"Sound An Alarm!"
Notes
Transcript
1. The Warning of Certain Judgment, 2: 1-2a.
1. The Warning of Certain Judgment, 2: 1-2a.
1 — Jerusalem, like many other ancient cities, had walls and towers from which guards could be on the lookout for approaching armies.
The “trumpet” is the shofar or ram’s horn which was used to call people to worship and celebration, cf. Num. 10:10
“Also in the day of your gladness and in your appointed feasts, and on the first days of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the Lord your God.”
They were also used to sound an alarm, being “the ancient equivalent of the modern air raid siren.” It implies in our text that the people were to view this as an act of Yahweh, emphasized by the alarm coming not from the wall, but from Zion, the “holy hill”. Jeremiah 4:5-6
Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, “Blow the trumpet in the land; Cry aloud and say, ‘Assemble yourselves, and let us go Into the fortified cities.’
“Lift up a standard toward Zion! Seek refuge, do not stand still, For I am bringing evil from the north, And great destruction.
Moving from the recent past of a devastating locust plague, the warning is of a coming military event with theological significance.
Joel calls on the people to tremble because this army was a sign of the day of the LORD; the curses of Deuteronomy 28 were coming upon them in full fury and they were to fear the wrath of God.
2 — Clouds and darkness are common figures of judgment and destruction, Jeremiah 13:16
Give glory to the Lord your God, Before He brings darkness And before your feet stumble On the dusky mountains, And while you are hoping for light He makes it into deep darkness, And turns it into gloom.
Gloom and thick darkness are often associated with Yahweh in His role of the mighty, victorious warrior.
2. The Future Army Described, 2: 2b-9.
2. The Future Army Described, 2: 2b-9.
The switch from the clouds and darkness to the simile of dawn breaking signals a change to the specific portrayal of the coming army, its irresistible approach and massive size, gathering into position before it attacks with the rising of the sun. It is described as the most fearsome host the world has ever seen, full of sheer strength and there is nothing that can compare to it in history past nor in the years to come.
Joel uses the recent locust plagues as a harbinger of an impending human invasion by an undesignated foreign foe(s).
3 — This army is described as full of destructive power, leaving devastation in its wake. The description of fire and flames is noteworthy as armies of the ancient world regularly burned the fields of lands they invaded. If the land is pictured as a “garden of Eden” prior to this invasion, it conveys the idea of fertile, green and some kind of paradise (this would seem to be in the future; it certainly would not be true after a locust plague!). Yet and act of God will reduce the land to a “desolate wilderness.” They will not miss a thing in their destructive path.
4 — here the power and might of the army is emphasized. They unnerve their opponents in the same way that foot soldiers react when they see a cavalry charge. Jer. 6:23 and Ezek. 38:4 associate horses with the foe to come in the future who goes against Jerusalem.
“They seize bow and spear; They are cruel and have no mercy; Their voice roars like the sea, And they ride on horses, Arrayed as a man for the battle Against you, O daughter of Zion!”
“I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords;
5 — The image depicted here is one of a surprise attack and the terror that accompanies it. Chariots in full charge erupt over the tops of hills and down onto a plain, the sound that may have been muffled by the hillside between foes suddenly arrives, startling the troops awaiting them. Similarly a raging grass fire overwhelms, driving people to fear and flight before its flames.
Earlier, the locusts were the precursor for this future army that Joel speaks of. The Hebrew language can use”like” in an expression that describes precisely what something is. Along with the military language throughout the chapter, Joel writes to an audience that knew very well that the final stage of the outpouring of God’s judgment upon them after locust plagues, as outlined in Deuteronomy 28:38-65, was warfare, defeat, and exile.
6 — before such an army, the picture Joel describes is of real terror and fear by the people in and around Jerusalem.
7 — The army described is relentless, unstoppable, highly trained, and effective as a force.
“run” — as described, implies courage, determination, and physical vigor.
They are trained in the art of the siege. They are “warriors” and “soldiers,” describing their quality.
They are not raw recruits, for they do not break rank or lose discipline even when they are on the attack.
8 — They do not jostle one another.
They do not pull back from pressing the attack.
9 — Here is the goal of the invaders, breaking through to the heart of the civilian population. The final calamity would be the intrusion into houses, violating personal spaces. No one will keep them from dashing about the city and running along the walls because those who defend them are dead.
We see this army as invincible. There’s more here ...
3. The Great and Awesome Day of the LORD, 2:10-11.
3. The Great and Awesome Day of the LORD, 2:10-11.
10 — Here Cosmic disturbances are pictured, describing Yahweh waging war, see Psalm 18:6-15
In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.
Then the earth shook and quaked; And the foundations of the mountains were trembling And were shaken, because He was angry.
Smoke went up out of His nostrils, And fire from His mouth devoured; Coals were kindled by it.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down With thick darkness under His feet.
He rode upon a cherub and flew; And He sped upon the wings of the wind.
He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
From the brightness before Him passed His thick clouds, Hailstones and coals of fire.
The Lord also thundered in the heavens, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire.
He sent out His arrows, and scattered them, And lightning flashes in abundance, and routed them.
Then the channels of water appeared, And the foundations of the world were laid bare At Your rebuke, O Lord, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
11 - Normally, Yahweh fought for Israel. Here Joel sees Yahweh leading His army against them! The day of the Lord is great and awesome, and no one can withstand it, Mal. 3:2
“But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.
IN The Minor Prophets, Dr. Charles Feinberg writes,
The Minor Prophets, page 21.
“Here we find one of the great principles of God’s dealing with man throughout his history: God only inflicts punishment after great provocation, and when He does so, it is meant to draw man back from further and more severe visitations of the wrath of God.”
4. The Appeal for Personal Repentance, 2:12-14.
4. The Appeal for Personal Repentance, 2:12-14.
12-13a — Under the inspiration of Yahweh, Joel urges the people — even though judgment was threatened --- to repent. This was not for show; it needed to be wholehearted. They had to tear their heart, not merely their garments. Then the external manifestations of their sincere repentance — fasting, weeping, mourning — would be evident. Their need was to return to Yahweh their God, 2 Chron. 7:14
and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
This is a call to return to obedience to the Mosaic covenant.
13b -14 — If the people were sincerely repentant, they could count on Yahweh being gracious, compassionate, patient, loyal to them and willing to withhold punishment. God is sovereign, yet their genuine repentance might move Him to turn from His previous intended course of action and bless them, rather than curse them, Mal. 3:17
“They will be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.”
A Lesson for us to remember is this, as WBC commentary writer Douglas Stuart writes:
“Human repentance does not control God. People cannot force God to show them His forgiveness. They can only appeal to Him for mercy in not meting out against them what they very well deserve. They may hope for His compassion, but they cannot command it, Zeph 2:3
Seek the Lord, All you humble of the earth Who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the Lord’s anger.
Let him put his mouth in the dust, Perhaps there is hope.
The close of verse 14 indicates that agricultural blessings would signal a reversal of God’s judgment in the recent locust invasion, enabling the people once again to offer the grain and drink offerings to the LORD once again.
Another lesson for us: We see God’s graciousness in His willingness to respond, even when people do not deserve it.
We as created by God can never force the hand of the Creator to do our bidding. He alone is God and He deserves all of us. So when He chooses to display His grace toward us, we should be surprised and grateful.