Joel 1-3
Joy Withered?
Obedience Required
0 MIN READ
Psalm 107:1-43 The Savior who Satisfies
His Loving Kindness Endures Forever
1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble 3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in; 5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them. 6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress. 7 He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in. 8 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man! 9 For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and in irons, 11 for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High. 12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
they fell down, with none to help. 13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress. 14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart. 15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man! 16 For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17 Some were fools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; 18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death. 19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress. 20 He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction. 21 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man! 22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters; 24 they saw the deeds of the LORD,
his wondrous works in the deep. 25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea. 26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight; 27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits' end. 28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress. 29 He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven. 31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man! 32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground, 34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants. 35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water. 36 And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and they establish a city to live in; 37 they sow fields and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield. 38 By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their livestock diminish.
39 When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, evil, and sorrow, 40 he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes; 41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction
and makes their families like flocks. 42 The upright see it and are glad,
and all wickedness shuts its mouth.
43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.
Application
God doesn't just save from sin, but His hesed delivers and heals those who call out to Him.
Prayer
Praise You God, for Your hesed, that goes beyond my needs to even fulfilling my desires, so I can fulfill Your purpose for me, of exalting Your name. Amen.
Proverbs 24:30-34 A Little Laziness Leads to A Large Loss
30 I passed by the field of a sluggard,
by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, 31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone wall was broken down. 32 Then I saw and considered it;
I looked and received instruction. 33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest, 34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
Application
How are you diligently tending your spiritual garden so that it yields fruit? You snooze; you lose.
Prayer
Lord, help me clearly see the potential consequences of my actions and take the steps to bring about the outcomes You desire. Amen.
Joel 1-3 Joy Withered? Obedience Required
Double (or triple) your prophets in one post! My second year into doing Bible study, I surveyed the Minor Prophets, developing a synthesis of the chapters keying off the letters of the author's name (an acrostic). I still remember them over thirty years later.
Joel was: Joy Withered; Obedience Required; Eschatology; Lock Stock and Barrel Restoration.
(Hosea was: Harlotry; Offenses; Separation; Exhortation to Repentance; Acceptance).
Obadiah (Oh Bad Edom) has only one chapter denouncing Edom for how they acted toward Israel, and the most likely setting is 2Chronicles 21, which makes him a contemporary of Joel.
The second chapter of Joel is the background to Peter's speech at Pentecost (Acts 2), and Paul's argument in Romans 10. It also summarizes Moses' view of God's glory/character, and encapsulates God's dealings with His people (He relents when we repent), and describes the essence of repentance. Don't miss it.
You can have fun doing Bible study, but if you want enduring joy, learn some of the lessons from Joel. There is a sermon “Joy comes from choosing what is best.” on truthbase.net. You can see this more clearly in the Book of Philippians, but it surfaces in Joel as well. Happy studying, and joyful living!
Joel 1 Joy Withered
The Invasion of Locusts
1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel:2 Hear this, you elders;
give ear, all inhabitants of the land!
Has such a thing happened in your days,
or in the days of your fathers? 3 Tell your children of it,
and let your children tell their children,
and their children to another generation.
4 What the cutting locust left,
the swarming locust has eaten.
What the swarming locust left,
the hopping locust has eaten,
and what the hopping locust left,
the destroying locust has eaten.
5 Awake, you drunkards, and weep,
and wail, all you drinkers of wine,
because of the sweet wine,
for it is cut off from your mouth. 6 For a nation has come up against my land,
powerful and beyond number;
its teeth are lions' teeth,
and it has the fangs of a lioness. 7 It has laid waste my vine
and splintered my fig tree;
it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down;
their branches are made white.
A Call to Mourning
8 Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth
for the bridegroom of her youth. 9 The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off
from the house of the LORD.
The priests mourn,
the ministers of the LORD. 10 The fields are destroyed,
the ground mourns,
because the grain is destroyed,
the wine dries up,
the oil languishes.
11 Be ashamed, O tillers of the soil;
wail, O vinedressers,
for the wheat and the barley,
because the harvest of the field has perished. 12 The vine dries up;
the fig tree languishes.
Pomegranate, palm, and apple,
all the trees of the field are dried up,
and gladness dries up
from the children of man.
A Call to Repentance
13 Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests;
wail, O ministers of the altar.
Go in, pass the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God!
Because grain offering and drink offering
are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly.
Gather the elders
and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the LORD your God,
and cry out to the LORD.
15 Alas for the day!
For the day of the LORD is near,
and as destruction from the Almighty it comes. 16 Is not the food cut off
before our eyes,
joy and gladness
from the house of our God?
17 The seed shrivels under the clods;
the storehouses are desolate;
the granaries are torn down
because the grain has dried up. 18 How the beasts groan!
The herds of cattle are perplexed
because there is no pasture for them;
even the flocks of sheep suffer.
19 To you, O LORD, I call.
For fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness,
and flame has burned
all the trees of the field. 20 Even the beasts of the field pant for you
because the water brooks are dried up,
and fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness.
Application
We can't enjoy God's blessings while being improperly related to Him; all we can experience while disobeying is His discipline, which is scary.
Prayer
God, may I live daily in the fullness of joy found in Your presence, so that even in the midst of a disaster, I can experience the peace and pleasure that comes from knowing You.
Joel 2 Repentance Required
The Army of Locusts
1 Blow a trumpet in Zion;
sound an alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near, 2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful people;
their like has never been before,
nor will be again after them
through the years of all generations.
3 Fire devours before them,
and behind them a flame burns.
The land is like the garden of Eden before them,
but behind them a desolate wilderness,
and nothing escapes them.
4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,
and like war horses they run. 5 As with the rumbling of chariots,
they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of a flame of fire
devouring the stubble,
like a powerful army
drawn up for battle.
6 Before them peoples are in anguish;
all faces grow pale. 7 Like warriors they charge;
like soldiers they scale the wall.
They march each on his way;
they do not swerve from their paths. 8 They do not jostle one another;
each marches in his path;
they burst through the weapons
and are not halted. 9 They leap upon the city,
they run upon the walls,
they climb up into the houses,
they enter through the windows like a thief.
10 The earth quakes before them;
the heavens tremble.
The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining. 11 The LORD utters his voice
before his army,
for his camp is exceedingly great;
he who executes his word is powerful.
For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome;
who can endure it?
Return with All Your Heart
12 “Yet even now,”
declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster. 14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the LORD your God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly; 16 gather the people.
Consecrate the congregation;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
even nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.
17 Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep
and say, “Spare your people, O LORD,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”
Restoration Promised
18 Then the LORD became jealous for his land
and had pity on his people. 19 The LORD answered and said to his people,
“Behold, I am sending to you
grain, wine, and oil,
and you will be satisfied;
and I will no more make you
a reproach among the nations.
20 “I will remove the northerner far from you,
and drive him into a parched and desolate land,
his vanguard into the eastern sea,
and his rear guard into the western sea;
the stench and foul smell of him will rise,
for he has done great things.
21 “Fear not, O land;
be glad and rejoice,
for the LORD has done great things! 22 Fear not, you beasts of the field,
for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit;
the fig tree and vine give their full yield.
23 “Be glad, O children of Zion,
and rejoice in the LORD your God,
for he has given the early rain for your vindication;
he has poured down for you abundant rain,
the early and the latter rain, as before.
24 “The threshing floors shall be full of grain;
the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. 25 I will restore to you the years
that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my great army, which I sent among you.
26 “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame. 27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
I Will Pour Out My Spirit
28 “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,
and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.
Application
Our best option for joy (particularly when being disciplined for our sin) is to repent and call to the God who graciously relents when we repent.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thanks for graciously accepting back those who wholeheartedly repent of their sin, and blessing them; may I have a heart that is so sensitive to You, that I respond at the slightest reproof of Your Spirit.
Joel 3 Payback and Prosperity
The LORD Judges the Nations
1 “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, 3 and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it. 4 “What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily. 5 For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples. 6 You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. 7 Behold, I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and I will return your payment on your own head. 8 I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far away, for the LORD has spoken.”9 Proclaim this among the nations:
Consecrate for war;
stir up the mighty men.
Let all the men of war draw near;
let them come up. 10 Beat your plowshares into swords,
and your pruning hooks into spears;
let the weak say, “I am a warrior.”
11 Hasten and come,
all you surrounding nations,
and gather yourselves there.
Bring down your warriors, O LORD. 12 Let the nations stir themselves up
and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
for there I will sit to judge
all the surrounding nations.
13 Put in the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Go in, tread,
for the winepress is full.
The vats overflow,
for their evil is great.
14 Multitudes, multitudes,
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.
16 The LORD roars from Zion,
and utters his voice from Jerusalem,
and the heavens and the earth quake.
But the LORD is a refuge to his people,
a stronghold to the people of Israel.
Blessings for God’s People
17 “So you shall know that I am the LORD your God,
who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain.
And Jerusalem shall be holy,
and strangers shall never again pass through it.
18 “And in that day
the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
and the hills shall flow with milk,
and all the streambeds of Judah
shall flow with water;
and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the LORD
and water the Valley of Shittim.
19 “Egypt shall become a desolation
and Edom a desolate wilderness,
for the violence done to the people of Judah,
because they have shed innocent blood in their land. 20 But Judah shall be inhabited forever,
and Jerusalem to all generations. 21 I will avenge their blood,
blood I have not avenged,
for the LORD dwells in Zion.”
Application
Just because judgment or prosperity takes a while to occur, it doesn't mean that God has forgotten His promises; He just has a more perfect timetable than we do.
Prayer
Faithful God, I trust that all You have promised will come into being, both in my life and for Your people; don't let me doubt or cease to fully trust You.
Obadiah 1 We'll Reap What We Sow
The Destruction of Edom
1 The vision of Obadiah.Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom:
We have heard a report from the LORD,
and a messenger has been sent among the nations:
“Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!”
2 Behold, I will make you small among the nations;
you shall be utterly despised. 3 The pride of your heart has deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rock,
in your lofty dwelling,
who say in your heart,
“Who will bring me down to the ground?” 4 Though you soar aloft like the eagle,
though your nest is set among the stars,
from there I will bring you down,
→ declares the LORD.
5 If thieves came to you,
if plunderers came by night—
how you have been destroyed!—
would they not steal only enough for themselves?
If grape gatherers came to you,
would they not leave gleanings? 6 How Esau has been pillaged,
his treasures sought out! 7 All your allies have driven you to your border;
those at peace with you have deceived you;
they have prevailed against you;
those who eat your bread have set a trap beneath you—
you have no understanding.
8 Will I not on that day, declares the LORD,
destroy the wise men out of Edom,
and understanding out of Mount Esau? 9 And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman,
so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.
10 Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob,
shame shall cover you,
and you shall be cut off forever. 11 On the day that you stood aloof,
on the day that strangers carried off his wealth
and foreigners entered his gates
and cast lots for Jerusalem,
you were like one of them. 12 But do not gloat over the day of your brother
in the day of his misfortune;
do not rejoice over the people of Judah
in the day of their ruin;
do not boast
in the day of distress. 13 Do not enter the gate of my people
in the day of their calamity;
do not gloat over his disaster
in the day of his calamity;
do not loot his wealth
in the day of his calamity. 14 Do not stand at the crossroads
to cut off his fugitives;
do not hand over his survivors
in the day of distress.
The Deliverance of Israel
15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations.
As you have done, it shall be done to you;
your deeds shall return on your own head. 16 For as you have drunk on my holy mountain,
so all the nations shall drink continually;
they shall drink and swallow,
and shall be as though they had never been. 17 But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape,
and it shall be holy,
and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions. 18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
and the house of Joseph a flame,
and the house of Esau stubble;
they shall burn them and consume them,
and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau,
→ for the LORD has spoken.
19 Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau,
and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines;
they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria,
and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. 20 The exiles of this host of the people of Israel
shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath,
and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
shall possess the cities of the Negeb. 21 Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion
to rule Mount Esau,
and the kingdom shall be the LORD's.
Application
Since we'll always reap what we sow, don't sow anything (thoughts, attitudes, emotions, actions, habits, etc) that you don't want to reap a lot of in return.
Galatians 6:7 Don't be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Prayer
God don't let me be deceived into thinking that there are no consequences for my actions, but may I respond and faithfully act in ways that please You, so I will reap Your pleasure.
Digging Deeper
God in a nutshell: God sends judgment upon those who don't do His will in righteousness and act unjustly towards others. He particularly judges pride, and brings down those who try to ensure their own security independent of Him. His punishment is proportional to the offense. He also promises to bless those who respond to His gracious invitation to repent wholeheartedly. He has a day of judgment planned the likes of which the world has never seen (despite the horrors of world wars and genocide). God has revealed Himself to be gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in hesed/loyal covenantal love, and who relents from sending calamity. He relents based upon our repentance, and even blesses those He had judged. In the future, He will bless Israel in the land as promised.
Us in a nutshell: We will reap the consequences of our actions. The two ways to avoid massive pain are: #1 to do what is right in His sight (knowing He is going to judge) and do what will reap His blessing; and #2 to turn from sin and to God with all our heart in wholehearted repentance when we do sin, and then follow #1.
Us in a nutshell: We will reap the consequences of our actions. The two ways to avoid massive pain are: #1 to do what is right in His sight (knowing He is going to judge) and do what will reap His blessing; and #2 to turn from sin and to God with all our heart in wholehearted repentance when we do sin, and then follow #1.
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