God of Restoration

Introduction

I’m pumped for tonight’s message. I was reading in my quiet time a couple of weeks ago and I came across this passage and found that it’s filled with nuggets of truth.

We’ve got a lot to cover so let’s jump in!

Body

JOEL 2:12-32

Before we dive into the text, I want to give a little context to set up our text.

The Book of Joel is a prophetic book in the Bible that foreshadows things to come. Many times in the OT, God would speak to prophets and then they would deliver that message(s) to a person or a group of people.

[HOLY SPIRIT GIVES WORD]

Pretty cool, but the name Joel in Hebrew means ‘YHWH is God’. If your name means Yahweh is God I feel like you have to be a Christian. Like it would be ironic if you were an atheist and your name meant, Yahweh is God.

The Book of Joel starts with the Israelites in shambles. There’s been a literal invasion of locusts. If you don’t know, locusts are almost like a parasites, but they destroy crops.

Joel speaks to the Israelites because they’re in mourning over the devastation that has come upon Israel.

Joel tells the people that because of their disobedience God has sent a plague. We know that the Israelites are often referred to as ‘God’s chosen people’.

Then, Joel tells them to fast and cry out to Yahweh for the Day of the Lord is coming soon.

What is ‘The Day of the Lord’?

The Day of the Lord is when the final judgment and Christ’s return to Earth will happen.

JOEL 2:1-11

To paraphrase, Joel is warning the Israelites that The Day of the Lord is coming and the locusts plague is just the dawn of that day. The plague that has devastated their land is only a prequel to what’s to come.

Picking up in verse 12:

Joel 2:12–14 NIV

“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing— grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God.

Joel pleads to the Israelites that God is calling them back to Himself through repentance. Don’t just change your actions, but turn your heart back to God and he won’t send harsh judgment.

Sin always brings instant gratification, but it will breathe destruction long term. The consequences of sin are death. We know that death isn’t always immediate in the natural. I believe that same process is true spiritually.

Joel 2:15–17 NIV

Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ”

Hearing Joel’s words, the Israelites humbled themselves and submitted to God. God responds to their obedience.

Joel 2:18 NIV

Then the Lord was jealous for his land and took pity on his people.

God through His abundant love and grace forgives the Israelites, but He doesn’t stop there.

Joel 2:19–27 NIV

The Lord replied to them: “I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations. “I will drive the northern horde far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land; its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea. And its stench will go up; its smell will rise.” Surely he has done great things! Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things! Do not be afraid, you wild animals, for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches. 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. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm— my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.

The Israelites had fallen away from the things of God and the cause of the locust plague was their half-hearted relationship with God.

God is a jealous God that wants all of our affection and devotion.

Closing

So what does this have to do with us?

I believe that some of us here tonight may feel like the Israelites. You may find yourself in a season of spiritual famine or devastation. Maybe 2022 was just a rough year.

In Joel 1, we see that there’s a physical locust plague that has swept through their land. But in Joel 2, I believe that Joel is speaking to a spiritual locust plague.

I’m not an expert on insects but I looked up some things about locusts.

Locusts are less attracted to mature crops. Locusts are also harmless, unless they meet suitable environmental conditions.

When I read these my mind was blown. I started thinking about the spiritual locusts that we let into our lives and I want to ask this question:

Are you creating an environment suitable for the enemy to come and devour and leave you devastated?

These metaphorical locusts in our lives may be attacks from the enemy or they may be self induced circumstances from sin.

Whatever they are, I believe that God wants to restore that situation, relationship, area in your life where you feel devastated.

God didn’t promise to give the Israelites back their time, but He did promise to restore the fruit that was lost during the locust plague.

So, if you feel like you’ve lost time for whatever reason… I want you to know that God is the God of restoration and He wants to restore the fruit that was lost in your life.

Can I encourage you tonight before we pray? Stop shaming yourself. I was encouraged reading those verses this week, “…never again will my people be shamed.”

I’ve found in my own life that when God restores, the enemy starts throwing shame in my face and there’s been times when that shame leads me back to the very place that God restored.

Prayer