Where I live, both in the Chicago area where I lived all my life until last summer, and now in east-central Illinois, on Tuesday mornings around 10:30 am, from March until some time in early October, the tornado alarm siren in the community goes off to test it, just to make sure that it is working properly. In the Midwest states of the U.S. tornado alerts and warnings are very important. When you hear it, other than on the regular testing time, you had better make sure that you take action! There is another warning that people need to take seriously, and that is the warning that the Prophet Joel gave in our Scripture for today. Unfortunately far too many ignore this warning. Let’s look into the passage.
This week, beginning with Ash Wednesday, the period of Lent begins, a time of forty days prior to Holy Week and Easter, where Christians spend special time in prayer, fasting, repentance, and turning away from their sinful nature to focus more on the Lord and their relationship with Him. One very appropriate passage of Scripture to start this season off later this week is the message that the Lord gave Joel, a message of repentance and God’s mercy, while also pointing to His coming judgment.
Our Scripture passage begins with Joel giving warning of the coming of the Day of the Lord. Most people like to be warned about something big that will be happening, especially if it is something that might be bad. God instructed Joel to warn the people of this coming day of judgment (vs. 1-2). They were to blow the trumpet and sound the alarm, letting the people know this day was coming. No one could say that they didn’t know about this, that they had not been informed.
Joel depicted this coming day as a day of darkness, gloominess, and unprecedented destruction, where God judges the people of earth. The prophecy had both a near-term judgment on ancient Israel, with both invasions and calamities, as well as a future, ultimate fulfillment with an end-time judgment, when the Lord Jesus returns to earth.
Many people, including some who identify themselves as Christians, say such a day or time will not happen because they do not like to see Yahweh as a God of judgment. Instead they only like to see Him as a God of love and acceptance. God is a God of love, but He is also a God of judgment. He has absolute power over all nations and creation, and in His holiness, He cannot ignore sin. To those who refuse Him and who turn their backs on His Son, Jesus Christ, spurning His sacrifice on the cross, He will execute righteous judgment.
As our Scripture continues in the second portion, Yahweh pleads with people to turn to Him in repentance for their sins (vs. 12). Repentance means acknowledging and seeing our sins in the same way that the Lord God does, and then making a 180 degree turn and walking away from them. This repentance must be genuine and heartfelt, involving fasting, weeping, and mourning, and not just mere outward rituals.
Many take a flippant view of God and His forgiveness. However, there is a consistent theme in the Bible that forgiveness is linked only with repentance. People need to move from an outward display of religiosity to a genuine inward change. Repentance is not just outward action It is a genuine turning of the whole person back to God. He graciously forgives when we genuinely repent.
When we have genuine repentance, the Lord will be gracious and merciful, for He is a God that is slow to anger, and of great kindness (vs 13). Though it is true that His judgment is definitely coming, Yahweh’s mercy is available for all those who turn to Him. This includes the whole community, people of all ages, and including the religious community (vs. 15-17). They are all called to unite in repentance. There is a need for revival within the church, and we all need to seek God’s mercy with humility and prayer.
The Prophet Joel’s message is a wake-up call for all of us to examine our hearts and return to God. He is ready to forgive those who seek Him sincerely. However, Joel reminds us here of the reality of a coming day of divine judgment. Just like the tornado alarm siren warns of the approaching tornado, Joel warns of the approaching Day of the Lord. We can escape that judgment and experience God’s grace when we repent and submit to His will.
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