Hear ye, Hear ye! By Rev. J.

Patrick Bowman

OYEZ, OYEZ, OYEZ is a cry originating long ago where a small village or larger city would appoint and pay men to act as town criers. Often they would sound a bell with their cry, which means Hear ye, Hear ye. It would alert all hearers to be still, quiet, and listen, because an important message was about to be proclaimed. Sometimes it would be the decisions of the local courts, at other times, local news and events. Sometimes these criers were even used for advertising purposes. Ancient Israel also had criers. They werent dressed in the fine, multi-colored costumes of the typical town crier, or in the fine robes of their own priesthood. They were simple folk who simply spoke. As you might have guessed, these were the prophets, most often obscure and hidden, except when they were proclaiming the word of the Lord unto His people. Their messages were often harsh: judgments to come for rejecting the laws of a Holy God, yet, always with the judgment, a way of repentance and renewed relationship with the Creator. Their ministries, then and now, looked upon as suspect: loved, if the news is good, and reviled if the news is bad. Correction was seldom welcomed and often resisted. A prophets life, then and now, is unique in many ways, for they see far more than the Lord will allow them to speak: He more often moves them to a level of intercessory prayer that seems extreme and strange to those in the camp. And even more so to those who share a tent with them: their hours and sometimes days or weeks of quiet contemplation and separation mixed with long hours of crying before the Lord for the lives of those who fail to understand them. Yes, these criers cry much more in private than they ever cry in public. They are the Town Criers in the midst of the people of God Lets look tonight at one such crier in Israels history that spoke a harsh message of judgment on a nation, instructions for its leadership, and a promise of redemption. I wont be able to, in my time allotted, to hit everything, but there are certain points I would like to apply to the lessons we can learn regarding the current state of our own nation. Join me in Joel, chapter 1. Joe 1:1-3 KJV (1) The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. (2) Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? (3) Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. What we first see here is the crier Joel saying to the elders and then generally to all the inhabitants, Have you ever seen or heard of anything like this? Can you ever remember your fathers talking about anything like this? Oral tradition played large in the history and culture of the people and Joel was encouraging some thought here on their part to recollect of anything happening like this before. Also Joel admonishes the people to tell their children so that they can tell their children, and so on into another generation. In other words, this is not something that should be forgotten. This is more than a curious thing; it is a warning to future generations to not invoke the wrath of God. Now an obvious question is what is this? To what is Joel referring? Joe 1:4-12 KJV (4) That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.

Joel describes here a systematic eroding away of livelihood and provision by a progressive plague of locusts. He describes the destruction by the different stages of locust development and how what one stage leaves, the next stage devoured. The Hebrew words give a much more vivid scene than the King James brings out. The palmerworm in Hebrew is gawzan, which means the cutter off. They descend in a cloud and cut down stems and leaves, eating everything they can. In this stage, the females drill millions of holes in the ground in which to lay their eggs, which hatch 7-60 days later. This is what the King James calls locusts. In Hebrew the word is arbeh, meaning multipliers. These swarmers ravenously consume everything the swarm of adults has left behind. The swarms then develop into cankerworms, or as the Hebrew calls them, yehlek, or lickers, which gnaw and lick anything green that tries to reemerge. The final stage is the caterpiller, or khaw-seel, which are strippers, so called because they strip the bark off of trees as they are growing their wings. So we can see that when they finally lift off and swarm away, they leave complete ruin in their wake. Imagine what hopelessness would fall on this agrarian society that lived season to season and harvest to harvest. Even those who were given to drink much wine were called to wake up and mourn the loss of their libation. (5) Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth. Rather than be roused by the horror of what was happening around them, they slept in the lethargy, not even realizing what they were losing until it be cut off from them. And Joel continues to liken this plague as an invasion of a mighty nation upon Israel. (6) For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. (7) He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white. (8) Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. (9) The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD'S ministers, mourn. Even the means to sacrifice in the Temple is cut off from the ministers. There is no tithe being brought to the Lords house because there is nothing to bring. There are no services at the altar. No oil, no wine, no grain, no meat for sacrifice and the sustainment of the priests and Levites. (10) The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. (11) Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. The wheat loaf for the rich and the barley loaf for the poor is cut off. It mattered not which social strata you were in, it was hard times for everyone. (12) The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men. Joy had left the camp. It withered away. Could it be that Psalm 1 can give us an idea why? Psa 1:1-6 KJV (1) Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. (3) And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (4) The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

(5) Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. (6) For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Where were they walking, where were they standing, where were they sitting? Why was this calamity happening in the land of Israel and are there parallels here for our own country? We have no idea from the text of Joel what specifics of offense would cause God to send this kind of judgment on His people. Idolatry was always Israels first and foremost sin, so its pretty safe to assume that idolatry played a role here in Gods displeasure. Perhaps along with idolatry there had arisen a coldness and callousness among the priests and ministers. Maybe it had become business as usual. Perhaps in the abundance before the plague, the people grew too fond of the good life they were living and lacked the devotional fervor that once sustained them as a nation. The prophets voice is usually the last voice heard before the judgment. And its usually Gods tool only when the people havent heard the still, small voice of God within their own hearts and repented. Where are we walking, where are we standing, where are we sitting? In verses 13 and 14 we hear a cry to lament the Lost Sacrifices. Israels unique identity and purpose for existence was in their covenant relationship to God. In Joels eyes, this was the paramount reason for mourning. And he singled out those in ministry to lead the way. Joe 1:13-14 KJV (13) Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. (14) Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, Joel urged the religious leadership to mourn and repent themselves and call the people to mourning and repentance, also. This is something they should have seen the need to do long before this without the bidding of the prophet. The nature of the offense called for a public humiliation of the people in order to confess and repent of their sins and to honor a Holy God as the one they had offended and the only one who could restore them. I think a question we need to ask ourselves is, Have we, in our user friendly, program-driven ministries become those asking God to bless what were doing rather than seeking Gods face to see what He would have us do? A harsh question, perhaps, but one that we cannot afford not to ask. Its obvious from our text that this was not a question the religious leaders of Israel had asked recently and certainly werent asking when the crier Joel appeared in the city square. In verses 15-20 we see what had happened and what was happening. Joe 1:15 KJV (15) Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. This is our first real clue that the judgment that came was not just a fluke of nature. It was Gods hand moving swiftly against Gods people for Gods purposes. And perhaps this was just a foretaste of more that would come. Layer after layer after layer of unrepentant sin and failing to hear the voice of God in their own personal lives had eaten away their collective relationship with God. This was now a national calamity, a judgment of a nation. The Almighty had a controversy with His people. Joe 1:16-18 KJV (16) Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God? (17) The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.

(18) How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. Joel reiterates once again the horrid state of affairs the people found themselves in. The meat is cut off from before their eyes and Joel likens this to a cutting off of joy and gladness from the house of the Lord. Again, his first concern is for Gods house, the house of prayer. He knows that until revival happens inside the church, nothing will improve outside the church. The seed, or promise, of next years crop is rotten. The barns are broken down with no resolution in the farmers heart to restore them. They will lie empty and in disrepair. The herds and flocks are groaning for their hunger. Even the sheep, who are content with very short grass, are without. We now hear Joel, this prophet crier of God proclaim what he will do. Joe 1:19-20 KJV (19) O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. (20) The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness. It seems as though we should mention Psalm 1 again. Not only have the locusts come like a fire, but the rivers of water are dried up. There are no trees planted by the rivers of water. They are burned, their leaves are withered, they sit white washed in the heat of judgment, and the water is gone. Joel says I will cry unto thee, O LORD, like the beasts of the field. Is there any other way to cry in light of what has happened? As we begin chapter 2, Joel once again makes a plea to leadership. Joe 2:1 KJV (1) Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; It was the business of the priests to blow the trumpet and sound the alarm. We read in Numbers 10:8-10, Num 10:8-10 KJV (8) And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations. (9) And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies. (10) Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God. There was no need to blow the trumpet for war. The enemy that opposed them was God himself. There was no gladness, there were no feasts, and there were no offerings. Joel was here urging the priests to blow the trumpet in Zion for another reason: complete, unconditional surrender. They had a choice to make; continue, in their haughtiness, fighting with God, or lie before Him and cry for His mercy. For the day of the Lord is at hand. Joel continues his description.

Joe 2:2-11 KJV

(2) A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. (3) A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. (4) The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. (5) Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. (6) Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. (7) They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: (8) Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. (9) They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. (10) The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: (11) And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? Again we learn that it is God commanding this great army of opposition against His people. Gods hand moving swiftly against Gods people for Gods purposes. Its His day in His way. Joel now offers hope in a hopeless situation. Joe 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: Joe 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

Joe 2:14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? Here God asks His people to do what the Shema commands them to do: love the Lord with all their heart. It will take more than what theyve been doing to make it right; fasting, weeping, and mourning. And God is not interested in an empty, half-heartedness here. He tells them to forget their religiosity in renting their garments, He wants their broken hearts. The sign without what it signifies would only be a mockery in Gods sight. We read of King David calling on the Lord for mercy after he had transgressed with Bathsheba and killed Uriah the Hittite. Psa 51:14-17 KJV (14) Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. (15) O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. (16) For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. (17) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Even in the midst of the judgment, Joel reminds them that God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, able to repent Himself of the evil He has laid upon them, if they will only repent and turn to the Lord and cry out as King David cried in Psalm 51:10, Psa 51:10 KJV

(10) Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Joel then throws out an honest question. He says, in essence, I dont really know all the details. I dont know how God will exercise His grace and mercy to us. I dont know to what extent we will be restored as a nation. But regardless of the outcome, our course of action can be nothing else but repentance before God. He answers his own question in the next verses as he again places responsibility on the priests to blow the trumpet and rally the people for repentance. Joe 2:15-17 KJV (15) Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: (16) Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. (17) Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? Everyone is to be included in this solemn assembly; the elders, the children, the babies, and even those who otherwise might be off limits to interruptions, a newlywed couple. The priests are called upon to weep between the porch and the altar. They are to offer up spiritual sacrifices. They were to move out of their normal sacrificial duties, which were now suspended, and intercede for the people: Spare thy people, O LORD. Dont allow now a human enemy to bring them to reproach and give them the right to say, Where is their God? The leadership was to call, not on Gods justice, but Gods mercy. And in faith that if mercy is asked for, mercy will be given. Joe 2:18-19 KJV (18) Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. (19) Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen: Now here is a promise from God. If you do what Ive required of you, then. Then will the LORD be jealous. Then will the LORD have pity. Then will the LORD send corn and wine and oil. Then shall the LORD remove your reproach. Then. And here is the restoration that awaits them. Joe 2:20-27 KJV (20) But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things. (21) Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things. Joel paints quite a picture here of restoration. The army of locusts will be removed in a judgment not unlike the one in which they had been used. The recompense here is great. The great things that the enemy had done will now be reversed with the greatness of mercy upon Gods people. Joy will be restored to Gods house and His people. (22) Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength. (23) Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. (24) And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.

His mercy shall come as needed and when expected, in such measure and schedule that the people will be once again glad and rejoice in the Lord. Even the inferior creatures shall be comforted. (25) And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. (26) And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. (27) And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. The restoration of the Lord is good for those who know they need to be restored. We sometimes miss the process of Gods goodness by rushing to read Joel 2:28 and following without realizing that it took 37 previous verses to get there. Remember Joel 2:28 begins, And it shall come to pass afterword. Revival comes afterword. Im certainly not here tonight pointing my finger, but I am here to ask some hard questions of myself and others that deserve active consideration and response. Ill ask some of the same questions I believe Joel would ask of the Priests and ministers if he were here tonight. Are we willing to awake from the stupor we find ourselves in and look at how we as a nation and as His church have offended a Holy God? Is church leadership willing to lead the way in calling Gods people to prayer and repentance? Are we willing to spend less time asking God to bless the plans we have made and spend more time asking God what He would have us do? Are we willing to slow down and show restraint in our personal lives and schedules, allowing God the time He wants to speak to us? Are we willing to do what God asks us to do, even if its not user friendly and may offend some? Remember, revival comes afterword.