If you grew up attending a Pentecostal church you probably sang the song, Blow the Trumpet in Zion, in church a few times. I remember seeing people march around the inside of the church (yes, they were very Pentecostal) as they sang along with the worship team and celebrated the armies of God being victorious over his enemies. There is just one small problem. The Bible verse where the text of this song is drawn from does not have anything to do with victorious battles of overthrowing God’s enemies. It is actually a verse about judgment.
Joel 2:9-11 says this, “They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls; they climb up into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief. The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. The LORD utters his voice at the head of his army; how vast is his host! Numberless are those who obey his command.” If one pulls these two verses out of context, one could certainly make an assumption about the focus of the content. But in context, we find the real meaning.
Joel 1:4 and 2:25 clue us in. This great army was an army of locusts sent by God to judge the Israelites. The trumpet blasts were not for sending the army into battle, they were for calling the people to repentance and fasting. Joel prophesied about a coming judgment and told the people God may relent if they quickly repented. Context is key.