Return: A Communal Response

Return:

Joel 1:13-20

Joel 1:13–20 ESV

13 Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! Because grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God. 14 Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord. 15 Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes. 16 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. 19 To you, O Lord, I call. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field. 20 Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

1. Introduction – Last week as we started in on the meat of Joel’s prophecy – our eyes were opened to a few things.

a. We saw that the situation of Joel’s day and the situation of our day is quite similar.

i. And reading and understand the historical setting and situation can help us respond in godly ways to the crisis of our time.

1. We saw how the locust plague of Joel’s day affected everyone in society…but it also affected their worship.

ii. And there were timeless truths to be learned from the first part of chapter 1.

1. We learned to mourn what has been lost.

a. We learned we need to wake up and see how God is moving despite difficult times.

i. And we learned that we need to tell the next generation what we are learning in our crisis in order to help them in the future.

b. Today, we are going to look at another response in difficult times.

i. I said at the end of last week’s sermon that the response is repentance, but I was a few weeks ahead of myself in saying that. The topic of repentance happens in a few weeks.

1. The response we are going to look at today is the response of lament.

a. Remember from the passage last week, Joel addressed different segments of society, his purpose was to move everyone to a place of lament…and ultimately to a place of repentance.

ii. In today’s passage we’ll see Joel charge the priests to lead the people in the lament service.

1. We’ll be introduced to one of the main themes of this short book – the day of the Lord.

a. And we’ll see how animals can set an example of us humans.

i. Hear God’s Word – Joel 1:13-20

c. Here’s how the passage breaks down, if we understand how its written, we’ll better understand what is written.

i. In vv.13-14, Joel summons the priests to action.

1. In vv.15-18, Joel introduces the day of the Lord – and right off the bat he corrects a common misconception of his day.

a. And in vv.19-20 we have a communal prayer of lament.

2. To the Priests – So starting in vv.13-14. I could have included them in last week’s sermon because Joel is here addressing another segment in society.

a. But the instructions given to the priests really tie in better with the verses that follow than the verses that come before.

i. Also, in these verses the priests are given some very detailed instructions.

1. I could 6 specific instructions that Joel gives to the priests.

a. We aren’t going to go into a lot of detail about each specific instruction, but understand that they are all important.

b. First, the priests were instructed to put on sackcloth. Now usually priests wore really fancy garments.

i. Their clothing was specially designed and it was a way of separating those in the priesthood from the rest of society.

1. Sackcloth was coarse goat hair that was worn directly against the skin.

a. It was worn as an act of mourning and remembrance. Whenever the hair would chaff against skin – it was a reminder to lament.

i. And that’s exactly what the priests were instructed to do – lament.

2. They were to lament because the grain and drink offerings were cut off.

a. This was of particular importance to the priests.

i. Yes, the offerings were cut off, so they couldn’t perform their normal duties of leading the people in worship.

1. But, there was another reason for them to lament.

3. When the people brought their grain and drink offering to the temple, it was divided.

a. Part was used as an offering and part was used to supply the needs of the priests.

i. The priests didn’t farm, they didn’t work land…they didn’t even own any land.

1. So the priests relied on the gifts of the people for their food.

4. But everything was gone. The crops of the field and the fruit of the vine were all gobbled up by hungry and angry swarms of locusts.

ii. So the priests were to lament, put on sackcloth. Normally one would only wear sackcloth during the day and change at night.

1. But here in Joel, the priests ae instructed to ‘pass the night’ in sackcloth – meaning they were to wear it day and night.

c. And in v.14, the instructions change from what the priests should wear to what they should do.

i. We won’t look at these instructions in order – because they all basically say the same thing.

1. The instructions boil down to this – gather everyone in the nation together and lament before God.

a. Throughout the calendar year – Israel had many religious festivals.

i. They had times when work would cease – when people gathered in Jerusalem at the temple to celebrate and worship.

2. However – this is not one of those high holy days.

a. The priests are instructed to basically call an emergency meeting.

i. Call a solemn assembly, Joel writes. Meaning, gather the people for a special time of prayer.

b. Gather everyone – the elders, and all the inhabitants of the land.

d. And the solemn assembly was to participate in 2 activities. They were to fast and pray.

i. This was an urgent time for Israel.

1. They were to stop all of their regularly scheduled activities – work, play – whatever…

a. And the people were to gather in Jerusalem to communally cry out to God.

i. They were to solely dedicate themselves to prayer and fasting.

ii. This was Jewish tradition whenever the nation would face crisis.

1. Think back to when we studied the book of Esther.

a. When Esther was deciding whether or not she would go into the king’s throne room uninvited…

i. She fasted, and she asked Mordecai and the whole Jewish community to fast with her as she contemplated her decision.

e. And here in Joel – as the nation faces a national crisis because of the locust plague, the priests were charged with leading the people in a time of prayer and fasting.

i. And in our times of crisis – or times when we have a difficult decision to make – a time of prayer and fasting should be our first step as we seek to do God’s well.

1. Instead of griping, complaining, or fretting – pray. Cry out to God.

a. And fast. Break the normalcy of your routine in order to keep prayer at the forefront of our attention.

3. Day of the Lord – So, after instructing the priests on what to do, Joel moves to introduce a major theme in his writing.

a. In the next few verses – vv.15-18 – Joel gives them the priests and the people the reason for holding this solemn assembly of fasting and prayer.

i. Joel tells them that what they experienced with the locust plague was actually the day of the Lord.

1. Now, here’s what we have to understand about Joel’s reference to the day of the Lord.

a. In introducing this topic, Joel is actually setting out to correct a common misconception of his day.

b. Throughout most of their history, the people of Israel viewed the say of the Lord as a day of salvation for them and a day of judgment for those other guys.

i. But this became a very dangerous idea – because as time went on, Israel began to stray away from covenant faithfulness to God.

1. They worshipped other gods, they built alters to those gods, temples for those gods.

a. They lost of the law of God, lost their fear of God…

i. Pretty much they went their own way and did their own thing.

2. However, even though they wandered away from God – they still thought they were good.

a. They still thought there was no way God was going to punish them because they were his people.

i. He’s going to punish oppressors, not his own!

3. They were self-confident that God has always and will always be on their side.

c. But Joel writes, and other prophets write this also – Amos and Zephaniah – they write to correct Israel’s misconception and misunderstand of the day of the Lord.

i. Joel writes so give Israel a little perspective on what’s happening around them.

1. So Joel writes – your food is gone. Joy and happiness no longer fill the temple.

a. Seeds are shriveling up. Storehouses are empty. Granaries are being torn down because there’s no grain to go in the,

i. Cattle are perplexed at what is happening. Note again that this is poetry.

1. In poetry this is what’s called a personification – giving human characteristics to non-human objects.

a. It’s not as if cows all of a sudden become deep thinkers – Joel is giving them this characteristic…

b. Even sheep are struggling to find food.

ii. By pointing all of these things out, Joel asks, without asking it outright…”And you think you’re good?”

1. You think God won’t ever punish you…but will only punish those guys over there?

a. No food, no joy-filled worship

i. Barns falling apart, silos falling over…but you’re good.

d. And what Joel points out to the people – to the priests even – is that they aren’t good.

i. He looks at his present situation – locusts having ravaged everything – and he tells the people what really is going on.

1. Because of their sin – because of their constant and willful waywardness – God is punishing them.

a. Because of their sin and unrepentant attitude – they have actually become God’s enemies – like the nations around them.

ii. And Joel looks at the situation around him – he looks at the devastation and he interprets this plague as God’s punishment on his sinful people.

1. And for them, the only appropriate response to this punishment is to gather in the temple as a nation…

a. Fast, pray, lament over what has happened. And as we’ll see in future weeks, the people must ultimately repent of their waywardness and change their ways.

e. We’ll study this near the end of the book as well.

i. But this needs to be said about the day of the Lord now.

1. Joel did interpret the locusts as a sign of the coming day of the Lord. But Joel did foretell a day of the Lord would come in the future.

a. A day where God would pour out his Spirit on his people.

i. A day when God would punish the nations that stand opposed to his people and his ways.

1. Joel speaks of a day when God would vindicate his repentant people.

ii. When that day comes it will be both horrific and salvific.

1. It will be a day of judgment for all who rebel against God.

a. But it will also be a day of salvation for those who heeded God’s Word – who turn back to him and repent.

f. There’s a lesson in there about being self-confident.

i. We must make sure that we are walking humbly before God – like the prophet Micah said.

1. We must live lives as repentance…not simply relying on a one-time confession, but in growing in our likeness to Jesus.

a. The people of Israel weren’t good – but the locust plague came as a warning shot – waking and shaking them out of their self-reliance and self confidence…

i. Giving them time to repent and turn back to God.

ii. We looked at the concept time and again when we studied Revelation. God gives us warnings. He gives the world warnings.

1. He doesn’t zap us as soon as we sin, but gives us time to repent, to come back to him.

a. History is littered with warning shots of the end – and we must heed those signs and make sure we are walking humbly with God.

4. Prayer of Lament – Joel tells the people of his day to gather as a solemn assembly.

a. He calls on them to fast and pray and case all of their work in order to do so.

i. And in the closing verses of chapter 1, Joel even gives them the words to say when they pray.

1. I don’t want to focus on content of this prayer…I want to focus on the example that is set.

b. Once again, Joel personifies some animals – he alludes here to Psalm 42 – where the panting and longing soul is compared to a deer panting for water.

i. And here – the beasts of the field are longing for water…but when none is found, the beasts of the field turn to God as their supplied.

1. The image means this – if the beasts of the field know enough to cry out to God – if soul-less creatures turn to God in times of crisis, shouldn’t we?

a. The beasts set the example of the people to seek God for deliverance.

c. It reminds me of what Jesus said on Palm Sunday.

i. After being questioned about why he is receiving praise the people and not stopping them, Jesus said…

1. If the people don’t praise me, then the rocks will cry out. Inanimate and soul-less objects will praise Jesus if people don’t.

a. The lesson there being – don’t afford the rocks the opportunity to praise.

i. Fill your life with songs of praise to Jesus.

1. Let your life be a continual act of worship.

d. And that same lesson fits here in Joel 1:20.

i. If the animals are panting after God – if they are looking to God as Supplier and Deliverer – shouldn’t we?

1. Sometimes prayer is last on our list of things to try.

a. And only when we exhaust our list do we turn to God in prayer.

ii. But the animals here in Joel 1:20 give us a great example.

1. When things are hard and we’re in a time of crisis – cry out to God…first.

a. Long for him – pant for him.

e. This is an example to follow in our individual lives, but also in our life together as church.

i. When facing hard times as a church – we pray. We turn to God and ask him to supply our needs.

5. Conclusion – This whole passage is about a communal response to crisis.

a. And as we’ve seen – a communal response is to fast and pray…

i. To repent of our waywardness…and to cry out to God for deliverance.

1. Next week we have an interpretative decision to make…

a. In chapter 2, is Joel referring to a literal army from the north that comes against Israel after the locust plague…

i. Or is Joel simply reframing the locust plague and describing it using different imagery?

ii. We’ll talk about that next week. If you want to read ahead, read Joel 2:1-11.