Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning

Are You Concerned?

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2012-12-03

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver preaches from Joel 2:11-14, warning that God is a God of judgment who uses armies—insects, nations, and nature—to punish sin. He calls for genuine repentance, a rent heart rather than mere outward sorrow, and urges believers to respond with godly concern, faith, and practical preparation for temporal judgments upon a sinful nation.

[John Weaver] Joel chapter 2. Book of Joel. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Joel chapter 2. And we're going to be reading verses 11-14. Joel chapter 2 verses 11-14. The title of the message today is in the form of a question. Are you concerned? So look in Joel 2 beginning with verse 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? Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn you even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning, 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 repented them of the evil. 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. So the question is, and you shall hear it several times today, are you concerned?

[John Weaver] Probably most people, even most Christians, have never seriously considered or ever really truly been concerned about the judgment of God. We do not even like to entertain such thoughts, and we are uncomfortable with the concept of suffering, death, and judgment. The truth is we prefer to live in absolute ignorance. If the old saying is true, ignorance is bliss, Christians should be the happiest people on the earth. For most of us are totally ignorant when it comes to the Word of God and the principles of God. Our ignorance, however, does not change facts, nor does it change reality. Simply because we do not want to see something, hear something, or understand something, that does not change anything.

[John Weaver] It only ensures our loss. The Scripture is exceedingly clear in Proverbs 22 and verse 3, when the Bible says, The prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the wicked, or the foolish, or the simple pass on. and are punished. The scripture tells us that God is a God of judgment. He is known by His judgments, and justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne. Let me give you just several scriptures, just by way of introduction, to prove that one simple statement. In Deuteronomy 32 and verse 4, the Bible says concerning God, He is the rock, His work is perfect, for all of His ways are judgment. A God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He. In Isaiah 30 and verse 18, the Bible says this, And therefore the Lord will wait that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted that He may have mercy upon you, for the Lord is a God of judgment. Blessed are all they that wait for Him. In Psalm 9 and verse 16, The Bible tells us that the Lord is known by the judgment which He executeth.

[John Weaver] The wicked is snared in the work of His own hands. And in Psalm 89 in verse 14, justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne. So this one simple statement that God is a God of judgment, He is known by His judgments, and justice and judgments are the habitation of His throne, is just simply a complete summary of the truth of the fact that God does indeed judge. Now, the Bible teaches us that God is immutable. That is, that God is unchangeable. He said in Malachi 3 and verse 6, I, the Lord, change not. The immutability of God ensures us and assures us that His righteous judgments do not change, nor are they altered with time. Cultures may change. Circumstances may change. But principles never change. Now listen carefully.

[John Weaver] The sins that merited and brought forth God's judgments thousands of years ago are the same sins that merit and bring forth God's judgments today. Has it ever occurred to you that the plagues Famines, droughts, and floods that are frequent and ubiquitous today are the same judgments that God brought against Judah and Jerusalem to awaken them to the fact that they were sinning against God. Wow. So here's the question. Are you concerned when everything that is happening and especially when it appears to be exactly the same judgments that fell against Judah and Jerusalem are happening in America today and befalling us.

[John Weaver] Now, the book of Joel is a very unique book. Joel was a prophet and he was warning the people of God of God's judgments. If you read the book of Joel, you will find this. that the people were already under judgment, but yet the most severe judgment had not yet come. And what Joel is saying, look, open your eyes, look around, you see what is happening, but you haven't seen anything yet. In other words, it's like the old adage that we have, you can't see the forest for the trees. So we look around in our land today and everybody, We'll say, well, yeah, there are some things that are wrong, and yeah, there are some things that are happening.

[John Weaver] We understand that they're not good, but we don't really look any further than that, and we never look at the appointed end. I want you to look in the book of Joel, beginning there with chapter 1, verse 4, and I want you to see that God had sent a very severe judgment upon the land. Joel 1 in verse 4, look what the Bible says. that which the palmer worm hath left hath the locust eaten, and that which the locust hath left the canker worm hath eaten, and that which the canker worm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.

[John Weaver] Awake, you drunkards, and weep, and howl, you drinkers of wine, because of the new wine, for it is cut off from your mouth. Now look, for a nation has come up upon my land, strong and without number, whose teeth are like the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.

[John Weaver] Now, the nation that he's talking about there, of course, would be the nation of insects. However, I believe there is a double prophecy here, in the sense that certainly a greater nation is going to come, the Babylonians against Judah and Jerusalem, and the Assyrians against the ten northern kingdoms. But here he's talking about all of these insects. You look at the agricultural faders, the economic failures, the weather disturbances, the marital and the physical failures, and all of these things are part and parcel of God's judgments. Do you understand that even, and I'll show it to you in the Bible here, the loss of joy and happiness is part and parcel of God's judgment, as well as the loss of liberty and freedom. In other words, when God's judgment and God's curse comes upon us, literally, Everything falls apart.

[John Weaver] I was talking to Frank Kersey last night and he told me that his wife Kathy had seen a bumper sticker on a car and said, and all the bumper sticker asked was, now where are we going in a handbasket? This is the point I'm trying to make. Everything basically falls apart.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to look in Joel 1 and verse 10 and 11. Well, we'll read verse 12 as well. Look at it. Joel 1 verse 10. We're talking about God's judgments now. Watch this agriculturally. The field is wasted, the land mourneth, for the corn is wasted, The new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O you husbandmen! Howl, O you vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley, because the harvest of the field is perished. 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. Do you understand that even joy and the loss of joy and happiness is connected with God's judgment?

[John Weaver] Pastor Bob McCurry always had a word for those who came to him, especially when they came unrepentant, and yet they were disillusioned, they were disheartened, they were discouraged, and after Pastor McCurry would listen to them very patiently, he would say this as he looked them right in the eye, God's preparing you for something worse. Well, perhaps he got that saying from the book of Joel, because that is exactly what Joel is telling the people here. It's bad now, but cheer up, God's preparing you for something worse. It's not Murphy's law, it's God's law. So, I want us to begin looking in Joel 2, verse 11. And I want to show you, first of all, a severe warning. A severe warning. Look in verse 11.

[John Weaver] 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? Now, he states very clearly in verse 11 that the Lord has an army. You remember one of the titles of God is that He is the Lord of hosts, literally. He is the Lord of the armies. Have you ever stopped to think about all the armies that God has at His disposal? Certainly He has an army of angels. Certainly Israel was considered as one of His armies.

[John Weaver] But yet there were others. He used the Assyrian army. He used the Babylonian army. He used many heathen armies to chastise His sinful and disobedient people. In fact, He referred to the Medes and the Persians in Isaiah 13 and verse 3 as My sanctified ones or My mighty ones. He referred to the Roman army in Matthew 22 and verse 7 as His army. And it may surprise you to learn that God even has armies of insects and animals.

[John Weaver] I want you to hold your oil too, but turn right back to Psalm 105, and let's begin reading there with verse 34. Psalm 105, and let's begin reading there with verse 34. And I will show you some other scriptures momentarily, but notice Psalm 105, beginning there with verse 34. Look what the Bible says. In fact, this is one of God's armies. Psalm 105, verse 34, He spake and the locusts came, and caterpillars, and that without numbers, and did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground. He spake, and the locusts came."

[John Weaver] Years ago, Alice and I were up in Pennsylvania. I was up there preaching, and I could not figure out what was happening to all the trees. There were dead limbs on about every tree. I mean, it was just... Constant and consistent. Come to find out, that's when the locusts, the year the locusts came out of the ground and they were literally devouring the trees. Over in the Middle East, they say often times the locusts black out the sun.

[John Weaver] We cannot even think of such a plague. Years ago, I was listening to a Christian radio station And there was a program on, and the title of it I'll just remember, Mama Was a Missionary. And the only reason I remember that is because the husband and the wife went over there and the husband died, and Mama stayed there. And that particular story was about the fact when the locusts came and devoured everything, their garden, their fields, their vines, everything. Mama had all of her babies out there catching locusts and putting them in jars and cans Because that's what they would be living on since the locusts had devoured everything. And the scripture tells us here that God spake and all of these locusts basically came.

[John Weaver] So whenever God utters His voice to His army, and to whichever army He utters that voice, that army obeys instantly. Now if you look back in Joel 2 and verse 11, He says, And the Lord shall utter His voice before His army. So Joel here is describing the coming of God's judgments as a mighty army. He represents God as commanding his army, ordering them, gathering them, marshalling them, directing them, giving them the word, and when they get that word, they pour themselves out upon those to whom God sends them against. In other words, their presence was a token of God's presence. And God is telling us here that His army neither anticipates His command nor lingers at His command. Once He gives it, they obey instantly. Do you understand that God's judgments always come at God's precise time? At God's appointed time. Many people think that just simply because God's judgments do not come instantly, they will not come at all.

[John Weaver] But that's certainly not true. God's judgments always come in God's time, and they always come on time. God does not move upon the timetable of His enemies. Neither does He move upon the timetable of His friends. He moves upon His own timetable. Let me just quote this one. In Deuteronomy, chapter 32 and verse 41, here's what God said. Listen carefully. If I wet my glittering sword, and you remember the word wet means to sharpen. If I wet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold upon judgment, I will render vengeance to mine adversaries, and will reward them that hate me. Now notice what he said, if mine hand take hold upon judgment. So whenever God issues the order, whenever God wets his sword, Whenever God sends His army, sends His judgment, devastation and destruction will always fall upon the land.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note what the Bible says in verse 11. And the Lord shall utter His voice before His army. The Lord shall utter His voice.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to hold Joel too, but I do want you to turn right back to 1 Samuel chapter 2, and let me show you something that is precisely connected with this. In 1 Samuel chapter 2, notice if you would verse 10. 1 Samuel chapter 2 and verse 10. Notice what the Bible says about the Lord uttering His voice. 1 Samuel 2 and verse 10. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces.

[John Weaver] Out of heaven shall He thunder upon them. The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth. and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed." Note if you would, God thunders out of heaven. He utters His voice. And when God speaks, the army that He sends obeys.

[John Weaver] Now, if you look back to verse 11 of Joel chapter 2, what I want you to see in verse 11 is a threefold terror. A threefold terror. First, if you look in verse 11, the Bible says this, and the Lord shall utter his voice before his army. Here's the first part of the terror, for his camp is very great. Now this phrase signifies a very numerous and strong army. In other words, Joel is describing an army almost beyond belief.

[John Weaver] You remember many times in the scripture, the Bible talks about the wicked coming up against Israel as the sand by the seashore, or the stars without number, or as grasshoppers. And yet here, God doesn't say that, just God says, it is a very great camp. In other words, when God gathers his hosts together, It is an exceedingly great army. It could be an army of insects. It could be an army of animals. It could be an army of men. God used all of those things against Judah and Jerusalem. Now, I want you to hold Joel to, but turn back to Isaiah chapter 7, just to show you it could be animals or men. Turn back to Isaiah chapter 7, and look if you would beginning there with verse 18. Isaiah 7. and verse 18. Isaiah 7 and verse 18. We'll read verse 19 as well. Isaiah 7, look at verse 18. We're talking about an army of insects.

[John Weaver] And the Lord shall bring upon thee and upon thy people, upon thy father's house, days that have not come from the day that Ephraim departed. Verse 17, from Judah even to the king of Assyria. Verse 18, and it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria, and they shall come and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys

[John Weaver] and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all the thorns and upon all the bushes." God's just going to hiss, and they're going to come. Look, if you would, of course, he goes on in the next verse to talk about the Assyrians, But if you will turn over to Isaiah chapter 10, just to show you, it can be animals or men. Isaiah chapter 10, beginning there with verse 5, when God sent the Assyrian army against the ten northern kingdoms. He says, O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

[John Weaver] I will send him against the hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge. to take the spoil and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither does his heart think so, but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations, not a few."

[John Weaver] Now notice if you would, God said the Assyrians were the rod of His anger, the staff in their hand was His indignation, and then when you get down to verse 7, they didn't mean to obey God, but they did. All they wanted to do was to kill and plunder and pillage and steal. But God sent them. They were His army. So this is a truth in the book of Joel that Joel is warning about. That God has at His command all the instruments necessary to punish sin and wickedness and rebellion. Do you remember that passage in Judges chapter 5 and verse 20? Don't turn there. But you remember how Sisera was fighting against Israel, and the Bible says in Judges 5 and verse 20, even the stars in their places fought against Sisera. God even used the stars. Listen to what the Bible says in Isaiah 40 and verse 26. Just listen.

[John Weaver] God says, lift up your eyes on high, and behold, who hath created these things, that bringeth out their hosts by number, he's talking about the stars, he calleth them all by names, by the greatness of his might, for he is strong in power, not one of them faileth. Whatever God calls, whether it's an insect, whether it's a man, whether it's an animal, whether it's a star, they're all great in power, not one of them faileth. You say, well, a star doesn't bother me. Well, let it crash into the area where you live and we'll see whether it bothers you or not.

[John Weaver] Or let it withhold its light. And we can see. I'm just simply pointing out, God is saying that He has a very great camp. He has a very great army. And He's very capable of using that army against His enemies and against those who displease Him, and not one of them will fail.

[John Weaver] Now the question is, are you concerned? Now, look back in Joel 2, because here's the second terror. I told you it was a threefold terror. Joel 2 verse 11, And the Lord shall utter His voice before His army, for His camp is very great. That's the first terror. Here's the second one, For He is strong that executeth His word. God does not have a weak army. God does not have a weak warrior. All are strong and not one of them can be turned away. Did you know that one of God's warriors could handle a thousand men? And two could handle ten thousand. You say, what? Sure. Hold Joel 2. Turn back in your Bibles to Deuteronomy 32. Deuteronomy 32. And let's look at verse 30. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 30. Watch. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 30. Here's the question that is asked. How could the enemy be so successful? Here it is. God asked, how should one chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight except their rock had sold them and the Lord had shut them up?

[John Weaver] In other words, when the Lord is against you, one warrior can handle a thousand, two can chase ten thousand. Why? Because the Lord destroys your power and fights against you.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn to the book of Jeremiah chapter 21. Jeremiah 21. Remember now, Jeremiah is the weeping prophet. And Jeremiah is warning Judah and Jerusalem so many times. And it was through the prophet Jeremiah that God spoke and told Judah and Jerusalem to not to fight against the king of Babylon, not to fight against Nebuchadnezzar, but to submit to him, he told all the other countries, because he said, unto his hand I've given all these countries. Now watch. Jeremiah chapter 21 and verse 3. Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall you say to Zedekiah, and Zedekiah was the king. Watch. Thus said the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldees, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them in the midst of the city. Watch! And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand, and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and great wrath.

[John Weaver] And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence." Look what God said. I'll not only send him, and if you try to fight against him, I'll turn the weapons back against you, your own weapons. And moreover, says God, I will personally fight against you myself. So the question is, does God's judgment bother you and are you concerned? If you'll go back to Joel 2 and verse 11, here's the third terror. He says, And the Lord shall utter His voice before His army, for the camp is very great. That's the first one.

[John Weaver] For a strong that executed His word. That's the second one. Now here's the third one. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible, and who can abide it? God's judgment is not a Sunday school picnic. And what Joel is trying to impress upon Judah and Jerusalem is the severity and the destructiveness of God's judgment.

[John Weaver] Now, the prophet Nahum sought to do the same thing. Let me just read to you from the book of Nahum, chapter 1, verses 5 and 6. Listen to what Nahum said, talking about God. The mountains quake at Him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at His presence, yea, the world and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before His indignation? And who can abide the fierceness of His anger?

[John Weaver] His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him. Who can abide that? Who can abide the earthquakes? and the lightnings and the volcanic eruptions. No. The day of the Lord is great. That's what He says in verse 11. It's great and very terrible. In other words, it's great because great things, great acts are done in it. You remember, we call evil days and evil times because that's when evil is prominent.

[John Weaver] The Bible speaks of an acceptable time. That means that there is a time when we may be accepted by God. But here the Scripture talks about a great and very terrible time, which signifies the fact that whatever happens is going to be great and extremely terrible. Wow! And then the question is asked, who can abide it? It's kind of like that passage in Deuteronomy 4 and verse 24, where the Bible says, God is a consuming fire. So what Joel is demonstrating is that this judgment is going to reduce Judah and Jerusalem to absolutely nothing.

[John Weaver] So here's what he's saying. If you're going to repent, now's the time. Because once you turn another deaf ear to God, the judgment is about to fall. He will punish you for your perverseness. You know, I believe that we could probably make the same application to our country today. So the question is, Are you concerned? Not only do you have a severe warning in verse 11, but I want you to look at verses 12 and 13, because here's a solemn witness. Okay. Verses 12 and 13. Therefore now also set the Lord, turn you even to me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning and rend your heart and not your garments. And turn to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and repented Him of the evil." Now, I want you to look very carefully at verse 12, Therefore also now. Therefore also now.

[John Weaver] Literally that means, in light of these truths. In light of what I've just told you in verse 11. Since all this is so, that's what he's saying, there is no way to escape except through true repentance. That's what, therefore also now, saith the Lord. In other words, my judgment is about to fall. So, he said, in light of that, now is the time to turn. Repentance involves turning from sin to the Lord. It is true that some people repent of their sin, but they never ever turn to the Lord. In the book of 1 Thessalonians 1 and verse 9, the Apostle Paul said this, For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, how you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God." Notice how you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. It's not enough just to turn from idols. You must turn to God from idols.

[John Weaver] Let me put it like this. Repentance and faith are the two sides of one coin. If you have true, genuine repentance, you also have true faith. If you have true faith, you also have true, genuine repentance. It is impossible to have a biblical repentance without faith. It's impossible to have a biblical faith without repentance. In Acts 20 and verse 21, the Apostle Paul said this. This was his ministry. Listen carefully. testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Both are absolutely indispensable. That's why he said in Acts 26 and verse 20, he said, But he showed first to them of Damascus, and then at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. Now, what is he saying in verse 12? Therefore, in light of all this now, saith the Lord, turn you even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning, and rend your heart, and not your garments.

[John Weaver] Repentance is to be evidenced by a real and genuine turning to the Lord with all the heart, and it can be with fasting and with weeping, and with mourning. Let me try to explain it like this. The soul that is genuinely repentant is genuinely sorry for his sin. There is a difference between a worldly sorrow and a godly sorrow. Hold Joel 2, but look in your Bibles.

[John Weaver] to 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 10. 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 10. I want you to note how the Apostle Paul distinguishes between a worldly sorrow and a godly sorrow. 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 10. Look at what he says. 2 Corinthians 7 verse 10, For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of this world worketh death. Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of, but the sorrow of this world worketh death.

[John Weaver] You see, there's a difference between being sorrowful that you have been caught in your sins, or that your sins have been exposed, and that others have found out about your sins, and you're just simply embarrassed. A godly sorrow really does not care who finds out about the sin. A godly sorrow is sorrowful over the fact that they have sinned against God. They violated His law. They have dishonored Him and broken His commandments. That's why He says that a godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation, but the sorrow of this world worketh death." There are plenty of people who have had a worldly sorrow.

[John Weaver] If I were to ask you, and you should know the answer to this, but if I were to ask you who was the most wicked and the most vile king in the northern kingdom, I hope you'd say Ahab, for that's who it was. And I want you to listen to this. I'm going to prove it to you. 1 Kings 21 verse 25, But there was none like unto Ahab, who did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. So Ahab was the most wicked and vile king in the northern kingdom. Manasseh was in the southern kingdom. But Ahab took top honors in the northern kingdom for being wicked and vile. And do you know what?

[John Weaver] After he had killed Naboth and his sons, and he went down To possess that garden, God sent Elijah. And when Ahab saw Elijah, he asked, hast thou found me, O mine enemy? Elijah said, I have. Thus saith the Lord. And I'm paraphrasing right here. I'm going to kill you, you wicked reprobate. That's basically what Elijah told him that God said. And listen to this. Listen now. 1 Kings 21 verse 27, And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. What did he do?

[John Weaver] Oh, he took off those royal garments. his garments, but his heart was never rent. He was still lost and undone. He never turned to the Lord in repentance and faith. He rent his garments. That's what he's talking about in Joel chapter 2. He says,"...and rent your hearts and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord." Did you know that Judas, the betrayer of our Lord, repented? That's what the Scripture says. Matthew 27 verse 3, Then Judas, who had betrayed him when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silvers to the chief priests and elders.

[John Weaver] Of course, he threw them on the floor. Repented himself! He never turned to the Lord. There was a worldly sorrow, but he was still just as lost as before. The point I'm trying to make is simple. Multitudes are in the same position that Ahab and Judas found themselves. They performed a religious act, yet they've never ever really turned to the Lord in repentance and faith to serve Him.

[John Weaver] They may have walked down an aisle. They may have joined a church. They may have been baptized. They may even have been chosen as a teacher or as a deacon or maybe even a preacher. Yet their heart has never been rent. There is no godly sorrow for their sin. There is no real genuine turning to the Lord. You see, many people wish to be free from the penalty of their sins that do not wish to be free from the power of their sins. What they really genuinely want is to be free from the penalty of their sins, so that they may enjoy the pleasure of their sins.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to hold Joel to, but turn in your Bibles to Psalm 51. Let me just show you. He's talking about rending your heart and not your garment. Everyone knows that David sinned, and Psalm 51 is one of David's penitential Psalms, where David is asking God for forgiveness. Look in Psalm 51, if you would, beginning there with verse 6. Psalm 51, verse 6. Now look carefully. David says to God, Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Then he says, Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean.

[John Weaver] Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

[John Weaver] Now look, in verse 10, Created me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. So David is understanding that he must be cleansed, he must be purged, it must be internal, his heart must be rent, Watch if you would now, verses 16 and 17. David says, For thou desirest not sacrifice, else I would give it. Thou delightest not in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise. A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise." So notice if you would please, God requires a rent heart, a broken heart. So the question is, are you concerned as to whether or not your heart has been rent? Do you have a broken and contrite heart? Are you concerned as to whether or not your repentance is real and genuine? Have you examined your life in light of the Word of God? You know what the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 13 verse 5? Listen to this. Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith.

[John Weaver] Prove your own selves. Know you're not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobate. So what is he saying? Examine your life according to the Word of God. Determine whether or not you have a real, genuine salvation experience. That's what he's saying. Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith. Prove your own heart. You have to see what scripture demands. Has my experience, is my life, is my understanding in light and in agreement with the Word of God. So are you concerned?

[John Weaver] Look, if you would, very quickly back to Joel chapter 2 and verses 14 and 15. The latter part of verse 14. I'm sorry, the latter part of 13 it is. 13 and 14. Notice, if you would, what he says. For He is gracious and merciful Slow to anger and a great kindness and repented them of the evil watch verse 14 For 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 now go back to verse 13 just for a moment He said and rinse your heart and not your garments and turn to the Lord your God now here It is for he is gracious and merciful and slow to anger and a great kindness and repented him of evil And my first question is, what? Can you possibly imagine, could you possibly conceive of a holy, righteous, just judge who is willing to be gracious and merciful and kind inasmuch that he's willing to turn from his anger and his indignation?

[John Weaver] Stop and think about this. I'm sure that we could imagine and we could conceive of and think of God being merciful and gracious and kind to other people because we do not know their sins. But we know our sins and we know the wickedness of our own hearts in some degree. And when we think about our sins, The only thing you can say and the only thing I can say is it's a wonder, it's a marvelous thing that we've not been consumed already. It's a wonder that God has not already struck us down. You've heard me say this before. I'm so thankful for that I'm not God.

[John Weaver] Because if I was, I would have killed me and a whole lot more a long time ago. But can you imagine that? The wonder of wonders is this, that God has not only already struck us down, but He's offered to be gracious and merciful and kind to those who have sinned so grievously against Him. He's invited us to Himself. He's told us to repent. And if we turn from our sins, He'll turn from His anger.

[John Weaver] Here's a verse I quote almost every day. Lamentations 3, 22 and 23, it is the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed. Because His compassions, they fail not. They're new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. The only reason you and I are alive into this hour is because of God's compassions and God's graciousness. You know, the Bible says in Psalm 130 and verse 4, but there is forgiveness with thee.

[John Weaver] that thou mayest be feared. Some time ago I read a story about Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He had announced that the following Sunday he was going to be preaching from the text, Romans 9 verse 13, where the Bible says, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. After he made that announcement and the service was over that day, A lady in the church came up to him and said, Oh, Mr. Spurgeon, I'm so thankful that you're going to be preaching from that text because that text has really troubled me and really bothered me for some time. Well, Mr. Spurgeon said, Oh, he said, I'm so thankful for you to hear you say that because that text has really bothered me and troubled me as well. And I really want to clarify some things in that area. Oh, the woman said, I'm glad to hear that too. And she said, you know, Mr. Spurgeon, I just cannot figure out how God could hate Esau. Oh, said Mr. Spurgeon, that's not the part that bothers me. I understand how God could hate Esau.

[John Weaver] I just cannot understand how He could love that conniving, sinful, despicable, and treacherous worm Jacob. That's the part that bothers me. until you realize our hearts should leap for joy with the prospect of divine forgiveness. We can understand why God should judge us, destroy us. We can understand how even God should damn us. But oh the grace that would save us and bring us to Himself. It is indeed a startling wonder.

[John Weaver] That's why in Romans 9 in verse 29, the Apostle Paul, quoting Isaiah, said this, Except the Lord of the Sabbath had left us a remnant, we should have been made like unto Sodom and like unto Gomorrah. That's why the scripture says in Psalm 86 in verse 15, But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion and gracious and longsuffering and plenteous in mercy and truth. Psalm 103 verse 8 says, the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. It is indeed a wonder and a blessing to experience what Peter talked about in 1 Peter 2 and verse 3 when he said, if so be that you've tasted that the Lord is gracious. And He is.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look at this. Let's go back. Verse 13, he said, 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. I want to read to you just one little paragraph of what one old scholar said. Listen carefully. In fact, he's commenting on verse 11 and 12 and 13, and he said this, The strict judge cannot be overcome, for he is omnipotent. He cannot be deceived, for He is wisdom. He cannot be corrupted, for He is justice. He cannot be sustained, for He is eternal. He cannot be avoided, for He is omnipresent.

[John Weaver] Yet He can be entreated, because He is mercy. He can be appeased, because He is goodness. He can cleanse, because He is the fountain of grace. He can satisfy, because He is the bread of life. He can soothe because He is the unction from above. He can beautify because He is fullness. He can bless because He is bliss. Turn from Him, then in fearing His justice, turn you to Him and flee to His mercy. Flee from Himself to Himself from the rigor of justice to the bosom of mercy. The Lord who is to be feared saith it, He who is truth enjoins us in that which is just, profitable and good when He says, Turn ye to Me. Turn ye to Me.

[John Weaver] Then if you'll look at verse 14. This is a strange verse in light of our text today. 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? How do we understand that verse in light of what has just gone before? Well, you have to remember, looking back to Joel 1, that the land was under judgment. Famine was stalking the land.

[John Weaver] All these insects had devoured all the crops. There was absolutely nothing left. I believe verse 14 then, applies to the possibility of lifting the temporal judgment upon the land.

[John Weaver] Now, let me explain something to you. God says, turn to Him and He'll turn to us. Okay? There is no doubt about God's forgiveness. If we genuinely, truly, turn to Him in repentance and faith, He genuinely and really and truly forgives us of our sins and receives us to Himself. But there is another problem, and that problem is not with salvation, not with reconciliation, but it is a problem of what you and I would call temporal judgments. For instance, in Zephaniah chapter 2 and verse 3, don't turn there, but just listen. I've preached on this text before, but in Zephaniah 2 and verse 3, he said this, Seek ye the Lord, O ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment. Seek righteousness, seek meekness.

[John Weaver] It may be that you shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. What? It may be. Might happen. Might not happen, but it probably will happen. David committed adultery. David committed murder. Here's my question. Did God forgive him? Yes, He did. There is no question about that. But here's my next question. Did his child die? Yeah. Did David reap what he had sown? Yeah. No question that he was forgiven.

[John Weaver] But that temporal judgment stayed right there. Now, if Ron and I got into a fight, maybe we had gotten drunk. We get into a fight. I knock out his eye. He knocks out my teeth. Here's my question. Will God forgive Ron and I for getting into a fight? Would He? Yes. Would He forgive us for getting drunk? Yes. Would that replace his eye? Would that replace my teeth? No.

[John Weaver] We reap what we sow. Temporal judgments may or may not be lifted in light of the consequences of our sin, because there is a law in Scripture, and everyone knows it, it's called the law of sowing and reaping. And here's all Joel is saying in verse 14. Watch it. If you turn unto the Lord, who knoweth if He will return and repent and leave a blessing behind Him, even a meat or meal offering and a drink offering, unto the Lord your God? Here's what he's saying. God may be pleased to leave us enough food to live on, and enough food that we can sacrifice and worship to Him. It may be. In other words, he's saying if we turn, it may not only stop the coming judgment, but it may be God's grace and mercy would even lift some of the temporal judgment.

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you, I want you to think, As we look around at our land today and we see the multitude of sins and disobedience and rebellions that are apparent on every end, are you concerned? If you know that God is just and that God is holy and that God is righteous, and that God is immutable, He does not change. How can you not be concerned? Now let me make just a couple of applications. You say, I'm concerned.

[John Weaver] There's a difference again between a godly concern and a humanistic or a worldly concern. A godly concern is always demonstrated by biblical attitude and biblical actions. Let me say it another way. A godly concern is always demonstrated in evidence manifested by faith and obedience. A humanistic or worldly concern is one that is always fretful, unbelieving, agitated, and at the same time, not knowing which way to turn or what to do. A godly concern will always examine things in light of God's Word. God has said in the book of Zechariah 1 and verse 3, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, turn you to Me, saith the Lord, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord." If we have turned to Him in repentance and faith, we know that He has turned unto us. Okay? A godly concern is always going to respond in faith and obedience. Let me give it to you another way. I'm trying to give you something to think about by way of applications. A godly concern will do whatever is necessary to prepare oneself against temporal judgment.

[John Weaver] If we have been saved by the grace of God, are we going to face God's eternal judgment? The answer is no. But we're living in a land that is full of sin and disobedience and rebellion, and we have to understand that you cannot sin against God and get by with it. Sooner or later, the sins of our country, the sins of our nation, the sins of our people are going to catch up with us. If we know that God's judgment is upon our economic system, and it is, because it is an unbiblical, unjust, and ungodly economic system, if we know that God's judgment is upon our economic system, what shall we do?

[John Weaver] Shall we continue to place our hopes and our finances in paper and in digits? if we know that God's judgment is upon our agricultural system. And it is. What shall we do? Shall we continue to eat all of the food and fruit that's full of herbicides, pesticides, grown from depleted soil with chemicals? I'm just trying to ask. If we're genuinely concerned then there needs to be some things that are thought through. If we know that God's judgment is against our governmental system, then to whose governmental system will we turn and to whose law will we obey? If we understand that we're living in a land that cannot escape the judgment of God in certain areas. What do we do? Are you concerned?

[John Weaver] Let me again quote Proverbs 22 and verse 3. The prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the simple pass on and are punished. There's nothing wrong with a godly concern as long as a godly concern is followed and filled with a godly faith, godly obedience, and a godly preparation. Joel was telling the people it's time to be concerned. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day.

[John Weaver] We thank You for Your love. We thank You for Your mercy. We thank You for Your truth. And Father, we pray that You would indeed give us a godly concern, followed with godly faith and godly obedience. In Thy name we ask and pray. Amen.

Are You Concerned?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	5GGhmjdVS4Y
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-12-03
Dictation Name
Book	Book 084: Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning — Chapter 7
Source Timed Segments	74

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Question of Concern

Weaver introduces the sermon's central question: 'Are you concerned?' He asserts that most people, including Christians, ignore the reality of God's judgment, preferring ignorance over truth.

Joel chapter 2. Book of Joel. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Joel chapter 2. And we're going to be reading verses 11-14. Joel chapter 2 verses 11-14. The title of the message today is in the form of a question. Are you concerned? So look in Joel 2 beginning with verse 11.

Scripture Reading — Joel 2:11-14

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? Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn you even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning, 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. 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.

So the question is, and you shall hear it several times today, are you concerned?

Probably most people, even most Christians, have never seriously considered or ever really truly been concerned about the judgment of God. We do not even like to entertain such thoughts, and we are uncomfortable with the concept of suffering, death, and judgment. The truth is we prefer to live in absolute ignorance. If the old saying is true, ignorance is bliss, Christians should be the happiest people on the earth. For most of us are totally ignorant when it comes to the Word of God and the principles of God. Our ignorance, however, does not change facts, nor does it change reality. Simply because we do not want to see something, hear something, or understand something, that does not change anything.

God is a God of Judgment

Scripture declares God as a God of judgment, known by His judgments, with justice and judgment as the foundation of His throne. His immutability means His judgments do not change with culture or time.

It only ensures our loss. The Scripture is exceedingly clear in Proverbs 22 and verse 3, when the Bible says, The prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the wicked, or the foolish, or the simple pass on, and are punished. The scripture tells us that God is a God of judgment. He is known by His judgments, and justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne. Let me give you just several scriptures, just by way of introduction, to prove that one simple statement. In Deuteronomy 32 and verse 4, the Bible says concerning God, He is the rock, His work is perfect, for all of His ways are judgment. A God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He. In Isaiah 30 and verse 18, the Bible says this, And therefore the Lord will wait that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted that He may have mercy upon you, for the Lord is a God of judgment. Blessed are all they that wait for Him. In Psalm 9 and verse 16, The Bible tells us that the Lord is known by the judgment which He executeth.

The wicked is snared in the work of His own hands. And in Psalm 89 in verse 14, justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne. So this one simple statement that God is a God of judgment, He is known by His judgments, and justice and judgments are the habitation of His throne, is just simply a complete summary of the truth of the fact that God does indeed judge. Now, the Bible teaches us that God is immutable. That is, that God is unchangeable. He said in Malachi 3 and verse 6, I, the Lord, change not. The immutability of God ensures us and assures us that His righteous judgments do not change, nor are they altered with time. Cultures may change. Circumstances may change. But principles never change. Now listen carefully.

The sins that merited and brought forth God's judgments thousands of years ago are the same sins that merit and bring forth God's judgments today. Has it ever occurred to you that the plagues, famines, droughts, and floods that are frequent and ubiquitous today are the same judgments that God brought against Judah and Jerusalem to awaken them to the fact that they were sinning against God? Wow. So here's the question. Are you concerned when everything that is happening and especially when it appears to be exactly the same judgments that fell against Judah and Jerusalem are happening in America today and befalling us?

The Book of Joel: Present and Coming Judgment

Joel warns that Judah is already under judgment through agricultural devastation, but the worst is yet to come. God's judgments affect every area of life, including joy and liberty.

Now, the book of Joel is a very unique book. Joel was a prophet and he was warning the people of God of God's judgments. If you read the book of Joel, you will find this: that the people were already under judgment, but yet the most severe judgment had not yet come. And what Joel is saying, look, open your eyes, look around, you see what is happening, but you haven't seen anything yet. In other words, it's like the old adage that we have, you can't see the forest for the trees. So we look around in our land today and everybody, we'll say, well, yeah, there are some things that are wrong, and yeah, there are some things that are happening. We understand that they're not good, but we don't really look any further than that, and we never look at the appointed end. I want you to look in the book of Joel, beginning there with chapter 1, verse 4, and I want you to see that God had sent a very severe judgment upon the land. Joel 1 in verse 4, look what the Bible says. That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten, and that which the locust hath left the cankerworm hath eaten, and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.

Awake, you drunkards, and weep, and howl, you drinkers of wine, because of the new wine, for it is cut off from your mouth. Now look, for a nation has come up upon my land, strong and without number, whose teeth are like the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. Now, the nation that he's talking about there, of course, would be the nation of insects. However, I believe there is a double prophecy here, in the sense that certainly a greater nation is going to come, the Babylonians against Judah and Jerusalem, and the Assyrians against the ten northern kingdoms. But here he's talking about all of these insects. You look at the agricultural failures, the economic failures, the weather disturbances, the marital and the physical failures, and all of these things are part and parcel of God's judgments. Do you understand that even, and I'll show it to you in the Bible here, the loss of joy and happiness is part and parcel of God's judgment, as well as the loss of liberty and freedom. In other words, when God's judgment and God's curse comes upon us, literally, everything falls apart.

I was talking to Frank Kersey last night and he told me that his wife Kathy had seen a bumper sticker on a car and said, and all the bumper sticker asked was, now where are we going in a handbasket? This is the point I'm trying to make. Everything basically falls apart. Now I want you to look in Joel 1 and verse 10 and 11. Well, we'll read verse 12 as well. Look at it. Joel 1 verse 10. We're talking about God's judgments now. Watch this agriculturally. The field is wasted, the land mourneth, for the corn is wasted, the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O you husbandmen! Howl, O you vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley, because the harvest of the field is perished. 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. Do you understand that even joy and the loss of joy and happiness is connected with God's judgment?

A Severe Warning: The Lord's Army

Joel 2:11 describes God uttering His voice before His army. God commands vast armies—insects, animals, nations—that obey instantly and bring devastation at His appointed time.

Pastor Bob McCurry always had a word for those who came to him, especially when they came unrepentant, and yet they were disillusioned, they were disheartened, they were discouraged, and after Pastor McCurry would listen to them very patiently, he would say this as he looked them right in the eye, God's preparing you for something worse. Well, perhaps he got that saying from the book of Joel, because that is exactly what Joel is telling the people here. It's bad now, but cheer up, God's preparing you for something worse. It's not Murphy's law, it's God's law. So, I want us to begin looking in Joel 2, verse 11. And I want to show you, first of all, a severe warning. A severe warning. Look in verse 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? Now, he states very clearly in verse 11 that the Lord has an army. You remember one of the titles of God is that He is the Lord of hosts, literally. He is the Lord of the armies. Have you ever stopped to think about all the armies that God has at His disposal? Certainly He has an army of angels. Certainly Israel was considered as one of His armies.

But yet there were others. He used the Assyrian army. He used the Babylonian army. He used many heathen armies to chastise His sinful and disobedient people. In fact, He referred to the Medes and the Persians in Isaiah 13 and verse 3 as My sanctified ones or My mighty ones. He referred to the Roman army in Matthew 22 and verse 7 as His army. And it may surprise you to learn that God even has armies of insects and animals.

I want you to hold your oil too, but turn right back to Psalm 105, and let's begin reading there with verse 34. Psalm 105, and let's begin reading there with verse 34. And I will show you some other scriptures momentarily, but notice Psalm 105, beginning there with verse 34. Look what the Bible says. In fact, this is one of God's armies. Psalm 105, verse 34, He spake and the locusts came, and caterpillars, and that without numbers, and did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground. He spake, and the locusts came.

Years ago, Alice and I were up in Pennsylvania. I was up there preaching, and I could not figure out what was happening to all the trees. There were dead limbs on about every tree. I mean, it was just constant and consistent. Come to find out, that's when the locusts, the year the locusts came out of the ground and they were literally devouring the trees. Over in the Middle East, they say often times the locusts black out the sun. We cannot even think of such a plague. Years ago, I was listening to a Christian radio station and there was a program on, and the title of it I'll just remember, Mama Was a Missionary. And the only reason I remember that is because the husband and the wife went over there and the husband died, and Mama stayed there. And that particular story was about the fact when the locusts came and devoured everything, their garden, their fields, their vines, everything. Mama had all of her babies out there catching locusts and putting them in jars and cans because that's what they would be living on since the locusts had devoured everything. And the scripture tells us here that God spake and all of these locusts basically came.

So whenever God utters His voice to His army, and to whichever army He utters that voice, that army obeys instantly. Now if you look back in Joel 2 and verse 11, He says, And the Lord shall utter His voice before His army. So Joel here is describing the coming of God's judgments as a mighty army. He represents God as commanding his army, ordering them, gathering them, marshalling them, directing them, giving them the word, and when they get that word, they pour themselves out upon those to whom God sends them against. In other words, their presence was a token of God's presence. And God is telling us here that His army neither anticipates His command nor lingers at His command. Once He gives it, they obey instantly. Do you understand that God's judgments always come at God's precise time? At God's appointed time. Many people think that just simply because God's judgments do not come instantly, they will not come at all.

Threefold Terror of God's Judgment

The verse reveals three terrors: the camp is very great (a numerous army), He is strong who executes His word (invincible power), and the day of the Lord is great and terrible (inescapable destruction).

You remember many times in the scripture, the Bible talks about the wicked coming up against Israel as the sand by the seashore, or the stars without number, or as grasshoppers. And yet here, God doesn't say that, just God says, it is a very great camp. In other words, when God gathers his hosts together, it is an exceedingly great army. It could be an army of insects. It could be an army of animals. It could be an army of men. God used all of those things against Judah and Jerusalem. Now, I want you to hold Joel to, but turn back to Isaiah chapter 7, just to show you it could be animals or men. Turn back to Isaiah chapter 7, and look if you would beginning there with verse 18. Isaiah 7 and verse 18. We'll read verse 19 as well. Isaiah 7, look at verse 18. We're talking about an army of insects.

And the Lord shall bring upon thee and upon thy people, upon thy father's house, days that have not come from the day that Ephraim departed. Verse 17, from Judah even to the king of Assyria. Verse 18, and it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria, and they shall come and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all the thorns and upon all the bushes. God's just going to hiss, and they're going to come. Look, if you would, of course, he goes on in the next verse to talk about the Assyrians, but if you will turn over to Isaiah chapter 10, just to show you, it can be animals or men. Isaiah chapter 10, beginning there with verse 5, when God sent the Assyrian army against the ten northern kingdoms. He says, O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

I will send him against the hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither does his heart think so, but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations, not a few. Now notice if you would, God said the Assyrians were the rod of His anger, the staff in their hand was His indignation, and then when you get down to verse 7, they didn't mean to obey God, but they did. All they wanted to do was to kill and plunder and pillage and steal. But God sent them. They were His army. So this is a truth in the book of Joel that Joel is warning about. That God has at His command all the instruments necessary to punish sin and wickedness and rebellion. Do you remember that passage in Judges chapter 5 and verse 20? Don't turn there. But you remember how Sisera was fighting against Israel, and the Bible says in Judges 5 and verse 20, even the stars in their places fought against Sisera. God even used the stars. Listen to what the Bible says in Isaiah 40 and verse 26. Just listen.

God says, lift up your eyes on high, and behold, who hath created these things, that bringeth out their hosts by number, he's talking about the stars, he calleth them all by names, by the greatness of his might, for he is strong in power, not one of them faileth. Whatever God calls, whether it's an insect, whether it's a man, whether it's an animal, whether it's a star, they're all great in power, not one of them faileth. You say, well, a star doesn't bother me. Well, let it crash into the area where you live and we'll see whether it bothers you or not. Or let it withhold its light. And we can see. I'm just simply pointing out, God is saying that He has a very great camp. He has a very great army. And He's very capable of using that army against His enemies and against those who displease Him, and not one of them will fail.

Now the question is, are you concerned? Now, look back in Joel 2, because here's the second terror. I told you it was a threefold terror. Joel 2 verse 11, And the Lord shall utter His voice before His army, for His camp is very great. That's the first terror. Here's the second one, For He is strong that executeth His word. God does not have a weak army. God does not have a weak warrior. All are strong and not one of them can be turned away. Did you know that one of God's warriors could handle a thousand men? And two could handle ten thousand. You say, what? Sure. Hold Joel 2. Turn back in your Bibles to Deuteronomy 32. Deuteronomy 32. And let's look at verse 30. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 30. Watch. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 30. Here's the question that is asked. How could the enemy be so successful? Here it is. God asked, how should one chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight except their rock had sold them and the Lord had shut them up?

In other words, when the Lord is against you, one warrior can handle a thousand, two can chase ten thousand. Why? Because the Lord destroys your power and fights against you. Now, I want you to turn to the book of Jeremiah chapter 21. Jeremiah 21. Remember now, Jeremiah is the weeping prophet. And Jeremiah is warning Judah and Jerusalem so many times. And it was through the prophet Jeremiah that God spoke and told Judah and Jerusalem to not to fight against the king of Babylon, not to fight against Nebuchadnezzar, but to submit to him, he told all the other countries, because he said, unto his hand I've given all these countries. Now watch. Jeremiah chapter 21 and verse 3. Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall you say to Zedekiah, and Zedekiah was the king. Watch. Thus said the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldees, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them in the midst of the city. Watch! And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand, and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and great wrath.

And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence. Look what God said. I'll not only send him, and if you try to fight against him, I'll turn the weapons back against you, your own weapons. And moreover, says God, I will personally fight against you myself. So the question is, does God's judgment bother you and are you concerned? If you'll go back to Joel 2 and verse 11, here's the third terror. He says, And the Lord shall utter His voice before His army, for the camp is very great. That's the first one.

For a strong that executed His word. That's the second one. Now here's the third one. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible, and who can abide it? God's judgment is not a Sunday school picnic. And what Joel is trying to impress upon Judah and Jerusalem is the severity and the destructiveness of God's judgment.

Now, the prophet Nahum sought to do the same thing. Let me just read to you from the book of Nahum, chapter 1, verses 5 and 6. Listen to what Nahum said, talking about God. The mountains quake at Him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at His presence, yea, the world and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before His indignation? And who can abide the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him. Who can abide that? Who can abide the earthquakes, and the lightnings and the volcanic eruptions? No. The day of the Lord is great. That's what He says in verse 11. It's great and very terrible. In other words, it's great because great things, great acts are done in it. You remember, we call evil days and evil times because that's when evil is prominent.

The Bible speaks of an acceptable time. That means that there is a time when we may be accepted by God. But here the Scripture talks about a great and very terrible time, which signifies the fact that whatever happens is going to be great and extremely terrible. Wow! And then the question is asked, who can abide it? It's kind of like that passage in Deuteronomy 4 and verse 24, where the Bible says, God is a consuming fire. So what Joel is demonstrating is that this judgment is going to reduce Judah and Jerusalem to absolutely nothing.

A Solemn Witness: Call to Genuine Repentance

In light of coming judgment, God calls for turning to Him with all the heart, fasting, weeping, and mourning—a rent heart, not just rent garments. True repentance involves turning from sin to God in faith.

So here's what he's saying. If you're going to repent, now's the time. Because once you turn another deaf ear to God, the judgment is about to fall. He will punish you for your perverseness. You know, I believe that we could probably make the same application to our country today. So the question is, Are you concerned? Not only do you have a severe warning in verse 11, but I want you to look at verses 12 and 13, because here's a solemn witness. Okay. Verses 12 and 13. Therefore now also saith the Lord, turn you even to me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning and rend your heart and not your garments. And turn to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil. Now, I want you to look very carefully at verse 12, Therefore also now. Therefore also now.

Literally that means, in light of these truths. In light of what I've just told you in verse 11. Since all this is so, that's what he's saying, there is no way to escape except through true repentance. That's what, therefore also now, saith the Lord. In other words, my judgment is about to fall. So, he said, in light of that, now is the time to turn. Repentance involves turning from sin to the Lord. It is true that some people repent of their sin, but they never ever turn to the Lord. In the book of 1 Thessalonians 1 and verse 9, the Apostle Paul said this, For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, how you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. Notice how you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. It's not enough just to turn from idols. You must turn to God from idols.

Let me put it like this. Repentance and faith are the two sides of one coin. If you have true, genuine repentance, you also have true faith. If you have true faith, you also have true, genuine repentance. It is impossible to have a biblical repentance without faith. It's impossible to have a biblical faith without repentance. In Acts 20 and verse 21, the Apostle Paul said this. This was his ministry. Listen carefully. Testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Both are absolutely indispensable. That's why he said in Acts 26 and verse 20, he said, But he showed first to them of Damascus, and then at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. Now, what is he saying in verse 12? Therefore, in light of all this now, saith the Lord, turn you even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning, and rend your heart, and not your garments.

Repentance is to be evidenced by a real and genuine turning to the Lord with all the heart, and it can be with fasting and with weeping, and with mourning. Let me try to explain it like this. The soul that is genuinely repentant is genuinely sorry for his sin. There is a difference between a worldly sorrow and a godly sorrow. Hold Joel 2, but look in your Bibles.

Worldly Sorrow vs. Godly Sorrow

Using Ahab and Judas as examples, Weaver distinguishes worldly sorrow (regret over consequences) from godly sorrow (grief over sin against God). Only godly sorrow leads to salvation.

to 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 10. 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 10. I want you to note how the Apostle Paul distinguishes between a worldly sorrow and a godly sorrow. 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 10. Look at what he says. 2 Corinthians 7 verse 10, For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of this world worketh death. Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of, but the sorrow of this world worketh death.

You see, there's a difference between being sorrowful that you have been caught in your sins, or that your sins have been exposed, and that others have found out about your sins, and you're just simply embarrassed. A godly sorrow really does not care who finds out about the sin. A godly sorrow is sorrowful over the fact that they have sinned against God. They violated His law. They have dishonored Him and broken His commandments. That's why He says that a godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation, but the sorrow of this world worketh death. There are plenty of people who have had a worldly sorrow.

If I were to ask you, and you should know the answer to this, but if I were to ask you who was the most wicked and the most vile king in the northern kingdom, I hope you'd say Ahab, for that's who it was. And I want you to listen to this. I'm going to prove it to you. 1 Kings 21 verse 25, But there was none like unto Ahab, who did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. So Ahab was the most wicked and vile king in the northern kingdom. Manasseh was in the southern kingdom. But Ahab took top honors in the northern kingdom for being wicked and vile. And do you know what?

After he had killed Naboth and his sons, and he went down to possess that garden, God sent Elijah. And when Ahab saw Elijah, he asked, hast thou found me, O mine enemy? Elijah said, I have. Thus saith the Lord. And I'm paraphrasing right here. I'm going to kill you, you wicked reprobate. That's basically what Elijah told him that God said. And listen to this. Listen now. 1 Kings 21 verse 27, And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. What did he do?

Oh, he took off those royal garments. his garments, but his heart was never rent. He was still lost and undone. He never turned to the Lord in repentance and faith. He rent his garments. That's what he's talking about in Joel chapter 2. He says, "...and rent your hearts and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord." Did you know that Judas, the betrayer of our Lord, repented? That's what the Scripture says. Matthew 27 verse 3, Then Judas, who had betrayed him when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.

Of course, he threw them on the floor. Repented himself! He never turned to the Lord. There was a worldly sorrow, but he was still just as lost as before. The point I'm trying to make is simple. Multitudes are in the same position that Ahab and Judas found themselves. They performed a religious act, yet they've never ever really turned to the Lord in repentance and faith to serve Him.

They may have walked down an aisle. They may have joined a church. They may have been baptized. They may even have been chosen as a teacher or as a deacon or maybe even a preacher. Yet their heart has never been rent. There is no godly sorrow for their sin. There is no real genuine turning to the Lord. You see, many people wish to be free from the penalty of their sins that do not wish to be free from the power of their sins. What they really genuinely want is to be free from the penalty of their sins, so that they may enjoy the pleasure of their sins.

The Wonder of Divine Mercy

Despite His justice, God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and willing to forgive. The marvel is not that God judges sin, but that He offers mercy to sinners.

Look, if you would, very quickly back to Joel chapter 2 and verses 14 and 15. The latter part of verse 14. I'm sorry, the latter part of 13 it is. 13 and 14. Notice, if you would, what he says. For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Watch verse 14. For 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? Now go back to verse 13 just for a moment. He said, and rend your heart and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God. Now here it is, for he is gracious and merciful and slow to anger and of great kindness and repenteth him of evil. And my first question is, what? Can you possibly imagine, could you possibly conceive of a holy, righteous, just judge who is willing to be gracious and merciful and kind inasmuch that he's willing to turn from his anger and his indignation?

Stop and think about this. I'm sure that we could imagine and we could conceive of and think of God being merciful and gracious and kind to other people because we do not know their sins. But we know our sins and we know the wickedness of our own hearts in some degree. And when we think about our sins, the only thing you can say and the only thing I can say is it's a wonder, it's a marvelous thing that we've not been consumed already. It's a wonder that God has not already struck us down. You've heard me say this before. I'm so thankful for that I'm not God.

Because if I was, I would have killed me and a whole lot more a long time ago. But can you imagine that? The wonder of wonders is this, that God has not only already struck us down, but He's offered to be gracious and merciful and kind to those who have sinned so grievously against Him. He's invited us to Himself. He's told us to repent. And if we turn from our sins, He'll turn from His anger. Here's a verse I quote almost every day. Lamentations 3, 22 and 23, it is the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed. Because His compassions, they fail not. They're new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. The only reason you and I are alive into this hour is because of God's compassions and God's graciousness. You know, the Bible says in Psalm 130 and verse 4, but there is forgiveness with thee.

that thou mayest be feared. Some time ago I read a story about Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He had announced that the following Sunday he was going to be preaching from the text, Romans 9 verse 13, where the Bible says, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. After he made that announcement and the service was over that day, a lady in the church came up to him and said, Oh, Mr. Spurgeon, I'm so thankful that you're going to be preaching from that text because that text has really troubled me and really bothered me for some time. Well, Mr. Spurgeon said, Oh, he said, I'm so thankful for you to hear you say that because that text has really bothered me and troubled me as well. And I really want to clarify some things in that area. Oh, the woman said, I'm glad to hear that too. And she said, you know, Mr. Spurgeon, I just cannot figure out how God could hate Esau. Oh, said Mr. Spurgeon, that's not the part that bothers me. I understand how God could hate Esau.

I just cannot understand how He could love that conniving, sinful, despicable, and treacherous worm Jacob. That's the part that bothers me. Until you realize our hearts should leap for joy with the prospect of divine forgiveness. We can understand why God should judge us, destroy us. We can understand how even God should damn us. But oh the grace that would save us and bring us to Himself. It is indeed a startling wonder.

Temporal Judgments and the Law of Sowing and Reaping

Verse 14 acknowledges that even with repentance, temporal consequences may remain. Forgiveness does not always remove earthly judgments, as seen in David's life.

Then if you'll look at verse 14. This is a strange verse in light of our text today. 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? How do we understand that verse in light of what has just gone before? Well, you have to remember, looking back to Joel 1, that the land was under judgment. Famine was stalking the land. All these insects had devoured all the crops. There was absolutely nothing left. I believe verse 14 then, applies to the possibility of lifting the temporal judgment upon the land.

Now, let me explain something to you. God says, turn to Him and He'll turn to us. Okay? There is no doubt about God's forgiveness. If we genuinely, truly, turn to Him in repentance and faith, He genuinely and really and truly forgives us of our sins and receives us to Himself. But there is another problem, and that problem is not with salvation, not with reconciliation, but it is a problem of what you and I would call temporal judgments. For instance, in Zephaniah chapter 2 and verse 3, don't turn there, but just listen. I've preached on this text before, but in Zephaniah 2 and verse 3, he said this, Seek ye the Lord, O ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment. Seek righteousness, seek meekness.

It may be that you shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. What? It may be. Might happen. Might not happen, but it probably will happen. David committed adultery. David committed murder. Here's my question. Did God forgive him? Yes, He did. There is no question about that. But here's my next question. Did his child die? Yeah. Did David reap what he had sown? Yeah. No question that he was forgiven.

But that temporal judgment stayed right there. Now, if Ron and I got into a fight, maybe we had gotten drunk. We get into a fight. I knock out his eye. He knocks out my teeth. Here's my question. Will God forgive Ron and I for getting into a fight? Would He? Yes. Would He forgive us for getting drunk? Yes. Would that replace his eye? Would that replace my teeth? No.

We reap what we sow. Temporal judgments may or may not be lifted in light of the consequences of our sin, because there is a law in Scripture, and everyone knows it, it's called the law of sowing and reaping. And here's all Joel is saying in verse 14. Watch it. If you turn unto the Lord, who knoweth if He will return and repent and leave a blessing behind Him, even a meat or meal offering and a drink offering, unto the Lord your God? Here's what he's saying. God may be pleased to leave us enough food to live on, and enough food that we can sacrifice and worship to Him. It may be. In other words, he's saying if we turn, it may not only stop the coming judgment, but it may be God's grace and mercy would even lift some of the temporal judgment.

Applications: Godly Concern in Action

A godly concern leads to faith, obedience, and practical preparation for temporal judgments. Believers should examine their lives, turn to God, and wisely respond to the signs of judgment in the nation.

There's a difference again between a godly concern and a humanistic or a worldly concern. A godly concern is always demonstrated by biblical attitude and biblical actions. Let me say it another way. A godly concern is always demonstrated in evidence manifested by faith and obedience. A humanistic or worldly concern is one that is always fretful, unbelieving, agitated, and at the same time, not knowing which way to turn or what to do. A godly concern will always examine things in light of God's Word. God has said in the book of Zechariah 1 and verse 3, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, turn you to Me, saith the Lord, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord. If we have turned to Him in repentance and faith, we know that He has turned unto us. Okay? A godly concern is always going to respond in faith and obedience. Let me give it to you another way. I'm trying to give you something to think about by way of applications. A godly concern will do whatever is necessary to prepare oneself against temporal judgment.

If we have been saved by the grace of God, are we going to face God's eternal judgment? The answer is no. But we're living in a land that is full of sin and disobedience and rebellion, and we have to understand that you cannot sin against God and get by with it. Sooner or later, the sins of our country, the sins of our nation, the sins of our people are going to catch up with us. If we know that God's judgment is upon our economic system, and it is, because it is an unbiblical, unjust, and ungodly economic system, if we know that God's judgment is upon our economic system, what shall we do? Shall we continue to place our hopes and our finances in paper and in digits? If we know that God's judgment is upon our agricultural system, and it is, what shall we do? Shall we continue to eat all of the food and fruit that's full of herbicides, pesticides, grown from depleted soil with chemicals? I'm just trying to ask. If we're genuinely concerned then there needs to be some things that are thought through. If we know that God's judgment is against our governmental system, then to whose governmental system will we turn and to whose law will we obey? If we understand that we're living in a land that cannot escape the judgment of God in certain areas. What do we do? Are you concerned?

Let me again quote Proverbs 22 and verse 3. The prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the simple pass on and are punished. There's nothing wrong with a godly concern as long as a godly concern is followed and filled with a godly faith, godly obedience, and a godly preparation. Joel was telling the people it's time to be concerned. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Certainty and Severity of God's Judgment

Summary: God is a God of judgment who actively punishes sin through various means, and His judgments are unchanging and inescapable.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The scripture tells us that God is a God of judgment. He is known by His judgments, and justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne.' He cites Deuteronomy 32:4, Isaiah 30:18, Psalm 9:16, and Psalm 89:14.

The Necessity of Genuine Repentance

Summary: True repentance involves a rent heart, turning from sin to God with godly sorrow, not mere outward religious acts.

Evidence: Weaver expounds Joel 2:12-13: 'Rend your heart and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God.' He contrasts Ahab's external mourning with David's broken heart in Psalm 51.

God's Sovereignty Over All Armies

Summary: God commands vast armies—insects, nations, and celestial bodies—to execute His judgment, and they obey instantly.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'God even has armies of insects and animals.' He references Psalm 105:34, Isaiah 7:18, Isaiah 10:5, and Judges 5:20.

The Distinction Between Worldly and Godly Sorrow

Summary: Worldly sorrow leads to death, while godly sorrow produces repentance unto salvation. Many perform religious acts without a changed heart.

Evidence: Weaver cites 2 Corinthians 7:10 and uses Ahab (1 Kings 21:27) and Judas (Matthew 27:3) as examples of false repentance.

The Wonder of Divine Mercy Amidst Judgment

Summary: Despite His justice, God is gracious and merciful, offering forgiveness to those who turn to Him. This is a startling wonder.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Joel 2:13 and Lamentations 3:22-23, and shares Spurgeon's amazement that God loved Jacob. He says, 'It is indeed a startling wonder.'

Temporal Consequences and the Law of Sowing and Reaping

Summary: Forgiveness does not always remove earthly judgments; believers may still face temporal consequences for sin.

Evidence: Weaver explains Joel 2:14: 'Who knoweth if he will return and repent and leave a blessing behind him?' He uses David's forgiven sin yet dead child as an example.

Godly Concern Leads to Practical Preparation

Summary: A godly concern should result in faith, obedience, and wise action to prepare for temporal judgments on a sinful nation.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'If we know that God's judgment is upon our economic system... what shall we do?' He cites Proverbs 22:3 and urges examination of finances, food, and government.

Key Arguments

God's judgments are consistent across time because He is immutable.

Summary: The sins that brought judgment in biblical times are the same sins that bring judgment today, as God does not change.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'The sins that merited and brought forth God's judgments thousands of years ago are the same sins that merit and bring forth God's judgments today.' He cites Malachi 3:6.

God's army is vast and obedient, ensuring judgment is inescapable.

Summary: God commands insects, animals, nations, and even stars to execute His will, and they never fail.

Evidence: Weaver references Psalm 105:34, Isaiah 7:18, Isaiah 10:5, and Judges 5:20, and says, 'not one of them faileth.'

True repentance is internal, not external.

Summary: God requires a broken and contrite heart, not mere religious rituals or outward displays of sorrow.

Evidence: Weaver expounds Joel 2:13 and Psalm 51:16-17: 'The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.'

Worldly sorrow is insufficient for salvation.

Summary: Many people regret the consequences of sin but never truly turn to God, like Ahab and Judas.

Evidence: Weaver cites 2 Corinthians 7:10 and describes Ahab's sackcloth (1 Kings 21:27) and Judas's repentance (Matthew 27:3) as examples of worldly sorrow.

God's mercy is astonishing given His justice.

Summary: It is a wonder that a holy God offers forgiveness to sinners who have grievously offended Him.

Evidence: Weaver shares Spurgeon's quote about Jacob and says, 'It is indeed a startling wonder.' He cites Lamentations 3:22-23 and Psalm 86:15.

Repentance may not remove all temporal judgments.

Summary: Even forgiven sin can have lasting earthly consequences due to the law of sowing and reaping.

Evidence: Weaver explains Joel 2:14 and uses David's example: 'Did his child die? Yeah. Did David reap what he had sown? Yeah.'

A godly concern must lead to practical action.

Summary: Believers should examine their lives, turn to God, and prepare wisely for the temporal judgments falling on their nation.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'If we know that God's judgment is upon our economic system... what shall we do?' and cites Proverbs 22:3.

Scripture References

Joel 2:11-14

Context: Primary text of the sermon, describing God's army, the call to repentance, and the possibility of mercy.

Proverbs 22:3

Context: The prudent foresee evil and hide, but the simple pass on and are punished; used to urge preparation.

Deuteronomy 32:4

Context: God is the Rock, His work is perfect, all His ways are judgment; cited to prove God is a God of judgment.

Isaiah 30:18

Context: The Lord is a God of judgment; blessed are those who wait for Him.

Psalm 9:16

Context: The Lord is known by the judgment He executes; the wicked are snared in their own work.

Psalm 89:14

Context: Justice and judgment are the habitation of God's throne.

Malachi 3:6

Context: I the Lord change not; used to support God's immutability in judgment.

Joel 1:4-6

Context: Description of locust plagues as God's judgment on the land.

Joel 1:10-12

Context: Agricultural devastation and loss of joy as part of God's judgment.

Psalm 105:34-35

Context: God spoke and locusts came, devouring the land; an example of God's insect army.

Deuteronomy 32:41

Context: If I whet my glittering sword, I will render vengeance; God's timing in judgment.

1 Samuel 2:10

Context: The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken; He thunders from heaven.

Isaiah 7:18-19

Context: God will hiss for the fly and the bee; an army of insects.

Isaiah 10:5-7

Context: Assyria as the rod of God's anger, sent against a hypocritical nation.

Judges 5:20

Context: The stars in their courses fought against Sisera; God uses celestial armies.

Deuteronomy 32:30

Context: How one could chase a thousand unless the Lord had sold them; God fights against His people.

Jeremiah 21:3-6

Context: God will fight against Judah with an outstretched hand, turning their weapons back on them.

Nahum 1:5-6

Context: The mountains quake, who can stand before His indignation; the terror of God's judgment.

1 Thessalonians 1:9

Context: You turned to God from idols; repentance involves turning to God, not just from sin.

Acts 20:21

Context: Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ; both are indispensable.

Historical References

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Context: Weaver recounts a story where Spurgeon expressed amazement that God loved Jacob, a conniving sinner, more than he struggled with God hating Esau.

Pastor Bob McCurry

Context: Weaver quotes McCurry's saying to unrepentant people: 'God's preparing you for something worse,' connecting it to Joel's message.

Frank Kersey and Kathy Kersey

Context: Weaver mentions a bumper sticker seen by Kathy Kersey: 'Now where are we going in a handbasket?' to illustrate societal decline.

Important Quotes

The prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the wicked, or the foolish, or the simple pass on, and are punished.

Significance: Weaver quotes Proverbs 22:3 to emphasize the need for foresight and preparation in light of coming judgment.

The sins that merited and brought forth God's judgments thousands of years ago are the same sins that merit and bring forth God's judgments today.

Significance: This statement underscores the immutability of God's moral standards and the consistency of His judgment across time.

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?

Significance: Weaver reads Joel 2:11 to introduce the threefold terror of God's judgment, which forms the core of his warning.

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.

Significance: This quote from Joel 2:13 is the central call to genuine, internal repentance rather than mere outward show.

Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of, but the sorrow of this world worketh death.

Significance: Weaver cites 2 Corinthians 7:10 to distinguish between true repentance and false, worldly regret.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise.

Significance: Quoting Psalm 51:17, Weaver highlights that God desires internal brokenness over external rituals.

It is the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, because His compassions, they fail not. They're new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness.

Significance: Weaver quotes Lamentations 3:22-23 to emphasize that only God's mercy prevents immediate destruction.

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?

Significance: This quote from Joel 2:14 introduces the uncertainty of temporal relief even after repentance, due to the law of sowing and reaping.

Discussion Questions

In what ways do we, like the people of Judah, ignore or downplay the reality of God's judgment in our own lives and nation?

Context: Weaver opens by stating that most people, even Christians, have never seriously considered God's judgment and prefer ignorance.

How does the immutability of God challenge the modern tendency to view biblical judgments as outdated or irrelevant?

Context: Weaver argues that the sins bringing judgment in the past are the same today because God does not change.

What are some 'armies' God might be using today to bring judgment, and how should we respond?

Context: Weaver describes God's use of insects, nations, and natural forces as His armies.

What is the difference between rending our garments and rending our hearts? How can we examine whether our repentance is genuine?

Context: Weaver expounds Joel 2:13 and contrasts Ahab's external actions with David's broken heart.

Why is it a 'startling wonder' that God offers mercy to sinners? How does this affect our view of His grace?

Context: Weaver shares Spurgeon's amazement at God's love for Jacob and emphasizes the marvel of divine forgiveness.

How should we balance the assurance of forgiveness with the reality that temporal consequences may remain?

Context: Weaver discusses Joel 2:14 and the law of sowing and reaping, using David's life as an example.

What practical steps can we take to prepare for temporal judgments on our nation while maintaining faith and obedience?

Context: Weaver asks pointed questions about economic, agricultural, and governmental systems and urges godly preparation.

Applications

Examine Your Repentance

Summary: Believers should examine whether their repentance is genuine, marked by a broken heart and turning to God, not just outward sorrow or religious acts.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith' (2 Corinthians 13:5) and urges listeners to see if their heart has been rent.

Turn to God with All Your Heart

Summary: In light of coming judgment, the proper response is to turn to the Lord with fasting, weeping, and mourning, seeking His mercy.

Evidence: Weaver expounds Joel 2:12: 'Turn you even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.'

Prepare Practically for Temporal Judgments

Summary: A godly concern should lead to wise actions, such as reevaluating financial, agricultural, and governmental dependencies in light of God's judgments.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'If we know that God's judgment is upon our economic system... what shall we do?' and cites Proverbs 22:3.

Respond with Faith and Obedience, Not Fear

Summary: A godly concern is demonstrated by biblical faith and obedience, not fretful, unbelieving agitation.

Evidence: Weaver contrasts godly concern with humanistic concern: 'A godly concern is always demonstrated by biblical attitude and biblical actions.'

Trust in God's Mercy While Fearing His Judgment

Summary: Believers should hold in tension the fear of God's judgment and the wonder of His mercy, fleeing from His justice to His mercy.

Evidence: Weaver quotes an old scholar: 'Flee from Himself to Himself from the rigor of justice to the bosom of mercy.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T19:30:24Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T12:26:57Z

Clean Transcript

Are You Concerned?

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Joel chapter 2. Book of Joel. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Joel chapter 2. And we're going to be reading verses 11-14. Joel chapter 2 verses 11-14. The title of the message today is in the form of a question. Are you concerned? So look in Joel 2 beginning with verse 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? Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn you even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning, 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. 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. So the question is, and you shall hear it several times today, are you concerned?
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Probably most people, even most Christians, have never seriously considered or ever really truly been concerned about the judgment of God. We do not even like to entertain such thoughts, and we are uncomfortable with the concept of suffering, death, and judgment. The truth is we prefer to live in absolute ignorance. If the old saying is true, ignorance is bliss, Christians should be the happiest people on the earth. For most of us are totally ignorant when it comes to the Word of God and the principles of God. Our ignorance, however, does not change facts, nor does it change reality. Simply because we do not want to see something, hear something, or understand something, that does not change anything.
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It only ensures our loss. The Scripture is exceedingly clear in Proverbs 22 and verse 3, when the Bible says, The prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the wicked, or the foolish, or the simple pass on, and are punished. The scripture tells us that God is a God of judgment. He is known by His judgments, and justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne. Let me give you just several scriptures, just by way of introduction, to prove that one simple statement. In Deuteronomy 32 and verse 4, the Bible says concerning God, He is the rock, His work is perfect, for all of His ways are judgment. A God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He. In Isaiah 30 and verse 18, the Bible says this, And therefore the Lord will wait that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted that He may have mercy upon you, for the Lord is a God of judgment. Blessed are all they that wait for Him. In Psalm 9 and verse 16, The Bible tells us that the Lord is known by the judgment which He executeth.
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The wicked is snared in the work of His own hands. And in Psalm 89 in verse 14, justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne. So this one simple statement that God is a God of judgment, He is known by His judgments, and justice and judgments are the habitation of His throne, is just simply a complete summary of the truth of the fact that God does indeed judge. Now, the Bible teaches us that God is immutable. That is, that God is unchangeable. He said in Malachi 3 and verse 6, I, the Lord, change not. The immutability of God ensures us and assures us that His righteous judgments do not change, nor are they altered with time. Cultures may change. Circumstances may change. But principles never change. Now listen carefully.
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The sins that merited and brought forth God's judgments thousands of years ago are the same sins that merit and bring forth God's judgments today. Has it ever occurred to you that the plagues, famines, droughts, and floods that are frequent and ubiquitous today are the same judgments that God brought against Judah and Jerusalem to awaken them to the fact that they were sinning against God? Wow. So here's the question. Are you concerned when everything that is happening and especially when it appears to be exactly the same judgments that fell against Judah and Jerusalem are happening in America today and befalling us?
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Now, the book of Joel is a very unique book. Joel was a prophet and he was warning the people of God of God's judgments. If you read the book of Joel, you will find this: that the people were already under judgment, but yet the most severe judgment had not yet come. And what Joel is saying, look, open your eyes, look around, you see what is happening, but you haven't seen anything yet. In other words, it's like the old adage that we have, you can't see the forest for the trees. So we look around in our land today and everybody, we'll say, well, yeah, there are some things that are wrong, and yeah, there are some things that are happening.
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We understand that they're not good, but we don't really look any further than that, and we never look at the appointed end. I want you to look in the book of Joel, beginning there with chapter 1, verse 4, and I want you to see that God had sent a very severe judgment upon the land. Joel 1 in verse 4, look what the Bible says. That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten, and that which the locust hath left the cankerworm hath eaten, and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.
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Awake, you drunkards, and weep, and howl, you drinkers of wine, because of the new wine, for it is cut off from your mouth. Now look, for a nation has come up upon my land, strong and without number, whose teeth are like the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.
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Now, the nation that he's talking about there, of course, would be the nation of insects. However, I believe there is a double prophecy here, in the sense that certainly a greater nation is going to come, the Babylonians against Judah and Jerusalem, and the Assyrians against the ten northern kingdoms. But here he's talking about all of these insects. You look at the agricultural failures, the economic failures, the weather disturbances, the marital and the physical failures, and all of these things are part and parcel of God's judgments. Do you understand that even, and I'll show it to you in the Bible here, the loss of joy and happiness is part and parcel of God's judgment, as well as the loss of liberty and freedom. In other words, when God's judgment and God's curse comes upon us, literally, everything falls apart.
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I was talking to Frank Kersey last night and he told me that his wife Kathy had seen a bumper sticker on a car and said, and all the bumper sticker asked was, now where are we going in a handbasket? This is the point I'm trying to make. Everything basically falls apart.
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Now I want you to look in Joel 1 and verse 10 and 11. Well, we'll read verse 12 as well. Look at it. Joel 1 verse 10. We're talking about God's judgments now. Watch this agriculturally. The field is wasted, the land mourneth, for the corn is wasted, the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O you husbandmen! Howl, O you vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley, because the harvest of the field is perished. 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. Do you understand that even joy and the loss of joy and happiness is connected with God's judgment?
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Pastor Bob McCurry always had a word for those who came to him, especially when they came unrepentant, and yet they were disillusioned, they were disheartened, they were discouraged, and after Pastor McCurry would listen to them very patiently, he would say this as he looked them right in the eye, God's preparing you for something worse. Well, perhaps he got that saying from the book of Joel, because that is exactly what Joel is telling the people here. It's bad now, but cheer up, God's preparing you for something worse. It's not Murphy's law, it's God's law. So, I want us to begin looking in Joel 2, verse 11. And I want to show you, first of all, a severe warning. A severe warning. Look in verse 11.
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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? Now, he states very clearly in verse 11 that the Lord has an army. You remember one of the titles of God is that He is the Lord of hosts, literally. He is the Lord of the armies. Have you ever stopped to think about all the armies that God has at His disposal? Certainly He has an army of angels. Certainly Israel was considered as one of His armies.
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But yet there were others. He used the Assyrian army. He used the Babylonian army. He used many heathen armies to chastise His sinful and disobedient people. In fact, He referred to the Medes and the Persians in Isaiah 13 and verse 3 as My sanctified ones or My mighty ones. He referred to the Roman army in Matthew 22 and verse 7 as His army. And it may surprise you to learn that God even has armies of insects and animals.
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I want you to hold your oil too, but turn right back to Psalm 105, and let's begin reading there with verse 34. Psalm 105, and let's begin reading there with verse 34. And I will show you some other scriptures momentarily, but notice Psalm 105, beginning there with verse 34. Look what the Bible says. In fact, this is one of God's armies. Psalm 105, verse 34, He spake and the locusts came, and caterpillars, and that without numbers, and did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground. He spake, and the locusts came.
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Years ago, Alice and I were up in Pennsylvania. I was up there preaching, and I could not figure out what was happening to all the trees. There were dead limbs on about every tree. I mean, it was just constant and consistent. Come to find out, that's when the locusts, the year the locusts came out of the ground and they were literally devouring the trees. Over in the Middle East, they say often times the locusts black out the sun.
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We cannot even think of such a plague. Years ago, I was listening to a Christian radio station and there was a program on, and the title of it I'll just remember, Mama Was a Missionary. And the only reason I remember that is because the husband and the wife went over there and the husband died, and Mama stayed there. And that particular story was about the fact when the locusts came and devoured everything, their garden, their fields, their vines, everything. Mama had all of her babies out there catching locusts and putting them in jars and cans because that's what they would be living on since the locusts had devoured everything. And the scripture tells us here that God spake and all of these locusts basically came.
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So whenever God utters His voice to His army, and to whichever army He utters that voice, that army obeys instantly. Now if you look back in Joel 2 and verse 11, He says, And the Lord shall utter His voice before His army. So Joel here is describing the coming of God's judgments as a mighty army. He represents God as commanding his army, ordering them, gathering them, marshalling them, directing them, giving them the word, and when they get that word, they pour themselves out upon those to whom God sends them against. In other words, their presence was a token of God's presence. And God is telling us here that His army neither anticipates His command nor lingers at His command. Once He gives it, they obey instantly. Do you understand that God's judgments always come at God's precise time? At God's appointed time. Many people think that just simply because God's judgments do not come instantly, they will not come at all.
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But that's certainly not true. God's judgments always come in God's time, and they always come on time. God does not move upon the timetable of His enemies. Neither does He move upon the timetable of His friends. He moves upon His own timetable. Let me just quote this one. In Deuteronomy, chapter 32 and verse 41, here's what God said. Listen carefully. If I wet my glittering sword, and you remember the word wet means to sharpen. If I wet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold upon judgment, I will render vengeance to mine adversaries, and will reward them that hate me. Now notice what he said, if mine hand take hold upon judgment. So whenever God issues the order, whenever God wets his sword, whenever God sends His army, sends His judgment, devastation and destruction will always fall upon the land.
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Now, I want you to note what the Bible says in verse 11. And the Lord shall utter His voice before His army. The Lord shall utter His voice.
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Now, I want you to hold Joel too, but I do want you to turn right back to 1 Samuel chapter 2, and let me show you something that is precisely connected with this. In 1 Samuel chapter 2, notice if you would verse 10. 1 Samuel chapter 2 and verse 10. Notice what the Bible says about the Lord uttering His voice. 1 Samuel 2 and verse 10. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces.
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Out of heaven shall He thunder upon them. The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth, and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed. Note if you would, God thunders out of heaven. He utters His voice. And when God speaks, the army that He sends obeys.
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Now, if you look back to verse 11 of Joel chapter 2, what I want you to see in verse 11 is a threefold terror. A threefold terror. First, if you look in verse 11, the Bible says this, and the Lord shall utter his voice before his army. Here's the first part of the terror, for his camp is very great. Now this phrase signifies a very numerous and strong army. In other words, Joel is describing an army almost beyond belief.
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You remember many times in the scripture, the Bible talks about the wicked coming up against Israel as the sand by the seashore, or the stars without number, or as grasshoppers. And yet here, God doesn't say that, just God says, it is a very great camp. In other words, when God gathers his hosts together, it is an exceedingly great army. It could be an army of insects. It could be an army of animals. It could be an army of men. God used all of those things against Judah and Jerusalem. Now, I want you to hold Joel to, but turn back to Isaiah chapter 7, just to show you it could be animals or men. Turn back to Isaiah chapter 7, and look if you would beginning there with verse 18. Isaiah 7 and verse 18. We'll read verse 19 as well. Isaiah 7, look at verse 18. We're talking about an army of insects.
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And the Lord shall bring upon thee and upon thy people, upon thy father's house, days that have not come from the day that Ephraim departed. Verse 17, from Judah even to the king of Assyria. Verse 18, and it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria, and they shall come and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys
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and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all the thorns and upon all the bushes. God's just going to hiss, and they're going to come. Look, if you would, of course, he goes on in the next verse to talk about the Assyrians, but if you will turn over to Isaiah chapter 10, just to show you, it can be animals or men. Isaiah chapter 10, beginning there with verse 5, when God sent the Assyrian army against the ten northern kingdoms. He says, O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.
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I will send him against the hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither does his heart think so, but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations, not a few.
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Now notice if you would, God said the Assyrians were the rod of His anger, the staff in their hand was His indignation, and then when you get down to verse 7, they didn't mean to obey God, but they did. All they wanted to do was to kill and plunder and pillage and steal. But God sent them. They were His army. So this is a truth in the book of Joel that Joel is warning about. That God has at His command all the instruments necessary to punish sin and wickedness and rebellion. Do you remember that passage in Judges chapter 5 and verse 20? Don't turn there. But you remember how Sisera was fighting against Israel, and the Bible says in Judges 5 and verse 20, even the stars in their places fought against Sisera. God even used the stars. Listen to what the Bible says in Isaiah 40 and verse 26. Just listen.
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God says, lift up your eyes on high, and behold, who hath created these things, that bringeth out their hosts by number, he's talking about the stars, he calleth them all by names, by the greatness of his might, for he is strong in power, not one of them faileth. Whatever God calls, whether it's an insect, whether it's a man, whether it's an animal, whether it's a star, they're all great in power, not one of them faileth. You say, well, a star doesn't bother me. Well, let it crash into the area where you live and we'll see whether it bothers you or not.
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Or let it withhold its light. And we can see. I'm just simply pointing out, God is saying that He has a very great camp. He has a very great army. And He's very capable of using that army against His enemies and against those who displease Him, and not one of them will fail.
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Now the question is, are you concerned? Now, look back in Joel 2, because here's the second terror. I told you it was a threefold terror. Joel 2 verse 11, And the Lord shall utter His voice before His army, for His camp is very great. That's the first terror. Here's the second one, For He is strong that executeth His word. God does not have a weak army. God does not have a weak warrior. All are strong and not one of them can be turned away. Did you know that one of God's warriors could handle a thousand men? And two could handle ten thousand. You say, what? Sure. Hold Joel 2. Turn back in your Bibles to Deuteronomy 32. Deuteronomy 32. And let's look at verse 30. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 30. Watch. Deuteronomy 32 and verse 30. Here's the question that is asked. How could the enemy be so successful? Here it is. God asked, how should one chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight except their rock had sold them and the Lord had shut them up?
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In other words, when the Lord is against you, one warrior can handle a thousand, two can chase ten thousand. Why? Because the Lord destroys your power and fights against you.
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Now, I want you to turn to the book of Jeremiah chapter 21. Jeremiah 21. Remember now, Jeremiah is the weeping prophet. And Jeremiah is warning Judah and Jerusalem so many times. And it was through the prophet Jeremiah that God spoke and told Judah and Jerusalem to not to fight against the king of Babylon, not to fight against Nebuchadnezzar, but to submit to him, he told all the other countries, because he said, unto his hand I've given all these countries. Now watch. Jeremiah chapter 21 and verse 3. Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall you say to Zedekiah, and Zedekiah was the king. Watch. Thus said the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldees, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them in the midst of the city. Watch! And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand, and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and great wrath.
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And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence. Look what God said. I'll not only send him, and if you try to fight against him, I'll turn the weapons back against you, your own weapons. And moreover, says God, I will personally fight against you myself. So the question is, does God's judgment bother you and are you concerned? If you'll go back to Joel 2 and verse 11, here's the third terror. He says, And the Lord shall utter His voice before His army, for the camp is very great. That's the first one.
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For a strong that executed His word. That's the second one. Now here's the third one. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible, and who can abide it? God's judgment is not a Sunday school picnic. And what Joel is trying to impress upon Judah and Jerusalem is the severity and the destructiveness of God's judgment.
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Now, the prophet Nahum sought to do the same thing. Let me just read to you from the book of Nahum, chapter 1, verses 5 and 6. Listen to what Nahum said, talking about God. The mountains quake at Him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at His presence, yea, the world and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before His indignation? And who can abide the fierceness of His anger?
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His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him. Who can abide that? Who can abide the earthquakes, and the lightnings and the volcanic eruptions? No. The day of the Lord is great. That's what He says in verse 11. It's great and very terrible. In other words, it's great because great things, great acts are done in it. You remember, we call evil days and evil times because that's when evil is prominent.
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The Bible speaks of an acceptable time. That means that there is a time when we may be accepted by God. But here the Scripture talks about a great and very terrible time, which signifies the fact that whatever happens is going to be great and extremely terrible. Wow! And then the question is asked, who can abide it? It's kind of like that passage in Deuteronomy 4 and verse 24, where the Bible says, God is a consuming fire. So what Joel is demonstrating is that this judgment is going to reduce Judah and Jerusalem to absolutely nothing.
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So here's what he's saying. If you're going to repent, now's the time. Because once you turn another deaf ear to God, the judgment is about to fall. He will punish you for your perverseness. You know, I believe that we could probably make the same application to our country today. So the question is, Are you concerned? Not only do you have a severe warning in verse 11, but I want you to look at verses 12 and 13, because here's a solemn witness. Okay. Verses 12 and 13. Therefore now also saith the Lord, turn you even to me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning and rend your heart and not your garments. And turn to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil. Now, I want you to look very carefully at verse 12, Therefore also now. Therefore also now.
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Literally that means, in light of these truths. In light of what I've just told you in verse 11. Since all this is so, that's what he's saying, there is no way to escape except through true repentance. That's what, therefore also now, saith the Lord. In other words, my judgment is about to fall. So, he said, in light of that, now is the time to turn. Repentance involves turning from sin to the Lord. It is true that some people repent of their sin, but they never ever turn to the Lord. In the book of 1 Thessalonians 1 and verse 9, the Apostle Paul said this, For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, how you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. Notice how you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. It's not enough just to turn from idols. You must turn to God from idols.
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Let me put it like this. Repentance and faith are the two sides of one coin. If you have true, genuine repentance, you also have true faith. If you have true faith, you also have true, genuine repentance. It is impossible to have a biblical repentance without faith. It's impossible to have a biblical faith without repentance. In Acts 20 and verse 21, the Apostle Paul said this. This was his ministry. Listen carefully. Testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Both are absolutely indispensable. That's why he said in Acts 26 and verse 20, he said, But he showed first to them of Damascus, and then at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. Now, what is he saying in verse 12? Therefore, in light of all this now, saith the Lord, turn you even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning, and rend your heart, and not your garments.
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Repentance is to be evidenced by a real and genuine turning to the Lord with all the heart, and it can be with fasting and with weeping, and with mourning. Let me try to explain it like this. The soul that is genuinely repentant is genuinely sorry for his sin. There is a difference between a worldly sorrow and a godly sorrow. Hold Joel 2, but look in your Bibles.
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to 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 10. 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 10. I want you to note how the Apostle Paul distinguishes between a worldly sorrow and a godly sorrow. 2 Corinthians 7 and verse 10. Look at what he says. 2 Corinthians 7 verse 10, For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of this world worketh death. Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of, but the sorrow of this world worketh death.
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You see, there's a difference between being sorrowful that you have been caught in your sins, or that your sins have been exposed, and that others have found out about your sins, and you're just simply embarrassed. A godly sorrow really does not care who finds out about the sin. A godly sorrow is sorrowful over the fact that they have sinned against God. They violated His law. They have dishonored Him and broken His commandments. That's why He says that a godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation, but the sorrow of this world worketh death. There are plenty of people who have had a worldly sorrow.
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If I were to ask you, and you should know the answer to this, but if I were to ask you who was the most wicked and the most vile king in the northern kingdom, I hope you'd say Ahab, for that's who it was. And I want you to listen to this. I'm going to prove it to you. 1 Kings 21 verse 25, But there was none like unto Ahab, who did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. So Ahab was the most wicked and vile king in the northern kingdom. Manasseh was in the southern kingdom. But Ahab took top honors in the northern kingdom for being wicked and vile. And do you know what?
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After he had killed Naboth and his sons, and he went down to possess that garden, God sent Elijah. And when Ahab saw Elijah, he asked, hast thou found me, O mine enemy? Elijah said, I have. Thus saith the Lord. And I'm paraphrasing right here. I'm going to kill you, you wicked reprobate. That's basically what Elijah told him that God said. And listen to this. Listen now. 1 Kings 21 verse 27, And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. What did he do?
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Oh, he took off those royal garments. his garments, but his heart was never rent. He was still lost and undone. He never turned to the Lord in repentance and faith. He rent his garments. That's what he's talking about in Joel chapter 2. He says, "...and rent your hearts and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord." Did you know that Judas, the betrayer of our Lord, repented? That's what the Scripture says. Matthew 27 verse 3, Then Judas, who had betrayed him when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.
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Of course, he threw them on the floor. Repented himself! He never turned to the Lord. There was a worldly sorrow, but he was still just as lost as before. The point I'm trying to make is simple. Multitudes are in the same position that Ahab and Judas found themselves. They performed a religious act, yet they've never ever really turned to the Lord in repentance and faith to serve Him.
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They may have walked down an aisle. They may have joined a church. They may have been baptized. They may even have been chosen as a teacher or as a deacon or maybe even a preacher. Yet their heart has never been rent. There is no godly sorrow for their sin. There is no real genuine turning to the Lord. You see, many people wish to be free from the penalty of their sins that do not wish to be free from the power of their sins. What they really genuinely want is to be free from the penalty of their sins, so that they may enjoy the pleasure of their sins.
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Now, I want you to hold Joel to, but turn in your Bibles to Psalm 51. Let me just show you. He's talking about rending your heart and not your garment. Everyone knows that David sinned, and Psalm 51 is one of David's penitential Psalms, where David is asking God for forgiveness. Look in Psalm 51, if you would, beginning there with verse 6. Psalm 51, verse 6. Now look carefully. David says to God, Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Then he says, Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean.
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Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
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Now look, in verse 10, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. So David is understanding that he must be cleansed, he must be purged, it must be internal, his heart must be rent. Watch if you would now, verses 16 and 17. David says, For thou desirest not sacrifice, else I would give it. Thou delightest not in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise. A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise. So notice if you would please, God requires a rent heart, a broken heart. So the question is, are you concerned as to whether or not your heart has been rent? Do you have a broken and contrite heart? Are you concerned as to whether or not your repentance is real and genuine? Have you examined your life in light of the Word of God? You know what the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 13 verse 5? Listen to this. Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith.
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Prove your own selves. Know you're not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobate. So what is he saying? Examine your life according to the Word of God. Determine whether or not you have a real, genuine salvation experience. That's what he's saying. Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith. Prove your own heart. You have to see what scripture demands. Has my experience, is my life, is my understanding in light and in agreement with the Word of God. So are you concerned?
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Look, if you would, very quickly back to Joel chapter 2 and verses 14 and 15. The latter part of verse 14. I'm sorry, the latter part of 13 it is. 13 and 14. Notice, if you would, what he says. For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Watch verse 14. For 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? Now go back to verse 13 just for a moment. He said, and rend your heart and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God. Now here it is, for he is gracious and merciful and slow to anger and of great kindness and repenteth him of evil. And my first question is, what? Can you possibly imagine, could you possibly conceive of a holy, righteous, just judge who is willing to be gracious and merciful and kind inasmuch that he's willing to turn from his anger and his indignation?
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Stop and think about this. I'm sure that we could imagine and we could conceive of and think of God being merciful and gracious and kind to other people because we do not know their sins. But we know our sins and we know the wickedness of our own hearts in some degree. And when we think about our sins, the only thing you can say and the only thing I can say is it's a wonder, it's a marvelous thing that we've not been consumed already. It's a wonder that God has not already struck us down. You've heard me say this before. I'm so thankful for that I'm not God.
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Because if I was, I would have killed me and a whole lot more a long time ago. But can you imagine that? The wonder of wonders is this, that God has not only already struck us down, but He's offered to be gracious and merciful and kind to those who have sinned so grievously against Him. He's invited us to Himself. He's told us to repent. And if we turn from our sins, He'll turn from His anger.
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Here's a verse I quote almost every day. Lamentations 3, 22 and 23, it is the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed. Because His compassions, they fail not. They're new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. The only reason you and I are alive into this hour is because of God's compassions and God's graciousness. You know, the Bible says in Psalm 130 and verse 4, but there is forgiveness with thee.
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that thou mayest be feared. Some time ago I read a story about Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He had announced that the following Sunday he was going to be preaching from the text, Romans 9 verse 13, where the Bible says, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. After he made that announcement and the service was over that day, a lady in the church came up to him and said, Oh, Mr. Spurgeon, I'm so thankful that you're going to be preaching from that text because that text has really troubled me and really bothered me for some time. Well, Mr. Spurgeon said, Oh, he said, I'm so thankful for you to hear you say that because that text has really bothered me and troubled me as well. And I really want to clarify some things in that area. Oh, the woman said, I'm glad to hear that too. And she said, you know, Mr. Spurgeon, I just cannot figure out how God could hate Esau. Oh, said Mr. Spurgeon, that's not the part that bothers me. I understand how God could hate Esau.
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I just cannot understand how He could love that conniving, sinful, despicable, and treacherous worm Jacob. That's the part that bothers me. Until you realize our hearts should leap for joy with the prospect of divine forgiveness. We can understand why God should judge us, destroy us. We can understand how even God should damn us. But oh the grace that would save us and bring us to Himself. It is indeed a startling wonder.
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That's why in Romans 9 in verse 29, the Apostle Paul, quoting Isaiah, said this, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a remnant, we should have been made like unto Sodom and like unto Gomorrah. That's why the scripture says in Psalm 86 in verse 15, But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion and gracious and longsuffering and plenteous in mercy and truth. Psalm 103 verse 8 says, the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. It is indeed a wonder and a blessing to experience what Peter talked about in 1 Peter 2 and verse 3 when he said, if so be that you've tasted that the Lord is gracious. And He is.
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Now, I want you to look at this. Let's go back. Verse 13, he said, 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. I want to read to you just one little paragraph of what one old scholar said. Listen carefully. In fact, he's commenting on verse 11 and 12 and 13, and he said this, The strict judge cannot be overcome, for he is omnipotent. He cannot be deceived, for He is wisdom. He cannot be corrupted, for He is justice. He cannot be sustained, for He is eternal. He cannot be avoided, for He is omnipresent.
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Yet He can be entreated, because He is mercy. He can be appeased, because He is goodness. He can cleanse, because He is the fountain of grace. He can satisfy, because He is the bread of life. He can soothe because He is the unction from above. He can beautify because He is fullness. He can bless because He is bliss. Turn from Him, then in fearing His justice, turn you to Him and flee to His mercy. Flee from Himself to Himself from the rigor of justice to the bosom of mercy. The Lord who is to be feared saith it, He who is truth enjoins us in that which is just, profitable and good when He says, Turn ye to Me. Turn ye to Me.
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Then if you'll look at verse 14. This is a strange verse in light of our text today. 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? How do we understand that verse in light of what has just gone before? Well, you have to remember, looking back to Joel 1, that the land was under judgment. Famine was stalking the land.
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All these insects had devoured all the crops. There was absolutely nothing left. I believe verse 14 then, applies to the possibility of lifting the temporal judgment upon the land.
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Now, let me explain something to you. God says, turn to Him and He'll turn to us. Okay? There is no doubt about God's forgiveness. If we genuinely, truly, turn to Him in repentance and faith, He genuinely and really and truly forgives us of our sins and receives us to Himself. But there is another problem, and that problem is not with salvation, not with reconciliation, but it is a problem of what you and I would call temporal judgments. For instance, in Zephaniah chapter 2 and verse 3, don't turn there, but just listen. I've preached on this text before, but in Zephaniah 2 and verse 3, he said this, Seek ye the Lord, O ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment. Seek righteousness, seek meekness.
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It may be that you shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. What? It may be. Might happen. Might not happen, but it probably will happen. David committed adultery. David committed murder. Here's my question. Did God forgive him? Yes, He did. There is no question about that. But here's my next question. Did his child die? Yeah. Did David reap what he had sown? Yeah. No question that he was forgiven.
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But that temporal judgment stayed right there. Now, if Ron and I got into a fight, maybe we had gotten drunk. We get into a fight. I knock out his eye. He knocks out my teeth. Here's my question. Will God forgive Ron and I for getting into a fight? Would He? Yes. Would He forgive us for getting drunk? Yes. Would that replace his eye? Would that replace my teeth? No.
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We reap what we sow. Temporal judgments may or may not be lifted in light of the consequences of our sin, because there is a law in Scripture, and everyone knows it, it's called the law of sowing and reaping. And here's all Joel is saying in verse 14. Watch it. If you turn unto the Lord, who knoweth if He will return and repent and leave a blessing behind Him, even a meat or meal offering and a drink offering, unto the Lord your God? Here's what he's saying. God may be pleased to leave us enough food to live on, and enough food that we can sacrifice and worship to Him. It may be. In other words, he's saying if we turn, it may not only stop the coming judgment, but it may be God's grace and mercy would even lift some of the temporal judgment.
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Now let me ask you, I want you to think, as we look around at our land today and we see the multitude of sins and disobedience and rebellions that are apparent on every end, are you concerned? If you know that God is just and that God is holy and that God is righteous, and that God is immutable, He does not change. How can you not be concerned? Now let me make just a couple of applications. You say, I'm concerned.
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There's a difference again between a godly concern and a humanistic or a worldly concern. A godly concern is always demonstrated by biblical attitude and biblical actions. Let me say it another way. A godly concern is always demonstrated in evidence manifested by faith and obedience. A humanistic or worldly concern is one that is always fretful, unbelieving, agitated, and at the same time, not knowing which way to turn or what to do. A godly concern will always examine things in light of God's Word. God has said in the book of Zechariah 1 and verse 3, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, turn you to Me, saith the Lord, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord. If we have turned to Him in repentance and faith, we know that He has turned unto us. Okay? A godly concern is always going to respond in faith and obedience. Let me give it to you another way. I'm trying to give you something to think about by way of applications. A godly concern will do whatever is necessary to prepare oneself against temporal judgment.
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If we have been saved by the grace of God, are we going to face God's eternal judgment? The answer is no. But we're living in a land that is full of sin and disobedience and rebellion, and we have to understand that you cannot sin against God and get by with it. Sooner or later, the sins of our country, the sins of our nation, the sins of our people are going to catch up with us. If we know that God's judgment is upon our economic system, and it is, because it is an unbiblical, unjust, and ungodly economic system, if we know that God's judgment is upon our economic system, what shall we do?
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Shall we continue to place our hopes and our finances in paper and in digits? If we know that God's judgment is upon our agricultural system, and it is, what shall we do? Shall we continue to eat all of the food and fruit that's full of herbicides, pesticides, grown from depleted soil with chemicals? I'm just trying to ask. If we're genuinely concerned then there needs to be some things that are thought through. If we know that God's judgment is against our governmental system, then to whose governmental system will we turn and to whose law will we obey? If we understand that we're living in a land that cannot escape the judgment of God in certain areas. What do we do? Are you concerned?
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Let me again quote Proverbs 22 and verse 3. The prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the simple pass on and are punished. There's nothing wrong with a godly concern as long as a godly concern is followed and filled with a godly faith, godly obedience, and a godly preparation. Joel was telling the people it's time to be concerned. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day.
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We thank You for Your love. We thank You for Your mercy. We thank You for Your truth. And Father, we pray that You would indeed give us a godly concern, followed with godly faith and godly obedience. In Thy name we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T19:30:24Z

Are You Concerned?

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver preaches from Joel 2:11-14, warning that God is a God of judgment who uses armies—insects, nations, and nature—to punish sin. He calls for genuine repentance, a rent heart rather than mere outward sorrow, and urges believers to respond with godly concern, faith, and practical preparation for temporal judgments upon a sinful nation.

Introduction: The Question of Concern

Weaver introduces the sermon's central question: 'Are you concerned?' He asserts that most people, including Christians, ignore the reality of God's judgment, preferring ignorance over truth.

Scripture Reading — Joel 2:11-14

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? Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn you even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning, 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. 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.

So the question is, and you shall hear it several times today, are you concerned?

God is a God of Judgment

The Book of Joel: Present and Coming Judgment

Joel warns that Judah is already under judgment through agricultural devastation, but the worst is yet to come. God's judgments affect every area of life, including joy and liberty.

A Severe Warning: The Lord's Army

Joel 2:11 describes God uttering His voice before His army. God commands vast armies—insects, animals, nations—that obey instantly and bring devastation at His appointed time.

Threefold Terror of God's Judgment

A Solemn Witness: Call to Genuine Repentance

Worldly Sorrow vs. Godly Sorrow

Using Ahab and Judas as examples, Weaver distinguishes worldly sorrow (regret over consequences) from godly sorrow (grief over sin against God). Only godly sorrow leads to salvation.

The Wonder of Divine Mercy

Despite His justice, God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and willing to forgive. The marvel is not that God judges sin, but that He offers mercy to sinners.

Temporal Judgments and the Law of Sowing and Reaping

Verse 14 acknowledges that even with repentance, temporal consequences may remain. Forgiveness does not always remove earthly judgments, as seen in David's life.

Applications: Godly Concern in Action

Are You Concerned?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	5GGhmjdVS4Y
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-12-03
Dictation Name
Book	Book 084: Proverbs: Kingship, Household Wisdom, and Warning — Chapter 7
Source Timed Segments	74

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Question of Concern: Weaver introduces the sermon's central question: 'Are you concerned?' He asserts that most people, including Christians, ignore the reality of God's judgment, preferring ignorance over truth.
God is a God of Judgment: Scripture declares God as a God of judgment, known by His judgments, with justice and judgment as the foundation of His throne. His immutability means His judgments do not change with culture or time.
The Book of Joel: Present and Coming Judgment: Joel warns that Judah is already under judgment through agricultural devastation, but the worst is yet to come. God's judgments affect every area of life, including joy and liberty.
A Severe Warning: The Lord's Army: Joel 2:11 describes God uttering His voice before His army. God commands vast armies—insects, animals, nations—that obey instantly and bring devastation at His appointed time.
Threefold Terror of God's Judgment: The verse reveals three terrors: the camp is very great (a numerous army), He is strong who executes His word (invincible power), and the day of the Lord is great and terrible (inescapable destruction).
A Solemn Witness: Call to Genuine Repentance: In light of coming judgment, God calls for turning to Him with all the heart, fasting, weeping, and mourning—a rent heart, not just rent garments. True repentance involves turning from sin to God in faith.
Worldly Sorrow vs. Godly Sorrow: Using Ahab and Judas as examples, Weaver distinguishes worldly sorrow (regret over consequences) from godly sorrow (grief over sin against God). Only godly sorrow leads to salvation.
The Wonder of Divine Mercy: Despite His justice, God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and willing to forgive. The marvel is not that God judges sin, but that He offers mercy to sinners.
Temporal Judgments and the Law of Sowing and Reaping: Verse 14 acknowledges that even with repentance, temporal consequences may remain. Forgiveness does not always remove earthly judgments, as seen in David's life.
Applications: Godly Concern in Action: A godly concern leads to faith, obedience, and practical preparation for temporal judgments. Believers should examine their lives, turn to God, and wisely respond to the signs of judgment in the nation.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

God's judgments are consistent across time because He is immutable.

The sins that brought judgment in biblical times are the same sins that bring judgment today, as God does not change.

Weaver says, 'The sins that merited and brought forth God's judgments thousands of years ago are the same sins that merit and bring forth God's judgments today.' He cites Malachi 3:6.

God's army is vast and obedient, ensuring judgment is inescapable.

God commands insects, animals, nations, and even stars to execute His will, and they never fail.

Weaver references Psalm 105:34, Isaiah 7:18, Isaiah 10:5, and Judges 5:20, and says, 'not one of them faileth.'

True repentance is internal, not external.

God requires a broken and contrite heart, not mere religious rituals or outward displays of sorrow.

Weaver expounds Joel 2:13 and Psalm 51:16-17: 'The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.'

Worldly sorrow is insufficient for salvation.

Many people regret the consequences of sin but never truly turn to God, like Ahab and Judas.

Weaver cites 2 Corinthians 7:10 and describes Ahab's sackcloth (1 Kings 21:27) and Judas's repentance (Matthew 27:3) as examples of worldly sorrow.

God's mercy is astonishing given His justice.

It is a wonder that a holy God offers forgiveness to sinners who have grievously offended Him.

Weaver shares Spurgeon's quote about Jacob and says, 'It is indeed a startling wonder.' He cites Lamentations 3:22-23 and Psalm 86:15.

Repentance may not remove all temporal judgments.

Even forgiven sin can have lasting earthly consequences due to the law of sowing and reaping.

Weaver explains Joel 2:14 and uses David's example: 'Did his child die? Yeah. Did David reap what he had sown? Yeah.'

A godly concern must lead to practical action.

Believers should examine their lives, turn to God, and prepare wisely for the temporal judgments falling on their nation.

Weaver asks, 'If we know that God's judgment is upon our economic system... what shall we do?' and cites Proverbs 22:3.

Scripture References

Joel 2:11-14: Primary text of the sermon, describing God's army, the call to repentance, and the possibility of mercy.
Proverbs 22:3: The prudent foresee evil and hide, but the simple pass on and are punished; used to urge preparation.
Deuteronomy 32:4: God is the Rock, His work is perfect, all His ways are judgment; cited to prove God is a God of judgment.
Isaiah 30:18: The Lord is a God of judgment; blessed are those who wait for Him.
Psalm 9:16: The Lord is known by the judgment He executes; the wicked are snared in their own work.
Psalm 89:14: Justice and judgment are the habitation of God's throne.
Malachi 3:6: I the Lord change not; used to support God's immutability in judgment.
Joel 1:4-6: Description of locust plagues as God's judgment on the land.
Joel 1:10-12: Agricultural devastation and loss of joy as part of God's judgment.
Psalm 105:34-35: God spoke and locusts came, devouring the land; an example of God's insect army.
Deuteronomy 32:41: If I whet my glittering sword, I will render vengeance; God's timing in judgment.
1 Samuel 2:10: The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken; He thunders from heaven.
Isaiah 7:18-19: God will hiss for the fly and the bee; an army of insects.
Isaiah 10:5-7: Assyria as the rod of God's anger, sent against a hypocritical nation.
Judges 5:20: The stars in their courses fought against Sisera; God uses celestial armies.
Deuteronomy 32:30: How one could chase a thousand unless the Lord had sold them; God fights against His people.
Jeremiah 21:3-6: God will fight against Judah with an outstretched hand, turning their weapons back on them.
Nahum 1:5-6: The mountains quake, who can stand before His indignation; the terror of God's judgment.
1 Thessalonians 1:9: You turned to God from idols; repentance involves turning to God, not just from sin.
Acts 20:21: Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ; both are indispensable.

Historical References

Charles Haddon Spurgeon: Weaver recounts a story where Spurgeon expressed amazement that God loved Jacob, a conniving sinner, more than he struggled with God hating Esau.
Pastor Bob McCurry: Weaver quotes McCurry's saying to unrepentant people: 'God's preparing you for something worse,' connecting it to Joel's message.
Frank Kersey and Kathy Kersey: Weaver mentions a bumper sticker seen by Kathy Kersey: 'Now where are we going in a handbasket?' to illustrate societal decline.

Important Quotes

The prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the wicked, or the foolish, or the simple pass on, and are punished.

Weaver quotes Proverbs 22:3 to emphasize the need for foresight and preparation in light of coming judgment.

The sins that merited and brought forth God's judgments thousands of years ago are the same sins that merit and bring forth God's judgments today.

This statement underscores the immutability of God's moral standards and the consistency of His judgment across time.

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?

Weaver reads Joel 2:11 to introduce the threefold terror of God's judgment, which forms the core of his warning.

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.

This quote from Joel 2:13 is the central call to genuine, internal repentance rather than mere outward show.

Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of, but the sorrow of this world worketh death.

Weaver cites 2 Corinthians 7:10 to distinguish between true repentance and false, worldly regret.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise.

Quoting Psalm 51:17, Weaver highlights that God desires internal brokenness over external rituals.

It is the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, because His compassions, they fail not. They're new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness.

Weaver quotes Lamentations 3:22-23 to emphasize that only God's mercy prevents immediate destruction.

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?

This quote from Joel 2:14 introduces the uncertainty of temporal relief even after repentance, due to the law of sowing and reaping.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what ways do we, like the people of Judah, ignore or downplay the reality of God's judgment in our own lives and nation?

[Context]

Weaver opens by stating that most people, even Christians, have never seriously considered God's judgment and prefer ignorance.

[Question]

How does the immutability of God challenge the modern tendency to view biblical judgments as outdated or irrelevant?

[Context]

Weaver argues that the sins bringing judgment in the past are the same today because God does not change.

[Question]

What are some 'armies' God might be using today to bring judgment, and how should we respond?

[Context]

Weaver describes God's use of insects, nations, and natural forces as His armies.

[Question]

What is the difference between rending our garments and rending our hearts? How can we examine whether our repentance is genuine?

[Context]

Weaver expounds Joel 2:13 and contrasts Ahab's external actions with David's broken heart.

[Question]

Why is it a 'startling wonder' that God offers mercy to sinners? How does this affect our view of His grace?

[Context]

Weaver shares Spurgeon's amazement at God's love for Jacob and emphasizes the marvel of divine forgiveness.

[Question]

How should we balance the assurance of forgiveness with the reality that temporal consequences may remain?

[Context]

Weaver discusses Joel 2:14 and the law of sowing and reaping, using David's life as an example.

[Question]

What practical steps can we take to prepare for temporal judgments on our nation while maintaining faith and obedience?

[Context]

Weaver asks pointed questions about economic, agricultural, and governmental systems and urges godly preparation.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T12:26:57Z