Written by: Ems and Jon Hancock
Joel 2 v 18-20
Then the LORD became concerned about his land and felt sorry for his people.
He said to them:
“I will send you grain, new wine and olive oil, so that you will have plenty.
No more will I shame you among the nations.
I will force the army from the north to leave your land and go into a dry, empty
land.
Their soldiers in front will be forced into the Dead Sea, and those in the rear
into the Mediterranean Sea.
Their bodies will rot and stink.
The LORD has surely done a wonderful thing!”
Notes
When was the last time you were “fully satisfied” with something? What was
it? A beautiful meal in a restaurant; a well-designed product; the outcome
of a business meeting; a complaint upheld? Here God said that He would provide
the best for His people, enough to fulfil all their needs. Grain, new wine
and oil were theirs for the taking.
What were God’s motives for this provision? Verse 18 tells us that jealousy
and pity were the two emotions that prompted the Lord to action.
Anyone who struggles with jealousy knows that there are two very different
sides to it. Godly jealousy is protective and born out of compassion and righteous
anger. But the side of jealousy that humanity often succumbs to can be linked
to insecurity and lack of worth. God is jealous of what is His – we are jealous
about things that aren’t ours! So here in Joel, God was promising to restore
His people in His land. Never again would they be scorned.
The words “felt sorry” here are a bad translation of the Hebrew. They don’t
mean a passive “there, there, never mind” approach. God couldn’t help but be
stirred into decisive action, aroused to do something about this situation.
His love would simply not allow Him to sit still.
Today God does not view your life as a spectator with a passive love. He is
active, involved and passionate about you. He doesn’t just cheer you on; He
stands beside you, sometimes even carrying you.
Prayer
Lord God, forgive me for the times when I’ve not been satisfied with all that
You give me. Give me the faith and the grace that I need today to see Your
hand at work in my life and in the lives of those you have called me to love.
Amen
Joel 2 v 21-24
Land, don’t be afraid; be happy and full of joy, because the LORD has done
a wonderful thing.
Wild animals, don’t be afraid, because the open pastures have grown grass.
The trees have given fruit; the fig trees and the grapevines have grown much
fruit.
So be happy, people of Jerusalem; be joyful in the LORD your God.
Because he does what is right, he has brought you rain; he has sent the autumn
rain and the spring rain for you, as before.
And the threshing floors will be full of grain; the barrels will overflow with
new wine and olive oil.
Notes
Here are two “be” attitudes to think about: “be not afraid” and “be happy”.
“Be not afraid”
We all have anxieties that make us fearful. Make a note of five concerns you
have now. Maybe you are anxious about work or a relationship. Perhaps you have
money or family worries. Take some time to give them afresh to God.
When we’re afraid, we’re less likely to see all that God has done and is doing
for us. Joel reminds us to remember that the Lord has done great things. And
He will again. For you. There are 366 “Do not fear/Be not afraid” phrases in
the Bible. That’s one for each day of the year, and one left over for a day
when you are really scared!
“Be happy”
This passage encourages the people to be glad of future as well as present
blessings. That’s easier said than done! As we live in a world of three-minute
microwave dinners, maybe we need to relearn a little patience?
When autumn rains come, they take time to nourish the ground on which they
fall, and the plants that benefit from this only show the effects some months
later. Just because you can’t see God doing anything now does not mean that
He’s not acting. He may be doing something in your life right now that will
bury deep and show its worth many months/years down the line. We should be
equally glad of these unseen promises of blessing and trust God’s desire to
give us good things.
Prayer
God, thank You that You are more than able to provide what I need. I recognise
that You know my current and future needs. Help me not to be afraid of the
things I’m facing, but instead be glad that you are facing them with me. Amen
Joel 2 v 25-27
“Though I sent my great army against you—those swarming locusts and hopping
locusts, the destroying locusts and the cutting locusts that ate your crops—
I will pay you back for those years of trouble.
Then you will have plenty to eat and be full.
You will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has done miracles for you.
My people will never again be shamed.
Then you will know that I am among the people of Israel, that I am the LORD
your God, and there is no other God.
My people will never be shamed again.”
Notes
CVs list what we have done and sometimes a little bit of who we are. We name
our educational achievements, our skills and attributes. We may even throw
in a few hobbies to spice our CV up at the end!
These verses give us a bit of God’s CV. They tell us what He has done and a
little of what He is about. Through Joel, He is showing us why He holds the
position He does. He is talking to his dearly loved children who have let Him
down but nonetheless remain His family. He talks of rescue and hope, of saving
his children from shame and emptiness - both physically and spiritually.
Shame is a paralysing emotion that binds us and weighs us down. It makes us
feel unworthy of blessing as we hide from others and from God.
We live in a “name and shame” culture where we are encouraged to blame someone
else when things go wrong. We hound those who let society down and call them
to account. We have back-to-back adverts telling us to phone if we’ve had an
accident that was not our fault.
God does the opposite. He operates a “My name” = “No shame” policy. He more
than makes up for what His people have lost. God sent the locusts as a warning
to His people who had forgotten Him. And yet, out of His sheer goodness and
grace, He restored his children. We too now have this undeserved honour of
restoration and forgiveness in Christ. We never need fear shame either.
Prayer
Thank You that there is no shame for those who trust in You. I give You permission
to show me where I am not in line with Your will so that I can put things right
and follow You better. Amen
Joel 2 v 28-32
“After this,
I will pour out my Spirit on all kinds of people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and
your young men will see visions.
At that time I will pour out my Spirit also on male slaves and female slaves.
I will show miracles in the sky and on the earth: blood, fire and thick smoke.
The sun will become dark, the moon red as blood, before the overwhelming and
terrible day of the LORD comes.
Then anyone who calls on the LORD will be saved, because on Mount Zion and
in Jerusalem there will be people who will be saved, just as the LORD has said.
Those left alive after the day of punishment are the people whom the LORD called.”
Notes
You’re asked to be part of a TV programme that will make your dream come true.
What would you ask for? Maybe an amazing experience like swimming with dolphins,
or bungee jumping dressed as Father Christmas … (maybe not) …
Moses’ wish in Numbers 11 v 29 was this: “I wish all the Lord’s people could
prophesy. I wish the Lord would give his Spirit to all of them!”. (Imagine
asking a TV company to sort that one for you!)
This passage is an answer to that cry. Granted, it comes a few thousand years
after the request was put in, but who’s going to argue with God?
God calls this spirit MY Spirit, not THE Spirit. It shows all of God’s character
and power, as well as His wonders in heaven and on earth. And it’s not just
a drip of His Spirit – but lavishly poured out. See the people who are promised
a slice of the action: sons, daughters, old men, young men and servants (both
male and female) … this is revolutionary stuff! For years, only anointed and
important people had been given the power of the Holy Spirit, but Joel was
saying that God wants it available in every corner of society. No longer just
“special” people like judges, kings and prophets – but offered to all.
When the Holy Spirit rested on the disciples, Peter claimed in Acts 2 v 17
that this prophecy was fulfilled. Normal people were given the power of God,
and all who called on His name were and still are saved. Just a call … not
a course, or a meeting, or a “sign here, please” … JUST A CALL.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for the astounding gift of Your Spirit. Please pour on me again
the resources of heaven, and guide me in their use. Amen
Joel 3 v 1-8
“In those days and at that time, when I will make things better for Judah and
Jerusalem,
I will gather all the nations together and bring them down into the Valley
Where the LORD Judges.
There I will judge them, because those nations scattered my own people Israel
and forced them to live in other nations.
They divided up my land and threw lots for my people.
They traded boys for prostitutes, and they sold girls to buy wine to drink.
“Tyre and Sidon and all of you regions of Philistia! What did you have against
me? Were you punishing me for something I did, or were you doing something
to hurt me? I will very quickly do to you what you have done to me. You took
my silver and gold, and you put my precious treasures in your temples. You
sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks so that you could send
them far from their land.
“You sent my people to that faraway place, but I will get them and bring them
back, and I will do to you what you have done to them. I will sell your sons
and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabean
people far away.” The LORD said this.
Notes
It’s not popular these days to talk about judgement. We may never have even
heard one sermon on the subject and we almost certainly have never bought
a book on it (if indeed many exist!). But that doesn’t make it less real
or less a part of the Bible. God’s powerful judgement is inescapable and
everything we have done will one day be taken into account. Through Christ,
our sins will not be held against us, but we will still have to explain the
way we have lived our lives.
Joel reminds us here that the Lord will restore the fortunes of His special
people, but that He will also judge them. Far from being something that would
have caused fear at the time, this may well have comforted Joel’s hearers.
They had been through persecution, famine and fear and would have needed to
hear that their God, the God of righteousness and justice, was still on their
case and that He was going to gather them together again.
Mention of judgement in the Bible was often not for curious bystanders to read;
rather, it spoke directly to those who were facing trouble and persecution
from their enemies.
The Israelites had been battered and bruised by their oppressors
– they had been carried off to a different land, away from the place God had
promised them as their home. But in steps God: “Enough is enough, these are
MY people!” As Father, He stepped in and dealt with the bullies of His children.
That is God’s judgement.
Prayer
Father, thank You for the promise of Your divine judgement. Thank You that
Your justice is rooted in Your unfailing love. Help me live today in the knowledge
that I must account for everything I do, say and think. Amen
Joel 3 v 9-13
Announce this among the nations:
Prepare for war!
Wake up the soldiers!
Let all the men of war come near and attack.
Make swords from your ploughs, and make spears from your hooks for trimming
trees.
Let even the weak person say,
“I am a soldier.”
All of you nations, hurry, and come together in that place.
LORD, send your soldiers to gather the nations.
“Wake up, nations, and come to attack in the Valley Where the LORD Judges.
There I will sit to judge all the nations on every side.
Swing the cutting tool, because the harvest is ripe.
Come, walk on them as you would walk on grapes to get their juice, because
the winepress is full and the barrels are spilling over, because these people
are so evil!”
Notes
You’re likely to be looked on as a bit strange if you ever spend an idle weekend
attempting to beat a ploughshare into a sword! Not only are you not really
that likely to have a ploughshare handily stashed in the shed; I’d be worried
if you had a pressing need for a sword! Because of God’s strength, Joel could
summon the people to join in the fight – they were going to be on the winning
side! Those with ploughshares and pruning hooks were just ordinary land-workers.
Not the affluent, intelligent, or important - just normal people like you
and me. These were the people God wanted to swell His army, together with
His mighty warriors.
God had just announced His judgement over the nations that had crushed His
people. The promise of God displaying His power and righting wrongs caused
His people to respond with renewed confidence. “If God is with us, no one can
defeat us” (Romans 8 v 31b).
We may well not see ourselves as warrior types. We may struggle
just to get up in the morning, let alone feel able to take on the forces of
evil. But the encouragement here is plain: even if we are “weaklings”, bent
double by the cares we carry, we can declare ourselves to be strong in God.
However we feel, we can arm ourselves and go out into the world, confident
of the Lord’s justice and power. And the beauty of Joel’s call is that the
people were to use who they were and what they had to join in the fight. What
do you have that can be transformed into artillery for God’s use?
Prayer
Father, today in times of weakness or fear, teach me to remind myself that
I am strong in You. Help me have confidence in Your strength and power. Amen
Joel 3 v 14-21
There are huge numbers of people in the Valley of Decision, because the LORD’s
day of judging is near in the Valley of Decision.
The sun and the moon will become dark, and the stars will stop shining.
The LORD will roar like a lion from Jerusalem; his loud voice will thunder
from that city, and the sky and the earth will shake.
But the LORD will be a safe place for his people, a strong place of safety
for the people of Israel.
“Then you will know that I, the LORD your God, live on my holy Mount Zion.
Jerusalem will be a holy place, and strangers will never even go through it
again.
“On that day wine will drip from the mountains, milk will flow from the hills,
and water will run through all the ravines of Judah.
A fountain will flow from the Temple of the LORD and give water to the valley
of acacia trees.
But Egypt will become empty, and Edom an empty desert, because they were cruel
to the people of Judah.
They killed innocent people in that land.
But there will always be people living in Judah, and people will live in Jerusalem
from now on.
Egypt and Edom killed my people, so I will definitely punish them.”
The LORD lives in Jerusalem!
Notes
Thankfully, not many of us know what it is like to be a refugee, but this is
what the Israelites experienced when they were taken into exile. When they
were back in their land, Joel delivered a promise of future provision more
abundant than their wildest dreams … mountains dripping with wine, hills
flowing with milk. Wow! Such poetic descriptions of what was to come must
have astounded them!
I am sure you are familiar with the pantomime expression: “He’s behind you!”
Deafening screams from hoarse children tell the “goodie” that the “baddie”
is there, or vice versa. For those in Jerusalem at this time, the Lord wanted
to tell them of his nearness. “I’m behind you,” He says. “I am near.”
It is easy for us to feel distant from God. Maybe we have let Him down, or
slowly got ourselves into the habit of leaving Him out of our decisions. Maybe
we are not at peace with Him and feel as though He is far away. But He would
still say to us, “Look behind you.” Just like the Israelites, we have a promise
of a future that is beyond our dreams and imagination, with God’s blessing
and presence.
God makes promises about the present, showing that He is behind us, surrounding
us at all times. But He is also clear about the future. He says, “I will roar
from Zion … I will be a refuge for my people … I will pardon …”
Just as in a marriage service, God is saying “I will”, “I do”, “I can”, “I
am”. Maybe today you need to know again the truth of those phrases.
Prayer
Lord, today teach me to trust in Your promises over me. Help me to know that
You are near and that you are guiding me. Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes