This morning, we’re going to continue our examination of the Book of Joel as we look at most of Chapter 2. But before we do that, we need to take just a moment to put this chapter in its proper context by reviewing what we discovered last week about the overall structure of the book.
Review
[Use chart as a visual aid]
Three sections in Joel:
1. The past locust invasion (1:2-20)
2. A near-term judgment – invasion by a human army (2:1-27)
3. A far-term judgment and restoration (2:28-3:21)
We also need to review our definition of the “Day of the Lord”. Based on what we’ve seen here in Joel and what is confirmed other places in the Scriptures, we’re using this working definition for now, subject to modification as we learn more in future studies.
The “Day of the Lord” = a cycle consisting of:
• God revealing man’s sin,
• A means of salvation,
• An opportunity for repentance,
• Judgment,
• Restoration
With that background, let’s look at the first 27 verses of Chapter 2 which describe the near-term ”Day of the Lord”. Go ahead and open your Bibles to Joel chapter 2.
THE NEAR-TERM “DAY OF THE LORD”
Just as the entire Book of Joel can be divided into three sections, we also find that each of those three sections contains three distinct sub-sections as well. Even though we didn’t focus a lot on those sub-sections in Chapter 1 last week, it will be really helpful for us to do that as we look at the description of this near-term “Day of the Lord” here in chapter 2.
1. The invasion of a human army (vv. 1-11)
As you read the first eleven verses here in chapter 2, it seems at first glance that Joel could either be describing an invasion of a human army or that he could be describing a locust invasion – either a continuation of the one described in Chapter 1 or another one to come in the near future. But a further examination of the text leads us to conclude that this is a human army being described.
I’m going to spend a bit more time than I originally intended on this issue for a couple of reasons. First, I had a couple of people ask me about this last week. But secondly, and even more importantly, I want to use this as an example of how we can answer that question using just the text itself.
• Indications this is a human army
o A change in verb tenses:
We first noticed this last week. When we move from Chapter 1 to the rest of the book, there is a noticeable change in the tense of the majority of the verbs in each of those sections:
Chapter 1 – primarily past
Chapter 2 – primarily present/future
By itself, that certainly does not prove that this is a human army being described here in Chapter 2. But the change in verb tenses along with the fact that Joel describes this as the “day of the Lord” which “is coming” in 2:1, makes it clear that this is not merely a continuation of the description of the past locust plague from Chapter 1.
o Nature of the army:
Strictly from the text itself, we can find several descriptions of the nature of the army that will help us to determine whether it is a human army or a locust army.
Confronted by weapons (v. 8)
You’ll notice in verse 8 that Joel describes the army as they “burst through the weapons.” The Hebrew word used here for “weapons” is a word that describes swords, spears, arrows and other weapons of war. It seems somewhat absurd that those kinds of weapons would be used to battle a locust invasion. Everyone knows you just use your can of Raid.
Attack people, not crops (v. 9)
In verse 9, in particular, the army is pictured as running upon the walls and entering into houses like a thief. Just a quick sidebar: you’ll notice that the phrase “like a thief” is quite similar to how Jesus, Paul and John all describe certain aspects of the end times. The picture here is of a human army attacking people. The primary devastation caused by a locust army, on the other hand, results from their attacks on the crops.
From the north (v. 20)
It would not be usual to refer to a locust swarm as a “northerner”, especially given that most of the locust invasions in Israel have historically come from the south. On the other hand, most of the military invasions of Israel have historically come from the north and east.
o Focus of the prayer for deliverance (v. 17)
If you look at the prayer for deliverance in verse 17, in particular, you will note that there is nothing in that prayer that would indicate the people are desiring to be saved from a locust invasion. There is nothing there about protecting the crops or restoring the food supply.
On the other hand, the people are concerned about their position among the nations. In fact, if you have an ESV translation, you’ll note that there is a footnote to verse 17 that shows that there is an alternate translation to the phrase “a byword among the nations” – “that the nations should rule over them”. Either of those translations actually is consistent with the kind of prayer we could expect as a result of the invasion of a human army.
o Use of the word “like” and “as”= “equivalent”
Probably the idea that Chapter 2 is describing another locust invasion arises primarily from the way Joel uses the words “like” and “as”:
Their appearance is like the appearance of horses… (v.4)
As with the rumbling of chariots… (v.5)
This seems to imply that the advancing army only appears to be like horses or chariots. Several commentators have even noted how the heads of the locusts resemble those of a horse or how an advancing locust swarm would be as loud as the rumble of chariots. But if we properly understand the use of the participle that is rendered either “like” or “as” in this passage, we can clear up any misunderstanding quite quickly. And the easiest and best way to do that is to see how Joel used that same participle earlier in the Book:
…For the day of the LORD is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.
Joel 1:15 (ESV)
What we find is that Joel uses the participle, which is translated “as” in this verse, to show equality, not comparison. In other words “the day of the Lord” is exactly the same as “destruction from the Almighty”. The two are equivalent.
Since there is nothing in the text to indicate that Joel is using that word any differently in Chapter 2, he appears to be employing that participle again to describe something that is equivalent and not using it to show a comparison. In other words, he is merely describing the army as it actually is. There are literally horses and chariots.
But, as we discussed last week, Joel does want his audience to remember the locust invasion because there are many aspects of that invasion that picture the nature of the future judgments as well. And certainly the aftermath of an army invasion would very much resemble the devastation of the previous locust invasion.
• A result of God’s sovereign will (vv. 11, 25)
I think the people of Joel’s day may have reacted to the locust invasion a lot like many people react to various natural disasters today. They merely look at them as a chance occurrence. But even the legal community recognizes, at least on paper, that these are in fact “acts of God”. Just read almost any legal contract or even the fine print on your insurance policy. There will almost certainly be references there to “acts of God.”
In reality, however, we have a hard time believing that these kinds of events are really under God’s sovereign control. We certainly saw that throughout the Book of Ecclesiastes where Qoheleth looked around and questioned whether in fact all that he observed was a result of God’s sovereign will.
But Joel leaves us with absolutely no doubt that the “day of the Lord” – the locust invasion in Chapter 1, the near-term army invasion here in Chapter 2, and the far-term judgment we’ll see next week in the last part of the Book are all from God’s hand and that He is in control. You’ll notice that in verse 11, he leaves no doubt that this is the Lord’s army. When I first read that, I immediately assumed that this was a description of God leading His army to the rescue, but it quickly became apparent that Joel is referring here to the army that is invading Judah. And just in case there was any doubt at all, in verse 25 God Himself describes the army as “my great army, which I sent among you.”
In other words, God has ordained these plans, according to His good pleasure and will and since he also has the power to carry out His purposes, plans and ways, no one can thwart Him in carrying out those plans.
• Pictured by the Assyrian invasion of Judah under King Hezekiah (Isaiah 36-37)
As I mentioned last week, we don’t know for sure when Joel ministered, so there is no way to determine for certain which military invasion that he is describing here. But in the Book of Isaiah, there is an account that would certainly fit Joel’s description of this near-term judgment. Take your Bible and turn to Isaiah Chapter 36.
This passage describes how Sennacherib, king of Assyria, is about to attack Judah, which is under the reign of King Hezekiah. And notice what Sennacherib says in verse 10:
Moreover, is it without the Lord that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land and destroy it.’”
Isaiah 36:10 (ESV)
That would certainly fit with Joel’s description of this being the army of the Lord.
One of Sennacherib’s high officials tries to get the people of Judah to make a deal and surrender to Assyria. But as we come to chapter 37, we find that Hezekiah’s response certainly fits with the call for repentance in Joel 2 that we will look at in just a moment. And in verse 36, we see the result:
And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.
Isaiah 37:36 (ESV)
Since those dead bodies would have been considered unclean and the Jews could not have touched them, they would have created the stench that Joel writes about in 2:20.
Again, we can’t be sure that this is the event that Joel is picturing in Chapter 2, but it certainly demonstrates the kind of event that would have fulfilled this prophecy of a near-term judgment. There are certainly other events in the history of Judah that could have also fulfilled his prophecy. But I’ve shared this with you just so you can understand the nature of this near-term judgment.
2. A call to repentance (vv. 12-17)
The response that Joel called for in response to the coming army invasion must have surprised a lot of his audience. It would be much more logical for Joel to call for them to prepare militarily for the coming battle, or perhaps to flee to safety. But instead, he calls them to repent.
There is certainly a lesson for us here. In the face of impending doom, there is a tendency for us to try to arm ourselves to deal with what is on the horizon or to try to flee and avoid the situation altogether. We often try to fight political battles with political weapons when the real need is to repent and call others to repentance as well.
Had Hezekiah and his people tried to prepare militarily for the impending Assyrian invasion, they would have certainly been wiped out. But when they repented and turned to God, God protected them from the wrath that was about to be poured out upon them.
• A universal call (v. 15-16)
This call to repentance was not just for some, but for all of the people. Even the bride and bridegroom, who were not to be disturbed during their first year of marriage or called to join in the battle (Deuteronomy 24:5), were to join with the rest of the community for a solemn assembly.
3. A promise of restoration (vv. 18-27)
As a result of their repentance, God not only cut short the army invasion, He promised to restore that which had been destroyed. He would bring abundant rain and plentiful harvests. But that promise of restoration was…
• A conditional promise (v. 27)
You’ll notice in verse 27 that the promise of restoration was only made to those who God referred to as “my people”. We’ll see this even more clearly next week in the last part of Joel, but that doesn’t just mean people that were born Jews, but rather those who had chosen to obey God’s command to repent. Not everyone gets to experience the benefit of restoration.
APPLICATION
So what can we learn from a prophecy about an army invasion and subsequent restoration that occurred thousands of years ago? Let me just share three principles from this passage that apply directly to our lives right here and now.
1. God is more concerned about our hearts than our outward appearance (v. 13)
In verse 13, God, through His prophet Joel, instructs the people to “rend your hearts and not your garments”. The reference here was to the practice of people tearing their garments as an outward sign of their repentance. Isaiah 37:1 records that King Hezekiah did exactly that in response to the threats from Sennacherib. But the idea here is that God is much more concerned about the condition of our hearts than our outward actions. That was often the point that Jesus had to make with the religious leaders of His day. Here is just one example:
You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
Matthew 15:7-9 (ESV)
There are all kinds of practical ways that this might be reflected in our lives today. Let me just ask a few questions that might help us to evaluate our own heart condition:
• Do you come here to church each week out of a sense of duty or obligation, or because you think it will earn favor with God? Or are you here because you really love God and His body and you want to share that love with others who feel the same way?
• Do you read your Bible because someone told you that you need to do that if you want to be a “good Christian”? Or do you find that you can’t wait to get into God’s Word so that you can get to know Him better?
• Do you pray because you feel like you have to or because you want to get something? Or do you pray because you want to be in the presence of God and allow Him to speak to your heart?
God is concerned about what’s in our hearts because He knows that a right heart will lead to right actions. Jesus confirmed that when He said:
…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
Matthew 12:34 (ESV)
So what are you doing to get your heart right before God?
2. God disciplines those He loves
In our day, we are experiencing what is a relatively new phenomenon among those who call themselves Christians. Somehow, we have perpetuated this idea that by committing our lives to Jesus, we somehow establish some kind of immunity to God’s judgment and discipline. But that, as we can clearly see here in Joel and in many other places in the Bible just isn’t true. How can anyone think that in light of these words of Jesus:
…In the world you will have tribulation…
John 16:33 (ESV)
As long as we remain in this world, we should expect to face tribulation. As this study, as well as our Thursday night series progresses, we’ll be examining in much more detail this concept of tribulation.
This is such an important principle that Joel goes to great lengths to make sure his audience understands that the locust invasion, the near-term army invasion and the far-term “Day of the Lord” are all from God’s hand and that they are directed, at least in part, against God’s own people. In other words…
• God’s people are not immune to His judgment
We find much evidence in the Bible that the Jews, not only those of Joel’s day, but throughout much of their history, believed that their privileged status as God’s chosen people would make them immune to His judgment. But throughout that same history we find time after time that God uses even the ungodly to bring judgment and discipline to His children. For instance, God makes it clear to the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 47:6) that He has used wicked Babylon as his instrument to judge His people.
As the writer of Hebrews makes clear, this is actually a demonstration of God’s love toward His children:
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.
Hebrews 12:6 (ESV)
Because God loves His children, He intervenes in their lives to discipline them when needed. And sometimes that discipline has to be rather harsh in order to get our attention.
When I was as Costco earlier this week I was standing in line waiting to buy a soda. In front of me was a lady with her three children who were really getting on my nerves. They were unhooking the dividers that designated where the line was and running all over the place. And even though I certainly felt like providing some discipline, because those kids certainly needed it. It wasn’t my place because they weren’t my children.
That’s the way God works. While he will bring judgment, in His timing, against those who are not His children, he only disciplines those who are His own. So if you’re never experiencing the discipline of God in your life, perhaps you need to honestly evaluate whether you are really His child.
That’s why I get really perturbed with those Christians who have the opinion that they don’t really need to worry about the tribulation because God is going to “rapture” them first and they will be immune to any of His judgment. Regardless of one’s opinion about the timing of the “rapture” that kind of thinking is both dangerous and certainly flies in the face of what we see time after time in the Bible.
Both on Thursday nights and throughout our study here on Sunday mornings we are going to see that God’s people are not immune to the consequences of His judgment and that we better be prepared for what is to come.
3. God is able to restore that which has been destroyed
That is certainly good news for all of us, but especially for those of us who look back on our lives and lament over those times in our life that were wasted and unproductive. I know that there have been times in my life when I wish that I had become a follower of Jesus much earlier in my life or that I would have gotten more serious about my relationship with Jesus at a much younger age. I think about all that time that God could have used me that I destroyed as a result of my own attitudes and behaviors.
But to me the most encouraging part of this passage is that God is able to restore that which has not produced fruit in my life, even that which I have destroyed as a result of my own actions. And that is true for all of us. I think that is what Paul was trying to point out when he wrote these familiar words:
…But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13, 14 (ESV)
• The result of restoration is worship (vv. 26, 27)
Although we certainly benefit from this process of restoration, that is not its greatest purpose. God, though Joel, makes it clear that there is a higher purpose involved here. Look what He says in verses 26 and 27:
“You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
Joel 2:26, 27 (ESV)
The main purpose for restoration is so that God will get glory and so that we will worship Him for that. Every one of us has experienced God’s restoration in our lives at times, and when that happens, we need to recognize that it comes from His hands and we need to praise His name and worship Him.
How has God restored that which has been destroyed in your life and how can you worship Him and give praise to Him for that? Certainly by thanking Him and praising Him. But how about taking that which He has restored and using it for His glory?
Next week we’ll complete our study of Joel. I want to encourage you again to read through the entire book – several times would be great. And then take some time to focus on the last part of the book beginning in Chapter 2, verse 28.
