Joel 2:16

"Blow the trumpet in Zion! Sanctify a fast. Call a solemn assembly."

Key Reflection

This passage calls for a communal response to divine judgment, urging the people to seek God through fasting and prayer while sounding an alarm to gather the community for worship. It reflects a call to repentance and preparedness in the face of impending divine action.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Sanctify the congregation -o: “Do what in you lies, by monishing, exhorting, threatening, giving the example of a holy life, that the whole people present itself holy before its God” , “lest your prayers be hindered, and a little leaven corrupt the whole lump.” Assemble the elders -o: “The judgment concerned all; all then were to join in seeking mercy from God. None were on any pretence to be exempted; not the oldest, whose strength was decayed, or the youngest, who might seem not yet of strength.” The old also are commonly freer from sin and more given to prayer. Gather the children -o: “He Who feedeth the young ravens when they cry, will not neglect the cry of poor children.

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