Dag gone Drew?

Joel two?
Verses 1-11?

It's all "alarm, tremble, darkness, clouds, gloom, blackness, mighty armies like never before, fires blazing, day of the Lord, desert waste, no escape, cavalry, horses, chariots, supernatural abilities, nations in anguish, pale faces all around, warriors, soldiers, marching, keeping in ranks, taking the city, running along the walls, entering like thieves through the windows, the earth shakes, the mountains tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, the stars no longer shine, the Lord thunders at the front of his army, forces beyond number, mighty is this army that obeys his command, it's dreadful, who can endure it?

Just on and on and on.

What are we suppose to do?

Well?

I'll tell ya.

Joel 2 12-17

“Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

Come back to me and my ways he says.

And mean it.

Rend your heart
and not your garments.

In Old testament days if someone was in mourning they would rip their outward clothes as a public display.

God says, I don't care about your outward displays, give me what I've always wanted, your heart.

Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.

Maybe?

Maybe we can be saved?

If we return to him and honestly mean it and do it publicly so all know?

Maybe it will be like Jonah he wont send upon us all the calamity?

Hey, it's happened right?

Jonah 3:6-10

When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:

“By the decree of the king and his nobles:

Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, 

he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

Who knows? He may turn and relent
and leave behind a blessing—
grain offerings and drink offerings
for the Lord your God.

I can just hear them :-).

Hey!

You know what worked before?

Why did we ever forget about that?

Why did we turn from what we knew was right?

Lets get back to those ways and mean it and make ours a public declaration.

Blow the trumpet in Zion,
declare a holy fast,

Ring the diner bell again.

Get everybody together.

We gotta figure this out.

call a sacred assembly.
Gather the people,
consecrate the assembly;
bring together the elders,

Have the priest bless this assembly.

We got important life-altering matters to attend to.

Get the wise ones in here.

gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.

So important is this assembly?

All, all our expected to attend.

No one gets a pass.

Nursing baby?

Bring them, 

they too need to understand the importance of the matters before us.

Let the bridegroom leave his room
and the bride her chamber.

Consummate your marriage?

Not today your not gonna.

These matters?

Outweigh any and everything else.

This is where in Mathew Henry's commentary he stated:

"Public mourning always outweighs private celebrations."

Always.

Let the priests, who minister before the Lord,
weep between the portico and the altar.

So important is our turning back to God?

The priest are commanded to weep publicly,

"between the portico and the altar".

This is the porch so to speak of the temple.

The entrance.

So dire is our situation we wont have priest praying inside the temple.

No.

They must be outside where all can see them

This place? "between the portico and the altar"?

This is where the burnt offerings to the Lord were given.

It's messy business offering up sacrifices to the Lord.

It's hard, long, dirty work.

This may be as well, best to do this work here where it seems fitting.

This is the place the priest will pray for us to be spared, 

so that all might see the direness of the situation that they are in.

See Matthew 23:35

Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”

Let the priest pray for us to be spared.

Don't let the ungodly say,"Where is their God?" and get away with it.

Because we know where he is:

Psalm 115:2-8

Why do the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever pleases him.
But their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
They have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk,
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.

(Idols = Material things of this world)

And to me?

The most chilling warning of all:

"Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them."