August 26, Joel 3
Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. - Joel 3:14
Rational people make decisions every day. We decide what to wear, what to eat and make many other choices throughout our days. We make some choices from habit and others by deliberate intention. We shape our days and then our years by both big and small daily decisions.
Chapter 1 depicted a literal landscape, the land of Israel, devastated by locusts. But Joel described two figurative landscapes in Chapter 3 — a mountain called Zion where God dwells, and a valley called Jehoshaphat where God judges. Jehoshaphat means “God decides” or “God judges.” We won’t be the decision-makers on that day represented by the valley. The Lord is the one who makes the decisions at that time and place. With all nations gathered before him, God will judge his faithful, godly people and reward them. But he will judge and punish the faithless and ungodly ones.
Joel said God would punish Israel’s enemies that day. They were guilty of shedding blood and human trafficking. The law of sowing and reaping dictated that they would suffer the same calamities they had unleashed on Israel. The harvest of their evil was ripe; the winepress was full. They would reap the bitter fruit of their actions.
But God would also judge Israel for their choices. They chose to forsake God and his laws and turn to idolatry. God is holy, and those who dwell with him must be holy, too. Apostate Israel was not holy, but they were wholly without excuse for their wickedness. They knew better, but still abandoned God. The holy righteous God could not compromise his perfect justice, even though he desired to forgive and bless. God does not want to condemn and destroy. However the day came when Israel fell, and suffered for their rebellion and impenitence.
But punishment was not the only feature in Joel’s picture of judgment. God gave new pictures and promises of blessing for his faithful people, The prophecy envisioned the restoration of Israel’s fortunes, life-giving rain and fruitful crops. This restoration and these blessings did not come in earthly Israel's history after captivity. But the Israelites could enjoy the spiritual realities of these images in Messiah's kingdom.
When Peter first proclaimed the gospel on the day of Pentecost, he quoted Joel, and said the events of that day were the ones Joel foresaw. It's important to remember there are two Israels in these prophecies. The rich blessings that Joel and the other prophets of this period saw were the spiritual blessings of the new reality for Jews and Gentiles in the new Israel, Christ's kingdom, his church. God will supply in abundance all the needs of his people. He will be their hope and strength. He will avenge their enemies. That truth encouraged the faithful ones who lived in such difficult times. The same images and ideas of God’s righteous judgment from here in Joel are echoed in Revelation in the New Testament.
There's a warning and a message of hope here for every sinner. That judgment of God against the nations points to the final judgment to come. The warning is that judgment is coming when God will judge all people (including you and me), and their eternal destiny will be fixed. But there's also hope from the reassurance that the vilest of sins can be cleansed and forgiven. There’s hope in knowing that God is in control and his promises of blessings and rewards are all true in Christ.
God is Almighty. His will and purpose cannot be thwarted. He is still on his throne, still on the mountain of Zion. It’s true that God has appointed a coming day of judgment. But before Judgment Day comes, we live today in a day of salvation for all who will humble themselves and come to Christ. Of all the decisions you will make in life, there's not one more important than that one.
Copyright © 2024 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—August 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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