Devotional Psalms 98:6

Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar and Nevim Arith Hayomim:

Psalms 98:6: “With trumpets and the sound of cornet, make a joyful noise before the Lord, the king.”

Ok, let me get this straight.  The KJV was translated in the 17^th Century, but the cornet did not appear until the 19^th Century.  Someone explain to me how the word cornet managed to make it’s way into the KJV.   Well, here’s  the real scoop, the word in the Hebrew for cornet is “shofar.”    We all know what a shofar is, I see Christians all the time running around with a rams horn giving a toot at the most inappropriate times.  Most Christians can tell you what a shofar is, but not many can tell you it’s purpose.

It is interesting that the KJV renders the word “qol” as “sound” for the sound of a shofar.   It should really be rendered as “voice.”  But then how can a horn have a voice?   You might want to check out “You Tube” and listen to Harry James Play: “You Made Me Love You” on his cornet.  It sounds like a voice to me.  A violin in the hands of Isaac Stern or a guitar played by Chet Atkens all were given a voice.

When I sit down to play the piano I give it a voice.  Of course only I can hear that voice as I play when no one is listening and if someone does listen, they tend to hear something other than a voice.  Still a musical instrument in the hands of a one who knows how to translate his passions into the sounds of his musical instrument can give that instrument a voice.   So too, a shofar in the hands of a skilled artist who can express his passion for God and his people can give that simple rams horn a voice.

I find it interesting to note that this passage only says to make a noise with a trumpet but with a shofar you are to give it a voice.  The word “shofar” is spelled “Shin, Pe, Resh.”    The Shin represents a fiery passion, the Pe represents a mouth and the Resh represents repentance or turning away from something.    In fact the primary purpose of the shofar is to call the people to repentance, or to turn away from the things of this world and put you passions on God.  The shofar was sounded last weekend during Rosh Hashanah.  It was a call to turn away from your sins of the past year and enter into a new year with God.

Another definition of shofar is to shine or make bright.  When a shofar is given a voice it is blown by someone who draws from deep within himself, deep within his own darkness and brings his passion for God into the daylight.   A trumpet is just blown. The Hebrew word for trumpet is “chasar” and comes from the idea of gathering together.  It is the word used for a village or hamlet where people are grouped together to live.   The trumpet is nothing more than a bugle used to make a noise to bring people together.  My study partner and I attended her nephew’s football game last week.  As the clock begin we heard the sound of a horn, like a fog horn announcing the start of the game.  When the quarter ended we heard the same horn.  That horn is a “chasar.”  It had no voice, it was the result of no passion, just some air pumped through a tube.  It didn’t matter if someone blew through the tube or there was an artificial source of air blown through the tube, it achieved it’s purpose.   A shofar, however, can not use an artificial source of air, it must come from inside a person, just as the air blown in a cornet.  For the purpose of a shofar, as with  a cornet,  is to give a voice to one‘s inner passions.

As I listen to the music in many of our worship services I hear only the trumpets, I do not hear the shofars.   I only hear someone beating out chords to enhance the voices of those singing.   Well, that is ok, after all this passage does exhort us to praise God with the noise of a trumpet.   However, I often have to go a long ways to hear a “shofar” or the voice of an instrument.  I can hear God praised with a lot of voices but I rarely hear, anymore, the voice of a musical instrument creating a sound from the depth of a musicians soul expressing his love for God and the joy of the Lord.

If you play an instrument, I encourage you to give it a voice, a melody, not just a noise to enhance your own voice, but a voice from the very depth of your soul so that those listening to that instrument can hear the passion, the love, and the joy of your Savior.