The First Reading for Ash Wednesday is Joel 2:1-2, 12-17. It is a call to repentance above all. Within this call, however, are important promises, all centering on the nature of God. The question that this text lifts up is "What kind of God do we have?" A merciful one? A wrathful one? Neither? It will be the preacher's task to listen closely and speak the answer to those who will listen.
(The following questions have been developed as a way of exploring how the Word is functioning in a text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers. These questions are best used in conjunction with other fine sets of questions available to exegetes. For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)
1. How does the Word function in the text? There is little doubt that the opening verses of chapter two function as Law. When the Word functions as Law it says, in effect, "You need Jesus!" These verses make clear the need for a Savior. In verses 12-17, however, we have a different story. Yes, we have the call to repentance, but the reason for this call is a Gospel word: "For [the Lord] is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing." In short, we are not exhorted to repentance through threat, but through promise.
2. With whom are you identifying in the text? While it is likely the case that what threatens us is not a cloud of locusts, as was the case for the hearers of Joel's words, yet we too are threatened by many things, amongst them climate devastation. We too are called to repentance in our day and age, for our exploitation of the earth, the vulnerable, those without power, and even our own selves.
3. What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text? The Call to Obedience is always the Word functioning to invite us to live in a certain way in response to God's grace. One could argue that this is the case here. I would argue that the call to repentance is not a call to obedience, but a call to faith, which always precedes the call to obedience. Often, for example, the call to live justly is the call to obedience that follows the call to faith.
4. What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text? Just using the vocabulary provided in the text we could imagine several couplets: fear/faith; a day of darkness and gloom/a day of light and joy.
5. Exegetical work: A number of commentators have noted the connection between the writings of the prophet Hosea and these words attributed to Joel. Christopher Seitz says that "Hosea's final appeal 'sets the context for Joel's call to "solemnize a fast" for all the nations and have the priests beseech God for mercy in the temple court.'" [In Hosea we see God's desire] that his love might lead to repentance and in so doing give new life. Joel shows the righteous judgment of God understood in full force...Yet, inside of this judgment God himself provides, out of his own righteousness, the means for Israel's rescue." (The International Theological Commentary, p. 92) When one translates verse 13, the core of the Gospel in this text, one gets a sense for the amazing graciousness of God. According to the lexicon, the word translated 'gracious' is used only of God, "upon hearing the cry of a vexed debtor." 'Merciful' may also be translated 'compassionate', 'slow to anger' could be ' a long time coming to anger', 'abounding' could be 'rich' in kindness and mercy, and finally 'relenting from punishing' could mean literally "being sorry or suffering grief for the evil/harm that is intended." (The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon). Reflecting on these characteristics of God it seems entirely likely that the people who are called to repentance are so eager to do so in verses 15-17. It is almost as if they have been told of a chance for amnesty and they are not going to miss it!
6. How does the Crossings community model work with this text? Marcus Felde does an inventive analysis of this text based on the imperatives present in the text, and their opposites. He summarizes the Law as the call to Fast, Weep, and Mourn, and the Gospel as the call to Rejoice, Laugh, and Feast. See the entire analysis archived under its reference at crossings.org/text-study.
Blessings on your proclamation!
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