Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
Blow the trumpet in Zion is an urgent alarm and summons to set apart a sacred fast and gather for a solemn assembly. The summons gathers the whole community together of every age and station, even children and bridegroom and bride from their chambers, while the priests weep between the porch and the altar pleading for God to spare His people and not give His heritage to reproach and heathen rule. It is a call to return to God with all the heart in sincere repentance and humiliation with fasting and weeping and mourning, rending the heart and not the garments, because He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, who may turn from threatened harm and leave a blessing behind. It is given in view of the great and terrible day of the Lord and the close of probation to arouse from lethargy and prepare a people to stand when He appears, warning of judgments to fall on a doomed world so that whosoever will may flee from the wrath to come, with divine authority to preach that the hour of His judgment is come in Revelation 14:6-8 under the power of the Spirit. It applies now when the world is becoming as before the flood and the law is trampled under foot and the Eden Sabbath is set aside for a spurious Sunday sabbath, calling ministers and the whole church to humble themselves, put away differences, and pray together for mercy and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Trumpet Call and Assembly
The trumpet to be blown in Zion is an urgent announcement and signal, a warning and alarm to be sounded. To sanctify a fast is to set apart and proclaim a sacred and consecrated fast. To call a solemn assembly is to summon the people to a solemn gathering and assembly. These are declared warnings of the judgments and calamities that must fall upon those who continue to dishonor Him, to be kept before the people so that whoever will may escape and flee from the wrath to come.
The summons that follows extends to the whole congregation and community together, gathering all of the people at once. It gathers people of every age and station, elders and children with the rest. Even bridegroom and bride are to leave their chambers and come.
The priests, the ministers of the Lord, are to weep and intercede between the porch and the altar. Their plea is for God to spare His people and have mercy on them. Their plea is not to give His heritage to reproach and shame, to heathen rule, or to reproach among the nations.
Repentance Before Day of Lord
The call is to return to God with all the heart in sincere repentance and humiliation, with fasting and weeping and mourning. It means rending the heart and not the garments, an inward heartbrokenness rather than outward display. The fast is to be sacred and sanctified, and the assembly solemn, gathering the whole community together in that turning.
The fasting must come with contrition of heart, with differences put away. It calls for confession of spiritual blindness and backsliding in earnest, heart-rending prayer. The ground of this return is that He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. He turns from harm and threatened evil, and may return and leave a blessing behind.
It is God's solemn call in view of the great and terrible day of the Lord, to arouse from spiritual lethargy and seek His face. That day is connected with the close of probation, when a people must be prepared to abide and stand when He appears. The trumpet, the sanctified fast, and the solemn assembly are His declared warnings of the judgments and calamities that must fall on a doomed world upon those who continue to dishonor Him. They are a warning to flee from the wrath to come, which His messengers are to keep before the people so that whosoever will may escape and seek mercy.
The chapter gives divine authority to preach that the hour of God's judgment has come. That preaching is joined to the messages of Revelation 14:6-8. It is to be carried forward under the irresistible power of the Spirit of God.
Present Application for Church
The summons applies when judgments are about to fall upon a doomed world, rebuking indifference and lukewarmness and calling all of God's people to turn to Him together and seek His mercy in a time of crisis. It means gathering the whole community together, elders and children and even bridegroom and bride leaving their chambers, with the priests interceding between the porch and the altar for mercy on His people and that His heritage not be put to shame. It calls for earnest heart-rending prayer with confession of spiritual blindness and backsliding, turning to God with all the heart with fasting and weeping and mourning in inward heartbrokenness rather than outward display. This turning rests on the ground that He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, turning from harm, and may return and leave a blessing behind.
It applies now, when the world is fast becoming as it was before the flood and Satan has set up his throne in the earth. It applies when the law of God is trampled under foot and the sins of the inhabitants of the cities and towns have reached to heaven. At such a time the Sabbath sanctified and blessed in Eden is set aside and polluted, and a rival first-day sabbath is exalted, a spurious Sunday sabbath instituted by the man of sin and set above the fourth commandment. Then it is time for men to pray in humility before God, sounding the trumpet in Zion as an urgent warning, sanctifying a fast and calling a solemn assembly to turn to the Lord with all the heart with fasting and weeping and mourning, rending the heart and not the garments. That return is urged because He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, turning from threatened evil and leaving blessing behind, with priests weeping between porch and altar pleading for God to spare His people and not give His heritage to reproach and heathen rule.
The call is directed to ministers to humble themselves, seek God, gather the people, and pray together for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They are to set apart a fast and gather for a solemn assembly to seek God and pray for the Holy Spirit's outpouring.
Blow the trumpet in Zion is an urgent alarm and summons to set apart a sacred fast and gather for a solemn assembly. The summons gathers the whole community together of every age and station, even children and bridegroom and bride from their chambers, while the priests weep between the porch and the altar pleading for God to spare His people and not give His heritage to reproach and heathen rule. It is a call to return to God with all the heart in sincere repentance and humiliation with fasting and weeping and mourning, rending the heart and not the garments, because He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, who may turn from threatened harm and leave a blessing behind. It is given in view of the great and terrible day of the Lord and the close of probation to arouse from lethargy and prepare a people to stand when He appears, warning of judgments to fall on a doomed world so that whosoever will may flee from the wrath to come, with divine authority to preach that the hour of His judgment is come in Revelation 14:6-8 under the power of the Spirit. It applies now when the world is becoming as before the flood and the law is trampled under foot and the Eden Sabbath is set aside for a spurious Sunday sabbath, calling ministers and the whole church to humble themselves, put away differences, and pray together for mercy and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Trumpet Call and Assembly
The trumpet to be blown in Zion is an urgent announcement and signal, a warning and alarm to be sounded. To sanctify a fast is to set apart and proclaim a sacred and consecrated fast. To call a solemn assembly is to summon the people to a solemn gathering and assembly. These are declared warnings of the judgments and calamities that must fall upon those who continue to dishonor Him, to be kept before the people so that whoever will may escape and flee from the wrath to come.
The summons that follows extends to the whole congregation and community together, gathering all of the people at once. It gathers people of every age and station, elders and children with the rest. Even bridegroom and bride are to leave their chambers and come.
The priests, the ministers of the Lord, are to weep and intercede between the porch and the altar. Their plea is for God to spare His people and have mercy on them. Their plea is not to give His heritage to reproach and shame, to heathen rule, or to reproach among the nations.
Repentance Before Day of Lord
The call is to return to God with all the heart in sincere repentance and humiliation, with fasting and weeping and mourning. It means rending the heart and not the garments, an inward heartbrokenness rather than outward display. The fast is to be sacred and sanctified, and the assembly solemn, gathering the whole community together in that turning.
The fasting must come with contrition of heart, with differences put away. It calls for confession of spiritual blindness and backsliding in earnest, heart-rending prayer. The ground of this return is that He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. He turns from harm and threatened evil, and may return and leave a blessing behind.
It is God's solemn call in view of the great and terrible day of the Lord, to arouse from spiritual lethargy and seek His face. That day is connected with the close of probation, when a people must be prepared to abide and stand when He appears. The trumpet, the sanctified fast, and the solemn assembly are His declared warnings of the judgments and calamities that must fall on a doomed world upon those who continue to dishonor Him. They are a warning to flee from the wrath to come, which His messengers are to keep before the people so that whosoever will may escape and seek mercy.
The chapter gives divine authority to preach that the hour of God's judgment has come. That preaching is joined to the messages of Revelation 14:6-8. It is to be carried forward under the irresistible power of the Spirit of God.
Present Application for Church
The summons applies when judgments are about to fall upon a doomed world, rebuking indifference and lukewarmness and calling all of God's people to turn to Him together and seek His mercy in a time of crisis. It means gathering the whole community together, elders and children and even bridegroom and bride leaving their chambers, with the priests interceding between the porch and the altar for mercy on His people and that His heritage not be put to shame. It calls for earnest heart-rending prayer with confession of spiritual blindness and backsliding, turning to God with all the heart with fasting and weeping and mourning in inward heartbrokenness rather than outward display. This turning rests on the ground that He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, turning from harm, and may return and leave a blessing behind.
It applies now, when the world is fast becoming as it was before the flood and Satan has set up his throne in the earth. It applies when the law of God is trampled under foot and the sins of the inhabitants of the cities and towns have reached to heaven. At such a time the Sabbath sanctified and blessed in Eden is set aside and polluted, and a rival first-day sabbath is exalted, a spurious Sunday sabbath instituted by the man of sin and set above the fourth commandment. Then it is time for men to pray in humility before God, sounding the trumpet in Zion as an urgent warning, sanctifying a fast and calling a solemn assembly to turn to the Lord with all the heart with fasting and weeping and mourning, rending the heart and not the garments. That return is urged because He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, turning from threatened evil and leaving blessing behind, with priests weeping between porch and altar pleading for God to spare His people and not give His heritage to reproach and heathen rule.
The call is directed to ministers to humble themselves, seek God, gather the people, and pray together for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They are to set apart a fast and gather for a solemn assembly to seek God and pray for the Holy Spirit's outpouring.