The Message of Prophet Joel
“Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near” (Joel 1:14-15)
You are warmly welcome!
The bewilderment that confounded the cosmopolitan feast at Jerusalem in 27AD demanded explanation beyond the speculations of the spectators. The leader of the fire-spitting tongue-speaking band is Simon Peter, and he will clearly explain; and here is the most spot where we find Joel standing tall as the Prophet to be quoted in the Pentecost sermon: “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.’” (Acts 2:16-17). More of this will follow next week, but for now let us go to the beginning of his good book.
In his opening chapter, the Prophet Joel sharply calls for attention to a calamity that recurs to create worse and devastating calamity! The end is in contrast very bright and hopeful. In his book, there is a progression in the thought, rising from the solid, sorely smitten earth to a region ethereal, and the stages of advance are marked by sudden, sharp calls (Joel 1:2, 1:14; 3:9), or by the blasts of the trumpet which prelude the shifting scenes (Joe 2:1, Joe 2:15).
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia paints the contextual picture: The land has suffered from a succession of disasters, the greatest that could befall an agricultural country, drought and locusts. The two are in fact inextricably connected, and the features of both are mixed up in the description of their effects. The extent of the disaster is vividly depicted by the singling out of the classes on whom the calamity has fallen, the drinkers of wine, the priests, the vine-dressers, the husbandmen; and, toward the close of the chapter, the lower animals are pathetically introduced as making their mute appeal to heaven for help (Joel 1:18-20).
If the Day of the Lord does not cause shivers in your body, soul and spirit, you must be made of iron or wood. Who does not feel an electric shock when a loved one is suddenly declared dead? Who does not tremble when a dear friend diagnosis comes through as ‘cancer’? Who is not worried about the nuclear weapons in North Korea? All these only give us a foretaste of how the Day of the Lord will terrorize creation. Joel comes like a doctor to immunize those who listen, so that the Day of the Lord will not take the toll it should have. Joel warns and recommends actions that will keep you safe when that time comes. Long before the Day comes – and it will come suddenly – turn to the Lord in worship, in prayer, in fasting, in total commitment in spirit and in truth – honour the Lord your God according to His Word, and you will be safe and secure, both now and on that Day.
God bless you all.