Joel 1:13-20

In chapter one, we see the locusts swarming through and eating everything in sight.

In Joel 1:13-20 we get a picture of some of the response to the devastation.

Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests;
wail, O ministers of the altar.
Go in, pass the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God!
Because grain offering and drink offering
are withheld from the house of your God.

What is sackcloth?

A Google search yields this item. Excerpt:

Term originally denoting a coarsely woven fabric, usually made of goat's hair. It afterward came to mean also a garment made from such cloth, which was chiefly worn as a token of mourning by the Israelites. It was furthermore a sign of submission (I Kings xx. 30 et seq.), and was occasionally worn by the Prophets.

As the Old Testament gives no exact description of the garment, its shape must be a matter of conjecture. According to Kamphausen, the saḳ was like a corn-bag with an opening for the head, and another for each arm, an opening being made in the garment from top to bottom.

Consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly.
Gather the elders
and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the LORD your God,
and cry out to the LORD.

Should we do this today?

With all the troubles in the world, I wonder if our churches should call for a fast and spend time in prayer to God for this lost and dying world?

On a few occasions, the churches I've attended have called for a day of prayer and the part about fasting is left to individual choice. Usually, the calls for a day of prayer is precipitated by some kind of crisis either in the world around us or some problem within the church.

Of the various spiritual disciplines, I freely admit fasting isn't one I practice. In my life, probably, I can count on one hand the number of times I've fasted.

Alas for the day!
For the day of the LORD is near,
and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.

Here the parallel structure suggests that the "day of the LORD" is equal to "destruction from the Almighty."

Yet, interestingly, it say, it is near but not yet here?

If I saw locusts descending and then destroying everything in sight, I'd say destruction is HERE NOW!

Does this mean it could actually be worse??

Is not the food cut off
before our eyes,
joy and gladness
from the house of our God?
The seed shrivels under the clods;
the storehouses are desolate;
the granaries are torn down
because the grain has dried up.
How the beasts groan!
The herds of cattle are perplexed
because there is no pasture for them;
even the flocks of sheep suffer.

The ruins of the locust swarm is described in vivid detail. I say again, it would seem as the Day of the LORD has already hit?

Perhaps, the key thing is that in this context, there is still time to turn to God as we saw in the call to prayer and fasting.

Perhaps, when the Day of the LORD truly hits, it is truly TOO LATE?

To you, O LORD, I call.
For fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness,
and flame has burned
all the trees of the field.
Even the beasts of the field pant for you
because the water brooks are dried up,
and fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness.

And so we conclude with Joel calling out to God describing the miserable situation the people are in.

Lord, when terrible things happen, sometimes I shake a fist at you in anger. Sometimes, I get on my knees and call upon you for help. From reading this chapter of Joel, I want to call upon you. I need to think about fasting and how perhaps that might be a spiritual discipline I need to practice so that I can draw closer to you. Amen.

Joel 1:2-12

Image source: 2005 article in Sudan Tribune

Joel 1:2-12 relates the story of a massive locust invasion.

Hear this, you elders;
give ear, all inhabitants of the land!
Has such a thing happened in your days,
or in the days of your fathers?
Tell your children of it,
and let your children tell their children,
and their children to another generation.
What the cutting locust left,
the swarming locust has eaten.
What the swarming locust left,
the hopping locust has eaten,
and what the hopping locust left,
the destroying locust has eaten.
Awake, you drunkards, and weep,
and wail, all you drinkers of wine,
because of the sweet wine,
for it is cut off from your mouth.

As a 21st Century dweller, it is something outside my experience. Living in the USA, I don't know if in recent memory there have been any locust swarms.

A quick Google search yields this item from the University of Florida describing the largest locust swarm on record. Excerpt:

The Desert Locust, Schistocerca gregaria, forms the largest swarms. In early 1954, a swarm that invaded Kenya covered an area of 200 km2. The estimated density was 50 million individuals per km2 giving a total number of 10 billion locusts in that swarm.

BBC has an informative picture gallery of what a locust swarm can do. Excerpt:

A ton of locusts, which is a tiny part of the average swarm, eats the same amount of food in a single day as 10 elephants, 25 camels or 2,500 people.

Some people might argue from verse 6 that the locusts are a metaphor for an invading army.

For a nation has come up against my land,
powerful and beyond number;
its teeth are lions' teeth,
and it has the fangs of a lioness.

Of course, it is possible that the opposite is true: an invading army is a metaphor for the locusts!

My view is to take the Bible at face value. However, of course, there are times when there is good reason to take it as metaphor!

In this case, Israel of the distant past being an agrarian society, the idea of the locusts being literal would be quite reasonable.

The results of the locust swarms leave the people in a miserable state.

It has laid waste my vine
and splintered my fig tree;
it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down;
their branches are made white.
Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth
for the bridegroom of her youth.
The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off
from the house of the LORD.
The priests mourn,
the ministers of the LORD.
The fields are destroyed,
the ground mourns,
because the grain is destroyed,
the wine dries up,
the oil languishes.
Be ashamed, O tillers of the soil;
wail, O vinedressers,
for the wheat and the barley,
because the harvest of the field has perished.
The vine dries up;
the fig tree languishes.
Pomegranate, palm, and apple,
all the trees of the field are dried up,
and gladness dries up
from the children of man.

When I read my Bible, I remind myself that it is about real people and real situations.

Horrible things happen in our fallen world and this passage vividly described a tremendous disaster.

These kinds of things still happen today. Locusts still swarm in parts of the world. There are also other kinds of calamities that strike. In recent memory, think of the tsunami of southeast Asia or the hurricane that hit New Orleans.

When these things happen, as Christians, especially as RICH Christians and even the poorest of us in America are RICH in comparison, we need to do whatever we can to help those suffering and in need. This is the point of the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

The first response is the practical one. Later on, one could contemplate more philosophically and theologically.

Lord, there are terrible things that happen in this world. You have called us to meet needs where ever we find them. Help the church to rise up in generosity to meet needs. Help me to see what you see and hear what you hear and respond however I can. Lord, speed the day when you restore what the locusts have taken. In the meantime, help me, help us to be your instruments of mercy in a lost and dying world. In Jesus name, amen.

Joel 1:1

How do you like visiting this site so far?

Comments welcome in the comments section or if you want to email me, you can send thoughts to rrblog_at_yahoo_dot_com.

I inaugurated this blog with something very familiar (Philippians) to many Christians.

I think I needed the great challenges and reminders of that beloved book of the Christian Scriptures.

For the next book of this blog tour of the Bible, let's go to a more obscure portion: Joel.

Ever heard a sermon from Joel?


image source: http://www.romaculta.it/det/sistina/prophet_4.html
The image is from the Sistine Chapel as painted by Michelangelo.

If you have heard a sermon from Joel, what was it about?

I've taken a quick read and here are some quick impressions.

Since the title of the post is Joel 1:1, let's take a look at it:

The word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel.

When we see "LORD" in our Old Testament, the Hebrew word is YHWH, the divine personal name of God. It was a name the Jewish people would never say. When they would come across YHWH, they would instead say adonai which appears in our Bibles as the word, Lord.

FYI, when the word God appears in the Old Testament, it from the Hebrew elohim. And of course, when you see Lord that is the Hebrew word adonai.

Who?

We know nothing about Joel from other parts of Scripture. There are other people named Joel but there is no clear connection to the Joel of this book.

He is the son of Pethuel. We know nothing about Pethuel either.

We do know Joel means, "the LORD is God."

When?

We can't be sure when he wrote because the events described in the book are not specific enough to assign a certain date.

He addresses "elders" in Joel 1:2 which some commentators suggest he was speaking to the nation prior to the rise of kings ruling the nation of Israel which would put it around 9th Century BC.

Another possibility is that it is in the post-exile era when there were no more kings. Supporters of that view will also cite Joel 3:1-3 which describes in past tense events that may have taken place when the nation was destroyed by the Babylonians. This would put the book around the 6th Century BC.

A short history of Israel is as follows:
Exodus out of Egypt
Entering the Land under Joshua
Lead by various Judges
The Kingdom under Saul, David and Solomon
The Kingdom divided North and South
The Northern Kingdom is defeated by the Assyrians
The Southern Kingdom is defeated by the Babylonians
Post-Exile

What?

The phrase "The Day of the LORD" appears six five times in Joel and in the whole Bible it appears 26 23 times.

So nearly 1/4 of all appearances of that phrase occurs in Joel!

Do you know how big a book Joel is?

Three chapters!

What else is in Joel?

If you have read Acts 2:17-21 then you have read Joel 2:28-32.

I came across an interesting verse in Joel 3:10.

Have you ever heard the phrase, beat your swords into plowshares?

Well, in Joel 3:10, we have an inversion of that famous phrase, Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, "I am strong!"

Okay, that is a quick introduction to Joel.

Lord, thank you that you are a God who cares about us. You came to Joel to tell him things You wanted the people to know. May in some small way this blog be the Word of the LORD that comes through this small blogger to who ever clicks here. May the visitors of these pages be shown a little bit of Your light. Amen.

Philippians 4:10-23

Am looking at Philippians 4:10-23 this morning.

As I read it, I found myself thinking of the book, The Five Love Languages. If you aren't familiar with the idea, the author believes that love is expressed by five different languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.

In this Letter to the Philippians, there are Word of Affirmation a plenty throughout. Here is a good example.

In Paul's plans to send Timothy and his hopes of eventually seeing them, he shows the desire for Quality Time.

In this last passage, we see a lot on Receiving Gifts.

Take a look:

I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Paul got a care package from the Philippians!

Gift giving is not completely one-way. Certainly the receiver gets something as that is definitional. However, as you can see from the text, Paul points out that the giver gains something as well.

It can be hard for us to need help or ask for help but in life, the feeling of autonomy is mostly illusionary. Whether we like it or not, whether we admit it or not, we need help all the time. Can we recognize that in our need, we can give someone else the opportunity to learn and show love in meeting our need?

Paul finishes off the letter with blessings and greetings:

To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar's household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

The family of faith spans the globe. Paul was in Rome and the Philippians were in Philippi (Macedonia).

We may live in different parts of the world but the desire to Glorify God is an aspiration we share.

You might be clicking onto this web page where it is night time as I typed this in the morning and yet, you too need Jesus like I do.

So where ever you are reading this, I send you greetings from Los Angeles and may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit!

Philippians 4:2-9

Am looking at Philippians 4:2-9.

In this passage we get to see some final thoughts from Paul as he winds up the letter.

The church at Philippi was a real church with people with names and alas some conflict!

I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Euodia and Syntyche's names only appear here in the New Testament. From here, we find they were part of the ministry team with Paul, someone called "true companion" (loyal Syzygus is in the footnotes), Clement and "rest of my fellow workers."

The fact that Paul, in a letter to the church which would be read publicly, brings up all these names and asks them to all get involved in solving the problem suggests the disagreement was rather large and of long standing.

We know from Matthew 18:15-17 the pattern Jesus gave for confronting sin begins with one-on-one dialog, moves to a small group of individual hashing it out and finally bringing it to the whole church. By including this matter in a letter to the church, Paul has raised the heat on getting them to resolve their differences.

What the problem was isn't knowable to us today. It is known to the parties involved and thus didn't need re-airing in Paul's letter. I suppose if there was some theological error, Paul might have taken the opportunity in the letter to clarify it. Likewise, if there was moral failing, Paul would directly address it as well. If I had to guess, the problem was probably a disagreement on how to do something and was a matter of opinion and preference.

With the church perhaps divided and downcast over the conflict, Paul turns them to the Lord and hits the theme of rejoicing once again.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

In light of the conflict, he also urges them to be reasonable.

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.

There are some issues where we need to take a stand and be firm. But some issues simply aren't at that level and we can agree to disagree on some of them.

I can't help but think of the "serenity prayer" you sometimes see in posters.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. -- Reinhold Niebuhr

And so how do we get to reasonableness?

Prayer helps!

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Paul finishes this section by encouraging the Philippians to set there minds on good things.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Paul's beautiful exhortation is the positive way of saying what is captured in the negative but colorful saying, "garbage in and garbage out."

Or as Proverbs 23:7 says, For as he thinks within himself, so he is.

God, help me to rejoice in you especially when I get caught up in problems. Help me to be able to put things in perspective through prayer. The situation might or might not change but my attitude certainly can. Help me as I live in this world where there are so many things I should not be putting into my mind are all around. Help me instead to put into my mind that which is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy. Forgive me when so often I do not. Help me Lord to set my mind on you. Amen.

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Am looking over Philippians 3:17-4:1.

What is today's "three-point" sermon from the Bible passage? 8-)

(1) Learn from the example of godly believers

Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.

Sometimes people get down on the institutional church. And to be honest, as a person who attends a pretty typical church, there is good reason to get discouraged!

However, having said that, what is the alternative?

If we try to live out our Christian faith on our own, the potential for self-deception is too great. Without other believers to bang heads with, we may get certain ideas into our heads that might have nothing to do with real Christian faith!

Within the community of faith, we are provided with older, wiser and more mature believers for us to learn from. In this setting, we, me too (gasp!), need to set an example of what wrestling with following Christ looks like to believers who are new to the journey.

(2) Watch out for those who are not setting a good example.

For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame - who set their mind on earthly things.

Paul takes no delight in seeing people heading the wrong way. He weeps for them because they are headed for destruction. He weeps as he warns believers not to be deceived by those individuals.

"God is their belly" is a very vivid metaphor for driven by desire. The instinct of hunger is one of the strongest in the human experience.

Another strong desire is sex especially in our media saturated society which pours gasoline on the raging fire that burns even without the assistance of the media!

I was reading C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity the other day and here is an extended excerpt on that subject:

We have been told, till one is sick of hearing it, that sexual desire is in the same state as any of our other natural desires and that if only we abandon the silly old Victorian idea of hushing it up, everything in the garden will be lovely.
........
They tell you sex has become a mess because it was hushed up. But for the last twenty years [ed. note, Lewis wrote the section on Christian Behavior in 1943] it has not been. It has been chattered about all day long. Yet it is still a mess. If hushing up had been the cause of the trouble, ventilation would have set it right. But it has not. I think it is the other way round. I think the human race originally hushed it up because it had become such a mess.

Indeed, one need only look at the headlines of the magazines at the grocery checkout counter or channel surf the television to find people who seem to be examples of those "whose glory is in their shame" who are part of the "cult of celebrity" leading the way with dysfunction.

We need to pray for ourselves that we don't get drawn into worshiping the false god of living only for the present. We need to pray for our society to be transformed.

(3) Seek transformation from Christ

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.

Transform. Wow! Jesus is in the process of transforming us, lowly us!

Paul talked about transformation in Romans 12:1-2. We need to offer ourselves as sacrifices to God. Transformation can then take place and we come out of it with a completely different mindset.

I want to spend a few additional moments on this "body" part.

In the cultural milieu of Paul's time, a lot of the religions and philosophies thought that the body and the physical is bad. As a result some people became hedonists seeking pleasure because if the spirit is completely separate from the body then why not live it up? Others became ascetics and avoided all pleasures because they believed anything associated with the body was bad.

However, Jewish and Christian theology integrates body and soul/spirit. Here is another excerpt from C.S. Lewis:

I know some muddleheaded Christians have talked as if Christianity thought that sex, or the body, or pleasure, were bad in themselves. But they were wrong. Christianity is almost the only one of the great religions which throughly approve of the body - which believes that matter is good, that God Himself one took on a human body, that some kind of body is going to be given to us even in Heaven and is going to be an essential par of our happiness, or beauty and our energy.

Thus, we work at transformation in the here and now because even though our citizenship is in heaven, the Kingdom of Heaven has already broken into this world. We are part of the transformation process now and it will continue and will find its full realization when Christ brings the Kingdom in its fullness.

Lord, forgive me when I seek the earthly things. So often, my eyes are on those things instead of you. Help me daily to offer myself to you and to allow you to transform my mind and my being so that I can do that which is good and pleasing to you. Give me the humility to learn from others and give me the boldness to be an example. Amen.