Horn of Salvation
"Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and provided redemption for His people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets in ancient times." (Luke 1:68-70 CSB)
Maybe it's because music is my second language, but when I first read this name of God, I immediately thought of a trumpet.
"Horn," though, as it is most often used in Scripture, refers not to sound but to strength. On a bull, for example, the horns show the power of the whole creature. These protrusions are what ultimately allow the animal to accomplish its mission, to defeat its enemies, to achieve victory.
This is such an important distinction, because I can blast at the top of my lungs that I want someone to be saved—from themselves, from separation from God, from trouble—but I do not have the strength to save them. I can make all the noise I want about eternal life for a loved one, but I don't have the power to make it happen. I can scream until I'm hoarse that a person I care about is being crushed by the weight of sin, but I don't have the muscle to lift that weight off them.
Jesus, though, has both the will to save us and the way to save us. He has the power to accomplish His purpose. He has the muscle to rescue us.
The Horn of Salvation is the strength of our salvation. And one day, the trumpet will sound this triumphant truth as it's never been sounded before:
"The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever'" (Revelation 11:15).
Victory is His. Mission accomplished.
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Song suggestion: "The Trumpet Shall Sound;" from "Messiah;" George Frideric Handel; The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVxOf6Zok1I.
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Song suggestion: "The Trumpet Shall Sound;" from "Messiah;" George Frideric Handel; The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVxOf6Zok1I.
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