Scripture Text: Joel 2:1-11
Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near,
Joel 2:1, ESV
When a case is examined in a courtroom, not everyone arrives with the same agenda. The prosecutor hopes to make a case to convict the defendant. The accused, if innocent, looks for vindication. The defendant who is guilty may look for mercy. The judge, on the other hand, should be interested only in seeing that justice is done. Unfortunately, in human affairs this doesn’t describe every judge. The Persian ruler Cambyses II, the son of Cyrus the Great, discovered that a judge in his kingdom was notoriously corrupt. He had the man scourged alive and then ordered that his skin be used to cover the seat upon which his successors would render their decisions. Though not every unjust judge will receive rebuke here on earth--certainly not to the extent exercised by Cambyses II--they will answer to the justice of God.
The Old Testament phrase “Day of the Lord” refers to a time when God will judge the nations. God’s judgment is always just, and for this reason the prophet Joel warned that the Day of the Lord would be “a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness” (Joel 2:2).
Just as the locust plague in Joel’s day blotted out the light of the sun, the future day of the Lord would be a day of disaster for sinners. Other prophets describe this as a time when men’s hearts will melt with fear and sinners will be judged. In particular, they predict that it will be a time when the Gentile nations will be called to account. The devastation and darkness of the locust plague of Joel’s day brought to mind cosmic disturbances that would accompany the coming Day of the Lord. They compelled the prophet to make this observation: “The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?” The implied answer: “Nobody!”
Reflect
If the Day of the Lord were to come today, how would you fare?
Remember
Only those who have been declared righteous by faith in Christ will be able to endure that day.
Read
Isaiah 13:6-9; Ezekiel 30:1-3; Obadiah 1:15-4; Malachi 4:1; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 22:12
Pray
Heavenly Father, I praise and thank You for giving Your only Son, Jesus Christ that in Him, by Him and through Him all my sins, are forgiven. That through Him, I am declared righteous by His righteousness. My death became His death; His life became my life. Oh, the richness of Your grace and mercy displayed in Your Son my Lord. I am now confident to face that Day of Yours, because of the Lord Jesus Christ. All the praises and glory be to You alone! This I pray in Your Son’s Name and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
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