Project 119: Joel 2:1-17
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“The Great Army of Locusts”
Today’s reading passage is one which I find both jarring and meaningful. The second chapter of Joel is traditionally used to begin the service on Ash Wednesday as Christians open the doorway to the season of Lent. Lent is one of the most meaningful seasons of the church year to me as a Baptist because I believe it to be a season of revival/renewal/repentance.
While chapter 1 of Joel describes the invasion of the locust swarm and issues the public call for repentance, chapter 2 echoes similar themes. The heading in my Bible for this chapter is the “Army of Locusts.” The chapter begins by urging those in authority over the people to sound the alarm that the “day of the Lord” is coming. The phrase “day of the Lord” in Scripture is used to denote God’s judgement and impending punishment on those whose sin is standing against His ways. The day of the Lord in Joel 2 reiterates the army of locusts and what it will be like for the people when they come. Many scholars also believe that this is not only a description of locusts, but also of an impending invasion of a foreign army of soldiers which the Lord will use to inflict punishment upon them.
This prophecy is not without hope, however. Verse 12 begins a new section of the chapter dealing with God’s mercy which is still available to the people.“Even now” the Lord says, “Return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” (Joel 2:12, NIV). This indicates to us that even in the middle of great sin and chaos in our lives, God is still there, ever calling “return to Me.” It is never too late for us until we draw our final breath. The sobering thought regarding God’s judgement and His call for our repentance is that while we may yet turn from our sins and God will forgive us, He does not guarantee us that we will not suffer the consequences of our choices or actions. As Matthew Henry puts it in his commentary on these verses, “There is no question but that if we truly repent of our sins, God will forgive them; but whether He will remove affliction is not promised, yet the probability of it should encourage us to repent” (Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary).
Ponder on these thoughts today and allow God to reveal the areas in which you need to repent from and start afresh. Repentance is a daily discipline and should not only be reserved for the season of Lent!
Joel 2:1-17 (ESV):
The Day of the LORD
1 Blow a trumpet in Zion;
sound an alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near,
2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful people;
their like has never been before,
nor will be again after them
through the years of all generations.
3 Fire devours before them,
and behind them a flame burns.
The land is like the garden of Eden before them,
but behind them a desolate wilderness,
and nothing escapes them.
4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,
and like war horses they run.
5 As with the rumbling of chariots,
they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of a flame of fire
devouring the stubble,
like a powerful army
drawn up for battle.
6 Before them peoples are in anguish;
all faces grow pale.
7 Like warriors they charge;
like soldiers they scale the wall.
They march each on his way;
they do not swerve from their paths.
8 They do not jostle one another;
each marches in his path;
they burst through the weapons
and are not halted.
9 They leap upon the city,
they run upon the walls,
they climb up into the houses,
they enter through the windows like a thief.
10 The earth quakes before them;
the heavens tremble.
The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.
11 The LORD utters his voice
before his army,
for his camp is exceedingly great;
he who executes his word is powerful.
For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome;
who can endure it?
Return to the LORD
12 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.
14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the LORD your God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
16 gather the people.
Consecrate the congregation;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
even nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.
17 Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep
and say, “Spare your people, O LORD,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”