Joel 2
Joel 2 is a passage centered on the great calamity that will come upon Israel, the repentance in response to it, and God’s promises of restoration and blessing. This chapter can be read structurally in four parts: a warning of disaster (verses 1-11), an exhortation to repentance (verses 12-17), God’s compassion and the promise of restoration (verses 18-27), and the promise of the Holy Spirit (verses 28-32).
1verseBlow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD comes, for it is close at hand:
2verseA day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn spreading on the mountains, a great and strong people; there has never been the like, neither will there be any more after them, even to the years of many generations.
3verseA fire devours before them, and behind them, a flame burns. The land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them, a desolate wilderness. Yes, and no one has escaped them.
4verseTheir appearance is as the appearance of horses, and they run as horsemen.
5verseLike the noise of chariots on the tops of the mountains, they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devours the stubble, like a strong people set in battle array.
6verseAt their presence the peoples are in anguish. All faces have grown pale.
7verseThey run like mighty men. They climb the wall like warriors. They each march in his line, and they don’t swerve off course.
8verseOne doesn’t jostle another. They each march in their own path. They burst through the defenses and don’t break ranks.
9verseThey rush on the city. They run on the wall. They climb up into the houses. They enter in at the windows like thieves.
10verseThe earth quakes before them. The heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.
11verseThe LORD thunders his voice before his army, for his forces are very great; for he is strong who obeys his command; for the day of the LORD is great and very awesome, and who can endure it?
12verse“Yet even now,” says the LORD, “turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.”
13verseTear your heart and not your garments, and turn to the LORD, your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and relents from sending calamity.
14verseWho knows? He may turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meal offering and a drink offering to the LORD, your God.
15verseBlow the trumpet in Zion! Sanctify a fast. Call a solemn assembly.
16verseGather the people. Sanctify the assembly. Assemble the elders. Gather the children, and those who nurse from breasts. Let the bridegroom go out of his room, and the bride out of her chamber.
17verseLet the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, “Spare your people, LORD, and don’t give your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”
18verseThen the LORD was jealous for his land, and had pity on his people.
19verseThe LORD answered his people, “Behold, I will send you grain, new wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied with them; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.
20verseBut I will remove the northern army far away from you, and will drive it into a barren and desolate land, its front into the eastern sea, and its back into the western sea; and its stench will come up, and its bad smell will rise.” Surely he has done great things.
21verseLand, don’t be afraid. Be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things.
22verseDon’t be afraid, you animals of the field; for the pastures of the wilderness spring up, for the tree bears its fruit. The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.
23verse“Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD, your God; for he gives you the early rain in just measure, and he causes the rain to come down for you, the early rain and the latter rain, as before.
24verseThe threshing floors will be full of wheat, and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
25verseI will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the great locust, the grasshopper, and the caterpillar, my great army, which I sent among you.
26verseYou will have plenty to eat and be satisfied, and will praise the name of the LORD, your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; and my people will never again be disappointed.
27verseYou will know that I am among Israel, and that I am the LORD, your God, and there is no one else; and my people will never again be disappointed.
28verse“It will happen afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions.
29verseAnd also on the servants and on the handmaids in those days, I will pour out my Spirit.
30verseI will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, fire, and pillars of smoke.
31verseThe sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.
32verseIt will happen that whoever will call on the LORD’s name shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the remnant, those whom the LORD calls.
Warning of Calamity and Judgment (Verses 1-11)
Blow the trumpet! It begins by commanding that Israel’s people should be told by the sound of the trumpet that a great calamity is about to come upon them. Here, calamity is described with the image of a “locust swarm,” but it reveals symbolically that God’s judgment has come, rather than being merely a natural disaster. The destructive power of the locust swarm is orderly like an army, impossible to escape, and leaves the entire land of Israel desolate.
Exhortation to Repentance (Verses 12-17)
God urges the people to true repentance. They should tear not their garments but their hearts, humbling themselves with fasting and sorrow. Total repentance—where everyone participates, from leaders to the people, from the elderly to children—is emphasized. God’s compassion is abundant, and it becomes clear that when people repent, He responds with forgiveness rather than judgment.
The Promise of Restoration and Blessing (Verses 18-27)
After the people’s repentance, God’s answer follows. God promises to restore the land with compassion, giving back abundant food and joy. Soon, the damage caused by the locust swarm will be made up, and glory will come instead of the shame of the past. As in the words, “You will know that I am with Israel,” the center of restoration is God’s presence.
The Promise of the Coming of the Holy Spirit (Verses 28-32)
The final part is a prophecy about the “coming of the Holy Spirit” that will come in the future, declaring that God’s Spirit will be poured out on everyone, regardless of age or gender, or distinctions of status. This is a passage showing in advance that, beyond the circumstances of the time, the work of God’s salvation will be extended to all humanity. This promise was fulfilled in the New Testament (Acts 2) through the events of Pentecost.
Meditation Points
- In situations of calamity and crisis, we can think about what we should first turn back to and consider.
- Joel 2 emphasizes that true repentance is not change in outward actions, but a transformation that happens within.
- Remembering that God’s judgment is not the end, we can keep our eyes on restoration and new hope.
- We can receive God’s promise (the outpouring of the Holy Spirit) as something that is effective not only for us now, but also for our community, by faith.
Applying It to Me
- In the face of life’s difficulties and crises, we check our attitude toward immediately turning our hearts back to God.
- We renew our hope by trusting in God’s compassion and forgiveness.
- As we seek God’s presence through the Holy Spirit, we can pray that a new work of life will begin within me.
