LogosWalk Word Journal

Archive for the '29: Joel' Category

Joel 3:9 • A Test of Faith

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

“Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare a war; rouse the mighty men!
Let all the soldiers draw near, let them come up!”
—Joel 3:9 (NASB)

Reading a book of the prophets cannot be approached in the same manner we take with the books of the Law, history, or the likes of Psalms or Ecclesiastes. It is definitely important to understand when the propet was speaking in relationship to these other books, but we have to adjust to a different style of writing, a different way of expressing things. It’s important to keep in mind that prophets not only speak literally for their own times, but with dual and sometimes multiple future fulfillments in mind.
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Joel 2:28-31 • Wonders Displayed in the Heavens

Friday, August 28th, 2009

“‘It will come about after this
That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will dream dreams,
Your young men will see visions.
Even on the male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth,
Blood, fire and columns of smoke.
The sun will be turned into darkness
And the moon into blood
Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Will be delivered;’”
—Joel 2:30-32a (NASB)

Of course this sounds very familiar. It’s the key text quoted by Peter ^[1] his very first sermon explaining what was happening at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon the church. It’s telling that Hebrew scholars — even modern ones — attribute this passage to events which will happen in concert with the arrival of the Messiah.
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Linknotes:

– Acts 2:17-24 ‡

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Joel 2:17 • Believers Interceding for Believers

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

“Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers,
Weep between the porch and the altar,
And let them say, ‘Spare Your people, O Lord,
And do not make Your inheritance a reproach,
A byword among the nations.
Why should they among the peoples say,
“Where is their God?”‘”
—Joel 2:17 (NASB)

To be sure, one of the burdens that should be on every Christian’s heart in the Last Days is for the unsaved, that they might yet turn to Christ. But I’m not sure that we fully realize that we’re called to have an additional burden: to intercede on behalf of all Christians, especially those who have made a verbal commitment to Christ but have yet to follow through by living a changed life for Christ.
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Joel 2:10 • The Light Grows Dim

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

“Before them the earth quakes,
The heavens tremble,
The sun and the moon grow dark
And the stars lose their brightness.”
—Joel 2:10 (NASB)

I am sure that signs in the sun and moon will literally take place in the Last Days, as Scripture repeatedly refers to them. ^[1] There will be something physically observable in these things. But I also can’t help but notice that light and darkness is often a biblical metaphor for a person’s spiritual condition.
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Linknotes:

Is. 13:10; Is. 34:4; Jer. 4:23; Ez. 32:7-8; Mt. 24:29; Rev. 8:12 ‡

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Joel 1:14-15 • The Day of the Lord

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

“Consecrate a fast,
Proclaim 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.
Alas for the day!
For the day of the Lord is near,
And it will come as destruction from the Almighty.”
—Joel 1:14-15 (NASB)

“The day of the Lord” is something specifically identified in Scripture. It is not to be confused with the Rapture or the ultimate, final judgment at the end of history. The day of the Lord is that point at which God’s wrath is poured out. Whereas the discipline of God’s judgments are intended to lead people in a spiritual return to God, the day of the Lord is that ultimate point in destiny when there is no longer any opportunity for repentance and all that is left to be experienced is the full brunt of God’s wrath.
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Joel 3:12-14 • The Valley of Decision

Saturday, September 2nd, 2006

“Let the nations be aroused
And come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat,
For there I will sit to judge
All the surrounding nations.
Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.
Come, tread, for the wine press is full;
The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”
—Joel 3:12-14 (NASB)

Through Joel, God uses a past event to describe an even greater event to come. “The valley of Jehoshaphat” refers to a multi-nation invasion of Judah that took place during Jehoshaphat’s reign. ^[1] What happened during that event foreshadadows or teaches us what will happen in this even greater, coming event.

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Linknotes:

2 Chronicles 20:1-30 ‡

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Joel 3:4 • Prayer for All Sides

Friday, September 1st, 2006

“Moreover, what are you to Me, O Tyre, Sidon and all the regions of Philistia? Are you rendering Me a recompense? But if you do recompense Me, swiftly and speedily I will return your recompense on your head.”
—Joel 3:4 (NASB)

Just a short note to acknowledge that the recent events of the Middle East involving Israel and Lebanon and Gaza — a.k.a. Tyre, Sidon (Lebanon) and Philisita (Gaza) — are no mere coincidence. They are most likely a member of what Jesus refers to as “birth pangs”, waves of events that occur with greater and greater frequency and strength until their final, ultimate fulfillment in a single, last event. The point here is not some kind of “Nyah, nyah, I told ya so”, but rather a deep concern that there is so little time remaining for these people to turn to Christ and yet be saved. Time for that opportunity will expire soon. The enlightened faithful do not celebrate this fact, but even more earnestly pray and seek every opportunity for additional souls to come into the Kingdom of God on all sides.

Lord, that you would soften the hearts and open the eyes of all Your children that they may experience the greater miracle of receiving Your Son in spite of the most overwhelming and seemingly impossible circumstances. With You, nothing is impossible._††_†