Joel 2:23 Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.
Not only had the locusts eaten everything green, but a drought threatened the following year’s harvest (Joel 1:17). Without a word of hope, God’s people might’ve despaired. So the prophet assured them of a glorious future. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil (Joel 2:24), he said.
Those who experience terrible loss often think their lives will never improve. One dear lady was asked if she was doing okay. She burst into tears and said, I will never be okay for the rest of my life. That is how it often seems, but God can turn things around. After losing health, wealth, and family, Job said my eyes will never see happiness again (Job 4:7). But over time his situation changed, and the Lord gave him twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10).
I went through a season of pain that lasted many years. It wasn’t apparent to everyone, but I suffered deeply within. Over the course of time, however, things slowly improved until, one day, I realized the pain was gone. [Y]our days of sorrow will end (Isaiah 60:20), wrote Isaiah.
And if they never end in this life, they’ll certainly end in the one to come. He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32), wrote Paul. Nothing needed for our happiness will ever be lacking in the age to come.
Joel 2:25 I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.
This is a wonderful promise to those who suffered loss. But it’s is also a way to think about the age to come. Imagine being repaid for everything you’ve ever lost: possessions, relationships, health, wealth, innocence, respect, youth, years, beauty, pets and love. The pain of loss can be devastating, but whatever we lose in this age will be more than repaid in the age to come. I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.
Joel 2:28 And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
The power of the Spirit was restricted to just a few in the Old Testament (Numbers 11:16-17). But after Jesus rose from the dead the Spirit came so mightily that Peter said, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel (Acts 2:16). Ever since that day, whoever believes in Jesus Christ receives the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9).
We believe in many things on the authority of others such as atoms, radiation and galaxies. We’ve never seen them, but are willing to trust the experts. Eternal life is so important, however, that we need to know ourselves. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent (John 17:3), said Jesus. When we put our trust in Jesus Christ, his Spirit comes to live in us, and we know God for ourselves. And if we know God for ourselves, then we have eternal life. This is the work of the Spirit promised by the prophet Joel.
Joel 3:2 I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance.
Proper trials are solemn events for those who stand accused. Even those who are normally self-assured are gripped by the fact that their future is in the hands of another. The Judge’s determination can even be a matter of life or death. And, if the judge is Jesus Christ, it can be a matter of heaven or hell.
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world (Matthew 25:31-34). But to those on his left he will say, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).
This will be the most decisive event in history. Evil abounds in the present age but will be dealt with, once and for all, on Judgment Day. The wicked will be thrown into hell, and the righteous will inherit the kingdom of God forever.
Joel 3:18 In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house and will water the valley of acacias.
The prophet foresaw a time when the Garden of Eden will be restored, the curse will be reversed, and the people of God will dwell with him forever (Joel 3:20). What a comfort these words must have been to those who suffered so much.
When my daughter was a little girl she liked to read before going to sleep. Once she had a book of some length, and I caught her reading the end of the story first. When I asked her why she did that, she explained that if she knew the story ended well, she could enjoy the whole book, no matter what happened along the way. Since we know our story ends well, we too can enjoy the journey.
Reflection and Review
Do difficult times always pass?
How do we know that we have eternal life?
Why is it important to know our story ends well?
Not only had the locusts eaten everything green, but a drought threatened the following year’s harvest (Joel 1:17). Without a word of hope, God’s people might’ve despaired. So the prophet assured them of a glorious future. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil (Joel 2:24), he said.
Those who experience terrible loss often think their lives will never improve. One dear lady was asked if she was doing okay. She burst into tears and said, I will never be okay for the rest of my life. That is how it often seems, but God can turn things around. After losing health, wealth, and family, Job said my eyes will never see happiness again (Job 4:7). But over time his situation changed, and the Lord gave him twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10).
I went through a season of pain that lasted many years. It wasn’t apparent to everyone, but I suffered deeply within. Over the course of time, however, things slowly improved until, one day, I realized the pain was gone. [Y]our days of sorrow will end (Isaiah 60:20), wrote Isaiah.
And if they never end in this life, they’ll certainly end in the one to come. He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32), wrote Paul. Nothing needed for our happiness will ever be lacking in the age to come.
Joel 2:25 I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.
This is a wonderful promise to those who suffered loss. But it’s is also a way to think about the age to come. Imagine being repaid for everything you’ve ever lost: possessions, relationships, health, wealth, innocence, respect, youth, years, beauty, pets and love. The pain of loss can be devastating, but whatever we lose in this age will be more than repaid in the age to come. I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.
Joel 2:28 And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
The power of the Spirit was restricted to just a few in the Old Testament (Numbers 11:16-17). But after Jesus rose from the dead the Spirit came so mightily that Peter said, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel (Acts 2:16). Ever since that day, whoever believes in Jesus Christ receives the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9).
We believe in many things on the authority of others such as atoms, radiation and galaxies. We’ve never seen them, but are willing to trust the experts. Eternal life is so important, however, that we need to know ourselves. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent (John 17:3), said Jesus. When we put our trust in Jesus Christ, his Spirit comes to live in us, and we know God for ourselves. And if we know God for ourselves, then we have eternal life. This is the work of the Spirit promised by the prophet Joel.
Joel 3:2 I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance.
Proper trials are solemn events for those who stand accused. Even those who are normally self-assured are gripped by the fact that their future is in the hands of another. The Judge’s determination can even be a matter of life or death. And, if the judge is Jesus Christ, it can be a matter of heaven or hell.
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world (Matthew 25:31-34). But to those on his left he will say, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).
This will be the most decisive event in history. Evil abounds in the present age but will be dealt with, once and for all, on Judgment Day. The wicked will be thrown into hell, and the righteous will inherit the kingdom of God forever.
Joel 3:18 In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house and will water the valley of acacias.
The prophet foresaw a time when the Garden of Eden will be restored, the curse will be reversed, and the people of God will dwell with him forever (Joel 3:20). What a comfort these words must have been to those who suffered so much.
When my daughter was a little girl she liked to read before going to sleep. Once she had a book of some length, and I caught her reading the end of the story first. When I asked her why she did that, she explained that if she knew the story ended well, she could enjoy the whole book, no matter what happened along the way. Since we know our story ends well, we too can enjoy the journey.
Reflection and Review
Do difficult times always pass?
How do we know that we have eternal life?
Why is it important to know our story ends well?