The Minor Prophets: Messengers for Today: Joel

The Minor Prophets:  Messengers for Today:  Joel

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Joel 2:1 (NKJV^{): "}Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand."

Joel 2:15-16 (NKJV):  "Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room."

The context of the book of Joel is a famine resulting from a plague of locust that had devoured the vegetation of Israel.  In the midst of the disaster, the Lord spoke words of warning through His prophet Joel.  The message is that unless God’s people repent, further disasters would come as enemy armies would devour the land. The day of the Lord’s judgment was coming. 

 

We are experiencing situations in our nation today that we know are calling forth the judgment of God.  Our locusts are spiritual, political and natural afflictions.  However, we want the judgment to come on the unrighteous, but forget the word of the Lord in 1 Peter 4:17 (NKJV): ^“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?”

It is time for judgment to begin at the house of God.   2 Chronicles 7:13-15 (NKJV):  “When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  The operative words are “My people, who are called by My name.”  Healing of our land will begin with repentance in the prayer closet and move into the ballot box.

We can take our cue for that repentance from Joel 2:12-13 (NKJV): "Now, therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.  So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm."

Notice that the Lord does not say to gossip, to complain, to curse and to spread anger.  We are to come before Him in mourning both for our own sin and the sin of our nation.  Our fasting should be accordance with Isaiah 58:7-10 (MSG): “What I'm interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The GOD of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, GOD will answer. You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.' "If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people's sins, If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.”

When we believers walk more fully in the fruit of the Spirit, the words of Isaiah will be manifest in our lives. Isaiah 60:1-3 (NKJV):  “Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles (unbelievers) shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.” 

And the Lord says in Joel 2:25 (NKJV):  "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.”  

It is time to restore the years the locusts have eaten. That restoration begins with the repentant hearts of God’s people.  We are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).  True repentance involves changing our mindsets about the nature of our God and about who we are in Jesus Christ.

Lord God, You have blown Your trumpet through your prophets.  You have called me to fast and to repent. I come humbly before your throne and declare, “Lord, send restoration and let that restoration begin with me. Please, Lord, transform my thoughts to come into alignment with Yours.