2 Samuel 20:1 – And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.

2 Samuel 20:2 – So every man of Israel went up from after David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri: but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem.

Hello readers, hope you are going well. It’s been a little while since my last blog. It’s been quite a year so far hasn’t it? Trumpets. Sheba blew a trumpet. He was a bad guy. And today we are going to look at trumpet blowing. Joel 2:1 – Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand. Quite a verse isn’t it? Trumpets were blown for several reasons in the Bible, they were to rally the troops, they were to call to attention a multitude of people, they were for praise and worship. What’s our trumpet today? It’s God’s word. A Christian, a born again child of God… his trumpet is the Holy Bible. God’s word is a trumpet, when we are commanded to blow the trumpet and sound the alarm, we are meant to open God’s word, and warn people to be ready against the great day of the Lord. Judgement day is coming, blow the trumpet, sound the alarm. We are contrasting this thought today against a guy called Sheba, be blew a trumpet… he made a lot of people go astray and prevented them from following David, king of Israel.

I’ve quoted a text from 2 Samuel 20, because in this story a guy called Sheba blew a trumpet. The Bible says Sheba was a man of Belial, Belial is another name for the devil. That’s Satan folks. You know there are people who are children of the devil… he’s their father. And not everyone making a sound is making a sound you should hear and be attentive to. Any trumpet sounding that is not God’s word… that’s a trumpet you shouldn’t adhere to. There are many people out there who are going to lead you right away from God’s word and from what’s right in your life. They’ll lead you away from Jesus Christ. Their sound is not God’s word, their sound is not truth… their sound is their sound, it’s not God’s sound. This was all at a time in history when king David had been victorious over his son Absalom, and he was going to unify all of the twelve tribes under him again. They’d been fractured when Absalom seized power, but now Absalom was dead. Something good was about to happen. They were going to unite under David… until this guy blows a trumpet and gets them all to not follow David. You know, just when good is about to happen, in comes the enemy. Satan is always quick to seize an opportunity to ruin a revival, or to stop you following Jesus Christ (Zechariah 3:1… he’s standing there to resist God’s work and the salvation of souls). So you may have heard the gospel in your life, you may be contemplating the things of God, you may know to do right… and at this very time, Satan is going to turn up to the party like Sheba did.

Sheba blew a trumpet, and he said, hey don’t follow David, we have no part in David. Quite a thing to say right. David was God’s choice for king over all Israel. You have Jesus Christ today, and there’s Sheba saying don’t follow him. What Sheba was saying was contrary to the will and plan of God’s word. David was the legitimate king of Israel, God’s anointed. He instead wanted people to follow him. That’s what happens generally when people, as they say, blow their own trumpet. They want to get people to follow them, not Jesus Christ. People like to trumpet themselves instead of God’s word. Sheba was rallying people around a whole lot of Satanic garbage. And he got a LOT to answer the call, and follow him. The masses rally around things that are not true, they hear Sheba’s trumpet alright. Why on earth would Israel listen to Sheba? Yet they did. Contrast Sheba’s trumpet to God’s word, which is a trumpet. God’s word makes a sound, and it calls sinners to repent and believe on Jesus Christ, it sounds the alarm for those headed to hell, it rallies Christians to truth, to worship, to the battle. A trumpet gives organization, direction and guidance, it has meaning. It gives vision where there is none, you could hear it, yet not see it. God’s word will give you vision that you do not have, a vision into a world unseen and into eternity. Trumpets are very important, they make a sound… what trumpet gets your attention? Yet instead of listening to God’s word, which gives a certain sound, people instead listen to Sheba sounding his trumpet. They answer the call. Sheba was looking to prevent people from following David, and you better believe this world, your flesh and Satan are going to try all they can to keep you from believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and obeying him.

Just tracing the word “trumpet” through the Bible, and it’s an incredible word study. When the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, he blew a trumpet and gathered the men of Israel unto him. The sound of trumpet galvanized the men of Israel to the battle, they were under sore oppression from Midian, but through Gideon their nation would have salvation from their enemies. Gideon’s trumpet was God’s word… he cried out the sword of the Lord and of Gideon. Has the sword of God’s word become YOUR sword? They all shouted as one. But it was him through the power of the Spirit of God blowing the trumpet that woke people up, that rallied them, that called them to worship and service. They heard that sound and responded. What sound do we hear and answer to? Would Gideon’s trumpet blow and you not hear it, not care for it, not answer it, not know what it meant? When someone blows the trumpet of God’s word, do we gather to that? Do we assent to it as truth not just with our words, but with our life? Does it produce confidence, and embolden us, and organize us, and assemble us? Does it rally you to truth, to what’s right… to the David of your soul? Or to Sheba?

However… there are other sounds in this world. Other sounds made by people like Sheba, children of the devil… not children of God… and their sounds also call unto people, and they respond. What sound you respond to is the difference between truth and error. The Bible says in 1 John 4 that he that is of God heareth us. Us is God’s word, and those that hear God’s word, those that hear that trumpet, those that rally around God’s word, that join in the Lord’s fight, they are those that have the spirit of truth. But if you don’t “hear” God’s word, if you instead hear Sheba’s trumpet a blowin’ … you have the spirit of error. Why on earth would you listen to Sheba, when you can listen to Gideon, or Jonathan or David? See there are many sounds, but there is one distinctive sound from one shepherd (Ecclesiastes). Many people say all sorts of things, believe all sorts of things, spruik all sorts of things. But God’s word is to which we should give ear. Do we have ears to hear though?

Sheba said we have no part with David. Are you listening to this guy? You want no part of Jesus Christ? You don’t want anything of his word, of who he is, of what he requires of you? No part in David. You don’t want anything of the salvation and eternal life he offers you? You don’t want any part of his ways, his statutes, his judgements, his precepts, his commandments, his wisdom, his light? Why did they all just follow Sheba? Why didn’t any of them say, hang on, Absalom’s just tried this and failed. We shoulda never gone away from following David to follow that loser, nor you Sheba. This is a picture of Satan leading you away from Jesus Christ. How stupid can you be to refuse the gospel? I’ve myself met people who want no part of Jesus Christ, they want nothing to do with him, they hate him. That’s what this world is, in every facet of life they’ve rejected and abandoned Jesus Christ and his word. Sheba also said neither have we inheritance with the son of Jesse. Think about how upside down you are when you think hell is a better place than heaven, when you choose to go to hell. You don’t even know what the inheritance of the saints is (Ephesians 1 tells us). Go to your own houses. Don’t follow Jesus Christ. Do what you want to do people. Serve yourself, don’t serve David. That’s what Sheba’s saying. He made an appeal that pleased them, just as the appeal pleases all Christ rejecting sinners today. Instead of submitting to Christ, instead of believing on him and having him Lord of your life… I’ll go my way and do as I think is best. They’re a bunch of rebels.

A trumpet sounding is a call to arms. It stirred the people when they sounded it. It makes people act. And if you are saved, we are meant to be a trumpet. Isaiah 58:1 – Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Pretty clear huh. And our words should be a certain sound, the sound of thus saith the Lord. See it’s not our sound, like Sheba was doing… getting people to follow him. We have God’s sound, HIS word. Not follow me… but follow HIM. Look at this… 1 Corinthians 14:8 – For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? Trumpets had distinctive sounds, sound that had meaning. God’s word has meaning, it’ll give you meaning. But if you hear a trumpet that’s not speaking God’s word… but Sheba style rubbish… how are you going to be prepared for battle as a Christian? Don’t change the trumpet, don’t change God’s word. Trumpets were used in a distinctive way. People knew what the trumpets sounding meant. They relied on that in Nehemiah’s day. Nehemiah was a wall builder, but there was huge opposition to the work. They had enemies wanting to stop the work and to kill them. The same opposition is today to the Lord’s work as back then. But while they were working, they had their swords, they were ready to fight if required. And Nehemiah had a guy by him who had a trumpet, so if there was a battle he would sound the trumpet and they had their orders to come to the sound. See, trumpets give a warning (like the Joel verse quoted at the start), a call to arms… and they give direction. When you hear it, you know what to do. Why are Christian’s so unresponsive to God’s word, yet they’ll rally to Sheba’s trumpet? God’s word is our sound, it’s our call to arms, it’s a call to hear and act. Do you have ears to hear it? How are you going to hear a trumpet without ears to hear? And the trumpet of God’s word gives direction. You need direction? Get in God’s word.

They were blowing trumpets when the walls of Jericho fell down. It was the sound of the trumpet that signalled the people to come up to the mount in Exodus. When Gideon blew his trumpet, everyone else blew their trumpets… and the Midianites fled. That trumpet meant quite a bit didn’t it. The victory is in God’s word. People are scared of the Bible… why do you think that are they trying to erase it from public consciousness, from school, from government, from every facet and walk of life. They don’t want it, and they don’t want a reminder of it. Why do you think Cain killed Abel? Abel was a reminder of God’s word, so he killed him as if that would truly fix the issue between him and God. Joab blew a trumpet to get his troops to stop and go, to get their attention, to call them back, or to prepare them to the battle. And let’s not neglect the role of trumpets in worship and praise. See, you cannot worship and praise God without his word. Without doing it according to his word! They that worship God must worship him in spirit and in truth Jesus said. Worship was done with the sounding of trumpets. God’s word should cause great rejoicing for Christians and great trembling for the enemies of God. Remember how that mighty Midian army, vast in number, fled before Gideon’s tiny army. When will we realize the absolute necessity of God’s word?

Sheba blew a trumpet. There’s this man of Belial, this child of the devil, and he’s causing people to leave off following David. We’ve all heard the saying blow your own trumpet. It’s when people talk about how good they are, exalting and heralding themselves just like the Pharisees as Jesus said trumpeting their own goodness… it’s when someone tries to get someone to give glory to and follow them. The people of Israel answered Sheba’s call. They joined up with his cause. His trumpet wasn’t the sound of God’s word. There’s many sounds out there, there’s many words, many teachings, many teachers, many people… a whole world out there… who will try to lead you away from truth. Many sounds, but all not God’s word. They don’t want you having a part in Christ, they don’t want you to have an inheritance in the Son of God. These dumb idiots then followed Sheba. Just as stupid as the guys who followed Absalom to begin with. And Sheba would get what was coming to him, just read on a bit. You’re following the wrong bloke if you’re following the devil or one of his “men”. You’re following the wrong thing following the world. The world’s beliefs, philosophies, ways, means. It’s going to lead you away from truth, away from the true God just as Sheba was leading them away from following David as the true king.

You should know the sound of the trump of God. See, as Paul was saying in 1 Corinthians 14, if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound… you’re not going to know what to do. Paul was talking about the supremacy in talking in a known tongue, so that people could actually know what was being said. If I’m talking to someone who speaks English, I’m not going to profit them talking to them in Spanish am I? God’s word is a distinctive trumpet sound. And just like that trumpet that got louder and louder at mount Sinai, scaring them all to death… it’s actually the only trump that matters, and it’s the trump that will win in the end. You should know the sound of the trump of God. You should know God’s word. You should know what’s true, and what’s not. You should know the voice of the shepherd. Jesus said… my sheep KNOW my voice and they follow me. Maybe you don’t hear his voice, maybe you don’t respond to the shepherd… maybe because you’re not his. You’re not of his flock. Christians live like aliens and strangers to God’s word. His trumpet sounds and they sleep, they carry on like it wasn’t sounded. You really should know the sound of the trump of God. After all… it’s the trump, and the last trump at that, which will herald the rapture of God’s church. Or you’re not going to hear that trumpet either? If you’ve lived a life as a stranger to God’s trump, how can you expect to hear the last trump?

Are you such a stranger to the sound of God’s word? To his trumpet? God’s word blows the trumpet… you don’t hear. Look what Jonathan said when be blew the trumpet… 1 Samuel 13:3 – And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. Let the Hebrews hear! You see true believers hear the trumpet of God’s word… but it was meaningless to the Philistines. The trumpet was for Hebrews, and the Bible is for those who will hear and believe. You can’t expect a Philistine to respond to Jonathan’s trumpet. Nehemiah said in Nehemiah 4:20 – In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us. They knew what the trumpet was and what it meant, they were good to go. The sad thing is, people don’t hear because they don’t want to hear, they refuse to hear. They went to Egypt in Jeremiah’s day so they wouldn’t hear the trumpet (Jeremiah 42:14). They refused to hear it. People refuse God’s word. They DON’T WANT to hear the trumpet. Jeremiah 6:17 – Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. But if that’s you, you’ve got a real big problem, that trumpet is going to get louder and louder. Is that trump of God’s word getting louder in your conscience? Exodus 19:19 – And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. God’s word waxes louder and louder… it’s going to out. Sheba had a short lived rebellion, he got sorted out… why follow someone who’s a loser, who’s defeated?

I hope you, reader, aren’t such a stranger to that life giving sound of God’s word. Oh but you know the sound of Sheba’s trumpet calling you, rallying you. What a topic this is, what a study this is. If you can’t hear God’s trump now… how are you going to hear this one? Revelation 4:1 – After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. The trump is the voice of Jesus Christ. Do you hear the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ? That distinctive life giving sound? That call to be saved? That call to arms? That call to awake. That alarm waking you out of your sleep as you stand on the precipice of a Christless eternity? Why listen to Sheba? Do you really not want a part in Jesus, you don’t want the inheritance he freely gives? By the way, he is the heir of ALL things… so having no inheritance in him… you’re cooked. If you’re not in him, you’re just not saved, you’re a heartbeat from eternal hell. You’ll never know life everlasting. Sheba sure did blow a trumpet, but it wasn’t God’s word, it was just to make people follow him, he was a man of Belial… tell Sheba to take a jump today, stop responding to Sheba’s call… instead hear God’s word, a life giving sound, a sure sound, a certain sound… the call to forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, the king David of our souls.

Isaiah 18:3 – All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.

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