The Book Of Joel. Day 4, An Army, Part One

Chapter 1 ended with Joel ordering an assembly of the people to be called. Chapter 2 opens with the assembly being called by the sound of a trumpet, which is the method that was used during the wilderness years earlier in the Old Testament. The Lord commanded Moses to have two silver trumpets fashioned and those were to be blown "for calling the community together" (Numbers 10:2) so that the entire assembly could gather at the tent of meeting. The trumpets were also used to let the people know when to break camp and move on. Another use of the trumpets was to make a joyful noise on the special holy days. And the fourth use of the trumpets was to summon the men to go to war against an invader in the land. 

An assembly is needed here in the book of Joel so the people can be advised to fast and pray and call upon the Lord for relief from the locust invasion. (We previously discussed whether these are literal insects or whether the term "locusts" is used poetically to describe the destruction of an enemy army.) But the blowing of the trumpets in Chapter 2 seems like a call to arms in addition to being a call to assemble. The army mentioned in the first portion of this chapter may be a continuing reference to the plague of locusts or it could be that an invasion by an army of human soldiers is taking place or is about to take place. Scholars are divided on their opinion on this.

The Lord addresses the people through the prophet Joel, saying: "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. It is close at hand---a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was in ancient times nor ever will be in ages to come." (Joel 2:1-2) 

A vast cloud of locusts would produce this large and looming shadow over the land. But some scholars believe Joel is warning of an invading and conquering army that will cause "a day of darkness and gloom". These scholars feel that had the people not repented at Joel's message, a conquering army would indeed have come in and caused the nation to fall. Not too long after this, the Assyrian army will cause the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel. If the people of Judah had not repented, and if the hidden prince Joash had not been revealed as having been saved from the slaughter ordered by his grandmother Athaliah, and if a coup had not been staged against Athaliah and the young prince installed on the throne as king of Judah, and if Joash had not had a godly longlasting reign of forty years, perhaps the fall of Judah would have occurred right after the fall of Israel. But Judah was granted a reprieve. Judah still had some godly kings to come and the people of Judah experienced several spiritual revivals. This is why the southern kingdom survived just over one hundred and thirty years longer than the northern kingdom.

In verse 1 above we see the phrase "the day of the Lord" being used. This same phrase was used in Chapter 1 and we will see it used several times in the Scriptures to denote the day of judgment in the end times. But in the first segment of Chapter 2 it is being used to describe the current day of judgment which the people are experiencing in Joel's day. Later in Chapter 2 we will find him speaking of the final day of judgment far in the future.

In speaking of the invading army (either a plague of locusts or a human army), Joel says, "Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them a desert waste---nothing escapes them. They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry. With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle." (Joel 2:3-5) Nothing about this description is inconsistent with a plague of locusts. He says this army gallops "like" cavalry, makes a noise "like" that of chariots, and consumes the land "like" a crackling fire. This would seem to indicate that whatever he is speaking of is actually not a human army that rides on horses and in chariots. But whatever the case, the current circumstances are disastrous. The current circumstances call for fasting and repentance, as we learned in Chapter 1, and this means the people have somehow gone astray spiritually and have brought this discipline upon themselves. 

As we continue on through Chapter 1 we will find the Lord saying that even now it is not too late to repent. The circumstances are not good at the moment, but they could become a whole lot worse. It would have been best if the people had repented before things got to this point but they can put a halt to their heavenly Father's corrective action if they will turn from their sins and get back on track. 

Sometimes we don't listen to warnings. We may or may not have realized we'd gotten off the path, but when the Holy Spirit begins dealing with our consciences and we recognize we're living in sin, we may not immediately obey His command to repent and turn from our sin. The Lord might then have to send corrective circumstances into our lives to get us to ask ourselves, "Why is this happening? Have I brought hardship onto myself? Is this the discipline of the Lord?" The people of Judah can still ask themselves these questions and can still repent. Their nation has not been destroyed. The situation can be turned around. The discipline has not come for the purpose of destroying them. The Lord doesn't want to destroy them; He wants them to forsake sin and idolatry. In our next study session the Lord will assure them that forgiveness is theirs if they will turn back to Him.