Joel 2: the Day of the Lord
Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming.
As we move to chapter 2 of Joel, the focus shifts from commentary on the actual locust invasion to 'the day of the Lord'. The Day of the Lord is no so much a specific day in time but a time when God makes himself fully known and brings justice to the world. Ultimately, the Day of the Lord will occur when Jesus returns in glory, but in the Old Testament it has often referred to other days when God's judgement has been executed (e.g. Lamentations 2:21 uses the term to describe the fall of Jerusalem).
And so, the events described in Joel 2:1-11 could either be a further description of the locust plague in Chapter 1 (the images of military and horses were often used to describe locusts), warnings of a future invasion from a future army, or an allegorical description of the last Day of Judgement when Jesus returns. Either way, the locust plague of chapter 1 points towards a current or future judgement which is described in chapter 2.
Again, the imagery is powerful and terrifying - whether it is literal or metaphorical. First, there is blackness (2:2) - suffocating and spreading. There is also the swift efficiency of the oncoming army - like war horses they run (2:4), a powerful army drawn up for battle (2:5), they march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths (2:7). There is also the absolute destruction that comes in their midst: Fire devours before them and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them (2:3). Finally, there is the disruption of the things that seem completely permanent and unmovable: the earth, which quakes (2:10); and the sun, moon and stars which cease to shine.
In verse 11 we see the reason behind this terrifying calamity - The Lord utters his voice before his army. This coming destruction is God's righteousness. But why does a loving God want to bring fear? Why should 'all the inhabitants of the land tremble' at a loving God. Isn't love gentle and kind?
Love is gentle and kind - we saw that in the person of Jesus. But just as that same Jesus turned over the tables of the traders in the temple, love is powerful in the face of injustice. It burns with righteous anger and makes wrongs right. Joel does not contain much in the way of documenting the sin of God's people, but we know from countless other places in the Bible, and indeed looking around at the injustice we see today, that all is not well.
But I think there's another angle for looking at 'judgement'. The imagine of a refiners' fire is also a common one in the Bible (e.g. And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’” (Zechariah 13:9). This refiners fire is not a simple test like a teacher would set - to check what is already there. It is more transformative: removing the impurities - the things that do not survive the process, and leaving the pure metal. When the trappings of this world are taken away, our true hearts are not only revealed but put into action. If we have faith, it strengthens. We also realise the state of our hearts, and the truth about God.
The day of the Lord is when we see God without the buffer of the world. We see things really as they are. Justice breaks through. If you like, it's the red pill: we see ourselves as we really are - not bolstered up by the approval of people or the temporary riches or security of this life. This is not to say that the world is all an illusion - the Matrix analogy is limited, I only include it for its cultural pervasiveness. But everything we know will pass away eventually, and the value bestowed on us by earthly riches or approval will be meaningless.
But I can't leave today's post at that. Joel goes onto write:
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. (Joel 2:13)
Because in God's eyes, we have an intrinsic value. He wants us to abide in him - in his never-failing love. I will write more about the rest of Chapter 2 in the next instalment. God does not want to destroy us - he wants to find our faith. He wants to see justice and remove all that is wrong, but he wants people to turn back to him, so that he can love them and they can love him. At times, the only way to do that is through the refiners fire.
Comments
Post a Comment