BIBLE STUDY REVIEW
Text: Joel 3:1-21
Reflection:
The book of Joel revealed the mysteries of “the day of the lord”. The day when the anger of God will be let on those that disobey Him and reject His reproves, the day when mercy will be withdrawn and Grace will be no more, that great and terrible day which every living soul dread.
Looking at Joel 3 under three subtitles:
- God’s judgement on the enemies of His people (Joel 3:1-8).
“For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem…
Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and return your recompence upon your own head:” -Joel 3:1,7
When God is angry with His people, He allows them to fall into the hands of their enemies. But when they repent and return to Him, He takes vengeance and judge their enemies. As such, it is unfortunate and a terrible thing to be a vessel of God’s wrath and anger because He will not spare you.
Everyday is your day, but that day is the Lord’s day. Don’t be caught unprepared!
2. The Duty of God’s people in the face of God’s judgement on His enemies (Joel 3:9-16).
“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.” Joel 3:9
“Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.” Joel 3:14
When God turn his wrath and releases his cup on judgement on the enemies, His people should not just sit on the sidelines and sheer gleefully at the destruction of the wicked. We must do the following:
- Ensure we are actually on God’s side. It is too easy to assume that we have escaped the wrath of God. We need to constantly examine our state of life. Are we truly members of God’s family or are we hypocrites counted among the enemies of God?
- We must proclaim the coming judgement to the world. We must warn the people. Too many Christians are at ease in Zion, celebrating their salvation; but as children of God, we need to develop a passion and compassion for lost sinners. The Bible admonishes us in Jude 1:23 to “…save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”Remember that there are multitudes in the valley of decision (v 14), so we need to get busy with the harvesting process.
3. The Divine Differentiation (Joel 3:16-21).
“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. 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.” Joel 3:18-19.
When God’s people repent, he does to them his good promise. Repentance is a precursor to God’s blessings, provisions and abundance. The unrepentant on the other hand remain under the curse of desolation. God always judges the wicket. It may seem like the wicked have victory over God’s people for a period of time, but be confident in God’s trustworthiness; he will surely visit them with vengeance.
