Return to the Lord
Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: Joel 2:12
Therefore also now... The 3rd section of the prophecy of Joel (Joel 2:12-32, unfulfilled; will be fulfilled in the restoration). Next, Joel 3:1.
Thirty-two Predictions—Unfulfilled:
1. Then (when Israel repents as commanded in Joel 2:12-17) the Lord will be jealous for His land and pity His people (Joel 2:18).
2. The Lord will answer and say unto His people, Behold, I will send you corn, wine, and oil (Joel 2:19).
3. You will be satisfied with it.
4. I will make you a reproach among the heathen no more.
5. I will remove the northern army (antichrist) far off from you (Joel 2:20).
6. I will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face to the east sea, and hinder part toward the utmost (Mediterranean) sea.
7. His stink and ill savor will come up (Joel 2:20; Eze. 39:11-16).
8. The land will be glad and rejoice, for the Lord will do great things (Joel 2:21).
9. The pastures of the wilderness do spring up (Joel 2:22).
10. The trees will bear their fruit.
11. He will give you the former rain moderately (Joel 2:23).
12. He will cause the rain, the former rain and the latter rain, to come down for you in the first month.
13. The floors will be full of wheat.
14. The fats (vats) will overflow with wine and oil (Joel 2:24).
15. I will restore the years that the locust, the cankerworm, the caterpillar, and the palmerworm have eaten (Joel 2:25).
16. You will eat in plenty (Joel 2:26).
17. You will be satisfied.
18. You will praise the name of the Lord your God.
19. My people will never be ashamed (Joel 2:26-27).
20. You will know that I am in the midst of Israel (Joel 2:27).
21. You will know that I am the Lord your God, and none else.
22. It will come to pass afterward (after the restoration of Israel) that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28).
23. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.
24. Your old men will dream dreams.
25. Your young men will see visions.
26. Upon the servants and handmaids I will pour out My Spirit (Joel 2:29).
27. I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, fire, and pillars of smoke (Joel 2:30).
28. The sun will be turned into darkness.
29. The moon will be turned red like blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord (Joel 2:31).
30. It will come to pass that whosoever will call on the name of the Lord will be delivered (Joel 2:32).
31. In Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as God has said.
32. There will be deliverance in the remnant of Israel whom the Lord will call.
Therefore also...
גַּם
gam
gam
By contraction from an unused root meaning to gather; properly assemblage; used only adverbially also, even, yea, though; often repeated as correlation both... and: - again, alike, also, (so much) as (soon), both (so) . . . and, but, either . . . or, even, for all, (in) likewise (manner), moreover, nay . . . neither, one, then (-refore), though, what, with, yea.
Now...
עַתָּה
‛attâh
at-taw'
From H6256; at this time, whether adverbial, conjugational or expletive: - henceforth, now, straightway, this time, whereas.
Saith...
נְאֻם
ne'ûm
nah-oom'
From H5001; an oracle: - (hath) said, saith.
the Lord...
יְהֹוָה
yehôvâh
yeh-ho-vaw'
From H1961; (the) self-Existent or eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God: - Jehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050, H3069.
Before this terrible and intolerable day, which is near at hand, comes. Before these judgments and calamities threatened take place, though just at hand; serious repentance is never too late, now is the accepted time (see Luke 19:42).
turn ye even... In the day when He will come with His army to take over the kingdoms of the world, turn to Him with all your heart, and rend your heart with fasting, weeping, and mourning, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He repents (changes His mind) regarding the evil He has done to you (Joel 2:12-14). Against whom they had sinned, and who had prepared his army against them, and was at the head of it, just ready to give the orders, and play his artillery upon them.
And yet suggests, that even now, that if they turned to the Lord by true repentance, not, feignedly and hypocritically, but cordially and sincerely, with true hearts, and with their whole hearts, he was ready to receive and forgive them.
turn...
שׁוּב
shûb
shoob
A primitive root; to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbially again: - ([break, build, circumcise, dig, do anything, do evil, feed, lay down, lie down, lodge, make, rejoice, send, take, weep]) X again, (cause to) answer (+ again), X in any case (wise), X at all, averse, bring (again, back, home again), call [to mind], carry again (back), cease, X certainly, come again (back) X consider, + continually, convert, deliver (again), + deny, draw back, fetch home again, X fro, get [oneself] (back) again, X give (again), go again (back, home), [go] out, hinder, let, [see] more, X needs, be past, X pay, pervert, pull in again, put (again, up again), recall, recompense, recover, refresh, relieve, render (again), X repent, requite, rescue, restore, retrieve, (cause to, make to) return, reverse, reward, + say nay, send back, set again, slide back, still, X surely, take back (off), (cause to, make to) turn (again, self again, away, back, back again, backward, from, off), withdraw.
ye even to...
עַד
‛ad
ad
Properly the same as H5703 (used as a preposition, adverb or conjugation; especially with a preposition); as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with): - against, and, as, at, before, by (that), even (to), for (-as much as), [hither-] to, + how long, into, as long (much) as, (so) that, till, toward, until, when, while, (+ as) yet.
The Targum is, “turn ye to my worship with all your heart”.
with all your... In view of this the elders, priests, ministers, children, and entire congregation were called to fast and pray for mercy (Joel 2:15-17). External signs of inward grief and sorrow, testifying their hearty return to the Lord, which, though, without the heart, signify nothing, yet should be shown where hearty repentance is, for the honor and glory of God.
me with all...
כּוֹל כֹּל
kôl kôl
kole, kole
From H3634; properly the whole; hence all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense): - (in) all (manner, [ye]), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, [no-] thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso (-ever).
your heart...
לֵבָב
lêbâb
lay-bawb'
From H3823; the heart (as the most interior organ); used also like H3820: - + bethink themselves, breast, comfortably, courage, ([faint], [tender-] heart([-ed]), midst, mind, X unawares, understanding.
צֹם צוֹם
tsôm tsôm
tsome, tsome
From H6684; a fast: - fast (-ing).
and with weeping...
בְּכִי
bekı̂y
bek-ee'
From H1058; a weeping; by analogy, a dripping: - overflowing, X sore, (continual) weeping, wept.
and with mourning...
מִסְפֵּד
mispêd
mis-pade'
From H5594; a lamentation: - lamentation, one mourneth, mourning, wailing.
This is for the near time of Joel, and for now, as well. God’s people must fast and pray in sincerity. The prayers must come from our hearts, and God will hear and answer our prayers.
There is such a spread of A.I.D.S & COVID that it threatens to wipe out many of our children and grandchildren. This, in my opinion, is a judgment of God upon a society that has gone mad. Only God can stop it. We must call our nation to true repentance now.
Renewed Call to Repentance
Before such an invincible army the nation’s only hope was to turn immediately even now, Joel 2:12) to the Lord in repentance. This section contains two formal appeals for repentance (Joel 2:12-14, 2:15-17). The first concludes with a motivational section (introduced by for, Joel 2:13-14).
An appeal for a sincere change of heart
The Appeal
The Lord Himself urged the people to repent with genuine sincerity (cf. with all your heart and rend your heart and not your garments) accompanied by fasting and weeping and mourning. Repentance is the desired outcome of the Lord’s judgments (cf. Deut. 4:30; 30:1-2; Hos. 3:4-5; Amos 4:6-11).
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