Wednesday, December 13 , 2023 PM

Everyone, it is a pleasure to be with you again tonight. I am, once again, in between trips, and I will be gone next week as well. It's going to start a very busy travel season for me, but that's OK. Allows other people to get to their families and their Christmases.

Joel 2:25 in Its Immediate Context

For tonight, we're going to be in the book of Joel, and the verse I was going to center on tonight is Joel 2 .25. It's a beautiful verse filled with hope, promise. I'm going to read it. Should sound very familiar to many of us.

Joel chapter 2, verse 25 says, I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter. My great army, which I sent among you.

Let's pray.

Lord God in heaven, as we open your word tonight, please give us understanding. Please help us to see what you have said through the prophets and how later prophets have taken that and expanded it. Help us to understand your word so that it doesn't just stay words.

It changes us. Your word should change us. Change us into the image of your son. In Christ Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

The Book of Joel and the Day of the Lord

Book of Joel. Book of Joel is very simple. It is three chapters. Notice I said it was simple, or short, not easy, or simplistic. But I think it's pretty straightforward. Chapter 1 talks about a locust swarm.

Chapter 2 takes that locust swarm that day of the Lord and expands it. The imagery of the locust is to a army that's getting ready to invade. And then chapter 3 talks about the ultimate restoration and future of Israel that's tied to the judgment of God's enemies.

And if you want to look at the eschatological, or the very last day, the salvation of God's people and the judgment of God's enemies are wrapped up together. So as we look in the past and look at things called the day of the Lord, know that that's looking forward to a final one.

But let's get into Joel first. We want to ask the question, where does Joel 2 .25 actually fit? This verse is used, and in my opinion misused, to justify all sorts of material blessings that people should have.

If they go through tough times, don't worry, the Lord will restore the years of locusts of Eden, and then you'll get double back. It's a little more than that. We always want to keep things in context, and we want to understand why the author is using the imagery that he's using.

It's a little difficult for us to understand how incredibly devastating a locust swarm is. Who here has ever seen a plague of locusts? You have, tell me about it.

There wasn't a spot.

A giant cloud.

It was crazy.

It felt like we were living in Egypt. We're talking about a swarm of grasshoppers of sorts that came through and just took everything out. So everything green was really gone.

In the desert, there wasn't much that was green to start with.

Right.

So there we go, in a kind of a microcosm. These sort of things do happen. The last giant mass locust swarm in North America, about 1874, 1875. There have been smaller ones since then. But a massive swarm destroyed what we think was about 2 million acres.

That's like Maryland to Maine. So take what happened that summer, amplify it by 1 ,000, and it covers the entire countryside. And when you are an agrarian economy, that is absolutely devastating. Every green thing is gone.

I'm a city boy. I've never seen a plague of locusts. But when you depend on your crops, and your animals depend on your crops, and your army depends on that food, you are helpless. So the ancient world feared the swarm of locusts.

It was a plague that God sent onto Egypt. It was. It is horribly, awfully devastating. And when you look at Joel, chapter 1, you see the word of the Lord that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel. And just as a note, we're not exactly sure when Joel was written.

There's no king mentioned. Either Israelite or pagan. Sometimes you say, oh, well, in the fourth year of King Cyrus, or in the second year of King Hezekiah, or towards the end of Ussiah's reign, things like that.

We don't have that. We don't know when this plague of locusts happened. We know it happened every so often. There's a number of different theories. It could be because there's no king mentioned. Maybe it's really early.

But Joel quotes a lot of Old Testament prophecy quotes. Isaiah references Jeremiah, Ezekiel, even possibly Micah, and even Zechariah. Zechariah's post-exile. So he says, OK, it could be. He could be talking about the Assyrians.

It could be. Could be talking about the Babylonians. Israel is not mentioned. Judah and Jerusalem are mentioned a lot. He says, OK. Maybe it's after the exile. It couldn't be during the exile, because they're talking about some temple worship.

So the temple's in operation. But there's no date. So there's some debate about the timeline on when this was. Because he quotes so many prophets, and because there's no king mentioned, and because the temple is somehow in operation, I'd say maybe during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, after the new temple's been built, the second temple era, possibly.

Giant locust worm comes through. That actually does describe what the Babylonians did when they sacked the temple, during the first temple era. So it's a little difficult to pen down. But even though the date is unknown, the principles that it teaches are timeless.

And I hope that we can jump into that. So halfway through chapter 1, he says that you have a call to repentance. Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests. Wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in. Pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God.

Because grain offering and drink offerings are withheld from the house of God. The locusts have come through and destroyed so much, there's nothing for the worship of God. There's no grain. There's no oil.

The vines are destroyed. Grain and oil and wine for the drink offerings. They can't have worship. So they consecrate a fast, repent, cry out to the Lord. Alas for the day, verse 15, for the day of the Lord is near.

It's coming. And he finishes that out, this chapter 1, with saying even the animals are groaning because of this horrible plague that's coming through. Then we get in Joel 2. So we have locusts. In Joel chapter 2, he starts talking about another horde of locusts of sorts that's coming through.

And this one is much, much worse. The way Joel describes it, this army, using his words, sound an alarm. Let the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is near. Another reference to the day of the Lord.

We've had one. Here's another one. Darkness, gloom, clouds, thick darkness, blackness is spread upon the mountains. A great and powerful people, they're like, has never been before and never will be again after them throughout all the years and generations.

That's apocalyptic language. It's used a couple of times. There's a good reference. Matthew 24 talks about that, where you have a great tribulation. Such has never been before and never will be again.

That's used in Matthew to a Jewish audience. It's not used in Luke, which is not really a Jewish audience. So there could be some Jewish idiom in there. They're saying, these people are bad. They are mean.

They are scary. Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. They leave nothing but devastation. The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, but behind them is a desolate wilderness. They leave nothing.

Talk about scorched earth. Their appearance is like the appearance of horses. Obviously, this is poetic language. This is metaphor. It means that they are fierce. Horses in that time were used for war.

The mules or the donkeys were a more abusive burden, but horses were fierce. Like the rumbling of chariots, they leap upon the tops of mountains, crackling a flame of fire, devouring the stubble, a powerful army drawn up for battle.

All their faces will grow pale. Like warriors, they charge, scale the wall. They march each in his own way. They don't swerve from their past. Are we talking about locusts? Are we talking about soldiers?

Appears to be we're talking about soldiers. Now, maybe you could say they're still locusts because they burst through weapons. The burst through weapons are not halted. You can't exactly fire an arrow at these things.

They leap upon the city. They run upon the walls. They climb into the houses. They enter the windows like a thief. They're everywhere. It's a perfect description of an invading army. Verse 10, the earthquakes before them, the heavens tremble.

The sun and moon are darkened. The stars withdraw. They're shining. There's that imagery of the sun, moon, and stars becoming dark. The Lord utters his voice before what? His army. Who's in control of this army?

Who's coming in? Is this a surprise to God? He sent them. They're his. He's the one that's actually leading this army. He's the one that's in control. Now, you could have a foreign king. We saw this with Nebuchadnezzar.

I will whistle, and Nebuchadnezzar will come at my beck and call. You saw it with Sennacherib, people being led by the nose, a ring in the nose, being pulled to the side. This is God controlling this army and bringing about the day of the Lord to his people, who have been in violation of the covenant.

Plagues and death, invading armies, and shame, and exile. These are all things that you read about in Deuteronomy. This was promised. So this is not something that should have been a surprise, but it's still horrible to even consider.

But that's exactly what's happening. God is the one leading this army. For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome. Who can endure it? And that's the first half of chapter 2. So where does 225 fit?

I will restore to you the years the locusts have eaten, my great army, which I sent among you. We like to quote the first part of that verse. We like to say, I will repay to you the years the locusts have eaten.

I will restore to you the years of locusts. It's a message of hope. We forget that it was God who sent his great army among them. God was in control of that.

Why?

Repentance, Worship, and the Mercy of God

So what is the response? What was the response in chapter 1 that was called for when the locusts came through? The call was to repent, worship. Now, the locusts have come through. They've destroyed all the oil.

They've destroyed all the grain. They've destroyed the drink offerings. How would they worship? The question is asked here as well. We have an army, and we're still called to repent. Now, when we read this, the repentance that God wants, verse 12, yet even now declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, fasting, weeping, with mourning, and rend your hearts and not your garments.

So they could bring all of their grain offerings. They could. They could have 1 ,000 rams. And if their heart wasn't in it, God didn't accept it. It's like he's saying, even if all the oil and the grain and the bread, even if all that stuff is gone, you returning to me with all your heart, tearing your heart and not your garments, he says it's enough.

The external worship was always meant to be a reflection of what was inside. What was the call? Circumcise your hearts, not just embody. In verse 13, return to the Lord.

Why?

Because he is gracious, merciful, slow to anger and abundant and steadfast love. That's from out of Exodus. And who knows whether he will not return and relent and leave a blessing behind him, a grain and a drink offering.

Who knows? He may. He may relent of his disaster and he may not. Our job is to repent with our whole heart. So we start to see some repetitions. Blow a trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a solemn assembly.

Between the vestibule and the altar, let the priests and ministers of the Lord weep. So the priests are once again called into the temple. Once again, they're called to lead this solemn assembly and this repentance.

Just like in chapter one. Locusts, day of the Lord, repent and turn to me. Locusts, great army, his great army, day of the Lord, repent and turn to me and do it with your whole heart. So what is the response that God has?

Halfway through chapter two. As we start to get closer to Joel 2 .25, the Lord became jealous for his land and had pity on his people. And you start to see a pattern develop within this second section.

It's really interesting to kind of map that out. So verse 18 talks about the mercy of God. The Lord became jealous of his land and had pity on his people. And he answers him. Verse 19, what does he send?

Grain, wine, and oil.

Why?

For worship. So that they can be with him and be his people, truly his people again. And they will be what? Satisfied. And I will no longer make you reproach among the nations. So he has, you have the presence of God, you have worship, and their shame is taken away.

And then he removes the foreign army, that verse 20, and then they can rejoice in the Lord. So it's another praise. And then again, verse 22, the beasts of the field and the pastures and the trees, all that becomes green and fruitful because he's sending the early rains and the late rains.

So we have verse 18 is praise. Verse 19 is blessing for their worship and satisfaction and honor over shame. He repeats it again. Rejoice in the Lord, praise. The beasts of the field and pastures, fruitful, early rains.

And then the threshing floor of grain and vats of wine and oil in verse 24, more blessing for worship. So you start to see the patterns. Verse 25 is right in that. Why is he restoring the years the locusts have eaten?

What is he gonna restore? Wine and oil and grain so that they can be satisfied. Satisfied with what? Just filling their stomachs? They're hungry. Their animals are hungry. They're scared. They've had their cities surrounded.

If this is after the exile, they've lost their status among all the nations. They've been brought to open shame. They've been brought back like God promised. But now they're rebuilding their nation, if indeed it is during that point.

So he restores the years these locusts have eaten so that they can be with the Lord. He doesn't, he's saying that God doesn't set people free just so they can serve themselves. When he set the Israelites free in Egypt, he said, let my people go that they may serve me in the wilderness.

There was a purpose in you being set free from bondage. And there is a purpose in the restoration that God gives. Because those years that the locust ate, perhaps in your life, this was judgment for these covenant breaking people.

This was a horror show. And God says, I am going to bring back my people and I'm going to restore them so that they can worship me and be satisfied. That's the immediate context on the people Israel against this horrible foreign invasion.

Whichever one it was, whether it was Assyria, was Babylon, whether it was the Greeks, Antiochus Epiphanes, could have been Rome. And this flows right into verse 27, which sets up the most famous section of Joel chapter two, something that we're all familiar with.

And it was that Michael had preached on a couple months ago. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel and that I am the Lord your God, and there is none else. And my people shall, once again, never be put to shame.

And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Old men shall dream dreams, young men shall see visions. And the male and female servants in those days, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, whether it's male or female, whether you're old or young, whether you're a servant or not, it's on all flesh.

There's no longer gonna be a respecter of persons. And when Peter starts quoting this, like, oh, the Lord is going to dwell within his people and among his people, and not just in a temple far away. Not gonna have this barrier between, he's gonna have real close fellowship.

So when God says, I'll restore to you the years the locust have eaten, and he's gonna dwell among his people, and then gives this prophecy that he's actually gonna be pouring out his spirit. And then he shows them the wonders of heavens on earth and the blood and fire and columns of smoke and the sun turned to darkness, the moon to blood, and before the great and awesome day of the Lord, which, so what, we've had, how many times have the stars fallen here?

Like three or four times? Something has happened. I mean, the whole world is turned upside down because something new is occurring. That's what he's talking about here. Something really, really new is happening.

And so this is a paradigm shift, and that's what Acts 2 tells us. So if you wanna have the blessing of God, what's a greater blessing than his presence? What's a greater curse than his withdrawal? And I'm not trying to over-spiritualize a text, but the greatest blessing that he lists, and he has oil and wine and grain, and yes, it was used in worship, and they could be satisfied, and they can also eat.

And yes, they're gonna have blessings where they're not gonna be put to open shame. And yes, there's no longer gonna be a byword among the nations, oh, where is your God? And God will vindicate himself and vindicate his people.

That's true, but he saves the best blessing for last, which is himself. And that blessing is yours. What does Peter say? This is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel. Huge paradigm shifts. That promise is to you.

So when you talk about the years that the locusts have eaten, remember, those locusts were sent by God to discipline his people and bring them back. But those same people, we would wander again like sheep.

We just would. What do we need? We need the complete and total presence of God that comes with the spirit within us, causing us to walk in his statutes, having the law of God written on our heart. Talk about the ultimate blessing.

Talk about ultimate security. Talk about never again being put to open shame. Although, maybe in this life, we endure that, but not ultimately, not at the end, and not forever. I mean, and not at the end, but it's forever.

We can't be put into shame forever. We're gonna be in the presence of God forever, ultimate blessing forever. So isn't it incredible that the way Joel 2 ends, and it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

For on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, there shall be those who escape. And the Lord said, among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls. He's talking about the remnant. So we like to say, whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved, and Joel qualifies that.

It's a remnant. There are people who are gonna escape. There are survivors, because this is a horrible, awful, terrible thing that is going to happen to these people, and they're gonna be survivors. There's always a remnant.

The remnant is spoken of in Isaiah and Jeremiah and Micah. God promises he will preserve the people, always does. Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Yes, Peter quotes this entire section, but you know where else this phrase, whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved, is used.

If we wanna have scripture interpret scripture, we wanna have the New Testament interpret the old. Turn to Romans chapter 10, starting verse 11. For scripture says, everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, but the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him, for whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

And he goes into the wonderful doxology of that has brought so many people into the mission field. How will they call on him in who they have not believed? How will they believe in him who they have not heard?

How will they hear when someone has been preaching?

And on and on.

How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news? And the good news is, if you call upon the name of the Lord, you will be saved, and you will have his riches. What are the ultimate riches? What is the ultimate blessing?

Himself.

And that's how the New Testament reads Joel. Yes. Locust swarm. Yes. Army, invading army, yes. The promise of the spirit is to those people, in time, it says in the last days, and Peter applies it, and Paul applies it to us.

And then you have restore, future, and then judgment. So that's how three ends up, and we won't spend too much time on three. Just know that the ultimate restoration and salvation of his people, Israel, in this case, Judah and Jerusalem, are wrapped up in the judgment of the nations around them.

The Valley of Jehoshaphat, or the Valley of Decision. If you look on the map, you're not going to find like Jehoshaphat Valley. It means, Jehoshaphat means the Lord decides, the Lord judges. That's why it's also called the Valley of Decision, two verses later.

It just means that the judgment of God's enemies is intertwined with the salvation of God's people. That's why when you have that ultimate blessing, the Spirit of the Lord in you, even if you are not top of the heap here on earth, ultimately, in the end, you will not be put to open shame, and you will have a very safe and a very blessed place in the presence of the Lord.

That's what it means to have the Spirit of the Lord in you, and that's what I think Peter was trying to bring out when he references Joel 2, and it's poured out on all flesh, not just on a few particular people.

And if you want to talk about the years that the locusts have eaten, I understand the intent. You want to give people comfort and peace. Put it in context, and don't forget to mention that sometimes locust swarms are the ones that God sends.

And sometimes you can repent and return with your whole heart and the swarm still comes, but it's under His control. And you can trust Him for the outcome because our ultimate blessing isn't here. It's at the end.

Restoration, the Spirit, and the Remnant

So that's what I wanted to bring tonight. I want to focus on the restoration and blessing that God gives, which is Himself. And I think that you'll be very consistent with the intent of Joel 2 and Acts 2, Romans 10, and the Bible as a whole, which is all it was intended to bring us into a closer fellowship with our Lord.

It's the whole reason He reconciled us, to have fellowship and peace with His people so that we may love and serve Him. Are there any questions or any comments on things we've discussed tonight? Okay, let me close us in a word of prayer and then we'll be dismissed.

Lord God in heaven, thank you so much for the blessings of your word, the promises that are in there. And just reading this one book shows us that you do exactly what you promised to do. When your people broke the covenant, you promised certain things would happen and it did.

And you promised that those who would return with their whole heart and call upon you would be saved, and they were. You promised that you would send your spirit on all flesh. And those who believed, repent, they receive your spirit.

And you promised that those who are yours, none snatches them out of your hand, and you will raise them up on the last day. We can look at all the promises in the past, see how they are fulfilled over and over and over again.

But remember, you keep your promises and we know you'll keep that one too. And we pray in the holy name of Jesus Christ, amen.