The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (OT)

Joel 2:12-27

¹²  “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, 

“return to me with all your heart, 

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 

¹³  and rend your hearts and not your garments.” 

Return to the Lord your God, 

for he is gracious and merciful, 

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; 

and he relents over disaster. 

¹⁴  Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, 

and leave a blessing behind him, 

a grain offering and a drink offering 

for the Lord your God? 

¹⁵  Blow the trumpet in Zion; 

consecrate a fast; 

call a solemn assembly; 

¹⁶  gather the people. 

Consecrate the congregation; 

assemble the elders; 

gather the children, 

even nursing infants. 

Let the bridegroom leave his room, 

and the bride her chamber. 

¹⁷  Between the vestibule and the altar 

let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep 

and say, “Spare your people, O Lord, 

and make not your heritage a reproach, 

a byword among the nations. 

Why should they say among the peoples, 

‘Where is their God?’ ” 

The Lord Had Pity

¹⁸  Then the Lord became jealous for his land 

and had pity on his people. 

¹⁹  The Lord answered and said to his people, 

“Behold, I am sending to you 

grain, wine, and oil, 

and you will be satisfied; 

and I will no more make you 

a reproach among the nations. 

²⁰  “I will remove the northerner far from you, 

and drive him into a parched and desolate land, 

his vanguard into the eastern sea, 

and his rear guard into the western sea; 

the stench and foul smell of him will rise, 

for he has done great things. 

²¹  “Fear not, O land; 

be glad and rejoice, 

for the Lord has done great things! 

²²  Fear not, you beasts of the field, 

for the pastures of the wilderness are green; 

the tree bears its fruit; 

the fig tree and vine give their full yield. 

²³  “Be glad, O children of Zion, 

and rejoice in the Lord your God, 

for he has given the early rain for your vindication; 

he has poured down for you abundant rain, 

the early and the latter rain, as before. 

²⁴  “The threshing floors shall be full of grain; 

the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. 

²⁵  I will restore to you the years 

that the swarming locust has eaten, 

the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, 

my great army, which I sent among you. 

²⁶  “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, 

and praise the name of the Lord your God, 

who has dealt wondrously with you. 

And my people shall never again be put to shame. 

²⁷  You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, 

and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else. 

And my people shall never again be put to shame. 

Joel makes his appeal to the people so that they will return to the LORD. The people find themselves after the previous part under the judgment of God. God is going to send devastation and plagues upon them. But in all things, God uses judgment to call his people out of it. It is the devastation in our life and suffering that reminds us that this world is corrupted with sin. Therefore, we call upon the name of the LORD in our times of trouble.

Joel reminds the people the LORD is slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Yet, it is the land about which the LORD seems to care. The LORD says, "Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are free; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield."

Joel reminds us that God cares about all his creation. He sees the wickedness of people, and desires to judge them. He would even wipe all the wickedness from the face of the earth. But for the sack of the land, the animals, and the children of Zion, God is merciful. God will provide a way of salvation and redemption for them. He will give them fruit in their season and help them to eat and be satisfied. Here is the promise of salvation, that we today see in Christ. Christ is our salvation. God so loved his beloved Son and the sacrifice he made for you, that he has removed your wickedness. He welcomes you to return to the LORD, and follow his LAW.

This steadfast love and faithfulness of God has nothing to do with you, and who you are. But God gives it to you anyway, out of pure grace.