October 1, 2013
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Extraordinary wickedness leads to an extraordinary call to repentance ~ Joel 2
Continuing on from my last posts (here and here) about extraordinary prayer based on John Calvin's commentary on Joel...
Here's Calvin introducing the second chapter of Joel:
This chapter contains serious exhortations, mixed with threatening; but the Prophet threatens for the purpose of correcting the indifference of the people, whom we have seen to have been very tardy to consider God's judgments. Now the reason why I wished to join together these eleven verses was, because the design of the Prophet in them is no other than to stir up by fear the minds of the people. The object of the narrative then is, to make the people sensible, that it was now no time for taking rest; for the Lord, having long tolerated their wickedness, was now resolved to pour upon them in full torrent his whole fiery. This is the sum of the whole. Let us now come to the words.
"Sound the trumpet, he says, in Zion; cry out in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the earth tremble". The Prophet begins with an exhortation. We know, indeed that he alludes to the usual custom sanctioned by the law; for as on festivals trumpets were sounded to call the people, so also it was done when anything extraordinary happened. Hence the Prophet addresses not each individually; but as all had done wickedly, from the least to the greatest, he bids the whole assembly to be called, that they might in common own themselves to be guilty before God, and deprecate his vengeance. It is the same as though the Prophet had said that there was no one among the people who could exempt himself from blame, for iniquity had prevailed through the whole body. But this passage shows that when any judgment of God is impending, and tokens of it appear, this remedy ought to be used, namely, that all must publicly assemble and confess themselves worthy of punishments and at the same time flee to the mercy of God. This, we know, was, as I have already said, formerly enjoined on the people; and this practice has not been abolished by the gospel. And it hence appears how much we have departed from the right and lawful order of things; for at this day it would be new and unusual to proclaim a fast. How so? Because the greater part are become hardened; and as they know not commonly what repentance is, so they understand not what the profession of repentance means; for they understand not what sin is, what the wrath of God is, what grace is. It is then no wonder that they are so secure, and that when praying for pardon is mentioned, it is a thing wholly unknown at this day. But though people in general are thus stupid, it is yet our duty to learn from the Prophets what has always been the actual mode of proceeding among the people of God, and to labour as much as we can, that this may be known, so that when there shall come an occasion for a public repentance, even the most ignorant may understand that this practice has ever prevailed in the Church of God, and that it did not prevail through inconsiderate zeal of men, but through the will of God himself.
Source: John Calvin's Commentary on Joel, Part 4, Lecture Forty-first, on Joel 2:1-11, found at http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/m.sion/cvjoe-04.htm, boldface mine.
Matthew Henry begins his commentary on Joel 2 with these words (italics mine):
Here we have God contending with his own professing people...
It's far too tempting for us as Christians to shut our ears to God's call to us to repent. We look at the world, and we see their sins, but all the while we remain hardened and blinded to our own sins and to our own sinfulness. Amos 3:1 Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt...
O LORD our God, forgive us our indifference, our stupidity, and our tardiness in considering Your extraordinary judgments upon us. Forgive us for turning our backs upon You, and spurning You and Your ways. Be kind to us, soften our hearts, and give us ears to hear Your warning trumpet being blown before us – Your people who are part of Your Church. At this time, our wickedness is extraordinary; therefore Your call to us to repent is extraordinary.
By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have been delivered from slavery to sin, self, the flesh, the world, and the devil. We have been united with Christ in His death and in His resurrection, so we might walk in newness of life, to be separated unto You, to offer ourselves as slaves of righteousness, and to bear fruit to holiness (~ Romans 6:1-7:6) – and yet so often we do not walk as we have learned so in Christ. We have been redeemed in order to be a holy and peculiar people, and yet we walk according to the lusts of our flesh, rather than in Your Spirit. We continue to think and act and speak as if we have never been redeemed. All too often we go back to "Egypt": we yoke ourselves with the world and imbibe the spirit of this age; we follow the prince of the power of the air, rather than coming out and being separate and showing ourselves to be Your sons and daughters (~ II Corinthians 6:11-7:1). "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" ~ Amos 3:3, KJV.
May we not be deceived by a false sense of security and assurance. May we not be lulled into a deadly sleep of presumption. May Your Holy Spirit make us sensible that now is not the time for us to take rest, but to prostrate ourselves before You in confession and repentance for our wickedness. Give us eyes to see and hearts to know and to acknowledge our transgressions, that we might confess our sin as evil, and justify Your judgments against us (Psalm 51). Grant us a godly sorrow like the Corinthians exhibited (II Corinthians 7), so we might prove that we have not received Your grace in vain. Work in us a godly sorrow that produces repentance unto salvation. May our repentance be deep and not superficial. Turn us and we will turn to You with all our hearts. May we rend our hearts and not our garments. May we tremble at Your Word. May our hearts be broken and our spirits contrite.
Your trumpet is not being blown among the nations – but among Your holy nation. Your trumpet is not being blown in the world – but in Zion, in Your holy mountain. We are Your people called by Your name, and because we have turned away from You, You are pleading with us to turn to You and to rend our hearts and return to You. You are gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love! Though we are unworthy, though we have engaged in extraordinary wickedness, for the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, for the sake of Your holy name among the nations, because of Your great mercies, we are fleeing to You! Holy Father, may You be zealous for us, pity us, and relent and leave a blessing behind You, for Your mercies in Jesus Christ are extraordinary!
Psalm 103
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.* * *
* Please add your PRAYERS below as God's Holy Spirit leads you. *
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