We continue seeing this army Joel depicts, attacking Zion. As we remember from chapter 1 it could be locusts or it could be a human army, metaphorically described. It seems from this passage that he is referring to literal locusts. See how they destroy everything and "eat stubble." They blot out the sun by making a great cloud. Humans burning and plundering can do that, but it's very much less likely before the time of gunpowder. These attackers enter through windows and doors, while human attackers are much more likely to storm a building and enter through doors or even breaking down walls. Yet the walls of the city and the buildings seem to remain intact.
What's the response? Blow a trumpet. Sound an alarm. Fight back, but realize your fight will be unproductive. You cannot resist the enemy God has brought against you. The Lord's servants cannot be stopped. Blow a trumpet and call for repentance. These enemies have come to draw you closer to the Lord. These enemies show you that your life consists in depending on the Lord rather than on your own wealth, toil, and resources. None of what we have provided for ourselves can withstand a time when the God of the universe takes everything away.
Do we turn to our Lord in faith? Do we trust that Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, has truly given his life as a ransom for ours? Do we realize daily the folly of our self-centered opinions, our dreams, our goals? Do we come to our Lord in repentance to ask forgiveness for our haughty attitude? Do we submit our plans and our future to our Lord, knowing that it is he who is coming one day to judge the living and the dead? Do we trust that our Lord's desire is for our good, not for our evil? Do we realize that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ? Let us look to him day by day, moment by moment. Sound a trumpet call to repentance and faith.
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