Joel 2:12–17

2:12–13 The words “yet even now” translate a Hebrew phrase that includes a particle often serving as a transition marker in the text. The words that follow—“declares the LORD”—point unmistakably to this as a message from God, for they are often used in the prophets as an introduction to authoritative declarations (e.g., Hos. 2:16; Amos 2:11; Mic. 4:6).

The call is for the people to come back to the Lord, not with mere outward display but with an inner change of heart. No other passage in the OT contains such an instruction regarding rending the heart. Such deep repentance would be linked to several practices associated with grief: fasting, weeping, mourning.

The sinful people are then reminded yet again that their sovereign Savior is indeed the Lord (cf. “your God,” Joel 1:14; “our God,” v. 16). He is still the God who revealed himself to Moses as “the LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands” (Ex. 34:6–7). This self-revelation of God became enshrined in the minds of his people and is often echoed in OT books (cf. Num. 14:18; Ps. 86:15; Nah. 1:3; and esp. Jonah 4:2). Here and Jonah 4:2 are the only two passages that quote the creedal formulation of God’s character taken from Exodus 34 with the addition, “and he relents over disaster.” This clause indicates that God will respond to his people’s repentance by relenting from the harm he had purposed for them. This is in keeping with what the Lord promises in Jeremiah 18:7–8, where he makes clear that his announcement of judgment is often made for the purpose of spurring his people toward repentance.

2:14 The question this verse poses is very similar in both form and content to the question raised in Jonah 3:9 (cf. 2 Sam. 12:22). It is likely a rhetorical device intended to draw attention to the hope that, by means of repentance, disaster could be averted and blessing could result instead. Previously Joel has commented on the absence of grain and drink offerings (Joel 1:9, 13), and now such offerings are cited positively as the content of the promised blessing. This particular element of hope is injected here because a cessation of the locust plague is in view; with a new harvest, these offerings will again be possible. Once more God is called “the LORD, your God” (cf. 2:13). It is not some new deity to whom appeal is made, but Israel’s covenantal God, who maintains his relationship with them.

2:15–17 The prophet’s response to the situation is to call the people to prayer (v. 15). The trumpet was important because of its use as a signal in religious, civic, and military affairs. The place where this prayer is to take place is Zion, God’s chosen abode (Ps. 132:13), the place to which the ark of the covenant was brought and on which the temple was built. A special fast is to be appointed, as the only obligatory fast for Israel occurred on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29, 31). The people are to gather together in a special assembly, called both a “solemn assembly” and a “congregation” (Joel 2:15, 16). No exception is to be made for anyone in Israel; elders and children, young men and old men, bridegroom and bride are all to join in this great gathering, and the priests are to gather as well (v. 17). The “vestibule” was the outer porch of the temple (cf. 1 Kings 6:3; Ezek. 40:7–9), while the altar was the place of sacrifice (cf. Ex. 40:26–27), standing opposite the veiled Most Holy Place. It is there, in that public yet sacred space, that the priests are to offer tearful prayers. The priests are designated as “ministers,” a term used in the OT of civil servants (e.g., Gen. 39:4, where Joseph “attended” [i.e., ministered to] Potiphar) but also, as here, of those tasked with representing the people before God (cf. Ex. 28:12, 29).

The prayer focuses on two things. It is a cry for mercy, asking God to act compassionately toward his erring people. It is also an urgent request for God’s people not to become a thing of mockery among the Gentiles. One of the special expressions for God’s people was “heritage” or “inheritance” (cf. Ex. 34:9; Deut. 4:20), and this became a basis for appeals to God (Deut. 9:26; Ps. 28:9). For Israel to be a “reproach” was to be a “scorn” or “disgrace,” and to be a “byword” was to be a public example, an object lesson, for her neighbors. If God did not show compassion to his own people, they would be taunted for their God’s absence from their lives and circumstances. The same general attitude is expressed throughout Psalms 74 and 79.