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“A Meaningless Sound”

Thoughts for Today:

A trumpet in Biblical days was not the same trumpet we know today. The trumpet Paul refers to was indeed a wind instrument and probably made of the horn of an animal (or made like the horn of an animal). It was loud, audible at great distances, and used for a variety of purposes. For example, when Gideon assembled his men to fight the Midianites, he did so by the blowing of a trumpet. Trumpets were used to both signal a time to attack -- and just the opposite -- sound the alarm in cities under siege. It all depended on which notes were played.

In today's military, it's amazing what a trumpet can do -- if someone knows how to play it. One set of notes gets the troops out of bed in the morning, and another signals the end of the day. However, if the trumpeter doesn't play familiar notes, the soldiers won't know whether it's time for breakfast or charge into battle. Get up? Go to bed? Breakfast? Charge? Retreat? If it is an uncertain sound, they won't know how to react.

In the same way, tongues can be meaningless. If they are unfamiliar or confusing, then we won't know how to respond. So it is worthless to stand up in the congregation and speak in tongues to people without an appropriate interpretation -- it's pointless. It doesn't prepare anyone for anything. And no one will know how to respond.

Questions to Ponder:

Does the sound of your trumpet mean anything? Paul's been talking about spiritual gifts. With that in mind, has your spiritual gift been of benefit to the church recently? How can you reconnect?

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About the author

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.