Throughout the book of Joel, we have been looking for the reason for God’s fierce judgment. Here it comes to light. Israel needs to return to God with all their heart, and they must also show this in their behaviour. That has always been God’s first commandment. It is the first thing God wants—the basis of faith and dealing with God (Exodus 20:1–26, worship no other gods besides me; cf. also Jesus’ words: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, Matthew 22:37. So: with all...). When you do not give your whole heart to God—when in addition to serving God you have or allow something else in your life that does not fit with God—you make God so angry that he breaks loose against you with all his divine power. This is where we get scared. For who is there who serves God with all his heart? Is there really nothing in my life that deviates from what God wants? Surely no one can be sure of that? The anger of God is therefore also directed at me, at you, and at every child of God—every human being. So in this book of the Bible there is no special sin that can be done away with, such as an idol, a quarrel, or a conflict with your parents, unfaithfulness in your marriage, unnecessary work on God’s day, theft, etc. God looks into my heart, and he sees that I am not 100 percent focused on him. Surely no one is? Who then can still escape God’s judgment? This scares me supreme! It even raises a question for me: why does this ordinary and common deficiency of my life—the life of every human being—make God so angry?

Who is going to argue with God? Who is going to stand above God to evaluate his judgments and God himself? Greater arrogance is not possible. Bow down reverently and acknowledge that you are unleashing God’s full anger by your divided life and thus your total destruction is inevitable. The only salvation for us is the one that God himself gives.