Joel 1:15-2:2

-We have a lot of days that we focus on:

-certain holidays = some favor ones over others

-birth day

-graduation day

-wedding day

-days in which our children are born

-retirement day

-those are all days of rejoicing and excitement, but what about the day of the Lord?

-what is the day of the Lord? It is used throughout Scripture but is not always associated with the same events

The day of the Lord is to identify a span of time during which God personally intervenes in history, directly or indirectly, to accomplish some specific aspect of His plan.

-We find that Joel used it several times

Joel 2:1; 2:11; 2:31; 3:14)

-in the book of Joel and in many other cases it was used to signify judgment

-specifically - an army coming to invade as we see in Joel 2:2 -

-other times it was used to signify salvation (although in this case, it is referenced as the day)

Isaiah 10:27 ESV

27 And in that day his burden will depart from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.”

-The day is near, it has not already happened

-So what we have already studied with the locusts who took away the vineyards and the fig trees is something that has already happened, then why mention it?

-A reminder of how God has judged his people because of their sin

-It was to bring to their remembrance

-Day of the Lord was used to describe the northern army attack against Jerusalem in Zeph 1:7, Isaiah 13:6 uses it describe the destruction of Babylon, Obadiah 15 uses it describe the judgment of all nations

-The day of the Lord is not just the locust plague that would resonate with the Jews, but the coming judgement

-It’s kind of like when we are teaching our kids, do you remember the time you do such and such and remember what happened, well if you continue to do this then this will be the consequences

-Joel used the Day of the Lord so the Jews would know that this judgment is coming from God Himself

-What did Joel want the Jews to know about the day of the Lord?

The Day is Imminent (v.15; 2:1)

Alas for the Day! For the Day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.

-near = closest, really close

-In other words the day is coming, it is imminent

-What is the significance of the day being imminent, you cannot stop it, you cannot hide from it, you cannot avoid it, it will come, God’s judgment will come

-Joel has already focused on the seriousness of their sin, their sin is why the day is near, their rebellion is why judgment is imminent

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

-it is coming, make no mistake about it

-God will judge sin, plain and simple

-a main point of emphasis is that it is God who is bringing the judgment

-it is the day of the Lord

-destruction from the Almighty comes

-Almighty = Shaddai

-an omnipotent destruction, a total destruction

English Standard Version (Chapter 1)

Is not the food cut off

before our eyes,

joy and gladness

from the house of our God?

17  The seed shrivels under the clods;

the storehouses are desolate;

the granaries are torn down

because the grain has dried up.

18  How the beasts groan!

The herds of cattle are perplexed

because there is no pasture for them;

even the flocks of sheep suffer.

-seems redundant

-Joel has already stated that the wine was cut off from the drunkards in v. 5, then cutoff from the temple in v. 9, now just food in general is mentioned

-Even the house of God is destitute

-indicates a drought, the seed is shriveled

-clods - shovel

-Just as the judgment came, the day of the Lord would be imminent

-the reason God judges is the love God has for His people

‘if He judges, He judges in love’ (Dodd).

CH Dodd

Far from condoning sin, his love has found a way to expose it (because he is light) and to consume it (because he is fire) without destroying the sinner, but rather saving him.

John Stott

The Day is a Warning

-why did Joel alarm the Jews about the day of the Lord?

-It was a warning

Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble

-shofar was a ram’s horn that was used for a few purposes

-to call people to worship

Numbers 10:10 ESV

10 On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before your God: I am the Lord your God.”

-to sound an alarm, to alert the coming of another army

-Joel noted that this call was not from the walls which would be the normal place for it to sound from, instead it would sound from Zion, the holy hill again signifying that this army destruction is from God

Joel 2:15 ESV

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly;

Jeremiah 4:5–6 ESV

5 Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, “Blow the trumpet through the land; cry aloud and say, ‘Assemble, and let us go into the fortified cities!’ 6 Raise a standard toward Zion, flee for safety, stay not, for I bring disaster from the north, and great destruction.

-in other words this is a military warning of theological significance

-The warning should bring trembling to the Jews not because of the army that would come, but because it was the day of the Lord, that the Lord was the one orchestrating these events - there must be the fear of God

-This is an area of concern for me in our culture and day and time, there seems to be a lack of the fear of God

-I do not like to get political and this is not a political statement, but my friends I saw people compare a human political figure to Jesus and no human should ever be compared to Jesus who is the Son of God, it shows the low view of Jesus even amongst those who identify as Christians

-I know our culture, and the way events are unfolding today is a concern for many, but the problem is not who is in the white house it is the failure to fear God and to repent of our sins

The Day Leads to Repentance (1:19)

-The day of the Lord was not just to bring gloom and despair to the Jews, it was to awaken them to seek the Lord

-The goal is repentance - turning away from sin, turning to God

I was born for nothing but repentance.

Tertullian

Westminster Shorter Catechism has an excellent definition of repentance in Question 87:

Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience.

-God’s judgement is not to devour us but to enlighten us, to wake us up, and to ultimately lead us to repentance

-Joel calls out to Yahweh alone

-He is the only one who could stop the judgement

-Possibly Joel was demonstrating to the people that Yahweh is the one and only God and they should be crying out to Him as well

-the Jews could have been tempted to cry out to the false god baal, who was seen as the god of fertility and rain

-Joel further explained that creation looks to Yahweh for relief

-fire has devoured = either a reference to the locusts, drought, or a literal fire

-v. 20 the beasts of the field pant for Yahweh

-True repentance must start with confession of guilt yes then very speedily turning to God

-repentance is not just to stop sinning, it is not to be a good little Christian, it is to seek God with all our hearts, to worship Him with everything that is within us

Man is born with his back toward God. When he truly repents, he turns right around and faces God.

Dwight L. Moody

-Points for us to reflect on:

-Do you have a fear of God, if not then why not?

-God takes sin seriously and so should we, examine your heart today is there any sin in which you should confront and confess.

-Give thanks to God that He disciplines us, spend time asking God to help you grow into holiness

-How can you become more aware of your spiritual state? How can you examine your heart? Are you in a constant state of prayer? Are you in the Word? If not then what steps will you take to care for your spiritual life?