Joel 3
Notes
Transcript
Review:
Review:
Obadiah:
Obadiah:
Who was Obadiah written to?
Edom
Why was God mad at Edom?
They mistreated Israel during their destruction
Joel:
Joel:
What is Joel writing about?
The day of Lord
The day of the Lord is going to come upon Israel. What did God use to punish Israel?
Locust
Introduction
Introduction
Watch the Ezra/Nehemiah BP Video...
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
In this context, we see something called the New Jerusalem. What is the New Jerusalem?
The New Jerusalem describes the kingdom of God, and here in particular, it seems to describe the Kingdom of God in its fullness (Heaven, we would call it.)
When Revelation 21-22, and other scriptures, talk about the New Jerusalem, there is an already/not-yet aspect to it.
There are some aspects of this kingdom that we already have (that have already been fulfilled)
There are other aspects of this kingdom that we do not yet have (that have not yet been fulfilled)
So, in some sense, the kingdom of God is already here. But in some sense the kingdom of God is not-yet fully here, and won’t be until Christ returns.
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
What is this city that Abraham is looking forward to?
Abraham was looking forward to the city built by God… New Jerusalem.
Do we have this city today?
Yes and No.
There are some aspects of this city that we already have… We are a part of a kingdom that is built by God. This kingdom is already here.
But at the same time, this city is not yet fully here. Revelation talks about there being no pain or death in that city… So this city is not yet fully here.
We see this thinking later on in Hebrews
18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Look at verse 22. As Christians, where have we come? where are we?
We are already apart of this city. We are already apart of Mount Zion and new Jerusalem...
14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
But even though we are already apart of that New Jerusalem, what are we seeking?
we are still seeking the city that is to come.
How are we a part of the city, but still looking forward to the city?
already/not-yet
We are already apart of the kingdom, but we are still looking forward to that New Jerusalem because it is not-yet fully here.
Remember this… If you can understand this language, then it will help you in reading the prophets.
That’s the reason that I bring this up. The understanding of already/not-yet will help us to understand the prophet Joel as well.
Joel 3
Joel 3
This chapter is a continuation of 2:28ff.
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.
What is this talking about? Is it talking about the OT age or the Christian Kingdom age?
It’s talking about the age of the Kingdom of Christ.
Most of this section is quoted in the NT. Do you know where?
This is found in Acts 2
16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
Peter tells those people that Joel is talking about today… Joel was referring to the age of Christ.
That’s where we pick up in chapter 3.
Joel 3:1-16 - God Judges the nations
Joel 3:1-16 - God Judges the nations
Joel 3:1-3
Joel 3:1-3
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.
The first thing that we see is: in those days… What are “those days”?
Those days refer back to 2:28. Those days refer to the age of Christ.
So, in the age of Christ, God is going to restore the fortunes of Israel. This language is difficult to reconcile because, as we see in Ezra/Nehemiah, the fortunes of Israel were never really restored.
So, what is this talking about? How are the fortunes of Jerusalem going to be restored in the Christian Age?
What city are Christians a part of?
New Jerusalem.
So God restores the fortunes of Israel through the New Israel… Through the New Jerusalem. We will continue to see this as we read through this chapter.
God also tells the people that in this Christian Age, he’s going to judge all the nations for the wickedness that they have done all throughout history.
That’s why he brings them to to the valley of Jehoshaphat...
Jehoshaphat means God is judge. Does anyone know God’s name?
God’s name is YHWY or Jehovah.
So Jeho is God’s name and Shaphat is Judge.
So God is judge, and he’s going to judge the nations.
That’s essentially the big theme of this chapter.
That’s essentially the big theme of this chapter.
The theme of this chapter is that God is going to restore Jerusalem and destroy the nations.
Remember, there is an already/not-yet aspect to this.
In some sense, some of the nations of the world have already been judged.
But the nations of the world have not yet fully been judged.
In verse 3, God is still talking about the wickedness of the nations.
He says that they have cast lots for the people
They have traded a boy for a prostitute
And they have sold a girl for wine.
What’s this talking about?
It’s talking about selling people into slavery. God’s going to judge people because of this wickedness.
The reason I bring this up is because some people will say that God supports slavery. It is clear from the Bible that God doesn’t support this type of slavery, so I just wanted to point that out.
Joel 3:4-8
Joel 3:4-8
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.”
In this section, God continues to talk about why he’s judging the nations, specifically Tyre, Sidon, and Philistia. He says that he’s going to judge them for their wickedness.
In some sense, their judgment has already come because these nations were eventually taken into captivity. But these nations have not yet fully been judged.
Some wicked nations have been judged, but there are a lot of wicked nations that have not been judged, and true judgment is coming.
Joel 3:9-12
Joel 3:9-12
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.
Here God tells the nations to gather for war. Why should they gather for war?
They need to gather for war because God has come out against them for judgment.
Who was the army of God against in chapter 2?
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?
12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
God’s army is against the Israelites. They have become his enemy.
Who are the enemies of God in chapter 3?
The enemies are the wicked nations of the world, so they need to prepare for a great war with God. They aren’t going to succeed, but God warns them that he is prepared for war, and they need to be prepared as well.
Look at verse 10
10 Beat your plowshares into swords,
and your pruning hooks into spears;
let the weak say, “I am a warrior.”
What does this mean? Why does God say this?
The idea here is that this isn’t a time for peace. Everyone needs to prepare for battle.
Compare this with Isaiah 2
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
3 and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
Here God is talking about the peace that will be found in New Jerusalem.
The peace that is found in New Jerusalem is the opposite to the war that is found in the wicked nations.
Instead of beating plowshares into swords, they beat swords into plowshares
Instead of turning pruning hooks to spears, they turn spears to pruning hooks.
The peace that is in the kingdom is quite different from the judgment that is outside of the kingdom.
Joel 3:13-16
Joel 3:13-16
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.
In this section, God continues to theme of judgment against the nations. As a matter of fact, this judgment is called the day of the Lord.
Who was facing the day of the Lord in chapter 2?
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,
The Israelites were facing the day of the Lord. Now it is not the Israelites. Instead, it is the wicked nations of the world who are facing God’s judgment.
Personally, I think this particular judgment has some ties to the final judgment when all nations will be judged. On that day all nations will be judged (it will be like an earthquake that shakes every nation), but who will be safe from God’s wrath?
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.
God’s people will be safe because the Lord is our refuge. This brings us to the rest of the chapter…
Joel 3:17-21 - God restores Jerusalem
Joel 3:17-21 - God restores Jerusalem
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.”
What is this section talking about?
These verses go back to the beginning of verse 1. In these verses, we see the restoration of Jerusalem.
Is this literal Jerusalem or is this the New Jerusalem (the kingdom of Christ)?
I think that this is talking about New Jerusalem. I think that this is talking about the kingdom of Christ. Here’s why I think that. Look at verse 17.
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.
In this verse it says that Jerusalem is going to be holy, and that strangers will never pass through it. Did this happen?
This never happened. Jerusalem was never restored to its former glory (ezra/nehemiah)… This is true even today. If you go to Jerusalem and you go to the temple-mount, then you will see that the Jews don’t own the temple mount.
The muslims own the temple mount.
So even today, Jerusalem has not been restored to its former glory.
This is talking about New Jerusalem. The Kingdom of Christ. So, how do we avoid God’s judgment? How can we overcome the day of the lord?
We must be a part of New Jerusalem.
So… Let’s zoom out a little bit. What is this book all about?
This book was written to the Israelites to encourage them to do what?
12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
The purpose of this book is to encourage the Israelites to repent because the day of the Lord is coming. The Israelites have sinned and become enemies of God, so God is going to judge them if they don’t repent.
The only way that the Israelites can escape the judgment of the day of the Lord is by repenting.
Well… Joel tells us that another day of the Lord is coming… THE DAY OF THE LORD. This day is not going to be judgment against some nations, but it’s going to be judgment against all nations.
Just like the Israelites needed to be ready for their day, we need to be ready for this day.
How are we to escape the day of the Lord?
By doing the same thing that the Israelites did. We escape the day of the Lord by repenting… By returning to the Lord and becoming a citizen of New Jerusalem.
So, Joel is a message of repentance to the Israelites, but it’s also a message of repentance to all of us.
Just like the Israelites faced a day of the Lord, so also we face THE DAY OF THE LORD. We need to be ready.
Application:
Application:
Don’t get so absorbed into politics… All nations are evil, and all nations will be judged.
Americans aren’t going to escape the judgment… Christians are.
We need to live different from the world. The world is going to be judged. Are we going to be judged along with them?
We may be tempted to speak, think, and act like the rest of the world, but we need to remember that the world is going to be judged.
Instead of speaking and acting like the world, we need to speak, and act like, Kingdom Citizens.
So ask yourself these questions: What can I do to be different from the world? What can I do to live like a citizen of New Jerusalem.
Watch my tongue.
Treat others as if they are created in God’s image.
Set aside my desires to focus on Christ.
Etc.