#DailyDevotion The LORD Warns Us Before Visiting Us With Destruction
Joel 2 Blow the horn in Zion and sound an alarm on My holy hill. All who live in the land should be stirred because the day of the LORD is coming; it is near, 2a dark and gloomy day with very dark clouds. Like something black spreading over the hills, a great and mighty “people” have come. Never has there been anything like them, and for many generations it will never happen again.
Rev. Thomas Nass in his commentary on Joel (CPH) believes the day of the LORD here is different from the one in chapter 1. In chapter 1 the locusts plague is something that has already happened. As noted here in 2:1, it is coming. Peter notes in his epistle that judgment begins with the house of God. So here the horn of alarm is sounded on His holy hill, Mt. Zion, where the temple is located.
The LORD is sending them, and us, a warning. We should remember the LORD does not want to visit disaster upon His people and the human race. It is His earnest desire that all people repent of their sins and turn to Him and trust Him. God’s primary will, His default position, towards us is mercy, kindness, steadfast love, patience and forgiveness though He will discipline us. (Ex. 34:6) When all this is spurned, all that is left is His anger and wrath. So in His grace, He warns of the coming destruction so we may escape it. His preaching to Nineveh through Jonah is a perfect example of this.
So the coming day of the LORD is at hand. How does the prophet describe it? It is dark and gloomy, with dark clouds. It is a darkness that spreads over the land. Any time the Scriptures speak of darkness we should think of judgment. There was darkness over Egypt before the last plague of judgment upon them, the death of the firstborn. This darkness then presages all other days of darkness to come, warning us of God’s judgment.
Darkness covered the earth when Jesus was crucified. God’s wrath and judgment upon mankind was executed upon Jesus. In Revelation we see the light is first dimmed by a third first with the trumpets before the day of the LORD. Then with the bowls the earth is visited with total darkness. The place of eternal punishment is described as utter darkness. Hence, every eclipse of the sun and the moon is a call by God for us to repent of our sins and to turn to Jesus Christ, the LORD, for forgiveness and salvation.
Now it could be here in chapter two it is not just the Last Day that is being predicted but a worse invasion upon the land than the locusts in chapter one. As the chapter progresses, it is possible He is alluding to the coming invading army as locusts since it is fresh on the people’s minds. It would seem the current plague of locusts and drought has not brought about the repentance the LORD is looking for. So now this second plague of an invading arming is threatened. This is the mighty people He is referring to. They will bring about a destruction upon them worse than they have ever seen.
When we hear about the LORD’s judgment and wrath because of our sins, will we repent and turn from our sins to Jesus our Savior to escape the wrath of God?
Heavenly Father, grant us true repentance so we may escape the coming judgment upon the earth by taking refuge in Your Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.