Praise the Lord! Welcome back to the Scripture for the Week online platform (scripturesource.com).  God has blessed us with another week in our life to taste and see that the Lord is good as we move forward in our spiritual pilgrimage from earth to glory (Psalm 34:8). God has given us a wonderful passage from the book of Joel (2:28-32) to meditate upon and strengthen our spiritual life. Prophet Joel son of Pethuel (Joel 1:1) was called to minister to the people of Judah and Jerusalem (Joel 1:13-14; 2:1, 15, 23, 32; 3:16-18, 20)  during a time of distress and struggle due to famine and the locust attack on the green-lands of the Judean territories (Joel 1:2-4, 10), which happened due to Judah’s sin against the God of Israel. Although Joel did not specify any particular sin of Judah, he believed that the drought and the attack of the locusts took place because of their sin and unfaithfulness to the Lord, the God of Israel. Joel’s prophetical messages to the people of Judah and Jerusalem were to repent and return to the Lord, the God of their fathers, who can deliver them from all the disasters they were facing.

Before we meditate upon the passage we chose for this week’s meditation, let us go through the book and understand the context of the passage. It is hard to specify the timeframe of the prophecies of prophet Joel since there is no mentioning of a specific time period or notable people (like kings/prophets/priests) who lived during that time period or any natural calamity/disaster or historical event that took place other than Judah’s invasion by a large and mighty army of locusts (Joel 1:2-5; 2:25). Prophet Joel also noted some of Judah’s neighboring nations that are powerful in those days like the land of the Greeks and the Sabeans, Tyre, Sidon, Philistia, Egypt, Edom, and so on (Joel 3:4, 6, 8, 19). Since there is no mentioning of a specific time period, it is hard to assume an accurate time period of prophet Joel’s ministry. Nevertheless, most Bible scholars and historians believe that Joel prophesied during the eight century BC (pre-exilic period), particularly between the reign of king Ahaziah son of Jehoram and the coronation of Joash son of Ahaziah as the king of Judah (2 Kings 11:1-12; 12:1). Yet, some Bible scholars believe that Joel prophesied during the post-exilic era, particularly after the return of the remnant to Jerusalem from Babylon. However, it should not affect us or keep us away from digging out the spiritual lessons from the prophecies of Joel that will empower our walk with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

What we can understand from prophet Joel’s messages is that his ministry was during a time of great distress and struggle in the lives of the people because of drought and the attack of the great locust, the young locust, the other locust, and the locust swarm – the great army that God sent among them (Joel 2:25). Due to such crises, there was scarcity of food, water, clothes, and other necessities; in addition to the personal, communal, and social restrictions. Most of us have probably not experienced such situations due to war, natural calamities/disasters, famine, etc in our lifetime. The closest guess we can imagine is the lockdown situation we all faced due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. During such distressing times, most of us would be alarmed, panic-stricken, frighten, nervous, and not knowing how to push and pull our days ahead.

When we read through the books of the Bible, we can understand that God chose the children of Israel as His treasured possession out of all the people on earth (Deuteronomy 7:6). He chose them not because they were numerous or powerful, but it was because the Lord loved them and kept the oath he swore to their ancestors and for the sake of His holy name (Deuteronomy 7:7-8; Ezekiel 36:22, 32). God made it clear to them through His servant Moses that:

4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:4-6)

Originally, the children of Israel agreed and vowed before God that they would follow the Lord, the God of their fathers, wholeheartedly and obey the righteous laws and decrees given to them through His servant Moses (Exodus 19:8). However, God had warned them in advance that if they fail to keep His righteous laws and decrees as they have vowed to keep, they have to face the consequences mentioned in the Scripture:

15 … if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you … 38 You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little, because locusts will devour it. 39 You will plant vineyards and cultivate them but you will not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms will eat them. 40 You will have olive trees throughout your country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off. 41 You will have sons and daughters but you will not keep them, because they will go into captivity. 42 Swarms of locusts will take over all your trees and the crops of your land (Deuteronomy 28:15, 38-42)

Prophet Joel was clear in saying that Judah’s relationship with the Lord, the God of their fathers, was supposed to be strong and solid but they failed Him by violating His righteous laws and decrees, which caused God to send drought and the locusts into the land. Prophet Ezekiel noted that:

18 I poured out my wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their idols. 19 I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions (Ezekiel 36:18-19)

So, prophet Joel began his prophetic utterances to address the consequences of Judah’s sin against their God, that is, drought and the invasion of the land by an army of the locusts (Joel 1:2-12); as well as an urgent invitation to repent and return to the Lord, the God of their fathers (Joel 1:13-20). The situation in Judah at that particular time was very pitiful because the farmers of the land (Judah) cultivated the land with various kinds of fruit trees and grains, but the ruined fields and dried up land did not bring out much crops/produce, as it is mentioned in Joel 1:10-12

• • The fields are ruined (1:10a)
  • The ground is dried up (1:10b)
  • The grain is destroyed (1:10c)
  • The new wine is dried up (1:10d)
  • The olive oil failed (1:10e)
  • The vine is dried up (1:12a)
  • The fig tree is withered (1:12b)
  • The pomegranate is dried up (1:12c)
  • The palm is dried up (1:12d)
  • The apple tree is dried up (1:12e)
  • The trees of the field are dried up (1:12f)
  • The people’s joy is withered away (1:12g)

In the midst of such a drought, whatever the land did produce was eaten up by the locusts and nothing was left for the people to survive on. Prophet Joel mentioned that all of the crops produced by the land were eaten up by the locusts, the great army the Lord sent, due to their sin and unfaithfulness towards the Lord, the God of Israel (Joel 1:4; 2:25)

• • The locust swarm have eaten the crops/produce of the land (1:4a; 2:25a)
  • The great locusts have eaten the crops/produce of the land (1:4b; 2:25b)
  • The young locusts have eaten the crops/produce of the land (1:4c; 2:25c)
  • The other locusts have eaten the crops/produce of the land (1:4d; 2:25d)

The locust attack during Joel’s time was a terrifying experience for the inhabitants of the land. The farmers are normally familiar with locusts and other insects that destroy the crops, but these locusts were not of the normal size locusts but their appearances and actions were terrifying to the farmers and the rest of the people, as it is mentioned in Joel 2:4-11

• • The locusts had the appearance of horses (2:4a)
  • The locusts gallop along like cavalry (2:4b)
  • The noise of the locusts was like that of chariots (2:5a)
  • The locusts leap over the mountaintops (2:5b)
  • The locusts were like a crackling fire consuming stubble (2:5c)
  • The locusts were like a mighty army drawn up for battle (2:5d)
  • The nations were in anguish at the sight of the locusts (2:6a)
  • Peoples’ face turns pale at the sight of these locusts (2:6b)
  • The locusts charge like warriors (2:7a)
  • These locusts scale walls like soldiers (2:7b)
  • These locusts march in line (2:7c)
  • These locusts do not swerve from their course (2:7d)
  • The locusts do not jostle each other (2:8a)
  • These locusts advance/march straight ahead (2:8b)
  • These locusts plunge through defenses without breaking ranks (2:8c)
  • These locusts rush upon the city (2:9a)
  • These locusts are able to run along the wall (2:9b)
  • These locusts climb into the houses (2:9c)
  • These locusts were like thieves (2:9d)
  • These locusts enter into houses through the windows (2:9e)
  • Before these locusts the earth shakes (2:10a)
  • Before these locusts the heavens tremble (2:10b)
  • Before these locusts sun and moon are darkened (2:10c)
  • Before these locusts the stars no longer shine (2:10d)
  • The Lord thunders at the head of his army of locusts (2:11a)
  • The forces of the Lord are beyond number (2:11b)
  • The army of the Lord is mighty (2:11c)
  • The army of the Lord obeys His command (2:11d)
  • The day of the Lord is great and it is dreadful (2:11e)

Due to the drought and locust attack, the situation in Judah was not very favorable for farming. The prophet urged the farmers – vine, wheat, and barley growers – to seek the Lord earnestly because the harvest of the field is destroyed (Joel 1:14). Since the harvest was destroyed, people lacked food; also, the grain offerings and drink offerings were withheld from the house of God (Joel 1:13b). There was nothing left that man could do to secure a normal life in the land nor to reinstate the grain offerings and drink offerings that were withheld from the house of God. Only God and God alone could do something to change the situation. Prophet Joel remembered the promise of God spoken to His servant king Solomon long ago that:

When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:13-14)

God’s judgement upon the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem reveals the reality that God will judge anyone who does evil in the sight of Him. It doesn’t matter whether it is His chosen people or not. However, prophet Joel believed that if the inhabitants of the land repent and return to the God of Israel, He will restore and bless them instead of destroying them. Although God’s chosen people did evil in the sight of Him and disobeyed His righteous laws and decrees, God had been waiting for His people to repent of their sins and return to Him with all their heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. God spoke to them through His servant Joel that:

12 “Even now,”  declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” 13 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. 14 Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing—grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God. 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. 16 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. 17 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?’” (Joel 2:12-17)

So, prophet Joel urged the people of Judah to seek the Lord, the God of Israel, and earnestly repent and return to Him, and plead with Him for help (Joel 1:11, 13-14).

• • Despair, you farmers (1:11a)
  • Wail, you vine growers (1:11b)
  • Grieve, you wheat growers (1:11c)
  • Mourn, you barley growers (1:11d)
  • Put on sackcloth and mourn, you priests (1:13a)
  • Wail, you who minister before the altar (1:13b)
  • Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God (1:13c)
  • Since the harvest and the farmland is destroyed, the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God (1:13d)
  • Declare a holy fast (1:14a)
  • Call a sacred assembly (1:14b)
  • Summon the elders (1:14c)
  • Invite all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God (1:14d)
  • Let everyone (the king and his royal officials, priests and prophets, and the people of all walks) cry out to the Lord (1:14e)

Although the land was devastated with drought (Joel 1:10-12) and locust attack (Joel 1:4; 2:25) due to Judah’s sins and unfaithfulness towards their God, He promised to forgive their sins and bless them if they repent of their sins and return to Him. Prophet Joel’s tireless effort helped the inhabitants of the land to come before the Lord, the God of Israel, with fasting weeping, mourning, and prayer in order to overcome the crisis they had been facing. God spoke through several of His servants regarding the deliverance of His people from whatever situations they were trapped in if they return to Him with a repented heart (Psalm 34:4, 17; 107:6). Whether they were going through a difficult time in their own country due to an enemy’s attack or natural calamity or plague or they ended up in a foreign land as captives and suffer there, God is ready to deliver them from all such unfavorable situations and bless them if they repent of their sins and return to Him wholeheartedly. Even while Judah was taken to Babylon as captives, God’s promise came through prophet Ezekiel, while he himself was a captive in Babylon that:

33 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. 35 They will say, “This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.” 36 Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’ 37 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Once again I will yield to Israel’s plea and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep, 38 as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed festivals. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel 36:33-38)

God promised deliverance through His prophet Joel during the times of distress and hardships. When people repented and returned to the Lord their God, He was jealous for His land and took pity on His people (Joel 2:18) and He promised to bless them greatly with grain, wine, oil, and with peace and security on all sides (Joel 2:19-27)

• • The Lord promised His people to bless them with grain (2:19a)
  • The Lord promised His people to bless them with new wine (2:19b)
  • The Lord promised His people to bless them with olive oil (2:19c)
  • The Lord promised to satisfy His people fully (2:19d)
  • The Lord promised that never again He will make them an object of scorn to the nations (2:19e)
  • The Lord promised His people that He will drive the northern horde far from His people (2:20a)
  • The Lord promised His people that He will push the northern horde (enemy army) into a parched and barren land (2:20b)
  • The horde’s (enemy’s) eastern (front ranks) ranks will drown in the Dead Sea (2:20c)
  • The horde’s (enemy’s) western ranks (rear guard) will drown in the Mediterranean Sea (2:20d)
  • The horde’s (enemy) stench will go up (2:20e)
  • The horde’s (enemy) smell will rise (2:20f)
  • The Lord has done great things for His people (2:20g)
  • The Lord promised the land of Judah not to be afraid (2:21a)
  • The Lord promised the land of Judah to be glad and rejoice (2:21b)
  • The Lord has done great things for His people (2:21c)
  • The commanded the wild animals in the land not be afraid (2:22a)
  • The Lord made the pastures in the wilderness to become green (2:22b)
  • The Lord made the trees to bear their fruit (2:22c)
  • The Lord caused the fig tree to yield their riches (2:22d)
  • The Lord caused the vine to yield their riches (2:22e)
  • The Lord commanded the people of Zion to be glad (2:23a)
  • The Lord commanded the people of Zion to rejoice in the Lord their God (2:23b)
  • The Lord has given the people of Zion the autumn rains (2:23c)
  • The Lord remains faithful to the people of Zion / His people (2:23d)
  • The Lord sends the people of Zion abundant showers (2:23e)
  • The Lord blessed the people of Zion with both autumn and spring rains (2:23f)
  • The Lord blessed His people that their threshing floors will be filled with grain (2:24a)
  • The Lord blessed His people that their vats will overflow with new wine and oil (2:24b)
  • The Lord promised His people that He will repay them for the years the locusts have eaten (2:25a)
  • The Lord promised His people that He will repay them for the years the great locust have eaten (2:25b)
  • The Lord promised His people that He will repay them for the years the young locust have eaten (2:25c)
  • The Lord promised His people that He will repay them for the years the other locusts have eaten (2:25d)
  • The Lord promised His people that He will repay them for the years the locust swarm have eaten (2:25e)
  • The Lord acknowledged that these locusts are His great army that He sent among His people (2:25f) [the Lord sent His army of locusts because of their sin and unfaithfulness towards Him]
  • The Lord promised His people that they will have plenty to eat, until they are full (2:26a)
  • The Lord foreknew that His people will praise the name of the Lord your God (2:26b)
  • The Lord has worked wonders for His people and would continue to work wonders fo His people (2:26c)
  • The Lord promised that never again will His people be shamed (2:26d)
  • The Lord foreknew that His people will acknowledge that the Lord is in Israel (2:27a)
  • The Lord promised His people that He will continue to remain to be their God (2:27b)
  • The Lord will make sure that there is no other God in Israel / among His people (2:27c)
  • The Lord again assured that never again will His people be shamed (2:27d)

Prophet Joel quoted the exact words the Lord has spoken to him to tell God’s people as a promise, which is And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people (Joel 2:28a). God promised that He will pour out His Spirit on all people, and in order for God to pour out His Spirit on all people they need to be holy because He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). This will take place ultimately after He purges the sins from among His people. As long as sin continues to exist among the people and the people continue to live in sin, the Lord God cannot live among them nor perform wonders among them. It was the reason the Lord God commanded His people to purge the evil from among them, as He commanded: … You must purge the evil from Israel (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; 17:2-7, 8-12; 19:15-19; 21:18-21; 22:20-21; 24:7; Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 4:4; Ezekiel 20:38). Apostle Paul also emphasized to the believers that they must purge the evil [an evil practice or a person who carries out an evil thing] from among them (1 Corinthians 5:7-8, 13; 2 Timothy 2:21). The Lord God will pour out His Spirit on His people at its proper time but before that He will … 

1. 1. 1. punish His people for their sins against Him
      2. purge sin from among His people
      3. purify His people from all their uncleanliness, and
      4. provide for His people’s need as He promised them

The Lord God will fulfill what He promised to His people. In this regard, the Lord God promised that He will pour out His Spirit upon all people and will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth (Joel 2:28-32)

• • The Lord promised that He will pour out His Spirit on all people (2:28a)
  • The Lord promised that He will pour out His Spirit on their sons and daughters and they will prophesy (2:28b)
  • The Lord promised that He will pour out His Spirit on old men and they will dream dreams (2:28c)
  • The Lord promised that He will pour out His Spirit on young men and they will see visions (2:28d)
  • The Lord promised that He will pour out His Spirit on His servants, both men and women, in those days. (2:29)
  • The Lord foretold that He will show wonders in the heavens (2:30a)
  • The Lord foretold that He will show wonders on the earth (2:30b)
  • The Lord foretold that He will show wonders of blood and fire and billows of smoke (2:30c)
  • The Lord foretold that the sun will be turned to darkness (2:31a)
  • The Lord foretold that the moon will be turned to blood (2:31b)
  • The Lord foretold that these wonders will take place before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord (2:31c)
  • The Lord promised that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (2:32a)
  • The Lord promised that there will be deliverance on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem (2:32b)
  • The Lord promised that there will be deliverance in Jerusalem (2:32c)
  • The Lord promised that there will be deliverance even among the survivors whom the Lord calls (2:32d)

One of the most notable examples of God pouring out His Spirit on a group of people was during the wilderness journey of the Israelites – it is noted that God gave the seventy elders the same Spirit that was upon Moses:

Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but did not do so again (Numbers 11:17, 25, 29 [also refer to: Judges 3:10; 1 Samuel 10:6; 19:20; Isaiah 63:10-14])

The New Testament Church itself began as the result of the outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit on His people (the disciples) on the day of Pentecost while they were waiting and praying together in Jerusalem as Christ commanded them prior to His ascension to heaven (Acts 1:4-11; 2:1). It is recorded in the book of Acts that:

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them (Acts 2:1-4)

When the Lord God poured out His Spirit upon the apostles and other disciples who had gathered in the upper room as per Christ’s command, it was visible and audible and people who were living nearby gathered at that place with amazement and perplexity and asked one another, What does this mean (Acts 2:5-12). Apostle Peter stood up with the Eleven and responded to the crowd  who had gathered there that

14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ 22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.

According to Joel’s prophecy (Joel 2: 28-32), we can understand that the Lord God who promised that He will pour out His spirit on His people will fulfill His promise to everyone who calls upon His name. During the Old Testament times, God gave His Spirit to a selected number of people among the kings, priests, prophets, and some others based on need. However, in the last days, that is, during the New Testament time; the Spirit of God will be given not only to His covenant people Israel but also to everyone who accept Christ Jesus as the Lord and Savior of their life, as Joel prophesied (Joel 2:28-32). This includes all God’s people, the Jews and the Gentiles who were formerly excluded from the covenant but are now included through the blood of Christ, as it is mentioned in Acts 2:38 to Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Apostle Paul made it very clear that God does not show favoritism (Romans 2:11), and for God there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him.

As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:11-13)

As God pours out His Spirit on all His people in these last days, all those people of God will dream dreams and see visions, which will help them to strengthen their spiritual walk with their God and enrich their life to lead and guide other lives to Jesus. May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!