Be Prepared
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Introduction - Book of Joel
Introduction - Book of Joel
Joel is the next book of the minor prophets and one of the ones where it is true that they are not minor is message just in the length of their message. Joel is a short prophetic book only three chapters long. The book of Joel uses a locust invasion to prophetically foreshadow the coming “Day of the Lord”. The essential message of Joel is “Be Prepared”
Joel means Yahweh is God. Just as with Hosea who used his domestic situation to speak God’s truth of His jealous Great Love Story, Joel message revolves around a national calamity a plague of locusts and a drought and he used these to emphasize God’s glorious coming kingdom.
Joel may have very well been the first of the writing prophets; he ministered in Judah during the reign of King Joash (835 B.C. - 796 B.C.) The record is in 2 Kings 11-12 and 2 Chronicles 22-24.
835 B.C. was a time of turmoil and transition in Judah, at the end of the reign of the Queen Mother Athalia and the beginning of the reign of King Joash. You see Athalia seized power at the sudden death in the battle of her son Ahaziah, who only reigned one year (2 Kings 8:26; 11:1). Athalia killed all her son’s heirs, except for one who was hidden in the temple and escaped (2 Kings 11:3). Her six year reign of terror ended in 835 B.C. when the High Priest Jehoiada overthrew Athalia and set the seven year old Josiah on the throne 2 Kings 11:4-21.
During her six year reign as queen over Judah Athalia reigned wickedly. She was the granddaughter of the wicked king Omri of Israel - making her daughter or niece to Ahab, one of Israel’s worst kings (2 Kings 8:26. Athalia raised her son Ahaziah to reign in the wicked pattern of Ahab, and even brought Ahab’s counselors to advise him. When Ahaziah was killed in battle she seized power, and set her other sons to evil, even desecrating the temple and its sacred things (2 Chronicles 24:7).
Main theme found in the book of Joel is that of the Day of the Lord. Other themes are God’s sovereignty, holiness and grace as well as restoration and judgment. The major theme being the day of the Lord and the major message of Joel is the need to “Be Prepared”.
13 Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he relents from sending disaster. 14 Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave a blessing behind him, so you can offer a grain offering and a drink offering to the Lord your God.
The Day Is Near
The Day Is Near
Introduction - Headlines
Introduction - Headlines
Major events with the ability to change life as it is known definitely grab the headlines. Media love to sensationalize the headlines and people gravitate to the news. Tragedies and calamities especially have the potential to make people evaluate their life in terms eternity.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (CSB)
11 He has also put eternity in their hearts
A wise preacher or teacher uses what people are already focused on to grab attention in order to share spiritual truth or spiritual perspective. At this time people of Judah were talking about the economic crisis, and the Lord led Joel to use that event for the backdrop of his messages.
Like all true prophets Joel was commissioned by the Lord to call the people back to worship of the true God. It was the task of the priest to teach people the Law and it was the responsibility of the prophets to call the people back to the Lord whenever they strayed from His Law. The prophets also interpreted historical events in the light of God’s word to help the people understand God’s will in their lives.
Joel therefore as a good prophet sought to guide people to understand what God was speaking through the plague and the drought.
Amazingly in our own times, the nations of the world are experiencing sever droughts and famines, frightening epidemics, unexpected earthquakes, devastating floods, and other natural disasters all of which greatly affect national and global economies. Very few people ask or consider “What is God saying to us?”
Joel wrote this book so people would know what God was saying through these critical events. You see in a crisis all kinds of voicing will be speaking and interpreting what you should do. The optimist says “This crisis isnt going to last. Be brave!” The pessimist says “Its going to get worse and there is no escape! We’re done for!” The alarmist will see the enemy behind every tree, and the scoffers will question the information being reported, and the conspiracy theorists will chime in also — all shrugging their shoulders saying “what difference does it make anyway?”
Joel as a prophet is a Biblicist and a realist and he looked at life through the clarity of the lense of God’s Word. His messages address five people groups giving them each admonitions from the Lord about what they need to do.
Before we jump into the text I want to nail down the Day of the Lord - for some who may not know or might need a refresher.
The simplest way to understand this phrase is to see the day of the Lord that this is God’s time. Man has “day” and the Lord has His day. There are three major days or eras spoken of within scripture. Presently we are in the day of man. That is mankind having his own way. This world has rejected the Lord and we are suffering the consequences. Second we see the day of Christ is synonymous with the Rapture of the Church — when the church is snatched up into heaven where we will spend seven years with Him. We’ll be given our rewards and live in the mansions He’s prepared for us. While all this is going on another day will be unfolding on earth — the Day of the Lord. The third day spoken of in scripture is the day of the Lord. Joel is the first to introduce the theme of the day of the Lord and speaks of it five times.
The day of the Lord differs from the Day of Christ. It is the time that immediately follows the Rapture when God intervenes directly into the affairs of humanity. Beginning with what is known as the Tribulation - the seven year period spoken of Revelation 6-19 when God works to get the attention of a world that isnt listening. The day of the Lord continues from tribulation into the Millennium the 1,000 years of peace when Jesus rules and reigns from Jerusalem. During this time men shall study war no more, things will be right at last. The day of the Lord goes from Tribulation and continues through the Millennium.
Joel speaks to 5 people groups giving several admonitions.
Elders and Citizens
Elders and Citizens
1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel son of Pethuel: 2 Hear this, you elders; listen, all you inhabitants of the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors?
3 Tell your children about it, and let your children tell their children, and their children the next generation. 4 What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten.
Hear this and Listen
Hear this and Listen
The prophet as the word of the Lord came to him opens his message with an appeal to all who were living in the land. The elders were the people who were the civil leaders, those who played a prominent role in government and judicial systems. Joel calls on them to consider the uniqueness and significance of the disaster which had come on them.
A couple of reasons why he may have chosen to address them first - first they were elders because they were older, having had much experience in life and of life. Having such experience they could authenticate what Joel is saying about the severity of the situation. Secondly they were respected citizens in the land. With their support Joel wasnt just another voice in a sea of voices. They agreed with the prophet that the nation was facing a never before seen catastrophe such as never seen before.
Hear and Listen sound like repeating the same command but it is one thing to hear and an entirely different thing to listen. It is not enough to hear the message only - the message must drive the action for without responsive action nothing changes.
Tell
Tell
Joel continues in his admonition for the elders and the citizens of the land to know it is not enough for them to hear and listen, but for them to ensure that the message and the active response to the message is passed on. Children do not instinctively know they must be instructed to know. They must have those who experience it first hand to share it with them in a way they can understand. This message and its responsive action must live on beyond themselves. Elders —> their children —> their children —> the next generation - this is a span of four different generations.
The event in view - a massive invasion by locusts which completely destroyed the lands crops and vegetation. Four terms are used for the locusts - devouring, swarming, young and destroying. The terms are synonymous, used for variety and to emphasize the succession of waves of locusts.
Notice the complete devastation described. What one group left the next swarm devoured, and what they left the next demolished. The emphasis is on the total and thorough nature of the destruction.
The plague was so unusual Joel says tell your children. The times were so remarkable and so difficult that they would tell their children of the time they lived through the locusts.
In 1915 a devastating plague of locusts covered what is modern day Israel and Syria. The first swarms came in March, in clouds so thick they blocked out the sun. The female locusts immediately began to lay eggs, 100 at a time. Witnesses say that in one square yard there were as many as 65,000 to 75,000 eggs. In a few weeks they hatched, and the young locusts resembled large ants. They couldnt yet fly and so they got along by hopping. They marched along 400 - 600 feet a da, devouring every speck of vegetation along the way. After two more stages of molting they became adults who could fly and the devastation continued.
Drunkards and Wine Drinkers
Drunkards and Wine Drinkers
5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep; wail, all you wine drinkers, because of the sweet wine, for it has been taken from your mouth. 6 For a nation has invaded my land, powerful and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the fangs of a lioness.
7 It has devastated my grapevine and splintered my fig tree. It has stripped off its bark and thrown it away; its branches have turned white.
Wake Up
Wake Up
Except for a brief mention of insincerity of worship, drunkeness is the only sin Joel actually names in his book. Why specifically addressing the drunkards? It is an egregious sin that destroys and ruins lives, but I think more so it is the attitude of the drunkard that is being called to wake up — drunkards may represent the careless people of the land who only care about their next sinful pleasure.
Joel is calling those who live only for their appetites and their pleasures - to wake up. If you live simply for pleasure and self wake up!
Weep and Wail
Weep and Wail
The people would have a good reason to weep and wail because there is no wine and there would be no new wine until the next season if there is a next season. Due to the locusts and the drought the new wine is dried up. It has been taken from their lips and their mouth. Wine is a staple of the ancient diet so even those who didnt abuse its alcoholic content would be adversely affected by the devastation.
Everything they lived for as drunkards is gone - now what?
Farmers
Farmers
8 Grieve like a young woman dressed in sackcloth, mourning for the husband of her youth. 9 Grain and drink offerings have been cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, who are ministers of the Lord, mourn.
10 The fields are destroyed; the land grieves; indeed, the grain is destroyed; the new wine is dried up; and the fresh oil fails. 11 Be ashamed, you farmers, wail, you vinedressers, over the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished.
12 The grapevine is dried up, and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the date palm, and the apple— all the trees of the orchard—have withered. Indeed, human joy has dried up.
Grieve
Grieve
Joel says to the farmers to grieve as a young woman who mourns the husband of her youth. This speaks to a woman who was betrothed but not married who lost her husband - grieving would be especially bitter and tear felt.
Grieve because everything you looked forward to is now gone. Your future was planned around this and now it has changed - now what do you do?
Grain and drink offerings are cutoff from the Lord - does it affect you? The fields and the land grieves it is all dried up and perished.
Be Ashamed
Be Ashamed
The farmers are to be ashamed or dismayed and the vinedressers wail - their livelihood is gone. The grapevine is dried up - the fig tree is withered
Joy was tied to the harvest - without the harvest Joel says human joy has dried up. If all your joy is tied to this earth and this plane of existence be ashamed for that joy is gone.
Priests
Priests
13 Dress in sackcloth and lament, you priests; wail, you ministers of the altar. Come and spend the night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God, because grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God. 14 Announce a sacred fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land at the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.
15 Woe because of that day! For the day of the Lord is near and will come as devastation from the Almighty. 16 Hasn’t the food been cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God?
17 The seeds lie shriveled in their casings. The storehouses are in ruin, and the granaries are broken down, because the grain has withered away. 18 How the animals groan! The herds of cattle wander in confusion since they have no pasture. Even the flocks of sheep and goats suffer punishment.
19 I call to you, Lord, for fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness, and flames have devoured all the trees of the orchard. 20 Even the wild animals cry out to you, for the river beds are dried up, and fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness.
Dress in Sackcloth
Dress in Sackcloth
Joel calls for the priests to also react to the situation. Dont just sit there and do nothing understand that this is all to lead you to repent. Sackcloth represents mourning and repentance before God. Not only were the people in need in daily life, but the temple needed a wake up call and a return to true worship of God and that starts with the priests.
No one could bring their necessary sacrifices - no meal, no wine, and no animals were available. Joel calls the priests to see act on behalf of the people who could not worship and offer sacrifices. They were to pray and lament mourning complete with dressing in sackcloth before the Lord.
Announce a fast
Announce a fast
The Jews were required to only observe a fast once per calendar year. The annual Day of Atonement - Yom Kippur.
29 “This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you.
31 It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever.
However the religious leaders could call a fast anytime it was nationally necessary and the people needed to humble themselves and seek God’s face. Joel says this is an emergency and they need to get on their faces humble yourself and pray.
13 If I shut the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on my people, 14 and my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
Proclaim a solemn assembly
Proclaim a solemn assembly
Gathering of the people together to all seek the face of God through humble repentance and mourning. The elders all the way down must observe and participate - this was not the time for saying not me - I did nothing. National sins and national calamities required the humbling of the nation in whole.
Cry out to the Lord
Cry out to the Lord
It isnt enough to just mourn and humble themselves and lament - God’s covenant requires His people to seek Him and cry out to Him and pray to Him.
26 When the skies are shut and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and they pray toward this place and praise your name, and they turn from their sins because you are afflicting them, 27 may you hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel, so that you may teach them the good way they should walk in. May you send rain on your land that you gave your people for an inheritance.
God is the Lord of creation and without His blessing nature does not produce what we need to sustain life. We must always pray for our daily bread - because it forces us to acknowledge that God is the one who upholds and sustains life.
The animals - the cattle and sheep and goats all groan in unision. All of creation groans and crys out to the Lord.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope 21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.
Creation longs for that day when the Creator returns and sets it free from sin.
Joel says woe because of that day - For the Day of the Lord is near and will come as devastation
Conclusion
Conclusion
Too often we go about our days routinely each day insignificantly merging into the next day. As we go along we take our blessings for granted. Then God brings or allows a natural calamity to occur that rocks our world and reminds us - we control nothing and we are dependent creatures on the face of this planet.
How quickly does society collapse when resources are scarce? When prices escalate - for necessities? We only then discover our true poverty and utter dependence - in those days necessities become luxury and luxury becomes burdensome.
God didnt send great swarms of military armies to Judah to bring the people to their knees, all He needed was a swarm of insects. Sometimes God uses small things - even microscopic things such as bacteria or viruses. He is the Lord of Hosts, the Almighty and none can stay His powerful hand.
All Judah could do was cry out - they were powerless in their trouble. God brought them to a place where only heaven could help their situation and their life.
1 At that time, some people came and reported to him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 And he responded to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all the other Galileans because they suffered these things?
3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well. 4 Or those eighteen that the tower in Siloam fell on and killed—do you think they were more sinful than all the other people who live in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well.”
Jesus when confronted with a disaster that in those days was massive showed the question to be asking in those times. He didnt act as if the catastrophe was blind fate He used it as a wake-up call for repentance. “Why did this happen?” is the wrong question according to Jesus - “Am I prepared to face such calamity and disaster in this fallen world?”
Sometimes in America we have a tendency to feel overly secure in our state of being. Our economy is robust and firing on all cylinders, our technology is taking us to places and allowing us to do more than ever imagined. Joel reminds us that something as simple as grasshoppers can put an end to all that.
The strength of any economy is tenuous at best. God sent us our own wake up call recently didnt He? Showed us how fragile our great world truly is. The year before the locusts they experienced their greatest prosperity. They thought they had it made and had arrived - but they found out when the trillions of bugs came across the land that they were instead woefully unprepared.
Are you prepared for the Day of the Lord? It is coming nearer and nearer and its devastation will be worse than what was described in Joel and even worse than the pandemic of our time. This is but a taste of the calamity coming. Hear and Listen, Wake-up, weep wail and grieve, repent and cry out to God and then you will be prepared for that day for you will not face or endure the Day of the Lord (except the Millennium). If you do nothing with this wake up call you will face greater calamity and destruction.
God always sets before us life and death - calling us to choose life that we may live.
12 The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Repent and Believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin - everything to trust in in this world and this life is temporary and wont last it is a false security - Jesus is the only true security in this life for the next life.