Joe 1:5 | KingComments | STEP | After having called upon the elders and all other inhabitants of the country to listen to him, Joel now speaks especially to the drunkards. Drunkards are people who abuse God’s blessings. That he must urge them to wake up, despite the fact that they have nothing left to drink, shows how blind and insensitive they are to the expressions of God’s discontent. They are still sleeping off their intoxication, while God speaks so seriously. Drunkards are apparently present in large numbers because they can be addressed as a group. Many Judeans still live on in a carefree daze. Here, the carefree joy is especially denounced. Those who are not awakened by God’s voice in His Word shall be awakened by His discipline. Those who do not come to a standstill by distant judgments, will experience them in the flesh. It is righteous that God takes away their luxury and excess. The more a person makes his happiness dependent on what satisfies him and what gives satisfaction to his feelings, the harder he experiences the judgment when it hits him in these things. Suddenly they will discover that all these blessings have not given real satisfaction, because they have been enjoyed apart from God to satisfy their own desires. They will cry and wail. Five times it is spoken about lamentations in this chapter ( ). The only people for whom this judgment is not a punishment are the Nazirites. For they drink no wine; they have voluntarily renounced it ( ). The Nazarite is a beautiful picture of someone who, completely voluntarily, offers himself to the Lord to live alone for Him. In so doing, he renounces things that are not wrong in themselves – it was not wrong for an Israelite to drink wine – but that do carry the danger, that full devotion to Christ is hindered. To renounce earthly blessings means that these things are given a subordinate place. It means: renouncing the right to spend your money and good, your time and capacities according to your own idea. You surrender everything to Christ so that He has authority over it. Christians who voluntarily renounce the enjoyment of earthly blessings will not grieve if they miss those blessings suddenly. Drunkenness is the only sin mentioned in this book in connection with Israel. Therefore, it seems that this sin in particular characterizes the state of the people. Drunkenness means that we take abundantly and separately from God the things He has given to man in His creation to enjoy. Every person who professes to be in connection with God, but in reality lives apart from Him, is not able to form a sober and thoughtful judgment about the things of life. He is clouded in his thinking. Living apart from God means that we do not involve God in the things of life. We plan without consulting Him what He thinks of it. Planning is not wrong, but it is wrong to make plans without consulting Him and then accept His decision. Once the people of God have come to live in such a way, God must use drastic methods to awaken them out of ‘their intoxication’. He wants to be involved in everything His people do. He cannot allow His people to pass Him by, not to consult Him.

‏ Joel 1:5

Drunkards

After having called upon the elders and all other inhabitants of the country to listen to him, Joel now speaks especially to the drunkards. Drunkards are people who abuse God’s blessings. That he must urge them to wake up, despite the fact that they have nothing left to drink, shows how blind and insensitive they are to the expressions of God’s discontent. They are still sleeping off their intoxication, while God speaks so seriously. Drunkards are apparently present in large numbers because they can be addressed as a group. Many Judeans still live on in a carefree daze.

Here, the carefree joy is especially denounced. Those who are not awakened by God’s voice in His Word shall be awakened by His discipline. Those who do not come to a standstill by distant judgments, will experience them in the flesh. It is righteous that God takes away their luxury and excess. The more a person makes his happiness dependent on what satisfies him and what gives satisfaction to his feelings, the harder he experiences the judgment when it hits him in these things. Suddenly they will discover that all these blessings have not given real satisfaction, because they have been enjoyed apart from God to satisfy their own desires. They will cry and wail. Five times it is spoken about lamentations in this chapter (Joel 1:5 ; 8 ; 9 ; 10 ; 11).

The only people for whom this judgment is not a punishment are the Nazirites. For they drink no wine; they have voluntarily renounced it (Num 6:1-4). The Nazarite is a beautiful picture of someone who, completely voluntarily, offers himself to the Lord to live alone for Him. In so doing, he renounces things that are not wrong in themselves – it was not wrong for an Israelite to drink wine – but that do carry the danger, that full devotion to Christ is hindered.

To renounce earthly blessings means that these things are given a subordinate place. It means: renouncing the right to spend your money and good, your time and capacities according to your own idea. You surrender everything to Christ so that He has authority over it. Christians who voluntarily renounce the enjoyment of earthly blessings will not grieve if they miss those blessings suddenly.

Drunkenness is the only sin mentioned in this book in connection with Israel. Therefore, it seems that this sin in particular characterizes the state of the people. Drunkenness means that we take abundantly and separately from God the things He has given to man in His creation to enjoy. Every person who professes to be in connection with God, but in reality lives apart from Him, is not able to form a sober and thoughtful judgment about the things of life. He is clouded in his thinking.

Living apart from God means that we do not involve God in the things of life. We plan without consulting Him what He thinks of it. Planning is not wrong, but it is wrong to make plans without consulting Him and then accept His decision. Once the people of God have come to live in such a way, God must use drastic methods to awaken them out of ‘their intoxication’. He wants to be involved in everything His people do. He cannot allow His people to pass Him by, not to consult Him.