John Calvin Commentary Joel 2:26

"And ye shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and shall praise the name of Jehovah your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you; and my people shall never be put to shame." — Joel 2:26 (ASV)

He now concludes what he has until now said of God’s blessing. As the Jews were starving while God was offended, so he promises that when reconciled to him they should have an abundance of produce from the land: Ye shall eat plentifully, he says, and satisfy yourselves. But he also mentions their gratitude, for it was an evidence of true repentance when they praised the name of God, whom they understood to be the giver of their abundance. For he had previously proved that the land was under his power when he consumed its whole substance, so that none of it came to supply the needs of man.

Hence the Prophet exhorts them to give thanks, that they might thus declare that they repented from the heart. Ye shall then praise the name of Jehovah your God. Why? Because he will deal with you wonderfully. He here takes away every plea for ignorance. We know how difficult it is to lead men to do this act of religion, for which we nevertheless confess that we were born; for what is more natural than to acknowledge God’s bounty towards us when we enjoy many blessings?

And yet, though God in various ways stimulates us, he cannot draw from us genuine gratitude. This is the reason why the Prophet now says, “God will deal with you wonderfully: though you are stupid, God will still by his power awaken you; for he will not deal with you in a common way.”

He then mentions something miraculous, so that he might leave the Jews no excuse if they did not consider God’s bounty and did not perceive in this change, first, what they had deserved, and then, how merciful God had been to them. For this change could not have been ascribed to chance. Nor was it a common thing that, when the Jews had been for four successive years nearly consumed with needs and when the enemy was at hand, they should see the land now fruitful, see it freed from destructive insects, and also be at peace, not disturbed by the dread of any foreign enemy.

Since the Lord, then, would beyond hope give them a serene instead of a turbulent sky, should not such a wonderful change deeply affect them? This is what the Prophet now means — “As the Lord will deal with you wonderfully, there will be no excuse for your lethargy if you will not be diligent in praising his name.”

Not ashamed, he says, shall my people be for ever. The Jews are here reminded by implication of their former disgrace, for they had been greatly confounded. Though enemies did not touch them, no, not even with their finger, they nevertheless died through famine; an enemy was also prepared, as we have seen, to destroy them. They were therefore frightened with dread and also perplexed by their own evils, by which God had almost worn them out. The Prophet says now, My people shall not be ashamed for ever, intimating that God would eventually relieve his people from their evils, so that they would no longer be ashamed as they had been previously. He finally adds—