14Who knows? He may turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
even a meal offering and a drink offering to Yahweh, your God.
15Blow the trumpet in Zion!
Sanctify a fast.
Call a solemn assembly.
16Gather the people.
Sanctify the assembly.
Assemble the elders.
Gather the children, and those who nurse from breasts.
Let the bridegroom go out of his room,
and the bride out of her chamber.
17Let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh, weep between the porch and the altar,
and let them say, “Spare your people, Yahweh,
and don’t give your heritage to reproach,
that the nations should rule over them.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”
18Then Yahweh was jealous for his land,
and had pity on his people.
19Yahweh answered his people,
“Behold, I will send you grain, new wine, and oil,
and you will be satisfied with them;
and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.
20But I will remove the northern army far away from you,
and will drive it into a barren and desolate land,
its front into the eastern sea,
and its back into the western sea;
and its stench will come up,
and its bad smell will rise.”
Surely he has done great things.
21Land, don’t be afraid.
Be glad and rejoice, for Yahweh has done great things.
22Don’t be afraid, you animals of the field;
for the pastures of the wilderness spring up,
for the tree bears its fruit.
The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.
23“Be glad then, you children of Zion,
and rejoice in Yahweh, your God;
for he gives you the early rain in just measure,
and he causes the rain to come down for you,
the early rain and the latter rain, as before.
24The threshing floors will be full of wheat,
and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
25I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
the great locust, the grasshopper, and the caterpillar,
my great army, which I sent among you.
26You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied,
and will praise the name of Yahweh, your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you;
and my people will never again be disappointed.
27You will know that I am among Israel,
and that I am Yahweh, your God, and there is no one else;
and my people will never again be disappointed.
The people gather for a very special meeting no one is left out. This will be a momentous occasion as God’s people congregate for a solemn assembly has been called. Together and united from the priests to the Royal house, the youngest to the oldest they will stand before God and call on his name. They weep, confess and repent of their sins and call on God for his mercy. Everyone realised their responsibility, no one blamed the other but fully acknowledged their own sin and their collective sin as a nation. What was God’s response to this solemn assembly?
His response was mercy, healing and restoration. The land was restored, their joy was restored and their name as the people of God was restored. God declared that he will give them back what the locust have eaten. This is one of my most favourite verses in the bible. Often, we think of the years we wasted outside of God’s will. We give too much attention to the times that we failed and got it badly wrong. We question how this can ever be put right or made whole again for the damage seems insurmountable.
Yet here God says not only will I show mercy to you, but I will undo the damage that you have been left with. ‘I will give you back what you lost’ v25. I don’t know how or when this happens, but I know this there are times when I look back on my life and see how God has replaced sorrow with joy, anxiousness with peace, he has taken my hurt and brought healing and where there were once ashes he has brought the beauty of his gentle presence. As we stand in our own solemn assembly may we confess our sins, know his mercy and experience the restoration of what was once lost.