The Day of the Lord (Joel 2:10-17)
- Pastor Bob and Janet
- Oct 3, 2017
- 3 min read
In 1975, I was driving home from seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Suddenly, the clean, clear air hitting my windshield became a cloudy haze. Unable to see, I slowed to a crawl and noticed a crunching sound as the car tires continued to move. A massive army of grasshoppers was moving perpendicular to the crowded highway. The swirling collection of insects soon devoured everything green and leafy. Bushes and branches were stripped. Crops were gone, and grass was no more. News reporters called it a dreadful day and questioned the sustainability of the farmers and their animals.
I. The Day of the Lord
In Joel's day, such events were called The Day of the Lord. This eminent day refers to God's judgement on an unrepentant people. Joel warns the people by listing devastating events that will happen on this day. The vision of the nation of Israel being utterly destroyed is The Day of the Lord. Why did the prophet Joel warn God's people that the Lord will judge them in such a consuming way? The people were going to temple. They were observing fasts and rituals, and some were even tearing their clothes in anguish. However, their attitude and motives were not pure. Their moral fabric was destroyed from their sin and selfishness and also from the apathy that had taken over their lives. Joel's day is no different than our world today. Who knows why, but God has refrained from judging His people yet. Our nation is being destroyed, not because we are lacking in life's necessities, but because our moral fabric is being destroyed. We are living in a day when The Day of the Lord looms simply because we are unwilling to admit our sin. God wants us to be heart broken over our own spiritual condition and the spiritual condition of the lost.
II. The Demand of Repentance
In verses 12 and 13, Joel tells the people of God what they must do. This conditional request is an if/then statement with an extra element- a blessing. If people will turn to God completely, with fasting and weeping and mourning, then God will not only refrain from sending calamity, but as an extra bonus, he will send blessing. Today, God will do the same for us. Our moral fabric is not frayed, it is worn and torn to the point that it is beyond recognition. We've slowly drifted into mediocrity. We've justified our sin. We've ceased to pray, and we have forgotten the blessings of the Lord. It has been 120 years since a major movement of the Holy Spirit has taken place. The United States has refused to acknowledge the power of God. In other places; other countries, thousands are returning and turning to the Lord. Our hearts are not broken. We just go through the motions.
III. The Danger of Disobedience
What if we do not rend our hearts and turn to God? What will happen? We will still have physical needs met. Life will go on just as it is today. People will go to work, raise their families, and try in their own power to be a good citizen. However, church and Christianity will be a byword. Church and Christianity will not have any active role in community. Our voice will be stifled and eventually, snuffed out. If we lose our voice, no one will remember, and sadly, they will say, "Where is their God?" O Lord, wake us so that our hearts will break, and we will return to you. Amen.
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