© 2019 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

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