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About Jesus Steve Sweetman My Commentary On Joel This Section - Chapter 1:13 - 20 Previous Section - Chapter 1:1 - 12 Next Section - Chapter 2:1 - 11 A
Call To Repentance (ch. 1:13-20)
In verse 13 the priest and those who serve at the altar are told to dress in sackcloth and ashes, symbolic of the repentance that should be in their hearts and lives. It is the priests and those who serve at the altar who are to pray prayers of repentance because they were responsible for God’s people and they have neglected their jobs. God is not happy with Israel. I would suggest as God was not happy
with Israel, The reason why there isn't any grain offerings at the altar is because Israel is suffering through an agricultural disaster. The simple fact is that if God judges a nation today and it affects the nation's economy, it will also affect the church. I mentioned this earlier but since the
subject arises here again some will wonder what these grain offerings are
all about in New Testament times. You
may wonder about these offerings at a Jewish temple when there is no
temple, and, according to the New Testament, Christians are the temple
of Many prophetic Futurists believe that there will be a Jewish temple build in Jerusalem beside the Islamic Dome of the Rock that will be a result of a treaty the anti-Christ makes with the Jews and the Arabs. If this is a correct scenario, and, if Joel speaks of end time prophecy, this rebuilt temple might well be what is spoken of here. Many Bible teachers don't believe
there will be a Jewish temple rebuilt because they believe it would not be
New Testament thinking, and that is right, but, Prophetic Futurists don't
necessarily claim this rebuilt temple is rebuilt because of God's doing.
It is rebuilt because of Jewish doing.
That being said, all that is done at the end of this age, whether
good, bad, or indifferent is due to God's will. In verse 14 we see that once the
priests have come to repentance, they should call the elders, and all of
the people of Note the word "LORD," with all capital letters. LORD is translated from the Hebrew word "Yahweh" which in its simplest form means "I AM." God just is. He exists in the eternal present. Verse 15 says that "the Day of
the Lord is near." I
believe, as many do, that this particular Day is the time of the end,
those last 7 dreadful years of this age that will ultimately end in that
"One Day of the Lord" when Jesus returns to the earth. The term "Day of the Lord"
always speaks of judgment. Although
I've just said that the Day of the Lord might well speak to the end of the
age in which we now live, it could have had a historical meaning in the
day that Joel wrote this book. If
Israel
did not repent, then, a Day of the Lord, a day of judgment, would surely
fall on them. It did just that
in 722 B.C. when the northern tribes of If you believe the Day of the Lord
spoken of here is in reference to the end of this age, then to be
consistent, you must believe all that has been said in the first part of
this chapter will take place at the end of this age, and that would
include a rebuilt temple since we see the temple in this passage. In the last half of this verse it says
that this day will come with great destruction as from the Almighty. Before
this age ends, the tribulation period will bring great destruction to both
Israel
and the rest of the earth, and, it is from God Almighty.
That being said, if we are thinking of either 722 or 586 BC,
there was great destruction there as well, although obviously not as bad
as it will be at the end of this age.
It's a Biblical principle that before
God brings restoration that which needs to be restored often needs to be
torn down and that takes place during a period of God's judgment.
This tearing down might
well be what Paul spoke about when he predicted a great falling away in
the last days (2 Thessalonians 2:3). In verse 16 through 18 we see the
vastness of the destruction. It
even affects the cattle in the field. All
joy is gone because things are so bad, and they are bad because This chapter ends with verses 19 and 20. The animals, streams and pasture lands have all being effected by the great judgment. The verses speak of fire and burning. We can ask whether such devastation took place in either 722 or 586 BC. I'm not sure that it did, and if that is correct, this would suggest that when we saw the word "the Day of the Lord" it was speaking of the last days of this age. Again, I suggest that there might be a historical reality to chapter 1. Something that this chapter speaks of did happen in a time past, but with much of prophecy, that which happens now or in the past can be prophetic of something that will happen in the future. Verse 19 is very important to this chapter because it speaks of fire and the field ablaze. I don't think this portrays any Old Testament judgment. I think the mentioning of fire might well be in reference to modern warfare. It makes sense. This verse also suggests that the locust invasion means more than a locust invasion. I don't believe locust can cause such fire that destroys the agriculture of a nation as we see here. Verse 19 begins with the words "to you,
LORD, It is important to note that the call for prayer, fasting, and repentance in this section is in direct response to the disaster stated in the first section. I believe in our day we need to call the people of God, both Jew and Gentile believers, to prayer, fasting, and repentance for the disasters that are beginning to come our way, and there has been many in recent years. We normally complain and ask, "Where is God?" We should be falling to our knees instead because God might well be in the midst of the disaster. Verse 20 ends chapter 1. Again we see the wide spread devastation. It seems to me that such devastation is caused by something more than locusts. I believe this chapter is prophetic of the events of this age that we call the Great Tribulation. Note in verse 20 that even the wild animals pant for God. Have you ever thought of wild animals panting for God as humans would pant for God? Well, this verse seems to suggest this. Although I cannot explain it, I believe that all of creation has some kind of connection to God. It seems to me that wild animals in one way or another are aware of God. In relation to this, Joel 2:22 speaks of God speaking to wild animals. Don't you think if God took the time to speak to wild animals, wild animals might have some way of hearing and understanding what He is speaking to them? There are two
other passages that you might want to consider when thinking in terms of
animals and their relation to God. Genesis
9:5 and 6 states that wild animals will give account of themselves to God
if they kill a human being. Also,
Isaiah 43:20 speaks of wild animals honouring God because He provides
water for them in the wilderness. Both
of these passages suggest, at least to me, that animals, somehow, can
communicate with God. There is
some God given ability for them to do so. Previous Section - Chapter 1:1 - 12
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