Joel 2
COMMENTARY:
: 13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repents him of the evil. (5162 “repenteth” [nacham] means to be sorry, console oneself, regret, have compassion or be moved with pity.)
DEVOTION: The attributes of the LORD never change. HIS attitude toward HIS people changes on a regular basis. HE loves them but HE also has to chasten them at times. HE blesses them at times. HIS attitude toward HIS people changes because of their relationship to HIM.
If they are willing to worship HIM in spirit and in truth – HE blesses them. If they worship false gods and fake their worship of HIM – HE will chasten them. Their actions affect HIS actions. If they would open their heart to HIM and turn to HIM then He could change HIS actions toward them.
This verse gives us insight into who God is in HIS person. HE is gracious. HE is merciful. HE is slow to anger. HE is of great kindness. HE is willing to be move with pity toward HIS people if they will repent. HE can withhold chastening. The evil is consequences to their sin. In this chapter HE is sending an army of locust to take all the grain and food from the people. This army can be literal locust or a heathen nation HE uses as locust to show the children of Israel that HE means business with them. HE wants them to repent.
What are HIS actions toward us? What are HIS actions toward our church? What are HIS actions toward our nation? If we as individuals repent of our daily sins – HE can bless us. If we as a church repent of our disobedience of not reaching our world for HIM – HE can bless our church. If we as a nation do not honor HIM – HE will not honor us.
If we as individual Christians think we can go on without the LORD being active in our lives – WE are lying to ourselves. HE loves HIS children. If we as a church are not obeying HIS commands for us to make disciples and think HE will grow our church – WE are lying to ourselves. God has chosen to work through individuals in HIS church to reach the world with HIS message. Are we doing it?
CHALLENGE: Our actions changes God’s actions toward us. If we repent, HE doesn’t have to chasten us. If we refuse, HE will chasten HIS children to made them conform to the image of HIS Son.
: 16 Gather all the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. (2646 “closet” [chuppah] means chamber, room, porch, or nuptial chamber.)
DEVOTION: There is individual repentance and there is national repentance. Here we find that the priest were to call all the people together for a national repentance.
What was involved in a national repentance? All ages were to be called to a gathering at the Temple. They were to rend their heart or give their hearts wholly to the LORD. They were to be totally sorry for their sins and ask the LORD to forgive them. It was not to be an outward show of repentance but an internal change of mind toward the things of the LORD. They were to want to serve the LORD.
Why would they want to do this? If this happened the LORD would send a blessing instead of a judgment. Our actions change what the LORD will do with us.
The LORD is described as SOMEONE or the ONLY ONE who is gracious and merciful. HE Is also slow to anger and of great kindness. HE also is willing to change HIS actions toward us if we are willing to change our attitude toward HIM and HIS commands.
People we meet here on earth don’t usually act this way if we have hurt them but the LORD is forgiving to those who ask for it genuinely.
CHALLENGE: There is a time to call everyone together to honor the LORD. We need a revival as a nation just like the children of Israel needed one.
: 26 And you shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that has dealt wondrously with you: and your people shall never be ashamed. (954 “ashamed” [buwsh] means act shamefully, confounded, confusion, to feel shame, disconcerted, or to fail in hope and expectation.)
DEVOTION: Never again with the LORD’S people be disgraced. This was not fulfilled at the time of Joel. This was not fulfilled at the time of Pentecost. This has not been fulfilled as yet. It is still future.
However, we can look forward to this time period because we will be the ones who will rule and reign with Christ during the Millennium. It is yet future but it is a promise. It is a future hope for those who are believers. We need to trust in the LORD with all our heart. We need to realize that HE keeps HIS promises.
Right now we are going through a time period when we are to serve the LORD with gladness. We are to use the gift that the Holy Spirit has given us to serve in the local church. We are to be witnesses to the world around us. We have a future hope that should put a smile on our face as we go through different circumstances.
There is a future and a hope that we should praise the LORD for during our lifetime. People should see a difference in us that would cause them to ask how we can have a smile when things are not going as well as they expect life to go. The answer can only be the LORD.
CHALLENGE: A time is coming when Christ will reign on this earth. It will be a time of great blessing. HE wants us to realize that HE is working HIS plan and that we are included in HIS plan as HIS people.
: 28-29 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. (8210 “pour out” [shaphak] means shed, gush out, cause to flow, cause to happen, or lavish.)
DEVOTION: On the day of Pentecost Peter quoted this verse in reference to what was happening to the disciples. They were full of the Holy Spirit and able to talk in the languages of those who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate a Jewish feast.
He was preaching Christ. He stated that Christ fulfilled HIS mission of coming and dying on the cross for the sins of the world. This gave everyone present the opportunity to become followers of Jesus the Messiah. Peter told those present that if they would call on the name of Jesus Christ they would be saved.
Now did this fulfill all of the prophecy of Joel? NO!! There is a future fulfillment as well. This is going to happen during the Millennial reign of Christ. It will be a gushing out of the Holy Spirit on everyone who will enter the Millennium. It will not be limited to just twelve or a hundred and twenty people. It will experienced by all those who enter the Millennium because only those who believe will be able to enter.
So we have two flowing of the Holy Spirit. There will be one at the beginning of the Church Age and one at the beginning of the Millennial Age.
The primary understanding is this will happen at the end of the Tribulation when Christ shall rule and reign over the earth with Satan bound in the pit for the thousand years.
CHALLENGE: Continue to study the Word of God to see what it has to say about the end times. Don’t just wait for the end times to happen, reach out and help others understand what it means to become a follower of Jesus Christ.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Repentance requires fastingverses 12, 15
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Prayer of the priestsverse 17
Prayer of those who want to be deliveredverse 32
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Holy Mountainverse 1
Meat offeringverse 14
Drink offeringverse 14
Call a solemn assemblyverse 15
Gather the peopleverse 16
Sanctify the congregationverse 16
Assemble the eldersverse 16
Call to worship to include elders, children, etcverse 16
Priests – ministers of LORDverse 17
Porch and altarverse 17
Praise the name of the LORD your Godverse 26
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 1, 11-14, 17-19, 21, 23, 26, 27, 31, 32
Day of the LORDverses 1-11, 31
Blow the trumpet in Zion
Sound the alarm
Let the inhabitants of the land tremble
A day of darkness and of gloominess
A day of clouds and of thick darkness
A fire devours before them and behind
Land is as the garden of Eden before them
Land behind them a desolate wilderness
Nothing shall escape them
Noise like chariots on the tops of mountains
Noise of a flame of fire that devours
People shall be much pained
All faces shall gather blackness
LORD shall utter HIS voice before HIS army
HIS camp shall be very great
Great and very terrible and who shall abide it
LORD your Godverses 13, 14, 23, 26, 27
Graciousverse 13
Mercifulverse 13
Slow to angerverse 13
Great kindnessverse 13
Repents of judgmentverse 13
Give not YOUR heritage to reproachverse 17
Jealousverse 18
Pity HIS peopleverse 18
LORD will answer HIS peopleverses 19, 20
I will send you corn and wine and oil
You shall be satisfied
I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen
I will remove far off the northern army
Fear not be glad and rejoiceverse 21
Do great thingsverse 21
HE has given you the former rain moderatelyverse 23
I will restore to you the years verse 25
You shall eat in plenty and be satisfiedverse 26
LORD your God has dealt wondrouslyverse 26
LORD in midst of HIS peopleverse 27
MY people shall never be ashamedverse 27
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Holy Spirit is going to be poured outverses 28, 29
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name)verses 13, 14, 17, 23, 26, 27
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Garden of Edenverse 3
Men of warverse 7
March everyone on his ways and shall not break their ranksverse 7
When they fall upon the sword they shall not be woundedverse 8
They shall enter in at the windows like a thiefverse 9
Heathenverses 17, 19
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Thiefverse 9
Heathenverses 17, 19
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Turn to the LORD with all your heartverses 12, 13
Fastingverses 12, 15
Weeping verses 12, 17
Mourningverse 12
Rend your heartverse 13
Graceverse 13
Mercyverse 13
Slow to angerverse 13
Kindnessverse 13
Repentverse 13
Blessingverse 14
Sanctifyverses 15, 16
Call a solemn assemblyverse 15
Ministersverse 17
Pityverse 18
Satisfiedverses 19, 26
Fear notverse 21
Glad verses 21, 23
Rejoiceverses 21, 23
Not afraidverse 22
Be gladverse 23
Rejoiceverse 23
Restorationverse 25
Praise verse 26
Deal wondrouslyverse 26
Never be ashamedverses 26, 27
LORD in midstverse 27
Holy Spirit givenverses 28, 29
Prophesyverse 28
Dreamdreamsverse 28
Deliveranceverse 32
Remnantverse 32
Calledverse 32
Israel (Old Testament people of God
Zionverses 1, 15, 23, 32
Holy Mountainverse 1
Blow the trumpet in Zionverse 15
Sanctify a fast verse 15
Call a solemn assemblyverse 15
Where is their God?verse 17
Fear notverse 21
Be gladverses 21, 23
Rejoiceverses 21, 23
LORD will do great thingsverse 21
Be not afraidverse 22
Children of Zionverse 23
Floors shall be full of wheat and the vats shall overflow with wine and oldverse 24
Israelverse 27
Jerusalemverse 32
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Day of the LORDverses 1, 11
Day of darkness and gloominessverse 2
Day of cloudsverse 2
Earth shall quakeverse 10
Heavens shall trembleverse 10
Sun and moon shall be darkverse 10
Stars shall withdraw their shiningverse 10
Who knows if HE will return and repent and leave a blessingverse 14
Great and terrible day of the LORDverse 31
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