Thoughts for the Day

* Last Judgement by Pieter Huys

Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare war,
stir up the warriors.
Let all the soldiers draw near,
let them come up.
Beat your ploughshares into swords,
and your pruning-hooks into spears;
let the weakling say, ‘I am a warrior.’...

Bring down your warriors, O Lord
Let the nations rouse themselves,
and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat;
for there I will sit to judge
all the neighbouring nations.

Put in the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Go in, tread,
for the wine press is full.
The vats overflow,
for their wickedness is great....

The Lord roars from Zion,
and utters his voice from Jerusalem,
and the heavens and the earth shake.
But the Lord is a refuge for his people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

In our reading today the prophet Joel continues God's message to the people, after the plague of locusts has destroyed the land. If it seems a dark message - that the Day of the Lord is coming, when God will sit in judgement on all people and nations - then we should notice that He comes not just to judge but also to offer mercy (His grace) to the repentant.

Joel uses two images in Chapter 3. First, there is the image of the battle where God calls His people to make ready to fight the enemy. All the words used: "prepare war", "stir up", "draw near", and "come up" are part of the formal call-up of the soldiers. Even the weakest person is to be a warrior. These soldiers will 'hold the line' for God!

Second, Joel uses the image of the harvest to talk about judgement. This image is used a lot in the Bible, for instance in Isaiah 17.4-6, in Matthew 13.1-23, and in Revelation 14.14-20. Crops ripe and ready for harvest is normally a healthy sign, but here God sees the wickedness of the people as ripe for judgement. Judgement becomes unavoidable!

But the end of the passage leaves us in no doubt that none of this will menace Yahweh's people, for He will dwell with them and He will be their refuge. As Christian we should know when to stand up and be counted!

Almighty God,
Your prophets have warned
of the coming time of judgement,
known as "The Day of the Lord,"
when all people and nations
will come before You in judgement.
Your Son, our Lord Jesus,
taught us that we should repent of our sin,
and that as a loving Father
You would out of Your Grace forgive us.
But help us to see that we cannot walk
blindfold into the future,
we must learn to stand up for our faith,
against a world that is often hostile.
Amen.