Blow a trumpet in Zion;
sound an alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,
2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful people;
their like has never been before,
nor will be again after them
through the years of all generations.
3 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.
4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,
and like war horses they run.
5 As with the rumbling of chariots,
they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of a flame of fire
devouring the stubble,
like a powerful army
drawn up for battle.
6 Before them peoples are in anguish;
all faces grow pale.
7 Like warriors they charge;
like soldiers they scale the wall.
They march each on his way;
they do not swerve from their paths.
8 They do not jostle one another;
each marches in his path;
they burst through the weapons
and are not halted.
9 They leap upon the city,
they run upon the walls,
they climb up into the houses,
they enter through the windows like a thief.
10 The earth quakes before them;
the heavens tremble.
The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.
11 The Lord utters his voice
before his army,
for his camp is exceedingly great;
he who executes his word is powerful.
For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome;
who can endure it?
Return to the Lord
12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.
14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord your God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
16 gather the people.
Consecrate the congregation;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
even nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.
17 Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep
and say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”
The Lord Had Pity
18 Then the Lord became jealous for his land
and had pity on his people.
19 The Lord answered and said to his people,
“Behold, I am sending to you
grain, wine, and oil,
and you will be satisfied;
and I will no more make you
a reproach among the nations.
20 “I will remove the northerner far from you,
and drive him into a parched and desolate land,
his vanguard into the eastern sea,
and his rear guard into the western sea;
the stench and foul smell of him will rise,
for he has done great things.
21 “Fear not, O land;
be glad and rejoice,
for the Lord has done great things!
22 Fear not, you beasts of the field,
for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit;
the fig tree and vine give their full yield.
23 “Be glad, O children of Zion,
and rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given the early rain for your vindication;
he has poured down for you abundant rain,
the early and the latter rain, as before.
24 “The threshing floors shall be full of grain;
the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
25 I will restore to you the years
that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my great army, which I sent among you.
26 “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
The Lord Will Pour Out His Spirit
28 “And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
29 Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls. Joel 2 ESV
Joel 2: 1-11 Attention
Just as the prophet Joel in the first chapter of the prophecy turned the minds of his contemporaries, who were filled with the sense of calamity because of the ruin wrought by the locust plague, from the visitation of the moment to a far worse judgment from the Lord, so he does throughout the second chapter of the book. There are men who have taken the position that the chapter deals solely with the locust plague; others maintain just as firmly that the passage is entirely future. Both views are extreme. As a matter of fact, Joel starts with the situation then existing in the land after the havoc of the locust plague and then goes on to picture the dreadful Day of Jehovah yet future, but imminent. (The Minor Prophets) - Feinberg quoted in Precept Austin
Blow a trumpet in Zion - Sound the alarm, this is like a modern day air raid siren, take shelter, run, close the gates. It was a way to get people's attention, warn of an approaching army, or as Moses' time a way to assemble the people to move.
…7To convene the assembly, you are to sound long blasts, not short ones. 8The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to sound the trumpets. This shall be a permanent statute for you and the generations to come. 9When you enter into battle in your land against an adversary who attacks you, sound short blasts on the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God and saved from your enemies.… Numbers 10: 7-9
…15By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. 17After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.… 1 Thessalonians 4: 15-17
On My holy mountain - Mt. Moriah, the temple mount, Mt. Zion where the Dome of the Rock now stands. It is one of the most interesting pieces of real-estate in the world. The Jews claim it as the site of the temple of Yahweh, it is considered by Islam to be one of their most holy sites, and it is for all those, who believe in the gospel account of Christ, the place where Jesus atones for the sins of those He came to save. It is here where He came to take my place, the whole of Christ's life looked forward to this time, for He was the Passover Lamb, and this was the place, Mt. Moriah, where Abraham brought Isaac to be sacrificed. It is dear to many, and many would like to lay claim, yet God precedes all and calls it "My holy mountain".
1A Maskil of Asaph. Why have You rejected us forever, O God? Why does Your anger smolder against the sheep of Your pasture? 2Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance— Mount Zion where You dwell. 3Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins, to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed.… Psalm 74: 1-3
…23How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 25There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves.… Luke 21: 23-25
The day of the Lord is coming - A day of final judgment, not even the dead will escape this.
Notice that in Joel 2, the two uses of the phrase the Day of the LORD is like a set of "Scriptural bookends" of this first section of the chapter 2 which goes from Joel 2:1 to Joel 2:11. This fact is another reason that Joel 2:1-11 is best interpreted not only as a description of the "day of the locusts" but as an apt illustration of the "Day of the LORD." Joel is reasoning from the lesser past destruction (from the locusts) to the greater future destruction (from the LORD). He is using the horrible things that his readers have seen and/or heard about (the locusts) to warn them of the most horrible event in world history, the destruction and devastation of the Day of the LORD. Joel is doing this not simply for dramatic effect, but for its spiritual impact which hopefully will serve to stimulate the people's hearts to the repentance he describes in the following section beginning in Joel 2:12. - Precept Austin
9The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. 10But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare. 11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness… 2 Peter 3: 9-11
A day of darkness and gloom - We can remember one of the plagues put upon Egypt was a deep darkness, a maddening sort that will make men wish for light that will never come, for they rejected the light and were given over to what they loved.
…21They will roam the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged; and looking upward, they will curse their king and their God. 22Then they will look to the earth and see only distress and darkness and the gloom of anguish. And they will be driven into utter darkness. Isaiah 8: 21-22
15Listen and give heed. Do not be arrogant, for the LORD has spoken. 16Give glory to the LORD your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the dusky mountains. You wait for light, but He turns it into deep gloom and thick darkness. 17But if you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.… Jeremiah 13:15-17
…12These men are hidden reefs in your love feasts, shamelessly feasting with you but shepherding only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried along by the wind; fruitless trees in autumn, twice dead after being uprooted. 13They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. 14Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied about them: “Behold, the Lord is coming with myriads of His holy ones… Jude 1: 12-14
A great and powerful people - From the famine of the locust now to the gentile hoard, a vast army, one described in the latter days is 200 million strong.
1Behold, a day of the LORD is coming when your plunder will be divided in your presence. 2For I will gather all the nations for battle against Jerusalem, and the city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women ravished. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city. 3Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle.… Zechariah 14: 1-3
…15So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number. 17Now the horses and riders in my vision looked like this: The riders had breastplates the colors of fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and sulfur.… Revelation 9: 15-17
Like the garden of Eden before them - Fire comes out from them and burns behind them, they torch everything, destroying everyone in their path, leaving it a lifeless, smoldering stubble behind them. From a distance the army was big, but it seems to grow because of the burnt desert it leaves behind them, a growing desolation.
Before them peoples are in anguish - Joel doesn't call out a specific army, and I think it on purpose, because this is experienced in famines as the locust of chapter 1, and Israel faces this dread with Assyria, Judah sees Assyria coming for a siege, yet God delivers them until their own time. Judah comes to know this during the sieges of Jerusalem carried out by Babylon. War in many places was not a battle field far away, this comes to their homes, it is much more personal than watching the evening news, they can see the enemy outside the wall, and they feel the hunger of famine inside.
…9“Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!” There is no end to the treasure, an abundance of every precious thing. 10She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and laid waste! Hearts melt, knees knock, bodies tremble, and every face grows pale! 11Where is the lions’ lair or the feeding ground of the young lions, where the lion and lioness prowled with their cubs, with nothing to frighten them away?… Nahum 2: 9-11
Are not halted - Walls did not stop them, those were scaled, and weapons did not deter them. They are as singularly focused as the locust swarm going to the next patch of green.
The earth quakes before them - Locust don't cause that, don't have fire before them and leave a smoldering flame behind.
11Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed. 12And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red, 13and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind.… Revelation 6: 11-13
MacArthur - Earthquakes and cosmic disruptions are well attested elsewhere as signs accompanying divine appearances (Jdg 5:4; Ps 18:7; Jer 4:23–26; Na 1:5, 6; Mt 24:7). Joel later refers to these signs (cf. Joel 2:31; 3:15).
The Lord utters His voice - The Psalmist attributes even that which utilizes the picture of such human weapons as arrows, that victory still belongs to the Lord.
…14The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. 15He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them. 16The channels of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of His nostrils.… 2 Samuel 22: 14-16
1“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts. 2But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap. 3And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.… Malachi 3: 1-3
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