Locusts had devastated the land. This was a promised curse from God because of the idolatry of Israel. The people were in despair. The animals had no food. There was no green thing that remained. There was no crop to harvest: no grain, no fruit, no vegetables, no olives for oil, no grapes for wine. The effects of the damage brought by the locusts are far-reaching and long-lasting. The drunkards and the priests are in the same predicament: no wine.
In the passage under our consideration in this message, we find one of those familiar verses that we have probably heard, but we may not know the reference. Let us observe the text in chapter two, verses twelve through seventeen.
Joel 2:12-17
"(12) Now, therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." (13) So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. (14) Who knows if He will 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 sacred assembly; (16) Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. (17) Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, "Spare Your people, O LORD, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'
In verse twelve, we should understand that God is speaking. This is an imperative. God is commanding Israel to repent. They must do this. (This verse should remind us the words of David in of Psalm Fifty-one, verse seventeen: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.)
Following this command from God, we read the prescription for true repentance. From verse thirteen to seventeen Joel, as the messenger of God, is instructing all of Israel.
The message is simple: true repentance must be whole-hearted. It cannot be merely an outward show of sorrow and mourning. (Tearing of clothing was done to show overwhelming grief. See Genesis 37:34.)
Through Joel, God commands actual contrition. Israel was desperate and helpless. Without God, they were hopeless. Joel is reminding them of the God they had forsaken. He is reminding them of their only hope. He is reminding them of what got them into this situation, and why God had done what He did. Israel must demonstrate that their hearts of truly sensitive to their sins. Having come under the conviction of sin, Israel must repent. God can help them. God is the only one Who can help them. They must be serious in turning away from the things that turned them away from God. They must turn back to Him in all humility and sincerity. All of Israel was guilty. Therefore, this is a call for all of Israel to repent.
Jehovah is the God of Israel. He is the God Who called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees. He is the God Who covenanted to bring such a blessing through Israel that all the nations of the earth would be blessed. He made them to be His special people. Israel had been delivered out of the bondage in Egypt by Jehovah God. Israel had inherited the Promised Land of Canaan, by the grace of God. They had been blessed with houses they had not built, orchards and vineyards they had not planted, and fertile farmlands on which to grow crops. Because God is the gracious God, He is full of mercy and compassion. He is long-suffering and His love is steadfast, even when we have kindled His anger against our sins. God would rather that we obey. He would rather that we did not give Him reason to punish us. But the character of God is such that He must deal with us for our sins. Like a loving father, God chastens his erring children for their good. He does this to bring them to repentance and to cause them to want to walk in obedience to His commands. Israel had been truly blessed by God for generations. But they had become complacent. They had taken their inheritance for granted. Their hearts had grown cold toward the God Who had so greatly blessed them.
Joel reminded them of those attributes of God that they had neglected. He is gracious and merciful. He is slow to anger. He delights in showing kindness, especially to His people. And He relents from doing harm. Joel presents them with hope when he asks, “Who knows if He will turn and relent…”? The implication is that God can do this. It is not uncharacteristic of God to be merciful to those who repent. God has done this before. We have no reason to expect that God will do this in the future, but we also have every reason to believe He can and He may. Do you remember Jonah’s words to Ninevah? Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? ( See Jonah 3:1-9)
If there is any hope for Israel, they must turn to God. Joel reminded Israel of the grace and mercy of God, but he is not being presumptuous. Do not expect repentance to be rewarded. But, the Great God of Israel very well could accept their repentance, if it is indeed genuine, and in His great kindness begin to heal the land, and give Israel all that was necessary for worship (Grain and wine for an offering of thanksgiving to God.). Verse fifteen indicates that there must be urgency, as the trumpet is to be sounded to alert all in Zion. The call for a consecrated, sacred assembly from chapter one is repeated ( See Joel 1:14).
The people of Israel are to prepare for worship. From the oldest of the old men to the youngest children, and everyone in between. No one in Israel would be excused, and no excuse would be accepted. (Not even those on their honeymoon!) Everyone must gather into the congregation for this sacred assembly. The condition of all the land is serious. The occasion for this gathering is equally serious. All of Israel was required to attend. When they have all come together in the court of the congregation, the priests must lead the people. They must face the temple and repent in genuine weeping and mourning over the sins of the people. They must pray!
Their corporate prayer is to be unified. They must have one purpose and one plea: They are to cry out to God for mercy and appeal to His kindness for His glory (See Psalm 79 and Lamentations 5:1-22.). Israel must confess their sins. Israel must acknowledge their God as the One True and Living God, the loving God, and the forgiving God Who has a people that He has called by His name. If they are truly concerned about God’s glory, they will ask that God be glorified in being merciful and forgiving them for His name’s sake. “... Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”
What is the application of this lesson for Christians?
- We are the people of God by His choice.
- We have peace with God because of the shed blood of Christ Jesus.
- When we drift from God, we should expect His hand of chastening upon us (The sacrifice of Christ is NOT our license to sin!)
- When we are under the chastening had of God because of our disobedience, we must repent. We must have a proper attitude, a heart broken and contrite because of our sins. We should grieve and mourn over our sinful disobedience. After all, our sins are the reason why Christ had to die.
- In repentance, we must cry out to God in prayer, appealing to His mercy, and being mindful of His promises. We must remember who we are: Christians, called by His name. Therefore, we may plead for the forgiveness He has promised, remembering that He is glorified in all that He does, especially in forgiving His own dear children.