Prepare war, wake up the mighty men.
The final battle between good and evil
I. In this battle evil will gather all its available energies. “Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the up.” mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come This is sublime irony. The wicked will collect all their agencies for this last struggle. The prophet intimates that all this shall only render their destruction more complete. Great armies are arrayed against God. They are bold in atheism. They are cunning in sin. They are malicious in temper. But “let them come up,” and they shall be consumed by the breath of the Lord. Evil has many agencies. It has many “mighty men” on its side. They are united in their purpose. Their dormant energies will be awakened. But they cannot be finally victorious.
II. In this battle evil will turn many useful agencies into destructive instruments. “Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.” When Isaiah and Micah prophesied of the kingdom of Christ, they said, “Beat your swords into pruning-hooks, and your spears into ploughshares” (Isaiah 2:1-22.; Micah 4:1-13.). This sentence is now inverted by Joel. The words of Isaiah show the condition of the world under the rule of goodness. The words of Joel show the condition of men under the tyranny of evil. Sin converts the instruments of peace into the implements of war. And in the last great battle between good and evil, many useful principles and institutions will be converted into the means of attack upon truth. The peaceful life and words of Christ have been turned into swords; and eminently will this be the case in the last great conflict with evil.
III. In this battle evil will present itself as naturally ready for destruction. “Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.” There are here two metaphors, one taken from the harvest, the other from the vintage,--.indicating that sin shall reach its limit. This gives us insight into the method of the Divine government. Sin is not always destroyed in its earliest stage. It remains as a discipline to the world. It tests the patience and moral resistance of the good. The time of its harvest is not yet.
IV. In this battle the natural and helpful agencies of the universe shall aid the defeat of moral evil. “The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.” When the wicked gather for the great battle they will find the ordinary agencies of the universe against them.
V. In this battle the good shall enjoy the divine protection. “The Lord also shall roar out of Zion,” etc. Lessons:--
1. That evil often leads the Church of God into captivity.
2. That moral evil is advancing to its perilous destiny.
3. That the good will finally triumph over the combined forces of evil. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)