Appropriate God's Mercy - Joel 1:1-3

The reading of God’s word is an intriguing and always a rewarding experience. One must simply keep their eyes open and heart receptive in order to soon learn that the Bible is the true recording of the greatest love story ever written. In John 3: 16 we are introduced to the central purpose that God provided and every other verse in the Bible refers to some part of his plan to extend his mercy to us

It is noteworthy that the closing lesson in 2 Peter last Sunday was devoted to “Hope for the growing Christian” and the author of the International Version added a sub topic to the chapter which read: “The day of the Lord.” With no known intended connection between 2 Peter and Joel, it is intriguing to me that we find that this book is referring to a period of rebellion and strife that causes the prophet Joel to warn his people that “The day of the Lord” will come soon and preparation is necessary.

Joel became a prophet during the reigns of Jehu, King of Israel and while Joash was king of Judah—841 B. C. and 835. This was one of the several periods of economic growth and mounting prosperity and sin abounded to the extreme. You may remember that Old Jehu was the wicked king in charge during the time covered in the famous sermon “Pay Day Some Day.”

The purpose for which this book was written was to warn Judah [southern kingdom] of their sinful living and a sincere urge for them to return to God for forgiveness and a new chance. Joel wrote the book especially to the people in the southern kingdom, but also to Christians everywhere. Most historians think the book was written during a period of about 29 years—835 to 796. The setting for the book is much like that of other days of extravagant sin in the Jewish nation. The people of Judah had become prosperous and complacent; they were living high and cared little for the provider that made this easy life possible. This Bible story leads us to realize that when God has had enough of our rebellious ways it is easy for him to find ways to bring us back to our knees. One thing sure…a swarm of locusts did the job well and in a hurry in this case.

In recent years we have seen several scenes of destruction move over some parts of our land. Florida seems to bear the blunt of destructive hurricanes…guess we can now add New Orleans and parts of the gulf coast in Mississippi. Tornado alley catches parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri. The earthquake has been most devastating in California. However, Oklahoma alone holds the record in dust storms and swarming locusts. I can remember seeing pictures of cars wrecked along highways because of the build up of grease or [bug juice] on the highways. Windshield washers clogged and smeared until vision was impaired. However, the most devastating and lasting results were the destroyed crops.

Someone has already asked if the locust plague in Oklahoma came as a punishment from God, as did this one in Judah, where Jerusalem was the main city affected. I do not know the answer. I just believe that it could be a punishment; or it could also be a warning that brings a wake-up call—and then it could be that God stands aside an allows the Devil to tempt us just to see where our faith stands.

It is interesting that the phrase “Day of the Lord” is use in several ways in the Bible. It has been used here to refer to the day of the locusts that will come; or the day when God’s wrath will be witnessed in a special way. We can be assured that it has also been used in conjunction with the second coming of our Lord. The new copy of Holman Commentary quotes Duane A. Garrett as saying that “The day of the Lord refers to a decisive action of Yahweh to bring his plans for Israel to completion…The day to the Lord is more of a theological idea than a specific event. As a theological idea it can manifest itself in human history many times and in many forms.”

It is amazing to me that our people will get caught up in the needs we have for mutual understanding and cooperative action in time of great need. We have had several disasters recently…bombing of twin towers on 9/11, Katrina, the Oklahoma bombing, school tragedies, the college massacres and the list goes on. We hear the cry of people wondering if these tragedies may have a deeper meaning that we are not able to comprehend. I believe that these disasters are calls from God asking us to devote ourselves to prayer and fasting as we seek the purpose and meaning in the disaster. We are shocked and ask ourselves why? Why? And evidently we are not finding the true answer. Somewhere, there is a deeper meaning than that someone up there is mad.

Joel is taking a long way around this subject of final punishment for sin and letting us know that no one will escape judgment day. Our day of the Locust will come and he is warning that we should be ready. I found one commentary while studying this subject who said that “Facing God’s dreadful judgment day, God’s people need to turn to him in repentance, hoping that God will refrain from the judgment he has planned.” I do not agree with this statement. We need to face the judgment day ready to comply with whatever God commands. He will not change his plans.

Let us go back to the beginning of this lesson for one minute and look again at what the Life Way author thought we should get from the lesson. We are challenged as Christian People to APPROPOPRIATE GOD’S MERCY. What does this mean? It means that we must know how to set his mercy aside for our own use. Or, we must take part in his mercy…accept it, and apply his mercy to our condition.

Saved people must understand, acknowledge and admit that their salvation is a free gift…unmerited…and without price. When we willfully and intentionally sin against God’s principles this sinful action will invite the locusts into our life. I do not want to sound like a dooms-day advocate, but America has had far too many swarms cropping up all around during the last few years. I can not feel as safe as I once did, and it is simply because that I do not believe that the every day American is as honest and dedicated to God and Country as we once were.

When God’s people lose their way—when they stray from the course, God will find a way to encourage us back into his fold. Sometimes the encouragement does not come in a positive way. Your call to repentance may not be a happy experience—but just remember that the results of your repentance will never bring unhappiness. Amen

Note: Our study time will become demanding over the next three months, as we change books, authors and subjects almost every week. You can help the teacher greatly if you will do more homework…study so you can show yourself approved…and help by participating more. Thanks!