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Joel 2:10-11 (JDV)
Joel 2:10 The land quakes before them; the sky1 shakes. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars cease their shining.
Joel 2:11 Yahveh makes his voice heard in the presence of his army. His camp is very substantial; those who carry out his command are powerful. In fact, the day of Yahveh is terrible and dreadful – who can endure it?
unwitting accomplices
Whoa, what happened? Right in the middle of predicting a terrible invasion by an unstoppable army, the prophet seems to have changed topics. Is he now talking about the eschatological day of Yahveh – the day of rescue and judgment of the nations?
What Joel is saying is that in this coming invasion, these enemy troops are unwitting accomplices to God’s plan, and he himself is giving the command. They may think they are destroying God’s people, but they are really paving the way for the revival of God’s people. The flesh must be dead before a resurrection can happen. This part of the prophecy is setting the stage for the prediction of an outpouring of God’s Breath to animate the corpse of a destroyed people (2:28-32).
Lord, we are grateful today that all the power in the universe is yours. You control even the actions of our enemies. What they do unwittingly, we choose to do consciously. We want to do what you command.
1שָׁמַיִם
