epcblog

Devotional thoughts (Monday through Thursday mornings) from the pastor of Exeter Presbyterian Church in Exeter, NH // Sunday Worship 10:30am // 73 Winter Street

Friday, August 15, 2008

Joel 1

There is something wonderful, in a way, about a book in the Bible where we don’t know anything about the author, and where we have a hard time definitively identifying the people and place where he served and the timing of his message. What we are left with are the words themselves, the brute force of the message of the divine author. This is refreshing, and is actually the case in the Bible more often than we admit. How much do we actually know about the context of those books and authors that we think we know so well? All of this is the Lord’s Word, and He had something to say to His people in the words of this prophet, something that we need to hear. He spoke to the leaders and to all the inhabitants of the Promised Land. He spoke with boldness and clarity as one who was a messenger from God. He said, “Hear this!” and called His message “the word of the Lord.”

With that all said, it may seem slightly disconcerting that we do not know the exact nature of the problem taking place in Joel. Is it that the Lord’s people are being overrun by locusts that are like invading armies, or will it be that they will soon be overrun by invading armies that are like locusts, or is it they have problems with both locusts and armies? In any case, the problem is a big one, so that they seem to be left with nothing, and they need much help with trials that are bigger than those that have been experienced in generations.

Whatever the problem may be in Israel, there are certain things that are very clear in this book. First, the root cause of the problem is the disobedience of the people. They are called “drunkards” by the prophet. They have lived for their own pleasures and given themselves over to an excess that is sinful. Second, the consequences of the locusts/armies that come against them are very devastating. The nation is being destroyed. This is not just a political problem or a minor security issue. The land is being decimated along with such staples as wheat, wine, and oil. All the fruit trees are withering and the people are distressed. The regular offerings to the Lord have been cut off, and even the children have no joy.

At a time like this there is a special responsibility upon the people who claim to represent the Lord. They are to clothe themselves with humility before God, and to seek Him on behalf of His people. The priests are also people and they also feel the crisis themselves. As the nation suddenly loses her prosperity, the ones who are set apart for dedicated service before the Lord are told to wail to God. They should have no problem seeing their situation. One wonders if we are smart enough to see what our troubles are. If the people seem unaware, God’s ministers should see not only the problem, but also the only possible solution. They must gather together in a solemn assembly before God, and call out to Him for help.

This situation of danger is described as the nearness of the Day of the Lord. The final day of God’s judgment upon the earth will come with the return of Christ and the end of the current age. We do not know when that day will be, but we have had many tastes of that future day in trials such as the one experienced by Israel in the time of Joel. Though the final Day of the Lord was many centuries away, the Lord of the Day who brings judgment upon the earth was very near.

It was time for the people of God to come before the Lord with the truth. It was time to speak to God about their trials, and to acknowledge Him as the only one who could ever provide food, shelter, safety, and joy. When we call out to God in our time of trouble, we take an important step in confessing the Lord to be our Almighty Provider and Judge.

That step would have no lasting meaning if it were not for the fact that the Lord of Judgment was willing to become man in order to take the full force of Judgment Day upon Himself. This is what a God of mercy does. He is not content to give us what we deserve. He invites to ask Him for something beyond justice. He calls us to cry out to Him for help.

Jesus was no stranger to this activity of calling out to God. Though He had no sin, He identified with the guilty in His baptism. He associated with those who were lowly and who were far from the assembly of the righteous. He came not only to provide mercy for Israel. He prayed to His Father for many who would hear the truth through the witness of His disciples throughout the world. Especially, He cried out to His Father on the cross, and He was heard.

It is now for us to follow Him in crying out God. We can do this with confidence that the Lord who tells us to seek Him in this way will surely be found by His penitent children. We can call out to God with confidence because our Savior first called out to His Father for us, and His pleas for us have surely been heard.

posted by Pastor Magee @ 6:00 AM

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