Joel

Day of the LORD

This book deals a harsh word to a people who have lost sight of fearing God. They have allowed themselves to fall away from the covenant they had with Yahweh… it isn’t described what their sin is… the imperative here is that their hearts are no longer God’s. This is the issue… not some specific sin… but rather that they have failed to acknowledge that Yahweh is their source of all life. Joel uses this picture of the day of the LORD to show very clearly that there is not time with which to waste in seeking Yahweh and glorifying him. The day of the LORD is proclaimed to be near… not because the world is coming to an end… but because the time to honor Yahweh as God over all creation is the immediate. This picture of a day of judgment is simply an object with which Judah is to see God’s hand over creation. The day of the LORD is used in a few different ways… all of which serve the purpose to show God’s people that if they find themselves in him they will have abundant life and the beautiful blessings that Yahweh alone offers. The day of the LORD is used as a day of judgment upon them to show them that they must seek him now… for if they don’t seek him with their hearts in humble reverence… they will find only death. The day is then flipped back into a picture of blessing for them if they are found in him… for if their hearts are his they have nothing to fear and only blessings upon blessing to enjoy. This is who God is… he proclaims that they can no him… now is the time at hand to walk with God… for in him… now… there is hope and life… without him there is only death and hopelessness.

For Judah this was accentuated by the harsh circumstances that were upon them in their immediate present. Determining how the book is interpreted the situation at hand for this nation of God’s people was utterly dire. They saw very clearly that the consequence of turning from God were far too fierce than what they would be able to endure or survive. They had reaped the just ends of their sin and saw very clearly that Yahweh alone was to be feared. This word of blessing and mercy though would take them aback to see that they have a gracious and merciful Savior in Yahweh, their God. He alone is God… he alone can save… and he is both willing and able. This is who they have in their corner… and if their hearts are seeking him they have absolutely nothing to fear at the day of the LORD.

Today this truth remains the same… though we are in a time more than 2700 years later than the time Joel wrote this… today is the day to seek God’s mercy and grace. The reality is that the day of the LORD is now… well… unless we just want the crappy life that comes from not walking with God. For those who don’t know God… those who want what the world offers… the sad truth is that the day of the LORD could be any moment. Judgment is knocking at everyone’s door and death comes in the blink of an eye to all. Those who claim to know Christ must stand aback in humility and reverence for God… living every moment not for ourselves but for the reality that tomorrow might be our last. The day of the LORD is at hand… Jesus might not be coming back tomorrow… but that doesn’t mean that we won’t be face to face with him tomorrow. If the fear of the LORD really is the beginning of all wisdom then we would be wise to live as if today might be our last… humbly glorifying our creator that we will meet… to either be welcomed home or condemned justly.