Sermon Notes for Joel 2:1-17

Outline: I. The Day of the Lord (2:1-11) + II. Return to the Lord (2:12-17)

Joel 2:1-2a: RING THE ALARM
Joel 2:2b-9: THE LORD’S ARMY
Joel 2:10-11: THE LORD’S DAY: Apocalyptic, Eschatological and Cataclysmic

2:1 - The people are warned of danger by the shofar, made of a ram’s horn (Joel 2:1, 15) –  AMOS 3:6 “Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?” This is similar to the function of an air raid siren. During the Day of the Lord, we see “God’s coming intervention in a topsy-turvy world to settle its moral accounts, to honor right and banish wrong” – Leslie Allen, p 39

2:2 – Christ’s coming also spoke of this way in Matt 24:30; 26:64, Acts 1:9-11, 1 Thess. 4:17, Rev. 1:7) see 2 Peter 3:10-13 cf. Hebrews 9:28

2:4 – Joel is using the locusts this way would be like someone talking about the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami - in order for people to get the picture, using something horrible they were recently familiar with. locusts’ heads like horses’ heads. Italian cavalletta (little horse), German Heupferd (hay horse) are words for locusts.

The Day of the Lord 5 times: 1:15, 2:1, 11, 31, 3:14
Days of God’s intervention 6 times: 1:15, 2:2 (x2), 2:29, 3:1, 3:18,

2:10 – ‘cosmic convulsions’ (Allen) are part of the imagery of the Day of Yahweh.

The Day of the Lord is when Yahweh acts decisively and comprehensively in judgment and righteousness. Or “The Day of the Lord is that time when he declares and enforces his lordship, which is equivalent to the day in which he inaugurates and enforces his covenantal relationship with his people, humanity and the world” – O. Palmer Robertson, 477 in Christ of the Prophets.

2:11 – “Who can endure it?” ANSWER: Jesus per Hebrews 12:1–7

II. Return to the Lord (2:12-17)

Joel 2:12-14: REPENT
Joel 2:15-17: ASSEMBLE

2:12 – reminiscent of the covenant Deut 6:4 but also restoration promise of Deut 30:1-4 Returning to the Lord means abandoning sin and maybe idolatry…9^th plague against Egypt – ex 10:21-22. Cf Zephaniah 1:15
 

NOTE: I saw a chart like this in one of the commentaries I was reading and adapted it below but I can't recall where it's from - my bad!

Mosaic Covenant:
Justness of YHWH                                                - Joel 2:13-14 – Deut. 32:3-4
Past agricultural bounty                     - Joel 2:3 – Deut. 32:13-14
YHWH’s rejection                                                - Joel 2:11, 17 – Deut. 32:19-21, 26-30
Fire                                                                         - Joel 2:3-5 – Deut. 32:22
Harm                                                                      - Joel 2:13 – Deut. 32:23
Arrows                                                   - Joel 2:8 – Deut. 32:23
Invasion                                                                 - Joel 2:1-11 – Deut. 32:25
Taunt                                                                      - Joel 2:17 – Deut. 32:27
Judgment day                                                       - Joel 2:1, 2,11 – Deut. 32:34-35
Rescue/forgiveness                                             - Joel 2:12-14, 17 – Deut. 32:36-38

2:13 – cf Jeremiah 3:10 NOTE: the mini-word study entries below are heavily influenced from the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament ...

*’gracious’ (hannun) – he is willing to save the undeserving – the atonement! His grace is revealed together with his righteousness, as most of the passages which speak of him as ḥannûn also speak of his judging evil, e.g. Joel 2:13. Compassionate.
 
*’merciful’ (rahum) – mercy flowing from deep love. Eager to forgive and give grace. Pity. two concepts: first, the strong tie God has with those whom he has called as his children (Ps 103:13). God looks upon his own as a father looks upon his children; he has pity on them (cf. Mic 7:17). second concept is God’s unconditioned choice (ḥānēn, grace). God tells Moses that he is gracious and merciful to whomever he chooses (Ex 33:19). There are several ideas attached to God’s deep, tender love: first, the unconditional election of God (Ex 33:19); next, his mercy and forgiveness toward his people in the face of deserved judgment and upon the condition of their repentance (Deut 13:17); God’s continuing mercy and grace in preserving his unrepentant people from judgment (II Kgs 13:23). eschatological hope

*slow to anger (erek appayim) – holds back judgment as long as possible and extends the offer. Patient, longsuffering. Literally, when the Bible says God is “longsuffering” (Ex 34:6; Num 14:18; Ps 86:15) it reads “God is long of nose.” When he is angry, his nose becomes red and burns. It may be questioned whether in the living language the idioms had not already dropped their etymological associations and did not merely mean to be longsuffering and to be angry. When he is compassionate his nose becomes long - it would take forever to burn completely.

*’abounding in steadfast love’ (hesed) loyal faithfulness to his covenant – includes punishment!? Loyal-love. A manifold multitude of it lovingkindness!

*relents over disaster (eases the calamity or holds back evil; misery or distress)  - he relents or changes his dealings with men according to his sovereign purposes. When nāḥam is used of God, however, the expression is anthropopathic and there is not ultimate tension. From man’s limited, earthly, finite perspective it only appears that God’s purposes have changed. Thus the ot states that God “repented” of the judgments or “evil” which he had planned to carry out (I Chr 21:15; Jer 18:8; 26:3, 19; Amos 7:3, 6; Jon 3:10). NOTE: Repentance is based on who God is!

2:14 –“who knows?” Rom 9:15 but also 1 John 1:9

2:15-16 – blow the trumpet in Zion apparently addressed to the priests in order to implement the call to repentance. This time it is similar to church tower bells in old medieval era towns which rang to call the people to worship. Note: all the people were to repent in community. These commands are things one does for a death – they are like mourning, grieving

Michael Brown notes that several New Testament authors, mirroring the words of Jesus himself, wrote that the Messiah would return with the blast of the trumpet (see Matt. 24:30–31; 1 Cor. 15:51–52; 1 Thess. 4:16; Rev. 11:15), the piercing wake-up call that will be heard around the world. Moses Maimonides wrote that the shofar blast on Rosh Hashanah signified, so to say, Wake up from your sleep, you sleepers! Arise from your slumber, you slumberers! Examine your deeds! Return to God! Remember your creator! … Let each of you abandon his evil ways and his immoral thoughts.

2:17 – priests were to intercede on behalf of the people between the altar and the temple porch. They would lead the people in repentance, standing between the vestibule on the east side of the temple that separated the inner court from the great court of the laity and the brazen altar of burnt offering that lay within the inner court. But now we have Christ per Hebrews 4:14–16

"By the priesthood, the people were taught that they were not worthy in themselves of approaching God in all his holiness and glory. Jesus Christ is the ‘one mediator between God and men’ (1 Tim. 2:5). Through him, and through him alone, the sinner may come boldly before the throne of grace. Now under the provisions of the new covenant, all God’s people have been formed into a kingdom of priests who may intercede through Christ their great High Priest for the needs of one another". O. Palmer Robertson, Prophet of the Coming Day of the Lord: The Message of Joel (1995), 57.

THE COMING GREAT AND TERRIBLE DAY OF THE LORD
2 Peter 3:10–13