A Plea For Repentance : Part 2

A Plea For Repentance : Part 2 Joel 2:12-17 The Next STEP (in responding to God’s plea for genuine repentance) is,             Gather the People             These next two verses are very similar to chapter one, verse 14. “Sound the shofar in Zion! Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather all the people.” This was the work of the priests; they were to lead by example. Here, Joel goes through a list of specific people who should be there. No age group is excluded, and nothing should be allowed to interfere with this gathering, not even previous exceptions in the law of Moses; like the one exempting newly married couples from certain duties for their first year together (Deuteronomy 24:5).             Notice with me how this plea for repentance is set in the context of the community of God’s people. Our culture, western culture is a “me” culture instead of a “we” culture. The emphasis in our culture is on the individual. Our wants, our desires, our rights take precedence over everything else. That isn’t the biblical pattern, although we have tried to adapt the Scripture to fit our culture. I’m not suggesting that individual repentance isn’t necessary, it is, but individual repentance does have ramifications for the larger community.             If you look at examples of repentance in Hebrew culture, the emphasis is on the group rather than the individual. Nehemiah prayed, “please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned.” Daniel’s prayer in chapter nine of his book is very similar. Both godly men include themselves in the prayers of repentance.             Joshua 7 records the defeat of Israel’s army at Ai that resulted from the sin of Achan. After the defeat, Joshua tore his clothes and cried out to God. What did God say? He said, “Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them.” Did you catch that? One man sinned, Achan, but his sin affected the whole group. In the New Testament, in the closing verses of First Corinthians eleven, Paul tells us that those who participate in the Lord’s Table in an unworthy manner cause disease and death in the body, the church.             Joel called on the religious leaders of Judah to consecrate a fast. The Hebrew word is kadhesh. It means “to be set apart” or “to be holy.” To consecrate something is to set it apart for a special purpose. So, the people of Judah were commanded to set apart time and resources for a period of fasting. Fasting involves crying out to God and asking Him to reveal His will. Fasting can sharpen mental alertness and spiritual perception. The process often leads to purification, as God through the Holy Spirit reveals sin that we were previously unaware of.             The priests were instructed to gather the people for a sacred assembly. A sacred assembly was a special time of corporate worship. It was a time when no regular work was done. Israel as a nation had regular festivals that included gatherings like this one, but this was an “emergency” meeting. Just as Joel instructed them to consecrate a fast, he now tells the priests to sanctify or consecrate (they’re both the same Hebrew word) the congregation. If they were going to hear from God and make an appeal to Him, it was imperative that take care of any sin among them.             As the crowd is gathered the priests are to lead them in repentance. They are ins