John Calvin Commentary Joel 3:9-11

"Proclaim ye this among the nations; prepare war; stir up the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Jehovah." — Joel 3:9-11 (ASV)

Some think these words were announced so that the people, terrified by their evils, would not become completely dejected. They derive this meaning: that God placed this dreadful spectacle of evils before their eyes so that the Jews could prepare and strengthen themselves to endure them; that even if nations were to rise up everywhere, they might still remain steadfast in the hope that God would be the defender of his own Church.

But the Prophet, I do not doubt, continues the same discourse and denounces war on the heathen nations who had afflicted the Church with so many troubles. Publish this, he says, among the nations, proclaim war, rouse the strong; let them come, let them ascend: And we know how necessary it was by such means to confirm what he had previously said, for the ungodly are moved by no threats; indeed, they laugh to scorn all God's judgments, while the faithful, yielding to their afflictions, can hardly raise up their minds, even when God promises to be their helper.

Unless, then, the matter had been set forth as if painted before their eyes, they would not have experienced the power of consolation. Hence, the lively representation we see here was intended for this purpose: that the people, being led to view the whole event, could entertain hope of their future salvation, as they now saw God collecting his army and mustering his forces to punish the enemies of his Church.

The faithful, then, not only hearing in mere words that this would happen, but also seeing, so to speak, with their own eyes what the Lord sets forth by a figure and a lively representation, were more effectually impressed and felt more assured that God would eventually become their deliverer.

So now we see why the Prophet here commands war to be announced and proclaimed everywhere, and also why he commands the strong to assemble and all men of war to ascend; as if he said, “The Lord will not disappoint you with empty words, but will come equipped with an army to save you.

When you hear, then, that he will be the author of your salvation, think also that all nations are in his power, and that the whole world can in a moment be roused up by his rod, so that all its forces may come together from all directions, and all the power of the world assemble in obedience to him.

Know, then, that being provided with his forces, he does not come to you unequipped, nor does he feed you with mere words, as those are accustomed to do who have no help to give but words only. This is not what God does; for he can execute even today what he has denounced; but he waits for the ripened time.

In the meantime, give him his honor, and know that the means to protect you are not lacking, if he wished; but he would have you be subject to the cross and to tribulations for a time, so that he may eventually avenge the wrongs done to you.”

It may now be asked who are the nations meant by the Prophet? For he said before that God would visit all nations with punishment, whereas at that time there was no nation in the world friendly to the Jews. But there is nothing inconsistent in this, for God caused all the enemies of the Church to assail one another on every side and to destroy themselves with mutual slaughter.

Hence, when he designed to take vengeance on the Tyrians and Sidonians, he roused up the Persians and Medes; and when he intended to punish the Persians and Medes, he called the Greeks into Asia; and he had previously brought the Assyrians low. Thus he armed all nations, but each in its turn; and one after another they underwent the punishment they deserved.

And so the Prophet's expression must not be taken in too restricted a sense, as if the Lord would simultaneously collect an army from the whole world to punish the enemies of his Church; but rather that he rouses the whole world, so that some suffer punishment from others, and yet no enemy of the Church remains unpunished.

We now perceive the Prophet's purpose in saying, Publish this among the nations; that is, God will stir up dreadful tumults throughout the whole world, and will do this for the sake of his Church. For though he exposes his people to many miseries, he will still have the remnant saved, as we have seen before.

He afterward adds, Beat your plowshares into swords. When Isaiah and Micah prophesied of the kingdom of Christ, they said, Beat your swords into pruninghooks, and your spears into plowshares (Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3). This statement is now inverted by Joel. The words of Isaiah and Micah were intended figuratively to show that the world would be at peace when Christ reconciled men to God and taught them to cultivate brotherly kindness.

But the Prophet says here that there would be turbulent commotions everywhere, so that no use would be made of the plow or of the pruning hook; farmers would cease from their labor, and the land would remain waste.

For this is the case when a whole country is exposed to violence: no one dares go out, all desert their fields, and cultivation is neglected.

Hence the Prophet says, Turn your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears; that is, field labor will cease, and all will strenuously apply themselves to war. And let the weak say, I am strong, for there will then be no exemption from war.

Excuses, we know, were formerly accepted on the grounds of age or disease when soldiers were conscripted; and if anyone could have pleaded disease, he was dismissed. But the Prophet says that there will be no exemption then: “God,” he says, “will excuse no one; he will compel all to become warriors, he will even draw out all the sick from their beds; all will be forced to take up arms.”

Hence, it appears how ardently the Lord loves his Church, since he spares no nations and no people, and exempts no one from punishment; for all who have troubled the Church must necessarily receive their recompense. Since God then so severely punishes the enemies of his Church, he thereby gives singular evidence of his paternal love to us.

Finally, he concludes, There will Jehovah overthrow your mighty ones. Though the Prophet uses the singular “your,” he no doubt refers to the whole earth, as if he said, “Whatever enemies there may be to my people, I will cut them down, however strong they may be.”

We now perceive that everything the Prophet has said until now has been for this purpose—to show that God takes care of the safety of his Church, even in its heaviest afflictions. He will be the avenger of wrongs, after having for a time tested the patience of his people and chastised their faults.

Consequently, there will be a turn in the state of things, so that the condition of the Church will always be more desirable, even amid its greatest evils, than that of those whom the Lord tolerates and indulges, and on whom he does not so quickly take vengeance.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that as we are assailed on every side by enemies, and as not only the wicked according to the flesh are enraged against us, but Satan also musters his forces and plots in various ways to ruin us—O grant that we, being equipped with the courage Your Spirit bestows, may fight to the end under Your guidance and never be weary under any evils. And may we, at the same time, be humbled under Your mighty hand when it pleases You to afflict us, and so endure all our troubles that with a courageous mind we may strive for that victory which You promise to us, and that, having completed all our struggles, we may at last attain that blessed rest which is reserved for us in heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.