July 17, 2019: Day 81 – Joel 2

We begin this chapter with a very in depth description of what the day of the Lord is going to look like.  Let’s just start by saying that it is not something that any of us will be looking forward to.  If you look at vs. 1 and 2 we see  that the day of the Lord is coming and then it is described as “a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness.”  

The army that is described to me sound like an army of locusts.  An army of locusts that destroys everything in its path and without any means of ameliorating its impact.  But then there is a transition that seems to take place in vs.12 as we read that we are called to turn back to the Lord, to actually return to the Lord.  It sounds like we have strayed from the Lord, these terrible things are happening, and now we need to turn back to the Lord.

We need to weep and fast but we especially need to rend our hearts and not just our clothing.  We are then reminded in vs.13 that God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  Okay, we needed to hear that after we got that terrifying image of the Day of the Lord.  Then there is a call for a congregational meeting.  Everyone get together now.  

We then are given even more hope as we find before us almost a promise that God will bring things back to a new normal where there is the ability to “rejoice” in the Lord.  And then the promise that, seen in vs.25, “I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten.”  Things seem to be looking a lot better now.

And then we find a series of verses which we use often for Pentecost, they are verses 28-29 where we get the promise that the Holy Spirit will fall on all flesh, sons, daughters, old men, young men, male and female slaves.  Again, the net is cast wide.

That is the vision that we have for the presence of the Holy Spirit which is that the net is cast wide.  It is given to all those who would come seeking His presence.  The promise that we get in these verses is that this will/has/does happen.