(348) December 14: Joel 1-3
& Revelation 4
Ask God to open
your mind, heart and will to understand, delight in and obey what you read.
To discover:
As you read note what God
promises his people.
To ponder:
It
is hard to decide whether the opening oracle about a huge plague of locusts
refers to a literal natural disaster, or is a figurative description of the
coming military invasion that the locusts seem to be an image for in chapter 2.
Our reading is that the former describes a literal event that prompted its use
as a metaphor in the next chapter. We’re told the locusts totally ravaged the
land, and the unique seriousness of the event is seen in Joel calling the
elders and all in the land to tell of it to the next three generations, and the
stress that whatever was left by one category of locusts was devoured by the
other (1v1-4). They are described like an invading nation with the teeth of a
lion. And in the light of it Joel calls the drunk to wake up, recognise they
have lost the source of their wine, and mourn like a woman mourning the loss of
her husband. He adds that the priests are in mourning because the destruction
means there can be no grain or drink offerings at the temple, the farmers
should despair because they have lost their harvest, and without it the joy of
mankind itself withers away (1v5-13).
This all stresses the significance
of the land for Israel. Its fruitfulness was a sign of God’s blessing for the
covenant faithfulness of the people, and so its destruction a sign of his curse
and their sin (Deut 28-30). The joy that accompanied good harvest then was not
simply that of enjoying its fruits and the wealth that would accompany it, but
the joy of living in peace and harmony with God. And so it is natural in the
light of the disaster for God to call the people to repentance. Joel therefore
urges the priests to declare a fast, summon the elders to the temple, and cry
out to God because the locusts have reminded them that “the day of the LORD”
and so of judgement and wider destruction is imminent (1v14-15).
The implications of the disaster are
then outlined: The joy of feasting in the temple is lost, the granaries are
broken, and the livestock moan in hunger. Here we see another hint that this
disaster was indeed a judgement. It was followed by a drought so that surviving
vegetation was burned up and even wild animals left panting in thirst
(1v16-20). Natural disasters cannot be assumed to be judgements today, as God
has not entered into an equivalent covenant with nations. Nevertheless, we have
seen elsewhere that he does sometimes bring nations low because of their sin.
So there is a sense in which any disaster that befalls should lead us to
repentance (see Lk 13v4-5).
Chapter 2 considers the day of the
LORD that the disaster looks to. Joel calls for the alarm to be sounded so that
the people would tremble to consider God’s coming. It is described with the
images of earthquake and darkening of the skies, which denote judgement. Some
read these verses as referring to another attack of locusts, but we’re told the
locusts have the appearance of horses, chariots and a conquering army that
swarms into cities and houses as the insects would. God is said to be at the
head of this army, and that the day it comes will be like no other. They will
devastate the land as fire, so that what was like Eden would become a desert
waste (2v1-11).
In the light of this God calls the
people to return to him with sincere mourning, and so rending their hearts not
their garments. Reminding them of his grace (as Ex 34v6) he implies he might
have pity and so leave behind blessing so that the people can enjoy their grain
and wine offerings in worship of God. Again, he then urges that the trumpet be
blow to call the people, no matter who they are or what they are doing, to
assemble and fast, and the priests to weep before the altar, praying that God
would spare the people and land so that the watching nations would not scorn
them by implying their God could not or would not save them (2v12-17).
Here God promises that if they did
this, he would be jealous for the land, not wanting it to fall to others, and
take pity on his people, granting them abundant harvests, and scattering the
northern army into desert and sea. This implies the threat in mind is from
Assyria or Babylon. And here the prophecy seems to move from a possible future
to a certain one. God declares the land need not fear but rejoice for the one
who has done great things in the past, will cause it to be abundant again to
the joy of Zion (2v18-24). 2v25 implies the locust-like army will utterly devour
the land after all, but that God would compensate them for the loss by his
future blessing, so that the people will praise him for what will be seen as a
miracle, know that he alone is their God, and never again be ashamed for
causing him to act in judgement (2v25-27).
This would have been understood as
fulfilled at least in part in the return from exile. And we are told that some
time after that, God would pour out his Spirit on all his people. Peter’s use
of this quote in the context of Pentecost (Acts 2v17-21) implies that the
language of prophecy here stresses not that everyone will literally experience
visions and dreams, but that every one of God’s people, regardless of station,
will know an intimacy and knowledge of God that was previously reserved for the
prophet, and so be able to speak of God’s wonders to others (2v28-29). Here we
read of another “day of the LORD” signified by even greater signs in the sky
and on the earth that were fulfilled to a degree at the crucifixion (2v30-31,
Matt 27v45, 51). The point is that the giving of the Spirit is a sign of a
coming day of judgement. Yet God promises that until then everyone who calls on
his name (ie. calls on him to act in mercy according to his charater) will be
saved. So he says, from amongst those surviving the coming exile, God will
“call” a number to “call” on him – and it is these in Jerusalem who will be
delivered from the final great judgement. Here we can see how appropriate
Peter’s use of Joel was (see also Acts 2v39). This promise urges us all to
ensure we have called on the Lord.
The context implies “in those days”
(3v1) refers to what will follow the previous events, being linked to God
restoring the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem. Joel speaks of God gathering and
judging the nations for their abuse of his people, and particularly their
children. Obviously it is impossible to get all nations into one valley.
Rather, this is an image of the nations assembled for God’s verdict (or
decision, 3v14) and exposed to his attack. Here he asks if their plundering and
enslaving was to pay him back for something, implying that it wasn’t. And so he
declares he will have the same done to them, calling them to prepare to fight
his warriors, who will cut them down like a great harvest (3v2-13). Again, we
have the images of darkness marking this day, as we are told multitudes will be
judged, whilst the LORD will be a refuge to his people (3v14-16). This must
refer to the final judgement. And we are told that God’s people will know he
dwells amongst them, Jerusalem will be holy and safe, the land will be like
Eden, watered with a river from his temple, and forever populated by those whom
he has pardoned. But Egypt and Edom, signifying those who oppressed Israel,
will be desolate (3v17-21).
Praying
it home:
Praise God for the
gift of his Spirit and the life of the world to come. Pray that you would
continually call on him for salvation.
Thinking
further:
To read the NIV Study Bible introduction to Joel, click
here.
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