Shadows of War

Joel 2:1-11

Introduction

Short Recap

A few ways to view the folllowing section

The way which we are going to view it

Weirsbe’s Immediate, Imminent, and Ultimate

Shadows of things to come

Plato’s cave

Much like the shadows on the wall in Plato’s cave, God, through the prophet Joel is showing shdows of things to come. Shadows of the Day of the Lord.

God uses shadows to help us understand Him with many facets of our lives.

Earthly fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, children and earthly friends, are all “shadows.” But God is the “substance.”

Jonathan Edwards

The breakdown:

The Warning

The Day

The Them

The Warning

Joel 2:1 “Blow a trumpet in Zion, And make a loud shout on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of Yahweh is coming; Surely it is near, A day of darkness and thick darkness, A day of clouds and dense gloom. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a numerous and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it For the years from generation to generation.”

With an increased level of intensity, Joel utilized the metaphor of the locust plague and drought as a backdrop from which to launch an intensified call to repent in view of the coming invasion of Judah and the Day of the Lord, present and future. - JMAC

“Blow a trumpet”

This is to sound the alarm of invasion! The term here refers to a shofar or rams horn trumpet.

J Vernon McGee points out that God told Moses to make two silver trumpets. These trumpets were used to alert and control the people of the exodus for movements.

Numbers 10:1–10 LSB

Yahweh spoke further to Moses, saying, “Make yourself two trumpets of silver, of hammered work you shall make them; and you shall use them for summoning the congregation and for having the camps set out. “So both will be blown, and all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the doorway of the tent of meeting. “Yet if only one is blown, then the leaders, the heads of the divisions of Israel, shall assemble before you. “But when you blow an alarm, the camps that are pitched on the east side shall set out. “Then you will blow an alarm the second time, and the camps that are pitched on the south side shall set out; an alarm is to be blown for them to set out. “When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without sounding an alarm. “The priestly sons of Aaron, moreover, shall blow the trumpets; and this shall be for you a perpetual statute throughout your generations. “Now when you go to war in your land against the adversary who attacks you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before Yahweh your God and be saved from your enemies. “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 remembrance of you before your God. I am Yahweh your God.”

Ho 5:8 “Blow the horn in Gibeah, The trumpet in Ramah. Make a loud shout at Beth-aven: “Behind you, Benjamin!””

Am 3:6 “If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity happens in a city has not Yahweh done it?”

Ex 19:13 “‘No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or surely shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.””

Ex 19:16 “So it happened on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.”

Ex19:19 “And the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder; then Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder.”

Isa 27:13 “And it will be in that day, that a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were perishing in the land of Assyria and who were banished in the land of Egypt will come and worship Yahweh in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.”

Zep 1:14-16 “Near is the great day of Yahweh, Near and coming very quickly; O the sound, the day of Yahweh! In it the mighty man cries out bitterly. A day of fury is that day, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and thick darkness, A day of clouds and dense gloom, A day of trumpet and loud shouting Against the fortified cities And the high corner towers.”

Zec 9:14 “Then Yahweh will appear over them, And His arrow will go forth like lightning; And Lord Yahweh will blow the trumpet And will go in the storm winds of the south.”

1Th 4:16 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”

We even find this connection with trumpets and judgment during the final days of the tribulation. These are the seven trumpet judgements on the earth.

First trumpet

hail and fire mingled with blood is thrown to Earth, burning up a third of the trees on the planet, and all green grass.

Second trumpet

something described as "a great mountain burning with fire" plunges into the sea and turns a third of the oceans to blood. Soon after, a third of all sea life and a third of all ships will be destroyed.

Third trumpet

a great star called Wormwood falls to the Earth, poisoning a third of the planet's freshwater sources, such as rivers and springs. Many will die from the bitterness of its taste.

Fourth trumpet

a third of the light that shines from the Sun, moon, and stars becomes dark from the celestial bodies being "struck." This catastrophe causes complete darkness for a third of the day, even through night hours.

Fifth trumpet

The fifth trumpet is the "first woe" of three. Before this trumpet sounds, an angel (translated as an eagle in some versions) appears, and warns, "Woe, woe, woe, to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!"[8]

The fifth trumpet prompts a personified star to fall from heaven. The star is given the key to the bottomless pit. After opening it, the smoke that rises out of the pit darkens the air and blocks the sunlight. Then, from out of the smoke, the locusts are unleashed. The locusts are scorpion-tailed warhorses that have a man's face with lion's teeth. Their hair is long and they fly with locust-like wings. They are adorned with golden crowns and protected with iron breastplates. They are commanded by their king, Abaddon, to torment anyone who does not have the seal of God on their forehead, by using their scorpion-like tails. It is also made clear to them that they must not kill anyone during the five months of torment.[9]

Sixth trumpet

After the fifth trumpet blast, the sixth one sounds.[12] This is the "second woe", where four angels are released from their binds in the "great river Euphrates". They command a force of two-hundred million mounted troops whose horses exude plagues of fire, smoke, and brimstone from their mouths. The mounted horsemen wore breastplates with the color of fire, hyacinth, and brimstone. The horses are with lion's head and their tails, as well, are like a serpent with a head. The plagues exuding from the horses will kill a third of all mankind.[13]

Seventh trumpet

The sound of the seventh trumpet signals the "third woe." This is the final trumpet and the final woe. Loud voices in Heaven will say: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever. " [14]

The Day

“the day of Yahweh” - heb. yom Yahweh

Joel 2:2 “A day of darkness and thick darkness, A day of clouds and dense gloom. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a numerous and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it For the years from generation to generation.”

Joel is using the following section to overlap these shadows and pictures of the imminent and ultimate Day of the Lord against the back drop of immediate day.

The Day of the Lord…what was the contemporary thought?

Amos 5:18 “Woe, you who are longing for the day of Yahweh, For what purpose will the day of Yahweh be to you? It will be darkness and not light;”

There were those in Israel that belived the Day of the Lord to be a time of joy and salvation. But, the Day of the Lord contains no salvation. It is Judgment, pure righteuoss judgment.

Amos 5:10-12 “They hate him who reproves in the gate, And they abhor him who speaks with integrity. Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor And take a tribute of grain from them, Though you have built houses of cut stone, Yet you will not live in them; You have planted desirable vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine. For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are mighty, You who distress the righteous and take bribes And turn aside the needy in the gate.”

One commentary points out that Israelites were confident that God was always on their side, no matter how they behaved. But the comnbined words of the OT prophets refuted this belif and showed the people that repentance was required. They could not live in their sins and expect God’s blessings on the final day.

Here now we can build a picture of the imminent day of the Lord, the Assyrian invasion.

Wiersbe says of this: “Now that he had their attention, Joel told the people to stop looking around at the locusts and to start looking ahead to the fulfillment of what the locust plague symbolized: the invasion of a firece army from the north (v20). Unless Joel had some other attack in mind, about which we knoe nothing, he was probably refering to the Assyrian invasion, during the reign of King Hezikiah, which took place in 701 BC (Isa. 36-37). God allowed the Assyrians to ravage the land, but He miraculously delivered Jerusalem from being taken captive.”

“darkness, clouds, and “gloom”

This is how the day of the Lord begins…not with light, but with darkness.

Isa 8:22 “Then they will look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be banished into thick darkness.”

“as the dawn is spread over the mountain”

This speaks to the immensity of the invading force

Isa 37:36 “Then the angel of Yahweh went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And the men arose early in the morning, and behold, all of them were dead bodies.”

“a mighty people” - they...

“there has never been anyhting like it” - what about the flood?

“nor will there be again” - this is the final judgment

The Them

Who are “they? them? their?”

The Reformation Hereitage Study Bible says of this section:

“Note the references to the day of the Lord in vv. 1 and 11. This forms an inclusio, or verbal parenthesis, that marks the theme of the intervening verses. The day of the Lord, one of those times when God directly intervenes into the affairs of time, is a powerful incentive to repentance. Joel describes the day as impending, terrible, and irresistible. Interpreters differ as to whether the invading army under God’s direct command refers literally to another wave of locusts more destructive than the first, or figuratively either to a coming invasion by a foreign enemy, or by the Lord’s heavenly army that will bring the final judgment. Regardless of the specific identity of the army, the invasion is unstoppable, the consequences severe and the call to repent urgent.”

Locusts - we have discussed and seen the locusts and what they represent and what they are doing to the land and the people…but they are still merely a shadow to things to come

Joel 3:3 ““They have also cast lots for My people, Traded a boy for a harlot, And sold a girl for wine that they may drink.”

Here we see imagery of paradise lost…the locusts, the Assryians, the final day is destruction of the beuaty and sustainability of creation.

Joel 2:4 “Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like war horses, so they run.” JMAC - “The resemblance of the locust’s head to that of a horse is striking, so much so that the prophet reiterates the word “appearance.” Horses were not used for agricultural purposes in ancient times, but were the most feared military equipment (Ex 15:1ff., 19; Dt 20:1; Jos 11:4). The simile continues with “as of chariots” (v. 5); “like a mighty people” (v. 5); “like mighty men” (v. 7); and “like soldiers” (v. 7).”

Here we are talking about male steeds. It is synonmous with endurance and strength. Horses of war!

Ex 15:19 “For the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, and Yahweh brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea.”

Dt 20:1 ““If you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for Yahweh your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.”

Jos 11:4 “Then they came out, they and all their armies with them, as many people as the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.”

Joel 2:7-9 “They run like mighty men; They climb up the wall like men of war; And they each march in line, And they do not deviate from their paths. They do not crowd each other; They march everyone in his path; When they fall against the defending weapons, They do not break ranks. They rush on the city; They run on the wall; They climb up into the houses; They enter through the windows like a thief.” - my own experience of being a disciplined and well trained Soldier...

Joel 2:10 “Before them the earth trembles; The heavens quake; The sun and the moon grow dark, And the stars lose their brightness.”

One commentater observed of this verse that: “So devastating is the judgment that it reverses the order of creation. At creation light dispelled darkness; here the darkness shadows the light.”

Assyrians - Isa 37:36 “Then the angel of Yahweh went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And the men arose early in the morning, and behold, all of them were dead bodies.”

Joel 2:20-21 ““But I will remove the northern military force far from you, And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, And its vanguard into the eastern sea, And its rear guard into the western sea. And its stench will rise up, and its foul smell will rise up, For it has done great things.” Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad, For Yahweh has done great things.”

Final judgement -

Joel 2:10 “Before them the earth trembles; The heavens quake; The sun and the moon grow dark, And the stars lose their brightness.”

Mat 24:7 ““For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.”

Mat 24:29 ““But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the POWERS OF THE HEAVENS will be shaken.”

So What?

Joel 2:11 “But Yahweh gives forth His voice before His military force; Surely His camp is very numerous, For mighty is he who does His word. The day of Yahweh is indeed great and very awesome, And who can endure it?”

“The Day of the Lord was “close at hand” for Joel’s readers in the same sense that the coming of Christ is “near” for believers in this age (Rev. 3:11; 22:7, 12, 20). Joel’s point was not that the Day of the Lord had, in fact, arrived but that it was near in the sense that it was imminent and could come at anytime.” - Charles Dyer

Rev 3:11 “‘I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”

Rev 22:7 ““And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.””

Rev 22:12 ““Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to his work.”

Rev 22:20 “He who bears witness to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

We have to understand what this section of Scripture is not...

This is not a scare tactic saying “be god or be judged”

This is not a “God’s gonna getcha!” story, God is not the boogeyman or someone who is waiting around with lightning bolts waiting to zap us if we step out of line.

This is a section of Scripture that shows the Holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. It is a section of Scripture that highlights His goodness, longsuffering patitience, grace, and mercy.

Holiness is not just an attribute, it is God’s very essence.

R. C. Sproul

But now we have to ask ourselves a questions concerning this section, and the question is not “do you want to go to Heaven?” Everyone wants to go to Heaven, they just don’t want God to be there when they get there - Paul Washer

The question is “do you want God?” The question is “even now do you hate your sin? Do you hate the sin that you once loved?” For a Christian the answer to this should be easy. To a Christian sin is vomit in our mouth. But to the unsaved it is the very thing that they pursue daily and celebrate. Would you turn from your sin and respond to God’s call to repentance?

Next week we will introduce the key verseof this entire book: Joel 2:12 “Yet even now,” declares Yahweh, “Return to Me with all your heart And with fasting, weeping, and wailing;”