sound an alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near,
[2] a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful people;
their like has never been before,
nor will be again after them
through the years of all generations.
[3] Fire devours before them,
and behind them a flame burns.
The land is like the garden of Eden before them,
but behind them a desolate wilderness,
and nothing escapes them.
[4] Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,
and like war horses they run.
[5] As with the rumbling of chariots,
they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of a flame of fire
devouring the stubble,
like a powerful army
drawn up for battle.
[6] Before them peoples are in anguish;
all faces grow pale.
[7] Like warriors they charge;
like soldiers they scale the wall.
They march each on his way;
they do not swerve from their paths.
[8] They do not jostle one another;
each marches in his path;
they burst through the weapons
and are not halted.
[9] They leap upon the city,
they run upon the walls,
they climb up into the houses,
they enter through the windows like a thief.
[10] The earth quakes before them;
the heavens tremble.
The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.
[11] The LORD utters his voice
before his army,
for his camp is exceedingly great;
he who executes his word is powerful.
For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome;
who can endure it?
(Joel 2:1-11 ESV)
A trumpet of alarm should be sounded. Be alert folks!!! Sound the alarm, sound the alarm.
Let all peoples of the land know this thing.
THE DAY OF THE LORD IS COMING!!! IT IS NEAR!!!!
Can't you just hear the alarm coming from Joel? His desire to wake up the people of Israel and warn them for the darkness and gloom that is to befall them?
The Day of the Lord coming is a day
- to tremble
- of darkness and gloom
- of clouds and thick darkness
- never seen before
- never to be seen again
When I read the description of the fire it draws to mind for me a herd of thundering horses quickly appearing and leaping over the ground and making you wonder if they'll jump on you in their panic. But this fire is like an approaching army. Just waiting to attack a fearful people.
Like the fierceness seen in Game of Thrones. Seeking to conquer and beat at all costs.
So comes the day of the Lord. Beating back all comers, at whatever cost. So sit up and take notice.
Because just as the most disciplined army approaches, and is a thing to be feared.
So is the Day of the Lord.
Behold it is coming!!! In this day even the sun and the moon will be darkened. The mountains themselves will quake.
You know, even with Joel's very descriptive language I have a hard time picturing this.
All I can imagine is the world going dark and there being a ton of noise around that will freak me out.
The Lord will speak and his whole army will hear him (he won't need runners to pass along his orders). He speaks and it is heard.
It is so hard for me to picture it.
And that makes this last verse more poignant.
For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome; Who can endure it?
Who can endure it??