Message: An exhortation to repent by Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

 Message: An exhortation to repent

 By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music                                      

Date: September 25, 2025

 

            According to Leviticus 23:23-44 Three Festivals occurred in the seventh month   (Tishri, Sept.- Oct.) 1) Trumpet blasts, 2) Atonements, and 3)Tabernacles. The blowing of a trumpet (The shofar or ram's horn) on the first day signaled the beginning of the civil New Year- Rosh Hashanah (Num.29:1-16). On the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord's Feast of Tabernacles begins, it lasts for seven days.   

  Day of the Lord         

             Joel’s prophecy of future desolation in Joel 2:1-11, the locust army is regarded as a foretaste of an invading army in the Day of the Lord. “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, 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 of old nor ever will be in ages to come…”(Joel 2: 1-2) in the tribulation period. The future reference may be to the demon-locusts described in Rev.9:1-12 or to the invasion of the king of the North (Ezek.38:15; Dan.11:40). Resembling the Garden of Eden before the invasion, the land of Palestine will be reduced to a wilderness afterward (v.3). The same disturbances described in verse 10 “Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the starts no longer shine” are predicted in Rev.6:12-13;8:12. The Lord thunders at the head of His army; His forces are beyond number and mighty are those who obey His command. The Day of the Lord great; it is dreadful who can endure it?” (Joel 2:11).    

 Joel’s exhortation to repent

         Joel’s exhortation to repent, he calls to personal repentance that comes from the heart, and call to national repentance in a sacred assembly from which on one, not even babies or newlyweds, would be exempt (Deut.24:5). In Joel 2: 12-14 says,

             “Even now”, declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing –grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God.” (Joel 2:12)

Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people; consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, “Spare your people, O Lord. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, “where is their God?” (Joel 2:15-17)

Zephaniah’s prophecy,

Zephaniah predicted the doom of heathen nations, both immediately (as Nineveh, which fell in 612) and in the future (3:8) the book closes with a glorious description of the future Millennium (also an aspect of the Day of the Lord.) Day of the Lord (Joel 2:1-11; Isa.13:6-13) the soon –coming captivity, in which Judah would be the sacrifice and the nations guests in Babylon, was but a preview of the much worse punishment of the still future Day of the Lord (Matt.6:24).

He said, “Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near. The Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited. On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice I will punish the princes and the king’s sons and all those clad in foreign clothes. On that day I will punish all who avoid stepping on the threshold, who fill the temple of their gods with violence and deceit.” (Zephaniah 1: 7-9)

        “At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, “The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.” Their wealth will be plundered, their houses demolished. They will build houses but not live in them; they will plant vineyards but not drink the wine.” (Zephaniah 1:12-13) 

         The great day of the Lord is near- near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the Lord will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there.

             That day will be a day of wrath,

              A day of distress and anguish,

              A day of trouble and ruin,

              A day of darkness and gloom,

              A day of clouds and blackness,

              A day of trumpet and battle cry, against the fortified cities and against the corner towers.  I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath. In the fire of His jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for He will make a sudden end of all who live on the earth.  (Zephaniah 1:14-18)

 Zephaniah’s exhortation to repent

        Zephaniah urges people to repent, and gather together,

             1)  Before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff,

               2) Before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you,

              3) Before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes upon you.

             4) Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands.

             5) Seek righteousness, seek humility, perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the    Lord’s anger.   

                   Psalm 81 This psalm, associated with the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev.23:34-43) opens with a summons to praise (vv.1-5), continues with an exhortation to remember(vv.6-10), and concludes with a call to repent (vv.11-16). Verse 3 The New Moon. The beginning of the seventh month, when the trumpet was blown (Lev.23:24). When the moon is full. On the fifteenth day, when the Feast of Tabernacles began. Verse 5 the language they did not know is Egypt was the call to liberation from Egypt of verse 6.          

Psalm 81 :1-16

Sing for joy to God our strength, shout aloud to the God of Jacob! Begin the music, strike the tambourine, play the melodious harp and lyre. Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our Feast; this is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob. He established it as a statute for Joseph when he went out against Egypt, where we heard a language, we did not understand. (vv.1-5).        

He says, “I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket.” In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. (vv.6-7).

Hear, O my people, and I will warn you --- if you would but listen to me, O Israel! You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not down to an alien god. I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. (vv.8-10).

But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. “ If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes! (vv.11-14).

Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” (vv.15-16).

    During three Festivals in the seventh month (Tishri, Sept.- Oct.) Trumpets blasts, Atonements, and Tabernacles, it’s important for us to repent of the sins, pride, wickedness, arrogance, violence, haughty, deceitfulness, drunkenness and idolatry. Seek the Lord, seek righteousness, seek humility, and humble before the Lord, fear the Lord, perhaps we may be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger and wrath. His compassion, forgiveness, mercy may pour out to us and bless us.  Be ready for the Day of the Lord, means to repent your sins, be holy, be pure, be clean, be whole, be true, and be faithful and pursue righteousness. The Day of the Lord is near and coming quickly.  Be ready! 

Bibliography,

Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.