Joel 2:21-27

-It has been known as one of the worst no calls in NFL history, it was in 2019 and it was a playoff game involving the New Orleans Saints vs the St. Louis Rams. Drew Brees went back to pass, he had a wide receiver going down the sideline, when a Rams defender hits the wide receiver which is a clear passing interference call, it clearly should have been called, and there was a rule where the play could not be reviewed, there was no way for it to be reversed, we would say that was not fair for the Saints team nor their fans

-Now we come to Joel and unlike the saints call what is fair is for the people to be judged, what is fair is for the punishment to come because of their sin, but instead of them receiving what they deserve God reverses the call, God comes in and restores, forgives, and redeems.

-a reversal of the disaster

-looks back to the disaster and announces God’s reversal

-We learn of God’s longsuffering, His plan of redemption, His steadfast love, We see the grace of God to not leave us in our sins and separation, He was not content with the Jews pursuing their false gods and living in their sin, this is why he brought the punishment, but he did not just bring punishment he brought restoration, He reversed the judgment

The two great objects to be accomplished by the work of Christ are, the removal of the curse under which mankind laboured on account of sin; and their restoration to the image and fellowship of God.

Charles Hodge (American Presbyterian Theologian)

-What did God restore for the Jews? What does God restore for us in Christ?

Fear is Turned to Joy (21-23)

-Do not fear - rejoice

-The land

-The animals

-The people

-The phrase “do not fear” is common in Scripture - 365 times

-often was used before going into battle

Numbers 14:9 (ESV)

9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”

-But the reference in Joel is in regards to God’s redemption and His steadfast care for His people, as well as in Isaiah 40:9-11

Isaiah 40:9–11 ESV

9 Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” 10 Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

In Isaiah 41 God reassures Israel that he has chosen them, reminds them that their God is no powerless idol, and tells them three times (Isa 41:10, 13, 14) not to fear.

Isaiah 43:1 (ESV)

1 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

in 43:5 he again reassures them that they need not fear because he will bring the people back from exile.

In 44:2–3, much as in Joel 2:21–32, he encourages them not to fear because he will pour out water on the land and his Spirit on the people

Hosea, Joel 1. Summons to Celebration (2:21–24)

In Isa 54:4 God tells Israel not to fear because he is about to remove their reproach among the nations.

-the signal to do not fear, sounds the trumpet of rejoicing of God’s promise of redemption

-land

-we see in chapter 1 - the devastation of the land Joel 1:4

Joel 1:4 ESV

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.

-The trees that were stripped bare in 1:7, now receive new life and bear fruit

-animals

-The beasts in 1:18 - were crying out in agony but now have received the promise of relief

-Here we see the connection between the creature and the Creator, we see the dependence of the creation on the Creator, we see the sovereignty of the Creator over the creation

-We could go back and see the result of the fall and how God brought judgement upon all creation because of sin

-The truth that the redemption is not just towards humanity but of all creation, this is in no way in reference to universalism, instead it is the reminder of how sin affects all creation and how God will restore all creation - he will make the new heaven and the new earth

Romans 8:19–23 ESV

19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

-people, O children of Zion

-the early rain = such an interesting Hebrew word, autumn rains, teacher, archer - one who who shoots arrows

of vindication = justice, righteousness

-righteousness - rains down, there is a teacher of righteousness, shoots the arrow of righteousness, however you want to interpret that - the meaning is the same - God alone can provide righteousness, you cannot attain it, no other human can provided, only Christ the all sufficient Lamb could be our righteousness

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

-Two viewpoints:

-the immediate need of physical rain, to bring about crops

-a righteousness to come, that will bring fruit and life to the darkened soul

-the early and latter rain

-Can’t help but think that Joel had 1 Kings 8:35-36 in mind

1 Kings 8:35–36 ESV

35 “When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them, 36 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

-let us consider this thought of raining righteousness

Hosea 10:12 ESV

12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

-the fear of judgment is taken away, instead there is rejoicing, why? Because God has rained down His righteousness

1 Corinthians 1:30 ESV

30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,

Only a perfect righteousness can stand in the judgement, and the Christian can have such righteousness only outside himself and in the perfection of Christ.

John Calvin (French Reformer)

Devastation is Turned into Satisfaction (24

-restoration from what the locust has eaten

-Judgement was to take away their crops, to go through starvation, it was to wake them up, so that they would become aware of their sin

-They experienced sorrow and loss, but by the grace of God they experienced restoration, after the punishment came comfort

-Again when we discipline our children, there is punishment, but they do not stay in punishment forever, comfort comes soon after

Psalm 103:9–10 ESV

9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.

-v. 26

-satisfied, Brandon mentioned it last week how this passage could be taken and twisted and presented as the prosperity gospel, but if you read it carefully you see that satisfaction is mentioned - it is the idea of contentment

-They knew what it was like, to not have enough to eat, the idea of being satisfied

-I am sure none of us have experience real starvation, but we may have gone a while without a meal, and you know when you finally are able to sit down and eat, the feeling of being satisfied, Kendra tells about the time she was on a mission trip in Bolivia, she and several others had hiked up to a village and found themselves without water, she and the others were fearful, a truck came by and provided them a coke to drink, she tells of the satisfaction of drinking the coke

-In Christ alone we are satisfied

The rattle without the breast will not satisfy the child; the house without the husband will not satisfy the wife; the world without Christ will not satisfy the soul.

bio.thomasbrooks

Matthew 5:6 ESV

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

-Paul expressed his satisfaction and contentment in Phil 4 - we can be satisfied only in Christ, nothing else satisfies

Alienation is Turned Into Communion

-You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, I am the Lord your God and there is no one else

-The Jews were to know that God pursued communion with them, God chose to pursue them, God chose to be in covenant with His people

-They turned against God, they pursued false gods, and yet God showed His grace towards them

-In Christ we have communion with God, it is not about just going to heaven, it is about right relation with God, it is so that we can be His people

-the shame is the perception that God had abandoned them and that they had to flee to other lands as refugees

-The restoration was not just to bring physical relief to the Jews, it was to restore them spiritually, it was so they could commune with God

-But they looked on with desire for the communion we know have with God, it is through Christ that now we are at peace with God, that the veil has been torn into, through Christ we have access to God

604The true Christian life, when we live near to God, is the rough draft of the life of full communion above.—30.506

Charles Spurgeon

-Praise God - He has reversed the curse of sin and death, He has provided redemption in His Son Jesus Christ, we can be restored and made new, our fear is turned to joy, our devastation is brought to satisfaction, our alienation is brought to communion with God and all of this is done through the work of Christ