Joel 2

Joel 2

Piper comments - He also promised future grace in the very center of the law-giving revelation on Mount Sinai. When he came down to speak with Moses, he identified himself this way: “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished” (Exodus 34:6–7). In other words, at the head of the law stands a future provision for failing to keep the law. The law says that God “forgives iniquity, transgression and sin.” This is God’s promise of future grace: I will be this kind of God to you: “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.” This future grace in the law of God is a forgiving grace. He says in effect, “I make ample provision for pardon and restoration if you stumble. I do not delight as much in punishment as in reconciliation. My wrath does not have a hair trigger—I am slow to anger. My judgment falls upon those who sin with a high hand and do not turn from their sinning to receive my abundant compassion and grace.” David knew this was the heart of the law, and sang of it with all his heart. (Future Grace) 2 Chronicles 30:9 "For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate (rachum), and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him." Nehemiah 9:17 "They refused to listen, And did not remember (SPIRITUAL "AMNESIA" IS A COMMON "AFFLICTION" OF ALL OF GOD'S CHILDREN AND IS A DANGEROUS STEP ON A "SLIPPERY SLOPE!") Your wondrous deeds which You had performed among them; So they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But You are a God of forgiveness, Gracious and compassionate (rachum), Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness; And You did not forsake them. Nehemiah 9:31 "Nevertheless, in Your great compassion (rachum) You did not make an end of them or forsake them, For You are a gracious and compassionate God. Psalm 86:15 But You, O Lord, are a God merciful (rachum) and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth. Psalm 103:8 The LORD is compassionate (rachum) and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. Psalm 111:4 He has made His wonders to be remembered; The LORD is gracious and compassionate (rachum). Psalm 112:4 Light arises in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious and compassionate (rachum) and righteous. Psalm 116:5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate (rachum). Psalm 145:8 The LORD is gracious and merciful (rachum); Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. Joel 2:13 And rend your heart and not your garments." Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate (rachum), Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil. Jonah 4:2 He prayed to the LORD and said, "Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate (rachum) God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. And compassionate - As noted below God's compassion is frequently linked with His willingness to forgive sin against Himself. The Septuagint translates rachum here with the adjective oiktirmon which describes God's concern for mankind's unfortunate, miserable state of sin. See God's Attribute - Mercy, Compassion Compassionate (07349)(rachum from racham - see below) is a masculine adjective which a merciful and forgiving character (e.g., see Dt 4:31 and Psalm 78:38 for this association). All uses refer to God and serve to give us a wonderful definition of Who God is in relation to sinful mankind. The English word compassionate means literally to share in the suffering with another. This is a good description of what God did by sending His only begotten Son to suffer the penalty of sins, a penalty we should have rightly suffered. Rachum is derived from the root word racham which in turn is from rechem = womb ~ suggesting a connection between the place of the developing child and the strong feelings of love a mother has toward her child. Racham speaks a deep love of one for another rooted in some "natural" bond (cp rechem = womb). Racham manifests itself as an "emotional" response to one's needs. Racham means to feel another's pain so deeply that you are moved to do something about it. For example, racham is used in Proverbs 28:13-note - He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes [them] will find compassion." "The word pictures a deep, kindly sympathy and sorrow felt for another who has been struck with affliction or misfortune, accompanied with a desire to relieve the suffering." (Baker) Gilliland adds that rachum "linked, as it is, with the Hebrew term for "womb" this adjective indicates the solicitous concern and compassion of a parent for a child. It marks those feelings of kindness springing from the very depths of one's emotional being and when used of the Lord describes the tenderest feelings of the divine heart. (What the Bible Teaches – Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah) Racham evokes the emotion of tender pity for someone helpless and suffering. In short, the Holy God reveals to us His willingness to show great favor (channum) because He feels tender mercy (racham) toward us. Mercy means the granting of forgiveness to a guilty person—kind acts proceeding from inward compassion to relieve sufferers of misery, even those who suffer from their own sins: "But you, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth" (Ps. 86:15). Rachum - 13x in 13v - compassionate(11), merciful(2). Exod. 34:6; Deut. 4:31; 2 Chr. 30:9; Neh. 9:17; Neh. 9:31; Ps. 78:38; Ps. 86:15; Ps. 103:8; Ps. 111:4; Ps. 112:4; Ps. 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jon. 4:2. All of the uses of rachum which are combined with channun are listed above in that word study. The verses below do not combine rachum and channun, but do link God's compassionate attitude with His forgiving heart! Amazing grace indeed! Deuteronomy 4:31 "For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them. Psalm 78:38 But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them; And often He restrained His anger And did not arouse all His wrath. David H. Engelhart on compassion in general as revealed in the Old Testament -- God's compassion is freely (Exodus 33:19; Romans 9:15) and tenderly given, like a mother's (Isaiah 49:15) or father's (Hosea 11:8) compassion for a child. Yahweh boldly declares, "I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion" (Exodus 33:19). While his compassion can be thwarted by disobedience (Deuteronomy 13:17 ; 30:3 ;2 Chronicles 30:9), there are times when his disobedient people's only hope is that his compassion overcomes his anger (Hosea 11:8). Yahweh's compassion is rooted in his covenant relationship with his people (2 Kings 13:23 ). Hope for the future (Isaiah 49:13; Jeremiah 12:15) is also rooted in God's compassion. It is said that compassion follows wrath (Jeremiah 12:15 ; Lamentations 3:32), is new each morning (Lam 3:22-23), and overcomes sin (Ps 51:1 ; Micah 7:19 ) rather than ignoring it. Since compassionate acts flow from compassionate persons, we are not surprised to learn that compassion is constitutive of God's very being (Ex 34:6). Echoes of this declaration are found throughout Scripture. God's compassion was essential for the maintenance of the covenant and His people praised him for it continually (Psalm 78:38 ; 86:15 ; 103:13 ; 145:8). "Compassion" is not frequently used with a human subject. It is found, however, in a mother's attitude toward her son (1 Ki 3:26), a princess's reaction to an abandoned child (Ex 2:6 ), and the Ziphites' treatment of Saul (1 Sa 23:21). (Baker's Evangelical Dictionary) Slow to anger - This is an idiom in Hebrew composed of "slow" (or "long" = arek - 0750) and "anger" (which is literally nose - aph) which could be paraphrased "God is long of nostrils." This picture fits well with the Septuagint translation which uses the adjective makrothumos (see related word makrothumia) which is literally means long (makro-) burn (thumos). The idea is that God has a "long fuse" before He reaches the point of anger. Or one could say it depicts a God Who takes, as it were, a deep breath and holds it for a long time before breathing out His anger in judgments. This is great news for Israel in the future Day of the LORD when God's "fuse" so to speak finally burns out and "ignites" His righteous wrath which burns with holy fury on a rebellious, God hating world in the last days as vividly portrayed in the book of the Revelation in chapters 6 through 19 (which uses the NT word for wrath - orge - 6 times in Rev 6-19). Anger (nose, nostril, wrath) (0693)(aph from anaph = to breathe hard, to be angry) is a masculine noun meaning nose, nostril, snout (pigs - Pr 11:22), face (2 Sa 25:23) and anger. Aph is used in Scripture to describe anger as a figurative extension of the nose as an area that can change color when blood rushes to it while one is angry. Picture the nares flaring as they breathe in and out deeply, about to "blow their top" so to speak. See God's Attribute - Wrath Abounding in lovingkindness - Abounding is the Hebrew adjective rab (07227) which means much or many and speaks of that which is in abundance. Joel is saying we can return to God (repent) because He has a large amount of lovingkindness (or mercy). The English word abounding speaks of that which is abundant or plentiful, existing in large quantities. The Septuagint (Lxx) translates abounding in lovingkindness with the adjective polyeleos which means "very merciful" (and is used 11x and only in the Septuagint all uses speaking of God's abounding lovingkindness - Ex. 34:6; Nu 14:18; Neh 9:17; Ps. 86:5; Ps. 86:15; Ps. 103:8; Ps. 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jon. 4:2). The truth is that God's lovingkindness is not just abounding and abundant but is in fact infinite and inexhaustible. This is great news for sinners who find themselves (yours truly for sure) repeatedly in need of His mercies. Praise God that... The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness. (Lam 3:22-23). Lovingkindness (steadfast love)(02617)(hesed/chesed/heced) is the idea of faithful love in action and often in the OT refers to God's lovingkindness expressed in His covenant relationship with Israel (His "loyal love" to His "Wife" Israel [cp Hos 2:18, 19, 20-see note, Is 54:5, Je 31:32] = His "loyalty to covenant"). Thus hesed speaks of faithfulness of the covenant-keeping God. God's hesed His denotes persistent and unconditional tenderness, kindness, and mercy, a relationship in which He seeks after man with love and mercy (cp God immediately seeking man Ge 3:9, who was immediately hiding Ge 3:8 trying to cover their shame Ge 3:7 - contrast God's lovingkindness manifest by spilling blood to provide skins to cover their shame! Ge 3:21). Hesed expresses both God’s loyalty to His covenant and His love for His people along with a faithfulness to keep His promises. It is that consistency of attitude which rises above changing whims and moods and when employed of God it denotes His never-failing kindness to His covenant people. We see the marriage covenant aspect of God's hesed in the book of Hosea... Hosea 2:19 “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In lovingkindness (hesed) and in compassion, And relenting of evil - NET Bible translates it "often relenting from calamitous punishment." The NLT paraphrases it "He is eager to relent and not punish." The ESV has "He relents over disaster." The CSB has "He relents from sending disaster." The NAS and KJV translations are not the best because someone might infer from those translations that God is the author of evil when such could not be further from the truth. God is not the author of evil! Related Resources: Did God create evil? Why does God allow evil? Is God evil? Is the Bible evil? Why did God send an evil spirit to torment King Saul? Does God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans (Habakkuk 1:5-11)? How can I believe in the goodness of God when there is so much evil in the world? What is the biblical solution to the problem of evil? Hubbard on relenting of evil - Where God repents it is usually in response to human repentance (Jer. 18:5–12; Jon. 3:10), but in Exodus 32:12–14 God’s repentance is sparked by the reminder of the covenant and in Amos 7:3, 6 (see comments on pp. 207ff.) by an appeal to God’s pity for his people. God’s openness to change his course of action and particularly to withhold disastrous judgment (here called ‘evil’; cf. Amos 3:6) has in this passage and in Jonah 4:2 virtually become one of his attributes. Nowhere does Joel specify the people’s sins. In the heat of the emergency, care not diagnosis is his concern. Relenting (05162)(naham/nacham) is a verb which means to be sorry, to pity, to repent. The Septuagint (Lxx) translates nachum here with the verb metanoeo which in the NT means to change one's mind. So this raises the thorny question of "Does the unchangeable God change His mind?" The text here and in Joel 2:14 clearly states He does relent or "change His mind." But He does so without a change in His divine attribute of immutability. This subject deserves a longer answer then would be appropriate for this commentary, so you are referred to Robert Chisholm's 13 page paper "Does God 'Change His Mind?'" (and several other resources listed below). Here is a summary answer from Chisholm in a shorter discussion When we say that God changes His mind, are we denying His immutability, which affirms that God’s essential being and nature do not change? No. God is sovereign, but our sovereign God is also personal and often enters into give-and-take relationships with people. While the human mind cannot fully understand the relationship between divine sovereignty and human freedom, the Bible teaches that God sometimes announces His intentions and then subordinates His actions to the human response. When God announces His intentions conditionally, He allows people to help determine the outcome by how they respond to His word. (Robert Chisholm - Does God Change His Mind?) Gilliland explains that "because of the four attributes just mentioned God is now presented as One who is willing to reconsider His judgments. They are not fixed in stone. His threatenings of wrath are given so that the wicked may change and, where repentance is true, God in consistency with His own character withdraws the sentence of condemnation." (What the Bible Teaches – Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah) Now the question naturally arises that the Bible clearly states God is immutable or unchangeable. So some reason, it that is so, then how can He relent (or repent) as Joel describes? S Lewis Johnson tackles this question with the following analysis: Can God repent? We can’t deal with this in detail, but he does say that God does repent. But we know that God does not change. What does it mean when the Bible says that God repents? Well, of course, it does not mean that he changes because he’s an unchangeable God. It rather refers anthropomorphically or he speaks to a man and his manner of treating men. It appears that God repents because his manner of treating men seems different. Taking the case of Jonah’s ministry to Nineveh; he went into that city and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be destroyed.” But the people of Nineveh repented it is said and God repented of that which he had promised. He did not really change his mind. There was a condition in Jonah’s message. He said, “Yet forty days.” In other words, there was forty days time given to them to change their minds. He acts according to certain well defined principles. He punishes the impenitent. He blesses the penitent. And if he had treated Nineveh after they had repented the same way as he treated them before they repented, he wouldn’t be the same kind of God he is said to be in the Bible. It’s like a thermometer. If you look at a thermometer you might say a thermometer is a very changeable thing for the mercury goes up and down on the thermometer in accordance with the heat. But strictly speaking the thermometer is unchangeable. It operates according to an unchangeable principle. So it is unchangeable in its essence. It’s changeable as we look at it. That’s what the Bible means when it says God repents. It’s only as we look at it. He acts according to his well defined and scripturally presented principles. I suggest that you compare Jeremiah 18:7-18. (Judah's Repentance and God's Repentance) See Related Resources: Does God change His mind? The Divine attribute of immutability What is the immutability of God? Does prayer change God’s mind? Beware of the heretical teaching of process theology that says God is changing! Joel 2:12-17 Rend Your Heart So rend your heart, and not your garments (Joel 2:13). The Baouli people of West Africa describe repentance this way: "It hurts so much I want to quit it." Genuine repentance (See in depth word studies on The verb Repent = metanoeo; the noun Repentance = metanoia) hurts our pride and wounds our ego. But it's a necessary and healing hurt. John Calvin said, "Let everyone search himself and he will find that he labors under this evil—that he would rather rend his garment than his heart." Calvin was thinking of the time God brought His people Israel to repentance by sending a vast army of locusts to invade the land. The insects consumed all vegetation and stripped fruit trees and gardens bare. Man and animals languished under the effects of this widespread devastation. The prophet Joel seized the occasion to call Israel to repentance, to "rend your heart, and not your garments." According to the record, they heeded his warning and turned from their sin (Joel 3:18, 19). Sometimes we find ourselves hemmed in by economic or domestic pressures. And sometimes accidents or natural tragedies disrupt our lives. Through these events we recognize our need for God. It's as if He is saying, "Examine your life and conduct. Are you walking with Me, obeying My commands, putting Me first?" Repentance is sorrow for the deed, not for being caught! Morning and Evening - C H Spurgeon “Rend your heart, and not your garments.” — Joel 2:13 Garment-rending and other outward signs of religious emotion, are easily manifested and are frequently hypocritical; but to feel true repentance (See in depth word studies on The verb Repent = metanoeo; the noun Repentance = metanoia) is far more difficult, and consequently far less common. Men will attend to the most multiplied and minute ceremonial regulations—for such things are pleasing to the flesh—but true religion is too humbling, too heart-searching, too thorough for the tastes of the carnal men; they prefer something more ostentatious, flimsy, and worldly. Outward observances are temporarily comfortable; eye and ear are pleased; self-conceit is fed, and self-righteousness is puffed up: but they are ultimately delusive, for in the article of death, and at the day of judgment, the soul needs something more substantial than ceremonies and rituals to lean upon. Apart from vital godliness all religion is utterly vain; offered without a sincere heart, every form of worship is a solemn sham and an impudent mockery of the majesty of heaven. Heart-rending is divinely wrought and solemnly felt. It is a secret grief which is personally experienced, not in mere form, but as a deep, soul-moving work of the Holy Spirit upon the inmost heart of each believer. It is not a matter to be merely talked of and believed in, but keenly and sensitively felt in every living child of the living God. It is powerfully humiliating, and completely sin-purging; but then it is sweetly preparative for those gracious consolations which proud unhumbled spirits are unable to receive; and it is distinctly discriminating, for it belongs to the elect of God, and to them alone. The text commands us to rend our hearts, but they are naturally hard as marble: how, then, can this be done? We must take them to Calvary: a dying Saviour’s voice rent the rocks once, and it is as powerful now. O blessed Spirit, let us hear the death-cries of Jesus, and our hearts shall be rent even as men rend their vestures in the day of lamentation. Joel 2:12–17 From the Heart Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate. Joel 2:13 In many cultures, loud weeping, wailing, and the tearing of clothing are accepted ways of lamenting personal sorrow or a great national calamity. For the people of Old Testament Israel, similar outward actions expressed deep mourning and repentance for turning away from the Lord. An outward demonstration of repentance can be a powerful process when it comes from our heart. But without a sincere inward response to God, we may simply be going through the motions, even in our communities of faith. God wants to hear your heart. After a plague of locusts devastated the land of Judah, God, through the prophet Joel, called the people to sincere repentance to avoid His further judgment. “ ‘Even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning’ ” (Joel 2:12). Then Joel called for a response from deep inside: “Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity” (v. 13). True repentance comes from the heart. The Lord longs for us to confess our sins to Him and receive His forgiveness so we can love and serve Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Whatever you need to tell the Lord today, just say it—from the heart. Lord, please give me a heart of repentance to see myself as You do. Give me the grace to respond to Your merciful call for change. God wants to hear your heart. INSIGHT: In today’s reading we find remarkable insights on the theme of repentance. Key phrases punctuate this exhortation. “Even now” (Joel 2:12): Despite a pattern of disobedience that has merited the righteous judgment of God, He extends grace to a repentant heart. “Return to me with all your heart” (v. 12): The repentance God is calling for is not lukewarm but rather a full commitment of the heart. “Declare a holy fast” (vv. 15–17): The act of fasting does not carry a meritorious element but is a means of self-denial and sets the foundation for turning from selfishness to God. In the spiritual life of Israel both a national and individual repentance were keenly related. Joel 2:13 Delayed Consequences Read: Ezekiel 12:21-28 Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. —Joel 2:13 As a child, I learned to behave properly when adults rewarded my good behavior and punished my bad behavior. This worked pretty well because the reward or punishment generally came quickly after the behavior, making the relationship between the cause and effect unmistakable. When I became an adult, however, life got more complex, and the consequences of my actions were not always immediate. When I behaved badly without getting in trouble for it, I began to think that it didn’t matter to God what I did. Something similar happened to the children of Israel. When they disobeyed God and didn’t suffer any bad consequences right away, they said, “The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see!” (Ezek. 9:9), indicating their belief that God had lost interest in them and didn’t care about their bad behavior. But they were wrong. Weary of their waywardness, God finally said, “None of My words will be delayed any longer; whatever I say will be fulfilled” (Ezek 12:28 niv). A Prayer: Lord, thank You for being slow to anger and filled with compassion. May I not presume upon Your mercy by assuming that there will be no consequences to my sin. Help me instead to confess it. Amen. The only way to make things right is to admit you’ve been wrong. Joel 2:13 Happy New Year! READ: Joel 2:12-17 Rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful. —Joel 2:13 Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is regarded as the anniversary of the day that God created the world. The celebration begins with a blast of the shofar (ram's horn) to announce that the God who created the world is still the One ruling it. The blowing of the horn also begins a 10-day period of self-examination and repentance (See in depth word studies on The verb Repent = metanoeo; the noun Repentance = metanoia) leading to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:23-32; Nu 29:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). The prophet Joel urged people not to just go through the motions of repentance, but to turn from their sins and obey God (Joel 2:13). In his day, tearing garments was a sign of sorrow for sin. It made a good show, but it didn't impress God. He was more concerned with their hearts. Especially interesting is the basis for Joel's appeal. It wasn't only to avoid God's wrath, but also to enjoy God's grace, compassion, and love. Sometimes we think of God as being heavy-handed with punishment and tight-fisted with mercy. The words of Joel remind us that the opposite is true. The Lord is slow to punish and eager to forgive. When I tried to cover my sin, My guilt I could not shake; But when I sought Your mercy, Lord, My sin I did forsake. —Hess Confession is the key that opens the door to forgiveness. Joel 2:14 Who knows whether He will not turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him, even a grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God? Who knows whether He will not turn and relent: Ex 32:30 Jos 14:12 1Sa 6:5 2Sa 12:22 2Ki 19:4 Am 5:15 Jon 1:6 Jon 3:9 Zep 2:3 2Ti 2:25 And leave a blessing behind Him: Isa 65:8 Hag 2:19 2Co 9:5-11 *marg: Even a grain offering and a drink offering: Joe 1:9,13,16 NET Who knows? Perhaps He will be compassionate and grant a reprieve, and leave blessing in His wake– a meal offering and a drink offering for you to offer to the LORD your God! WHO KNOWS? GOD KNOWS! Joel is continuing his amplification of God's invitation in Joel 2:12 "Return to Me." Who knows whether He will not turn and relent ("Perhaps He will be compassionate and grant a reprieve" = NET) - The answer of course is God knows! "The sovereign God acts according to His own purposes." (ESV Study note) His turn ("return") to Israel is predicated on their turning ("return" ~ repenting) to Him. Hubbard - Who knows is a humble way of holding out hope. This is no time for presumption, but it is a time for anticipation, held in check by awe of God’s sovereignty (cf. 2 Sam. 12:22; Jon. 3:9; a similar idea, though expressed by another Hebrew construction [‘ûlay, ‘perhaps’] is found in 2 Kgs 19:4; Amos 5:15). In Jonah the hope is negative: averting judgment. Here it is positive: receiving blessing in the form of a fresh fertility which allows the temple offerings to be resumed. (TOTC) Moody Bible Commentary adds that who knows "reflects the Lord's sovereign will. It leaves the possibility that after repentance the Lord could turn and relent concerning His plan for judgment, and He would leave a blessing behind Him. The offer is genuine, but is based on the requirement of repentance." Similar passages speaking of God's sovereignty in this matter include 2 Samuel 12:22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.’ Jonah 3:9 “Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.” (Compare Jonah's prayer in Jonah 4:2!) Esther 4:14-note (In a clear picture of God's sovereignty Mordecai asks Queen Esther) “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” Robert Chisholm adds this thought on "who knows" - "Even if sinful Israel repented, she could not presume on God’s mercy as if it were something under their control which He had to grant automatically. They could only hope that He would turn and have pity (cf. Mal. 3:7) by averting the disaster (cf. Joel 2:20) and restoring their crops (cf. v. 25)." (Bible Knowledge Commentary) Gilliland (What the Bible Teaches) - When repentance is true there is not only an absence of pride but also an absence of presumption. The question here does not betray any doubt or lack of confidence. It is rather a recognition that no matter what may be done, God cannot be coerced or manipulated. His forgiveness is part of the exercise of His freedom and is in no way dependent on our performance. As Samuel Davies rightly said in his noble hymn "Great God of wonders": This is Thy grand prerogative, And in this honour none shall share. Who is a pardoning God like Thee, Or who has grace so rich and free? Relent (05162) See the preceding discussion about God "changing His mind" in notes on naham/nacham. In Joel 2:3 the locusts left "behind" a desolate wilderness, but here the Lord will leave "behind Him" a bountiful blessing. This is the effect of God's grace in our lives! And leave a blessing behind Him ("and leave blessing in His wake" = NET), even a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God? - This is tangible evidence of a restored relationship allowing daily sacrifices ("communion") to be renewed. This picture presents a dramatic contrast with the devastation left by the locust plague in Joel 1 when there was not enough wine or grain for offerings to the LORD! (Joel 1:9-10-note). And ponder the truth that their offering is furnished by God for His Own Temple! The principle is that we as His people can really only give back to Him what He gives first to us! That is a humbling, grace-filled through for sure! God is able to turn a curse into a blessing. But in context, this offer is only for those who return with authentic repentance from their heart. And is not this His goal for us in calling us to repent? He desires to bring back the backslidden into fellowship with Himself, the very One they turned away from! Hubbard - The lesson in this verse must not be missed: the material provisions God gives his people are as much for his service as for their comfort. (TOTC) Joel 2:14 God Fights Against Us READ: Joel 2:12-17 Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him? —Joel 2:14 In Joel’s book of prophecy, God declared: “I am in the midst of Israel . . . . My people shall never be put to shame” (Joel 2:27). But earlier in the chapter God promised to fight against His people. A plague of locusts would descend like a ravenous army on the nation (Joel 2:2-11). It’s hard to fathom that the Lord would fight against His chosen people. But Israel had given their affections to other gods. In fact, God had fought against them before. “Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity” (Jdg 2:15). Because our Father’s heart is grieved Each time we go astray, He lifts His chastening hand in love To help us find His way. —D. De Haan God’s hand of discipline is a hand of love Joel 2:15 Blow a trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, Blow a trumpet in Zion: Joe 2:1 Nu 10:3 Consecrate a fast: Joe 1:14 1Ki 21:9,12 2Ki 10:20 Jer 36:9 A CALL TO A SOLEMN ASSEMBLY Blow...consecrate...proclaim - These are commands, not suggestions. They are a clear call for an urgent response! The nearness of the Day of the LORD demands drastic measures for the nation of Israel. They are to flee from His great and awesome wrath into His great and awesome mercy via the narrow path of repentance! Blow a trumpet in Zion - A call of alarm in Joel 2:1 is now a call to assemble. Here the sounding of the shofar is not a military alert but a "spiritual alert," calling individual Israelites as well as the nation to repentance. Upon the walls of Jerusalem stood the alert sentry, always watchful, with trumpet (shofar) in hand, ready to sound the alarm of impending danger. But here the warning was to be sounded from a different platform. The message will be heralded from “Zion,” the “holy mountain” (Joel 2:1), which has reference to Mount Moriah, where Solomon’s Temple stood. The priest (Joel 2:15), not the soldier, was to blow the shofar and not as a military alert, but as a "spiritual alert," a call to gather Judah for individual and national repentance (Joel 2:12-17) for the Temple was the abode of God’s presence, the place to beseech Him in prayer and fasting, in the hope that He would divert the judgment. Blowing of the trumpets to signal religious gatherings was well known in Israel... Leviticus 23:24 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. Leviticus 25:9 ‘You shall then sound a ram’s horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land. Numbers 10:10 “Also in the day of your gladness and in your appointed feasts, and on the first days of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the LORD your God.” Ps 81:3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, At the full moon, on our feast day. Consecrate a fast - In Joel 1:14-note after the locust invasion, Israel was to consecrate a fast to mourn, but now the call is to return. This is a fast that is calculated not to impress God with our willingness to forgo some pleasures of life, but a fast from the heart, seeking to get our heart prepared to focus on meeting before Jehovah. Consecrate (Sanctify, make holy) (06942)(qadash) means to set apart for a specific use. Removed from common use. The specific use is that one prepares their heart to meet God. Feinberg on proclaim a solemn assembly - Again the priests are called upon to blow the trumpet in Zion. The first trumpet (cp. Joel 2:1 and Nu 10:5 = "when you blow an alarm") was to sound an alarm; the second trumpet (Joel 2:15 and Nu 10:10) was to call a convocation in Israel to gather the people to the sanctuary of the Lord. (The Minor Prophets) In Amos 5:21 God says “I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies." Why? Because of their rebellious, unfaithful, unrepentant hearts! Here God commands a solemn assembly as a means to bring their hearts back in line with His will vis-a-vis rending of hearts and repentance. Solemn assembly - This phrase occurs only 8 times in the OT - Nu. 29:35; Dt. 16:8; 2 Ki. 10:20; 2 Chr. 7:9; Neh. 8:18; Isa. 1:13; Joel 1:14; Joel 2:15 Hastings on solemn assembly - The expression solemn assembly , in which ‘solemn’ has its etymological, but now obsolete, sense of ‘stated,’ ‘appointed’ (lit. ‘yearly,’ sollennis ), represents a third Heb. word applicable originally to any religious gathering ( Amos 5:21 , Isaiah 1:13 , 2 Kings 10:20 ), but afterwards limited to those appointed for the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Cakes ( Mazzoth , Deuteronomy 16:8 ), and the eighth of the Feast of Booths ( Leviticus 23:36 , Numbers 29:35 ). (Dictionary) Solemn national assemblies for prayer, fasting, and repentance are described in the Old Testament Scriptures. In America, local and national leaders have called for days of prayer and fasting at times of crisis and when they perceive a need for repentance by the entire society. In 1989 Southern Baptist leaders issued a call to prayer and solemn assembly. Robert Webber - Biblical Basis for the Solemn Assembly Holy convocations and/or solemn assemblies may be described as a day or days in which God’s followers come together under concerned leadership to confess sins and to be brought into a renewed relationship with God. Worshipers confess both personal and corporate sins which have separated them from God. The spirit of the solemn assembly may be found in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” This is the biblical intention of the solemn assembly: confession, forgiveness of sin, personal restoration, national blessing, and the healing process. The concept of solemn assembly emanates mainly from Old Testament literature. The terminology does not appear in the New Testament largely for two reasons. The first reason is that New Testament Christian leaders and writers were Jews (some exceptions being noted) who practiced Jewish custom while being Christians. They knew about holy days and solemn assemblies. Therefore, there was no real need to deal with solemn assemblies. The second reason has to do with the constant and ongoing confession of sin believed to be necessary for an appropriate relationship with God the Father as taught in New Testament literature. Practicing this teaching made even mentioning solemn assemblies unnecessary, since they were called only in the case of gross personal and corporate sin. In addition to these two reasons, the national and religious life of Israel had been interrupted by the defeat and pagan rule of the country. Israel was not a free nation. In the face of Roman rule, calling a solemn assembly would have been extremely difficult. David Levy - One day God’s long suffering will run out, and the day of the Lord will come in devastating judgment. A holocaust like this world has never experienced is fast approaching. Is there any hope for sinful men? Yes, a genuine repentance and turning to Christ. Is there any hope for America? Yes, the same hope which God put before Judah and every other nation that went off in sin. The choice is clearly one of repentance or ruin. The country is on a collision course and has a date with destruction unless repentance is forthcoming. In Judah, repentance began at the house of the Lord. God will not accept anything less from His people today. (Friends for Israel) Here are several appropriate Scriptures... Jeremiah 18:8 if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. Amos 5:4 For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel, “Seek Me that you may live. Jonah 3:10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it. 2 Chronicles 7:14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. God will forgive the sins and stay His hand of judgment toward a people who turn in repentance. Editorial Comment: America is in dire, desperate need for solemn assemblies from the East Coast to the West Coast and everywhere in between. Dear pastor, would you pray and ask God if He would have you proclaim a solemn assembly in your church (or even your city)? Instructions on Calling and Leading a Solemn Assembly Solemn Assembly - 5 Day Guide for Repentance A CALL TO SOLEMN ASSEMBLY We live in desperate times. Our lives, our families, our churches, our communities, and our nation reflect the ruinous effects of our sinful ways. To some degree we all have pursued the things of the world and stand guilty of worshipping the created, not the Creator (Matthew 6:24; 1 John 2:15). Where do we place our trust? Have we abandoned our faith in the Lord? In many of our lives, our passion for Him has grown cold. We are guilty of bearing false witness before the God of the universe. However far we may have wandered from the calling God has placed on our lives, God has not moved. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Apart from the cover provided by Christ's work of atonement, there is no hope for a stiff-necked people (Isaiah 13:11; Revelation 2:4). God's judgment is swift and sure; His wrath is without compare-only the blood of His Son holds back His sword of justice (Galatians 2:20). For those who call upon the name of His Son, His mercies are without end (Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21). We must repent and come before the Father with a contrite heart. We need a heal-the-land kind of blessing (2 Chronicles 7:13-14). We must, as people of God, enter into sacred assembly, prostrate ourselves before Him, confess our sins, repent of our transgressions, and thank God for His merciful blessings upon us (Joel 1:13-14, 2:12; Romans 12:1). It is critical that the people called Southern Baptist individually and corporately renew their covenant commitment to the King of kings and Lord of lords (Mark 12:30). Pastors, as shepherds of His flock, we urge you to call the Christ-followers in your care to consecrate themselves, to throw off that which distracts, tempts, or otherwise disables them from obediently following God (Genesis 35:2-5; Exodus 19:10-11; Joel 2:16). We need to make way for the Lord (Hebrews 8:10). We join Dr. Bryant Wright, President of the Southern Baptist Convention, in calling Southern Baptists to a Solemn Assembly in January, that in the sight of God and His witnesses we might renew our commitment to Christ and the Great Commission (Zechariah 1:3). May God alone be glorified. Joel 2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom come out of his room And the bride out of her bridal chamber. sanctify the congregation: Ex 19:10,15,22 Jos 7:13 1Sa 16:5 2Ch 29:5,23,24 30:17,19 35:6 Job 1:5 Assemble the elders: Joe 1:14 De 29:10,11 2Ch 20:13 Jon 3:7,8 Let the bridegroom come out of his room And the bride out of her bridal chamber: Zec 12:11-14 Mt 9:15 1Co 7:5 NOT A SINGLE SOUL IS TO MISS THIS ASSEMBLY! Note the urgency and the necessity are emphasized by 4 commands (Gather...sanctify...Assemble...Gather), and six groups of people so that no members of the covenant community are exempt, for all are guilty and all must humble themselves before God and repent. Feinberg adds that "Personal, individual joys are to give way to the interests of the entire community." (Ibid) Gather the children and the nursing infants - This is striking! Squalling infants in a solemn assembly? Absolutely! Israel sinned individually and corporately and is return individually and corporately. Now nursing infants probably alludes to the mothers who might otherwise not come because they were nursing their infants. But God says for them to come and bring their infants. This assembly is "required attendance" for everyone in Israel. There are no exemptions. Everyone is in need of repentance (now infants would be the exception - yes, they are born in sin, but they cannot yet even vocalize and cannot yet sin willfully against God). Hubbard has an interesting comment - and the unweaned babies, who in corporate personality shared the people’s guilt without directly contributing to it (cf. the judgment on Achan’s family for his sin, Josh. 7:25; Exod. 34:6–7; Jer. 31:29–30). Furthermore, the presence of the children would add power to the petition for mercy, as God’s attitude toward the youngsters of Nineveh attests (Jon. 4:11). (TOTC) Let the bridegroom come out of his room And the bride out of her bridal chamber - Under normal circumstances a bridegroom was exempt from the assemblies, but this was not a normal circumstance! Moses describes the exemptions... Deuteronomy 20:7; ‘And who is the man that is engaged to a woman and has not married her? Let him depart and return to his house, otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would marry her.’ Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with the army nor be charged with any duty; he shall be free at home one year and shall give happiness to his wife whom he has taken. Bridal chamber (02646)(chuppah) describes an overhead cover that protects from hostile elements or a bridal tent for the wedding ceremony or the first nuptial night. The idea that this represents a marriage canopy is intriguing in view of the fact that in the OT Israel was pictured as the wife of Jehovah (Isa 54:5, Jer 31:31, cp Jer 2:2, 3:14, Ho 2:19), and the canopy could therefore speak of a marriage canopy for the Lord's beloved, the believing Remnant of Israel, those who are now washed and purified (i.e., spiritually speaking -- when all Israel is saved as described in Ro 11:26, 27-note] and as such would now be the "chaste" faithful wife to Jehovah. What a glorious day awaits us all when Messiah rules and reigns as King of kings (see use in Isaiah 4:5)! Chuppah - 3x in 3v - canopy(1), chamber(2). Psalms 19:5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Isaiah 4:5-note then (IN THE MILLENNIUM) the LORD will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy. Joel 2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom come out of his room And the bride out of her bridal chamber. Joel 2:17 Let the priests, the LORD'S ministers, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, "Spare Your people, O LORD, And do not make Your inheritance a reproach, A byword among the nations. Why should they among the peoples say, 'Where is their God?'" Let the priests, the LORD'S ministers: Joe 1:9,13 Weep between the porch and the altar: 1Ki 6:3 2Ch 8:12 Eze 8:16 Mt 23:35 And let them say: Ho 14:2 Spare Your people: Ex 32:11-13 34:9 De 9:16-29 Isa 37:20 64:9-12 Da 9:18,19 Am 7:2,5 Mal 1:9 And do not make Your inheritance a reproach: Ps 44:10-14 74:10,18-23 79:4 89:41,51 Eze 36:4-7 A byword among the nations: Ne 9:36 Isa 63:17-19 Why should they among the peoples say: or, use a byword against them, De 28:37 1Ki 9:7 2Ch 7:20 Ps 44:14 Where is their God: Nu 14:14-16 De 32:27 Ps 42:10 79:10 115:2 Eze 20:9 Mic 7:10 Mt 27:43 WEEPING AND PRAYING FOR GOD'S HONOR Let the priests, the LORD'S ministers, weep between the porch and the altar - The religious leaders were to lead out in this time of national contrition and mourning. Is there a lesson for us in America? What would occur in American churches if pastors called and led their flocks to a time of humbling, of brokenness, of mourning over sins and repenting of sins? Who knows if God might send a revival to America! Weep (01058)(bakah) means to weep, bemoan, lament or wail, because of grief, pain, humiliation or even joy (Ge. 42:24; 43:30; Dt 21:13, Joel 1:5). Bakah can describe weeping as a response of contrition before the Lord (Dt. 1:45 - but see context as to why they were weeping and why it was too little, too late! = Dt 1:43-44; 2Ki 22:19 = King Josiah after discovery of Book of the Law in the House of God [2Ki 22:8] the reading of which caused Josiah to tear his clothes-2Ki 22:11). Weeping is often mentioned with fasting indicative of mourning (2Sa 12:21, 22 = David at loss of Bathsheba's child). The Septuagint translates weep (bakah) Joel 2:17 with the verb Lxx = klaio = weeping, wailing, lamenting). Bakah was used in Joel 1:15-note calling on the drunkards to weep for their loss of access to wine. The porch and the altar (of Solomon's Temple - 1 Ki 6:3) - "The vestibule (porch), an area 20 cubits by 10 cubits, was on the east end of the temple (1 Kgs 6:3). The altar is the great altar of burnt offering in front of the temple (1 Kgs 8:64; 2 Chr. 8:12). Ezekiel refers to this area (which is near the entrance to the holy place in the inner court) in his description of the twenty-five who turned their backs on the temple to worship the sun (Ezekiel 8:16-note). The priests undoubtedly were to face the temple with the congregation gathered behind them in the court. " (Hubbard) The weeping here reminds one of the national weeping in Judges 2:1-5-note (at least 200 years before Joel's prophecy) which set the stage for the next 200 years of Israel in the Book of Judges! (cf Jdg 21:25-note). Now the Angel of Jehovah came up from Gilgal (from galal = to roll) to Bochim (means "weepers"). And he said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land (Ex 14:19) which I have sworn to your fathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob - aka "Abrahamic Covenant"); and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, 2 and as for you, you shall make (cut) no covenant with the inhabitants of this land (WHY? BECAUSE COVENANT WAS THE MOST BINDING AGREEMENT IN THE ANCIENT WORLD!); you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have done? 3 “Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they (THE GODLESS, PERVERTED CANAANITES) will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.’” 4 When the Angel of Jehovah spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. So they named that place Bochim; and there they sacrificed to the LORD. Angel of the LORD Gustave Dore Woodcut (Click to Enlarge) Comment: The Angel of Jehovah (PRE-INCARNATE APPEARANCE OF JESUS) reproved Israelites for entering into a league with the pagan people of the land which caused Israel to weep bitterly hence the name of the place as "weepers" or Bochim. Let them say, "Spare Your people, O LORD - The priests are to intercede on behalf of the nation asking God to show mercy and to spare them from the destruction of the Day of the LORD. God tells them exactly what to pray. As an aside, the best prayers to pray are those that pray God's Word back to Him!