02/12/2025
This gate was named after the town in which the prophet Amos was born. The question is, why point to him? At first glance, the pieces make no sense. We have a shepherd, turned prophet, from Tekoa, who spent his entire book casting unrelenting judgment. But God doesn't make mistakes, so He wants us to learn something, and the obvious spot to start is the name Tekoa, which means Trumpet.
Trumpets in Scripture had many purposes. A call to war. A call to march. A call to assemble. A call to rejoice and celebrate (Num 10:1-10) A call to come to the presence of God. (Ex 19:16) A call to shout, then watch God bring the victory (Joshua 6 & 7)
Trumpets were so important they had their own feast. The Feast of Trumpets was a Holy day of rest, remembrance, and offerings of fire to God. This head of the year is believed by the Jews to be when God created the heaven & earth. Adam was born, as was Samuel, and the first temple was dedicated all on this day. The sound of the shofar, or ram's horn, was a call to prepare oneself for the year ahead by repentance, prayer, and evaluating one's relationship with God.
Ezekiel 33 says the watchman on the wall is responsible for blowing the trumpet of warning, and the people are responsible for acting accordingly. Your pastor is your watchman, and he, like Amos, is also your shepherd.
If we won't listen to the trumpet and respond to its call here, we'll never hear the final trumpet of God when He calls us home. When we hear the sound of the voice of God in whatever form it takes in our life, we must heed. Remember, these moments are not God hating on us. It's an opportunity to enter a new day because the sound points the direction. I'd rather be warned in time than face judgment for eternity.
Guard the trumpet in your life! It may look bad, but following the sound leads to blessing now and eternal life later! Now, there is one more piece to this, so check out the second slide from today.