Blow the Trumpet

Blow the Trumpet

Joel 2:1-11

In the first chapter of Joel we were given insight into a historical event in the life of Judah that was horrifying. The joy of the nation had withered.

We saw a plague of locusts that destroyed the agriculture of the nation. Four waves of locusts devastated the land. We saw that even the seed and granaries were destroyed making it difficult to replant.

We saw the people of the Lord addressed by the prophet. The elders were told to share this story with coming generations.

The drunks were told that the Lord had sobered them up. The worshipers were told they could not make sacrifices.

The farmers were told to be ashamed because they had no crops for the people.

The priests were told to clothe themselves in sackcloth and call upon God.

We saw the preaching of the prophet. He didn’t squander the opportunity. He used this time to call the nation to repentance. He warned them that a greater day of judgment was coming. The locust plague, drought and famine they had experienced would be pale in comparison to the destruction that would ultimately come from the Almighty.

Now we come to chapter two. Joel uses the same imagery of locusts to give detail about coming Day of the Lord. There are a few different ways people interpret chapter 2:1-11.

Some see it as a description of a coming invasion by the Assyrian army.

Some see it is a repetition of the locust plague but with greater detail.

Some see it as prophetic of the ultimate and universal judgment of God upon the earth when Christ returns.

It’s my conviction that what is described in chapter two is universal judgment. Joel has made it clear that the locusts represent a coming greater judgment (1:15). It appears to me that the coming greater judgment he warned of in chapter one is what he is describing in chapter two.

Regardless of what your view is on chapter two the point of chapter two remains the same: Judah should prepare itself for a great judgment the Lord is bringing upon the land.

This morning I want to show you three things from this section of Scripture:

The responsibility of God’s people (1-2).

The description of God’s army (3-10).

The question for humanity (11).

I. The responsibility of God’s people (1-2).

A. Define the Day of the Lord.

The first thing I want you to notice is the end of verse two. It says:

“There hath not been ever the like, neither shall there be any more after it, even to the years to many generations.”

Do you remember what Joel said in 1:2? He said the people had never witnessed anything as horrible as the present situation. The devastation on the land was the worst they had ever witnessed. Now Joel says the coming devastation is even greater than that. In fact, he says the devastation that is coming will be the worst the world will ever know. This is one of the reasons I believe Joel is talking about the return of Christ.

Joel says there has never been anything like this and there never will be anything like this. Joel describes that day in verse 2.

A day of darkness and gloominess.

A day of clouds and thick darkness

A day of a strong and powerful army spread over the mountains waiting to be released.

This imagery would remind them of the locust attacks. Swarms of locusts appear as if they are clouds and often are so great, they block out the sunlight. When they move into a territory, they grab the attention of the people.

The Day of the Lord is the day when God reveals Himself to all the world. The atheists will final get their wish. I’ve heard many times atheist say things like “If God is real why doesn’t He just show Himself?” On the Day of the Lord the atheist will get his wish. The Lord will show Himself. While the Day of the Lord will be glorious for the people of God, Joel’s point here is the Day of the Lord will be awful for those who are not saved.

Joel is not the only prophet to describe the Day of the Lord as a day of judgment.

Malachi 4:5 says it will be a great and dreadful day

Isa. 13:9 says it is cruel with wrath and fierce anger

Amos 5:18 says it is darkness and not light

Isa 61:1-2 says it is the day of vengeance of our God

Zeph 1:15 says it is a day of wrath and trouble, distress, a day of wasteness, desolation, darkness, gloominess, clouds and thick darkness

Rev. 16:14 says it’s the Great day of God Almighty

2 Thessalonians 1: 7-8 says “the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Day of the Lord is God’s day. It is the day He will exalt Himself. It is the Day He will reveal Himself in His fullness. It is the Day in which His patience with the wicked will be exhausted. God will call all the world to attention. Those who ignored Him will no longer ignore Him. Those who attacked Him will no longer attack Him.

Zephaniah 1:7 says “Hold thy peace at the presence of the LORD for the Day of the LORD is at hand!”

God said in Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God I will be exalted among the heathen I will be exalted in the earth!”

What is the Day of the Lord? It is the Day in which God Almighty calls the world to attention, reveals Himself, punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous. It is the responsibility of God’s people to make that plain to the world.

B. Warn the world.

Joel says, “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sound an alarm in my holy mountain!” According to Numbers chapter 10 the priests had trumpets that they blew on different occasions and for particular reasons. The context here implies the priests are to warn the people by blowing a trumpet. This is not simply a blowing of the trumpet; this is a sounding of an alarm with the trumpet.

It’s clear that the people are in trouble because an attack is coming against the people in the holy city of Jerusalem. There was no place more protected by the Jewish people than Jerusalem. If Jerusalem were destroyed that meant the entire nation was destroyed.

The Bible tells us that believers make up a holy priesthood. Because of our position in Christ we are obligated to warn the world that judgment is coming to the entire earth. There is no place so protected or admired that it will not be subject to the judgment of God.

Trumpets are blown loudly. They are a bold instrument. We will never win the world if we are not willing to warn the world. We warn the world about all sorts of things:

We warn them about not wearing their seatbelt. We bother them until they put it on. We refuse to drive the car until they’re buckled in.

We warn people about wearing masks during this pandemic. We tell them they need to think about themselves and others.

If we are convinced people are in danger, we warn them. When we are convinced that the lost are in danger will warn them as well.

Warn the drunk! Tell him if he doesn’t sober up and come to Christ he is in danger!

Warn the sexually immoral! Tell them if they do not repent of their sin and honor God with their body they are in danger!

Warn the idol worshippers. Tell them there is only one God and if they do not put their trust in Him through Christ they are in danger!

Warn the atheists! Tell them if they do not acknowledge the God of the Universe by bowing to Jesus Christ they are in danger!

Do you remember what Paul said to those philosophers at Mars Hill in Acts 17:30-31? He said

“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”

Joel blew the trumpet. Paul blew the trumpet. It’s the responsibility of God’s people to define the Day of the Lord and to warn the world by preaching the gospel.

2. The Description of God’s army (3-10).

A. The army is sent by God (11).

Joel says the voice of the Lord is commanding this army. They are under His control. God is the One who is bringing destruction upon the earth.

Remember that Joel is using the locust plague to describe the future judgment. He is using something they know, something they are familiar with. We’re going to see that in just a moment. But why is he using the locust plague to describe ultimate judgment?

It’s because it is something they knew and something they feared. If you have experienced a particular circumstance sometimes the mentioning of a similar circumstance can frighten you. Having been in an earthquake before I know react differently when I hear news of one. If you’ve never been in an earthquake you have no idea of how frightening it can be. Just the mention of an earthquake and now I can feel the earth moving beneath me.

It’s the same way with hurricanes. If you’ve experienced one there is an appreciation for them. These folks knew very well what the locusts had done. It was a horrible experience. As Joel describes God’s army by using the metaphorical language of locusts the people would be reliving what they had just experienced.

B. The army is like a fire (3).

When the army comes through the land it is as devastating as a fire. Before them the land looks like the Garden of Eden, behind them it’s a desolate wilderness. That’s what the land looked like when the locusts came through. This army, like the locusts, consumes everything in its path.

C. The army is like warhorses (4-6).

Interestingly locusts do look like horses in their faces. If you look closely at a locust’s head, it looks like a horse’s head. By the providence of God, a locust landed on my windshield last week when I was leaving the creek. It stayed on my windshield unmoved until reached home. I even traveled on the interstate without this locust budging. I was able to see him close up my entire drive.

Not only does Joel mention the appearance he also mentions the noise of these warhorses. The sound of swarms of locusts have been compared to a jet engine. There were no jets in Joel’s day but there were chariots. Chariots pulled by war horses were not a sound anyone wanted to hear. It was the sound of approaching doom. As Joel spoke of the sound of these war horses sounding like an approaching army of chariots and a roaring flame the people would have remembered the roar of the locusts as they attacked the land. Verse six mentions the color leaving people’s faces. This symbolizes the fear that would be experienced.

C. The army is like warriors (7-9).

The locust had climbed upon the walls, they had come in the windows they were impossible to kill, and they approached in rank and file. Joel uses that same language to describe the army that will come against the people.

This army is trained- they are might men.

This army is disciplined- it doesn’t break rank.

This army is strong- it can’t be defeated or even slowed down.

D. This army is accompanied by natural disaster (10).

Heaven and earth trembles.

The sun, moon and stars are darkened.

Speaking of the end of the age Jesus said in Matthew 24:29,

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

It’s important for us to remember that God can use whatever He wants to bring judgment upon this earth. He can use bugs, He can use water, He can use fire, He can use disease, He can use armies of people. Whatever God chooses to use He can use. But when He is done using all these things as His army then He will act completely alone. He needs no help. He will shake the earth Himself. He will darken the sky Himself.

God’s army can only accomplish what it accomplishes because of the power of God. But God needs no army at all to do what He will do.

3. The question for humanity (11).

Let’s look at the question. It’s at the end of verses eleven, “for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?” in other words, who can endure it?

A. There are those who think they can endure it.

Those who believe the preaching of the gospel is foolishness think they can endure it. Many people think those who preach the gospel are clowns. Soren Kierkegaard told a story about a theater that caught on fire. A clown dressed in full costume ran out to tell the people they were in danger. Everyone laughed and applauded but none took him seriously. The louder he shouted the more they laughed. The theatre and all inside burned to the ground. Kierkegaard said, “So I think the world will come to an end amid general applause from all the wits, who believe that it is a joke.”

You may think the preaching of the gospel is foolishness, but it is the power of God unto salvation. Without Christ you will not be able to endure the day of the Lord.

Those who think this language is simply metaphorical think they can endure it. They don’t think there is any real danger. They believe the troubles we have in this world is all the hell we will see. I would point you to Luke 16. Jesus let us see a man in hell. The Bible says he was in flames. The Bible says he was in torment. The Bible says he was thirsty. There is nothing metaphorical about that. Anyone can endure metaphorical pain. Clearly Joel had more in mind. The judgment of God is not metaphorical. It is real.

Those who think they have been too good of a person for God to judge think they can endure it. Listen friend, there is none good, no not one. When we weigh ourselves on God’s scales, we find that we are wanting. We are too often busy comparing ourselves to one another.

I heard a story of a very evil man that died. His brother wanted him to have a good funeral. He slipped the preacher of the funeral $500 and said you can keep it all if you tell these folks my brother was a saint. During the funeral the pastor told the truth. He said here lies an evil man, he was filled with sin. He cussed; he was a drunk. He was a liar and he was a cheat. But compared to his brother, he was a saint!

It does us no good to compare ourselves with pone anther. Compare yourself to Christ because that is the standard by which we will all be judged.

B. There are those who have been delivered from the Day of the Lord.

The only person who could endure the judgment of God is Jesus Christ. The cross was judgment day. That’s why the earth quaked & the sun turned dark. That’s why Jesus shouted, “My God, My God why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Christ endured the cross. He endured the judgment we deserved. The resurrection is proof that Jesus endured the suffering of God and paid the price for our sins.

Who can endure the day of the Lord?

The blood bought can endure!

The born again can endure!

Those who are in Christ can endure!

When this universe has been shaken from the top to the bottom the Bride of Christ will still be standing on the solid rock of Jesus Christ.

Dear friend, where are you? Are you in Christ? Can you endure? Will you be standing when God shakes this universe with His judgment? Only in Christ can we endure.