Return: The Day of the Lord

Return:

Joel 2:1-11

Joel 2:1–11 ESV

1 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, 2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. 3 Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them. 4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses they run. 5 As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle. 6 Before them peoples are in anguish; all faces grow pale. 7 Like warriors they charge; like soldiers they scale the wall. They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths. 8 They do not jostle one another; each marches in his path; they burst through the weapons and are not halted. 9 They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls, they climb up into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief. 10 The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. 11 The Lord utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome; who can endure it?

1. Introduction – This morning we have some interpretative work to do.

a. It seems as if Joel is prophesying another wave of a locust plague…a second wave if you will.

i. After describing the devastation caused by the locusts in 1:4, Joel seems to go into great detail about the next locust plague.

1. Or maybe…maybe Joel is describing an actual army that will be marching on Jerusalem in the near future.

a. Talk about kicking a nation while its down. After a locust plague wipes out the vegetation…an army comes to wipe out the inhabitants.

b. Or maybe, Joel is simply reframing the previously mentioned locust plague.

i. It may be that Joel is going back in time…to a time before the locust plague and he is describing to the people what is going to happen…and he just so happens to use military terminology to do so.

1. Which one is it? We’ll make that decision a little later. Hear the God’s Word – Joel 2:1-11.

c. So here’s what we’re going to this morning.

i. First, we’ll walk through the passage. We’ll try to figure out what the text says and what exactly is going on here.

1. Locust army??? Army army?

a. After we’ve looked at what these verses say, we’ll study what they mean.

i. What is it teaching? What themes of concepts can we learn?

1. What do we learn about God…about ourselves from this passage?

b. And along the way we’ll look at some points of application. What can we put in to practice here and now to affect our spiritual growth?

2. Text – So let’s start in by examining the passage in front of us.

a. There is a natural flow to this passage….and the description and intensity build throughout.

i. Remember – this passage is about the day of the Lord – a concept that was introduced to us last week.

1. This idea is now being expanded.

a. For most of their history Israel thought that day would be a day of blessing for them and judgment for others.

i. But Joel, and other prophets, open their eyes to what’s happening around them.

2. Joel specifically says, Look at the locusts, this isn’t simply a natural phenomenon, this is a punishment from God.

a. This isn’t a monarch attempting to expand his or her kingdom, but it is God’s punishment on your for your constant and willful waywardness.

b. The passage starts by sounding the alarm in v.1. Blow the trumpet…sound the alarm.

i. Ancient cities were equipped with watchtowers, where guard were posted.

1. They would scan the horizon, and if an enemy army was spotted, they would blow the trumpet…a ram’s horn actually…called a shofar.

a. It would notify the people of the impending attack.

c. So the command is given…sound the alarm…right away giving us the impression that something pretty serious is going to take place here.

i. Why should the alarm be sounding? Well, the intensity builds. The day of the Lord is coming.

1. And just in case Israel was tempted to this would be a day of sunshine and roses and rainbows and unicorns and all this happy – Joel describes this day in wildly different terms.

a. Darkness, gloom, a day to tremble at, clouds and thick darkness, blackness spread on the mountains. Kinda sounds like Mordor.

ii. The alarm is raised…like the ancient equivalent of an air raid siren…or emergency alerts on our phones.

1. Darkness, gloom and destruction are headed their way.

d. Look at how Joel describes the complete devastation.

i. Fire devours before them, behind them a flame burns.

ii. Joel writes that before them is paradise…land like the Garden of Eden.

1. But after this army, the size of which has never been seen before or since…

a. In their wake is complete barrenness – Joel calls it a desolate wilderness.

e. And here is where we need to make an interpretative decision.

i. Joel in vv4-5 describes this locust army…or is it an army army?

1. Appearance like horses…running like trained war horses…chariots rushing.

a. And then Joel returns o the image of fire…crackling like burning stubble.

ii. This army charges like warriors. They scale walls, they march in formation, never getting out of step.

1. Even if they are attacked, they never break rank and always steadily move forward.

a. This army leaps upon a city.

i. Run up the walls, climb into houses by going through windows.

f. Now, either Joel is describing a locust plague or he is describing an efficient, terrifying and well-trained army – that is accompanied by a cavalry.

i. In my effort to solve this interpretative decision I hit the books this week – let’s hear what some people who are way smarter than me had to say about this locust vs army debate.

1. Book number 1 – locusts, book number 2 – army…book number 3 – locusts, book number 4 – army.

a. Book number 5 – locusts…I only read 5 this week…but I’m sure the sixths would have said army….and so the pattern continues.

i. There’s a case to be made for either.

1. Since Joel had previously mentioned a locust plague, he may be warning the people of a second wave.

ii. Or he may be reframing the previously mentioned plague in military terms…though I think that option is unlikely.

ii. However, this isn’t the only time locusts are described in terms of clouds and darkness and described doing things beyond their natural abilities.

1. Anyone remember Revelation 9? When the 6th trumpet blew, the shaft to the bottomless pit was opened and thick clouds of smoke came out…and in that thick dark cloud were locusts.

a. Locusts that ravaged and tormented.

i. John borrows the image of locusts as smoke from Joel 2.

g. Or maybe, the image is an actual army – sent to take over what little was left of Israel.

i. Israel’s army was made up mostly of an infantry.

1. Solomon tried to build up a cavalry – but seeing as Israel is mostly hill country and Jerusalem in particular is built on a hill…horses and chariots were pretty much useless.

ii. But that doesn’t stop a charging cavalry or charging chariots from being terrifying.

1. Think of the first major battle scene in Braveheart.

a. The English cavalry is charging down on the under manned and seemingly under prepared Scots.

i. And the way the scene is shot really captures the intensity and fear that would strike opponents – from the sight of it and to the thunderous sound of hooves galloping.

iii. V.6 even says, at the sight of it faces grow pale – people are in anguish.

1. And verses 7-9 describe the activities of this locust army…or maybe it’s an army army.

a. I’m not going to go into detail on each statement. What these verses are articulating is that there is nowhere to go.

i. There’s nowhere to hide…they climb walls…come in through every crack and crevice.

1. Go through windows…enter houses…aren’t stopped by any counter offensive.

2. So maybe this was like the 8th Egyptian plague…these locusts were going everywhere.

a. They blackened the sun, killed the crops…blackened the countryside and even invaded homes…or maybe it was an army…that caused untold damage after a locust plague.

h. But in reality, we don’t really need to make a hard and fast decision on whether it’s a plague or an army.

i. Because whatever t was – here’s what’s important about it.

1. It was sent by God – it was HIS army….whatever that army was made up.

a. V.11 – The Lord utters his voice before HIS army. His camp is exceedingly great…he who executes his word is powerful.

i. This verse is the great twist…the great surprise of their passage.

i. Remember, Israel thought they were good – when the day of the Lord came…it would be a blessing for them.

1. But Joel writes otherwise…because whatever it was that happened in chapter 2, al of it is being controlled by God.

3. God’s Control – And that brings us to the first teaching point of this passage.

a. In spite of what circumstances show…Go is still in control.

i. Take a look at the beginning of this section v.1 – sound the alarm…where??? On my holy mountain.

1. Who’s mountain is it? Certainly not Joel’s – so who’s asking for the alarm?

a. God is. God warns the people as to what is coming…but also leads the attack against them.

ii. I keep coming back to this – but it shows how all-encompassing this is.

1. We studied this concept a lot when we went through Revelation. Despite the circumstances and seeming chaos of the vision…

a. John constantly reminds his audience that all of it is God’s doing…in fact…the bulk of Revelation takes place in God’s throne room.

b. And this is something we need to come back to time and time again.

i. Because the circumstances of life can often present as random and chaotic.

1. But we must be assured that God is in complete control of it all.

c. Even when we are in life’s darkest times – God is still there, he is still present, he is still working.

i. This is referred to as the dark night of the soul.

1. Those times when God has seemingly abandoned us – can actually be the times when we become closest to God – the one in whom we live and move and have our being

a. We spend a lot of our time in our lives trying to avoid dark times – maybe we even deny dark times exist…or we think that anguish and pain don’t exist of shouldn’t exist for God’s people.

ii. But dark times to exist…but even in times of seeming abandonment – times of the dark night of the soul – the message isn’t God has abandoned you.

1. The message is this – through the darkness…light is rising…and light will over take the darkness.

a. In just a few weeks we’ll be into Advent…where we’ll read these familiar words…

i. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.

1. On those who dwelt in the land of deep darkness on them a light has shone.

b. The reality is this…light has already dawned.

d. While God does appear in blessing, too often the blessing becomes the focus…not the Giver of the blessing.

i. But, when God shows up in darkness and pain, we are driven to concentrate on God and only god in only to survive.

1. Ask anyone who has experienced this dark night of the soul and they will say the same thing…

a. I would never want to go back there – but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

ii. Remember God is in control of it all…and even when he seems like he’s not…he still is.

4. Theophany – The list item I want us to look at today is this idea of God showing up.

a. V.10 details this event.

i. Earth quakes, heavens trembling (thunder) sun and moon darkened.

1. Stars not shing…

a. All of these events happen during and OT event called a theophany…an appearance of God.

ii. When God shows up…awesome things happen.

1. Think back to when Israel was encamped around Mt. Sinai – and God showed up to make a covenant with them and give Moses the 10 Commandments…

a. These same events happened…thunder, clous blocking the sun, moon and stars…the earth shook.

iii. And any time this theophany happened in the OT – all these characteristics were present.

1. For ancient Israel – it would have been easy for them to think that God wasn’t present in their daily lives.

a. It was, after all, before Pentecost. So when God shoed up, he did so in a grand and powerful to wake the people up.

i. They took God presence for granted for granted because God didn’t show up in this grand way every day.

b. And I think sometimes we too take God’s presence for granted.

i. But not because we aren’t used to god showing up, but because we are too used to God being with us…through the in dwelling of the Holy spirit.

1. So god has to remind us sometimes that he’s still with us – and he’s s till in control.

ii. And whether God shows up to us through an incredible spiritual experience…

1. Whether God shows up by disciplining us or he wakes us up and shakes us up by allowing us to go through dark times…

a. It’s a reminder that we must never take God’s presence is our lives for granted.

c. So instead of waiting for explosive God moments or those dark times…a better approach is for us to look for his providential hand or care everywhere.

i. In the mundane acts of life…in the natural things of life…even in his discipline – he should look for God’s moving and working.

5. Conclusion – in Joel 2, the day of the Lord came…and the question was rightfully asked…Who can survive?

a. We’ve seen this question before. In Revelation 6:17, after the 6th seal was broken, and coincidentally enough, the 6th seal describes the events of a theophany…

i. Earthquake, thunder, moon darkening…and there the question arises…who is able to survive?

1. And the answer in Revelation is those who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb.

b. And the answer here in Joel is similar.

i. If one reads this passage in isolation…it becomes a passage of fear and terror….But when we realize that what this passage is bracketed by…it gives hope.

1. On the front end this passage in 2:1-11 is bracketed by what we looked at last week.

a. Who can survive the day of the Lord? Those who heed the call to lament, fast and pray.

c. Who can survive the day of the Lord??? Look at what closes the bracket…As we’ll see next week…those who can survive the day of the Lord are those who return to God and repent of their waywardness.

i. If you want to read ahead read Joel 2:12-17.