Slices
Prepare
Can you think of a time when you were shaken to the core? What happened? How did you respond at the time, and what impact has it had on you since?
Bible passage
An army of locusts
2 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming.
It is close at hand –
2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness.
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
a large and mighty army comes,
such as never was in ancient times
nor ever will be in ages to come.
3 Before them fire devours,
behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,
behind them, a desert waste –
nothing escapes them.
4 They have the appearance of horses;
they gallop along like cavalry.
5 With a noise like that of chariots
they leap over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire consuming stubble,
like a mighty army drawn up for battle.
6 At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;
every face turns pale.
7 They charge like warriors;
they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,
not swerving from their course.
8 They do not jostle each other;
each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defences
without breaking ranks.
9 They rush upon the city;
they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses;
like thieves they enter through the windows.
10 Before them the earth shakes,
the heavens tremble,
the sun and moon are darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.
11 The Lord thunders
at the head of his army;
his forces are beyond number,
and mighty is the army that obeys his command.
The day of the Lord is great;
it is dreadful.
Who can endure it?
Explore
Until 26 December 2004, most people in the West had not heard the word ‘tsunami’. However, the catastrophe triggered by the powerful earthquake in the Indian ocean that day brought ‘tsunami’ – an unstoppable, enormous wave of devastating destruction – into common parlance. In the same way, ‘the day of the Lord’ (vs 1,11) has the same ability to produce a vivid and fearful effect. ‘The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?’ (v 11).
But what is the prophet describing here? Is it an irresistible military invasion? Is it the locust plague (referred to as an ‘army’ in v 25)? Is it the army of the Lord? In Israel’s collective memory, it is all these things and many other traumas.
There is not always a direct correlation between disaster and God’s direct judgement on human sin. Jesus made this very clear to his contemporaries (see Luke 13:1–5). However, whenever disaster strikes, it is a wake-up call. As CS Lewis wrote in The Problem of Pain (1940), ‘God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.’
Respond
Take time to bring before God any disturbing and challenging situations in your life. What might he be saying to you through them?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 2 Kings 17,18; 2 Corinthians 7
Pray for Scripture Union
Mission Partner MAST in Matlock give thanks for the positive feedback received from schools where Chloe and Hannah, their two school visitors, lead Collective Worship and Walk Through the Bible. Pray that the Christian literature they are giving to pupils will be read and cherished.
