Our text is in the book of Joel, chapter three, verses one through three. For the sake of context, we will begin the reading in chapter two at verse 28. This is part ten of this series. Perhaps a brief review with a few reminders is in order. We do not have a concrete date for the life and writing of this prophet. It is difficult to discern from this book whether Joel wrote this prophecy before the division of Israel, or before the exile to Babylon. We do believe that Joel wrote of an actual calamity of locusts brought by God as a chastisement on Israel. As this is prophecy, we should also understand that more than one fulfillment is of this prophecy is possible. As concerns prophecy in general, there is usually a near fulfillment that the original hearers would observe, and a far fulfillment that is a future event. That future event is always future from the writer’s perspective. That future fulfillment may be in the past from our perspective.
It is also possible that the future fulfillment is still future from our
perspective. Generally speaking, the greater fulfillment of any Old Testament
is found either in the first coming of Jesus Christ, or His return. In this
book of the prophecy of Joel, we find elements of all those possibilities.
Remember, the prophets were given a message from God for the people of God. One
other element of prophecy that we must keep in mind is that prophecy can be a
foretelling of future events, or a forth-telling of current events. Again, in
this book of Joel, we find both. Joel explained the four waves of devastating
locusts sent by God upon the land of Israel. While some contend that these
locusts were representative of conquering empires, others maintain that these
were actual voracious, consuming insects that physically devoured every growing
green thing throughout the land of Israel.
I believe the latter is the accurate interpretation. While the locust invasion
may portend of the coming invasion of conquering empire armies is a
possibility, we cannot overlook the plain reading of this prophecy. By this
method, we see that Joel has told the people that it was God who brought this
plague of locusts. It was not some random “act of nature.” The locusts, whether
in Joel’s day or in our day, belong to God. He will send them to accomplish His
purposes wherever and whenever He so chooses. His purpose in sending the
locusts upon Israel in Joel’s day was to get the attention of a wayward people.
Even the livestock were found gazing soberly on barren land with despairing
eyes, wondering what they would eat.
The bark of the grape vines and fig trees had been chewed through the cambium,
putting an end to hopes for any harvest of fruit. There would be no wine. The
drunkards were forced into sobriety. The farmers had no grain in the fields,
and they hung their heads in shame. Most devastating of all, the priests would
not be able to offer the prescribed offerings in worship to God. The was food
cut off before their eyes, Joy and gladness from the house of God.
Joel’s imperative to the priests
was that they were to consecrate a fast, gather the people, and sanctify them
for a devout, whole-hearted prayer meeting. The people were admonished to cry
out to God! Their situation looked hopeless. The storehouses were empty, the
barns were broken down. The people then had to admit that God was their only
hope!
The first part of chapter two gave
a vivid, poetic description of how the locusts had mowed down everything in
their path, and left only desolation in their wake. In the second part of
chapter two, the prophet called for the people to repent of their sins, and
return to God for forgiveness and hope.
It appears from this third division
of chapter three that the people did repent. It appears that their repentance
was genuine, and acceptable to God. The locusts had served their purpose. The
people had relented of their waywardness. Jehovah was zealous for His land, and
had pity on His people. As only God can, He restored what the locusts had
eaten.
For His own glory, God provided abundant blessings to the point of satisfaction
to His people. Beyond that, we have a foretelling of a future event in the promise
of the generous outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We know that this was the
foretelling of future event in Joel’s day, because Peter quotes from this
passage in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, and says with Apostolic
authority that the people in his day are experiencing what Joel wrote about
centuries before. With those thoughts in mind, and for the sake of context, we
will begin the reading at chapter two, verse 28, and read through chapter
three, verse three.
- "And
it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all
flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall
dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
- And
also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in
those days.
- "And
I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and
pillars of smoke.
- The
sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the
coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
- And
it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be
saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As
the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.
- "For
behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of
Judah and Jerusalem,
- I
will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of
Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of
My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations;
They have also divided up My land. - They
have cast lots for My people,
Have given a boy as payment for a harlot,
And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.
Based on what Peter said, Joel has
evidently seen beyond his day. What follows from chapter two, verse 28 onward
is future for Joel. The Holy Spirit was poured out generously on the people of
God on the day of Pentecost. Previously, in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit
was given in limited measure to small groups of men serving in specific
callings in ministry to Israel. In the New Testament, on the day of Pentecost,
we see a new thing happening, or perhaps it is better said that we see an old
thing happen in a new way.
God’s purpose has not changed. His Spirit is given in ministry to His people. Specifically, in Acts chapter eight, we see further evidence of the Holy Spirit, when Peter and John go to Samaria to confirm the rumors they had heard about Philip’s ministry. In Acts chapters 10 and 11, Peter again confirms that the Holy Spirit is present at the house of Cornelius. Each of these events signified that the grace of God had exceed the physical borders and ancestral lineage of Israel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ was not confined to a single family or a single ethnic group or a single nation. God has a people in every kindred, tribe, and tongue. The Israel of God is not the biological descendants of Abraham. The Israel of God are the believers who are the spiritual descendants of Abraham. In the New Testament, the true Israel of God is called the Church of Jesus Christ. Well, as Joel saw beyond his time to the Day of Pentecost in Peter’s day, so did he also see beyond. If you have not yet rejoiced in the hope as presented thus far in Joel’s prophecy, please pay attention to what we read in chapter three. What we read here is eschatological. It is prophecy and it tells of last things. This is the glorious hope of a coming day when all will be put right.
We are currently living through
strange days. Evil parades around unashamedly. That which for centuries was
considered taboo, is on display for all to see. A minority of deviants who
believe they are marginalized, have done their best to make the rest of us
believe that their deviant behavior is normal. They demand that we accept their
perversions. They celebrate these perversions proudly.
They use genteel words to make their perversions sound normal. For the most part, Western Civilization has
been tolerant and even complicit.
We are told that abortion is about
women’s health. The truth is that abortion is infanticide. We must be honest
about it.
Pedophiles are offended by the
stigma attached to that term. They prefer to be called “minor attracted
persons.” We MUST be honest about this too: Pedophilia is molestation and rape
of minors. They should be offended and ashamed about the stigma attached to the
term. Their attraction is not normal. It is a sick psychological condition
which is said to be incurable. Even the most hardened murderers in prison
understand that. Convicted pedophiles are often terminated by other inmates who
serve the justice that our justice system is too weak-willed to enforce. One
political party is always accusing everyone else of racism, while they are
seeking to create privileges based on skin color, ethnicity, or national
origin.
We are living in strange times. Our
country was founded by Pilgrims who were seeking the freedom to worship God in
accordance with their understanding of the truth of God’s Word. Look how far we
have come in 400 years. We have gone from finding the freedom to preach the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, to having reasonable doubts as to whether our own
government might force the church to go underground. Christians came to
American looking for the freedom to worship God. Do not take that freedom for
granted. It may not be long before we are looking for that freedom again. I do
not relish having to alert you to these realities and the possibilities that
may soon blossom into reality. I do have good news. At least, if you are a
believer it is good news. We may have to endure hardships in this life. We may
have to endure persecution for the cause of Christ. American Christians will
not be the first to go through this. Evil has been present throughout the
history of mankind. The righteous-minded children of God have always been
targets. It is not that the world really hates us individually. The world hates
the God we believe in. The world hates what the church stands for.
The world hates that there is
coming a day when they will have to face the God they hate.
Our Almighty, Merciful, Gracious, Loving God has been patient. He is
long-suffering.
We find hope in Psalm 2:1-4
- Why
do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?
- The
kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, - "Let
us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us." - He
who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The LORD shall hold them in derision.
Joel gives us similar encouragement
in his prophecy. As we look at the first three verses of chapter three, we see
that the evil that is present in the world around us today is the same old evil
that was present in Joel’s day. As the people of God, we have this assurance
from God that evil will not go unpunished. Oh yes, unbelievers may think that
they have escaped God’s judgment and His wrath, but Joel tells us otherwise.
- "For
behold, in those days and at that time,
When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, - I
will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of
Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of
My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations;
They have also divided up My land. - They
have cast lots for My people,
Have given a boy as payment for a harlot,
And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.
That is the voice of God. He is the
One who is speaking in these verses. Please take note of the personal pronouns
I and My. Our almighty God has a plan.
It has always been His plan. One day, everyone will see God’s plan fulfilled.
There are parallels in this prophecy. In the first part of the book, God has
seen the wrong committed by His people. They were on the wrong paths, and they
were doing wrong things. Jehovah chastised them by sending locusts to get their
attention. He was using corrective punishment to bring them back to Himself. He
used the spiritual leaders in Israel to call the people to true repentance.
Jehovah’s observations are not limited to the wrongs done by His people.
Jehovah also observes the wrongs that have been and are being done to His
people. When we look at chapter three, we see that God’s actions extend beyond
the correction of His people to the judgment of His people’s enemies.
This is the time of the gathering of God’s people unto Himself. The imagery of
the captives of Judah and Jerusalem returning from exile in Babylon are
symbolic of the sum of God’s people throughout the earth. In John 6:37, Jesus
said, "All that
the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will
certainly not cast out.”
Joel has seen the final gathering
of God’s people on that great and final day of the Lord. In verse two, we read
the promise of Almighty God, “I
will gather all nations,” No one will be exempt from this
gathering. No one will be tardy, and no one will be absent. Jehovah has said
that He will gather all nations. All people from every corner of the earth will
come to this gathering, because it is God who is gathering all nations to this
great assembly. He says that all will be brought down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
If you have ever studied historic maps of Israel, you may have wondered where
this valley is. No map of Israel has this valley named on it. Jehoshaphat, King
of Judah, is mentioned in the books of 1st & 2nd
Kings and 1st and 2nd Chronicles. He was the fourth King
of Judah. He was said to be a king of great abundance. For the most part,
Jehoshaphat was a good king. Herbert Lockyer comments that Jehoshaphat was one
of the godliest kings ever to sit on the throne of Judah. However, there is no
valley in Palestine named for this once great, godly king of Judah. We have
previously noted that names in the Bible have meaning. The name Jehoshaphat
means Jehovah is Judge. That should give us a sense of what is coming in God’s
great purpose for this gathering.
Joel wrote that Jehovah said, “I will enter into judgment them
there.” This is a place
that Jehovah has determined to gather all nations for the final judgment. Why? On account of My people,
My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations;
There is more going on here than
first meets the eye. This is the short form of the explanation of God’s reason
for His judgment of all nations. The forced scattering of Israel by Assyria was
a judgment of God brought on Israel through the instrumental work of the
Assyrian Empire. God did not cause Assyria to do what they did. Assyria
committed atrocities against all the people they conquered. God merely removed
His protection from Israel and allowed Assyria to do what they wanted to do.
Even though God had chosen to use Assyria to chastise Israel, Assyria was not
pardoned for the atrocities they had committed. They were guilty, and they will
face the judgment of Jehovah. Joel lists examples of how God’s people had been
treated. They have cast
lots for My people, Have given a boy as payment for a harlot, And sold a girl
for wine, that they may drink. Just in case we are not
understanding what is being said here, let us use modern terminology. The
enemies of God’s people were guilty of taking God’s people into slavery. The
enemies of God’s people were guilty of human trafficking. This is a problem
that has not stopped throughout history.
It was a problem in English and American history, when African warlords
hunted down and captured their neighbors and sold them to Europeans as slaves.
Thank God, there were good men who saw this as evil.
In both the English parliament and
in American government, slavery was recognized for what it was, and was
abolished. It is no longer legal for people to buy and sell people as property.
However, laws do not stop evil. The practice of human slavery is no longer
sanctioned by governments in the civilized world. But that has not stopped
slavery. Human beings are still being held as property and sold for all manner
of evil acts for the pleasures of wicked men. There is a problem of human
trafficking even in the civilized world today. It happens in places where most
people do not expect it. It involves people who know better. Influential men in
positions of power in government and business are guilty of engaging in human
trafficking. The things they have done are unspeakable. Their clients were
people of wealth and power. They all thought they could keep things secret, and
continue leading public lives untarnished, all while engaging in unspeakable
wicked acts in secret.
No one is able to keep anything
secret from God. He sees and knows all things. Even the desires of your heart.
We may not see evil brought to justice in our day, but we have the promise from
God’s word that ultimate justice will be done. He will gather all nations for
judgment, on account of His people. He will gather all nations for judgment on
account of how all nations have treated God’s people.
We observed that the language used
in this passage is rife with personal pronouns. We see God speaking in first
person, as Joel has written the words of Jehovah using “I” and “my.” Do you see
that? Do you get it? “My” is a 1st
person possessive pronoun. God is possessive of His people.
He has a special love for His people.
God’s people belong to Him, because God has created them.
God’s people belong to Him, because God has chosen them.
God’s people belong to Him because He has purchased them.
That is what it means to be redeemed. Beloved, as a born-again child of God, you have been bought with a price. If you are a born-again believer of Jesus, your redemption from the slavery of sin was purchased with the most precious commodity in all the universe.
The blood of Jesus, shed for many on the cross at Calvary was the price demanded by our Father in Heaven to set us free from His impending wrath. If you are struggling with sin and trying to make yourself right with God so that He will love you, stop. You cannot do it. You cannot make yourself acceptable to God. Your best attempts at righteousness amount to nothing more than filthy rags. Look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Look to Jesus who has already done all that is necessary. Look to Jesus who suffered the punishment that your sins deserve. Trust in Him and His work as having completed the unthinkable task of saving your soul.
There is a judgment day coming. It is the day of the Lord, when He will gather all nations and judge them for what they have done to His people.
In the introduction, we noted that the wrongs that are committed against God’s
people are ultimately wrongs committed against God Himself. In Matthew’s Gospel
25:41-45, Jesus speaks of these things.
- "Then
He will also say to those on the left hand,
'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: - for
I was hungry and you gave Me no food;
I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; - I
was a stranger and you did not take Me in,
naked and you did not clothe Me,
sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' - "Then
they also will answer Him, saying,
'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' - Then
He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did
not do it to one of the least of these,
you did not do it to Me.'
- Bless
those who persecute you; bless and curse not.
- Rejoice
with those who rejoice,
and weep with those who weep. - Be
of the same mind toward one another;
do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly.
Do not be wise in your own estimation. - Never
pay back evil for evil to anyone.
Respect what is right in the sight of all men. - If
possible, so far as it depends on you,
be at peace with all men. - Never
take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for
it is written,
"VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.