A Call to Lament
Joel 1:13-20
“Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; And the living will take it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”
Those words from the wise man, Solomon, sound strange in our ears today. We live in a world that wants to eliminate all hardship, pain, and suffering. Families have their loved ones cremated so there’s no physical body of the deceased to be viewed as a graphic reminder of our mortality. Parents refuse to take their children to funerals, lest they be emotionally upset or ask mom and dad difficult questions about life and death.
I saw a meme not long ago that pictured children riding in the back seat of a car in the 1960s. The windows were open, the wind was streaming through their hair, and they were laughing and having a good time. I remember those days! The next scene was a picture from today with three children in the back seat of a car tightly strapped down and totally encased in bubble wrap. Yes, it’s a bit extreme, but it communicates the mindset of today; trying to shield ourselves and our children from any and all kinds of pain.
Even many who profess to preach the Gospel, proclaim a message that God wants you to be happy, healthy, and wealthy. The message of sorrow for sin and repentance is nowhere to be found. When was the last time you heard a sermon emphasizing repentance and sorrow for sin?
Our study in the book of Joel brings us to the second part of chapter one. As we’ll see, Joel calls his hearers and readers to a time of reflection, prayer, and repentance. We approach this text not just as an historical record of what happened, but to see how it is profitable for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, and for instruction in righteous living for us today.
I’ve titled today’s teaching, “A Call to Lament.” If you listened to the teaching from last week, you’ll see that I’m using the final point of that teaching as a springboard for what we’ll talk about today. To begin, let’s read the text, Joel 1:13 to 20.
In light of the devastation by locusts, Joel urges his hearers to lament the seriousness of their situation. He gives them several WAYS to express genuine grief and repentance.
The First WAY to express lament is,
Consecrate a Solemn Fast
Notice this command is addressed to the priests, the spiritual leaders of the nation. In the previous message we pointed out the graphic terms used to describe the grieving process, words like weep, wail, howl, be ashamed, and turn pale. The peoples of the East are very vocal and demonstrative in expressing grief and sorrow. The process involves tearing their hair and striking their chests repeatedly.
The Hebrew Scriptures highlight the use of sackcloth and ashes as signs of deep mourning. Here, the priests are commanded to put on that uncomfortable clothing, not just for the day, but to lie in it all night before the altar of God. There would be no sleep under those conditions.
They were further instructed to sanctify or consecrate a day of fasting. This was more than just a suggestion or an “if it’s convenient for you” kind of proclamation. Instead, this was to be a solemn assembly, hallowing the act of abstaining from food. You and I can fast for our physical health, but this was not the focus in this fasting. This fasting was being made as an offering and a sacrifice to God.
This assembly and fasting day included the elders and all the inhabitants of the land. This was to be a time of national repentance and mourning for sin. They were told to “gather into the house of the Lord your God.” As they gathered there, the priests were to lead the nation in crying out to the Lord with vehement earnestness and perseverance until relief would be granted.
Surely, they would’ve reflected on the words of the Lord to Solomon in Second Chronicles 7:14, “if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
In the United States, from the earliest days of our history as a nation, our leaders have periodically called for a day of prayer and mourning in response to some need or some calamity. The terrorist attack of September 11, 2011, is a case in point. We still have a “Day of Remembrance” annually on that day in September. Some state governors have called for a statewide day of prayer in the midst of drought or other natural disasters. It acknowledges there are situations we humans are powerless to control.
Have your spiritual leaders, your pastor/teachers, ever called for a day of fasting and prayer in your congregation? In Joel’s time, those who were God’s people were being judged for their insincere worship, their focus on materialism, and oppression of the poor. Aren’t those same things prevalent in organized religion today? Many people attend carefully scripted and choreographed Sunday services complete with bands, fog machines, and the latest digital technology. But during the week, you be hard-pressed to notice any difference between them and their unbelieving neighbors.
On the other hand, you have those churches who pride themselves in not having followed those excesses. Their members are quite pleased to be able to check all the boxes that seem to indicate their rejection of worldliness, but they are blind to the sins of the spirit like pride, arrogance, and a disparaging view of those unlike them. Both groups need repentance!
Like those in Joel’s time, we too need to cry out to the Lord. He is gracious and merciful, willing, and ready to forgive, to heal, and to restore. As spiritual leaders, it’s our responsibility to consecrate a time for repentance and cleansing.
The Next WAY to express lament is,
Consider the Solemn Day
That solemn day is – The Day of the Lord! That day is introduced by the word, alas. Interestingly, the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament, reads like this; Alas, alas, alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is night, and it will come as trouble upon trouble.” The triple repetition is a literary device that strengthens the meaning exponentially. We see a similar pattern in Isaiah’s vision of the Lord in Isaiah 6:3, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts…” And in Revelation 8:13, “woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth.”
Joel says this day of the Lord comes suddenly, secretly, and irresistibly. It is a destruction from the Almighty. We must be clear in our minds about the meaning of the day of the Lord. It should be obvious to us that within the pages of Scripture there are multiple “days of the Lord.” This day of the Lord Joel prophesied to the people of Judah was just one day of the Lord. It was in their near future. But as we’ll see in further studies, the day Joel predicts for Judah does presage that day when God will judge and take vengeance on a global scale.
There are four specific “days” that are given to us in Scripture. First is man’s day, we call that the span of human history, from creation to the final consummation of all things. Then there is the day of Christ, His earthly ministry and the time between the Ascension and the Rapture. There is also the day of the Lord, ultimately, the judgment of the unbelieving world for their rejection of Christ. And finally, the day of God, the time between the end of the millennial kingdom and the final judgment at Armageddon, according to Revelation 16:14.
Also notice that the name of God Almighty is used here in verse 15. This name of God isn’t used very much in Scripture. In fact, it’s not used as a mere name, but always in reference to His power. For example, His power to enliven the bodies of Abraham and Sarah to have a child in their old age, Genesis 17.
Of further interest to us is the fact that the words destruction and Almighty come from the same Hebrew root. So, we could read it as “the day of the Lord will come as might (shod) from the Almighty (shadday).” The word shod is always used of the might or power put forth to destroy, a mighty destruction. Joel says that “that Day shall come, like might put forth by the Almighty Himself; to destroy His enemies, irresistible, inevitable, unendurable, overwhelming the sinner.” Truly that will be a solemn day.
So far, we have two ways to express lament; consecrate a solemn fast and consider the solemn day, the day of the Lord.
The Final WAY to express lament is,
Cry a Solemn Prayer
Is it possible that Joel’s words in verses 15 through 20 are the script for this cry, this solemn prayer? They begin by acknowledging the hopelessness of their circumstances. The people were anticipating a rich harvest and the joy and gladness of presenting the first fruits and thank offerings to God. But all of a sudden, the food was stripped from the fields, orchards, and vineyards right before their very eyes.
William Thomson writes of his travels in the Middle East during the late 1800s and his personal witness of a locust invasion. “I saw under my own eye not only a large vineyard loaded with young grapes, but whole fields of grain, disappear as if by magic, and the hope of the husbandman vanish like smoke.”
Joel goes on to list additional judgment. Drought caused the seeds to shrivel in the ground, granaries and storehouses fell into disrepair because there was no use for them. The locusts destroyed what was above ground and drought destroyed what was under the ground. The fire of drought destroyed the pastures so that the flocks and herds cried out too. If you’ve ever been around hungry or thirsty cattle, they will bawl nonstop!
In March of 2023, Joyce and I had the privilege of visiting Israel and Jordan. We saw the Bedouins grazing their sheep and goats on ground that appeared to be barren. But as we looked carefully, we noticed little tufts of grass scattered here and there. Joel states that the conditions will be so desperate that not even the sheep will find adequate pasture.
Here you have the beasts, creatures of habit without the ability to reason, suffering because of the choices of their masters. But even their cries of confusion and pain failed to awaken their masters to the need for repentance. Try to imagine the cacophony of sounds as the people are weeping and wailing, and the cattle are bawling continuously. It would make you want to cover your ears and run away!
So, Joel concludes by appealing to the only help left, the Lord, Jehovah, “the unchanging, eternal, self-existent God,” the “I am that I am,” the covenant-keeping God. “Oh Lord, to you I cry out!” He echoes the sentiments of the writer of Psalm 36. “Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast.”
In the book of Deuteronomy, God had repeatedly warned Israel that he would bring judgment on them if they disobeyed Him. And because Israel was an agrarian society, that judgment would specifically be directed at the land with its crops and produce. Hearing about the devastation that was coming should have alerted them to their need for repentance.
What is the condition of the people of God today? We often hear people say that the church needs revival. Maybe you’ve said that yourself. But what is the church comprised of? It’s made up of individual believers – you and me. So, are we willing to acknowledge that WE need revival? Are you willing to admit that your ease, your wealth, your comforts have lulled you into a spiritual stupor? Am I willing to admit the same?
Is it time to call to the people of God to a solemn fast, to abstain from food as an offering to God and an indication of our sincerity in seeking His face? Some of our Kenyan brothers and sisters that Heralds of Hope partners with have all-night prayer and fasting vigils. And there are testimonies of healings, deliverance from demons, and other supernatural happenings as a result of those times of seeking the Lord. We can learn from their example.
Here are the ways Joel called God’s people to express genuine grief and repentance for sin: consecrate a solemn fast, consider the solemn day, and cry a solemn prayer. I urge you to reflect on the call to lament for the sin in the church and in your life personally. Ask God to cleanse you and restore your joy!
