Joel 1:1-10
Locusts Cover The Land
Joel 1:11-20
Mourning For The Land
Joel 2:1-11
The Coming Day of The Lord
Joel 2:12-17
A Call to Repentance
Joel 2:18-27
Forgiveness And Restoration
Joel 2:28-32
God’s Spirit Poured Out
Joel 3:1-8
God Judges The Nations
A Call to Repentance
Joel 2:12–17
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Not too many years ago newspapers carried the story of Al Johnson, a Kansas man who came to faith in Jesus Christ. What made his story remarkable was not his conversion, but the fact that as a result of his newfound faith in Christ, he confessed to a bank robbery he had par … More
No doubt you have heard it said that man’s extremities are God’s opportunities. Before such an invincible army their only hope was to turn immediately to the Lord in genuine repentance. The Jews in Joel’s day were called upon to turn to God with all their hearts. The same is true for us today and will be true during the Great Tribulation yet to come.
Today’s passage contains two formal appeals for repentance:
- An appeal for a sincere change of heart (v. 12-14). A customary way for the Jew to show his grief was to tear his outer garment. This was an external sign which was often meaningless of itself. The tearing of the outer garment is useless unless the heart is broken in repentance. This could be compared to people today who carry their Bibles and go to church every time the doors are open but never respond to the message they hear (II Timothy 3:5).
- An appeal for national involvement (v. 15-17). The entire community of elders, children, nursing infants, bridegrooms and brides are to be gathered together; and the priests and ministers are to weep and intercede for the people before God. These priests must intercede with God to spare His people from pagan attack. Such prayer is aimed at moving the heart of God and causing Him to intervene.
God told the people to turn to Him while there was still time. Destruction would soon be upon them. Time is also running out for us. Because we don’t know when our lives will end we should trust and obey God now. Don’t let anything hold us back from turning to Him.Application
It is meaningless to play church by going through the motions of “having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof?” My greatest need is not to learn new truth but just to make sure I apply the truth I already know.
Joel 2:12-17 (English Standard Version)
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