Chapter 1
1. Like all scripture, the book of Joel is the word of God. Joel was just a messenger, a spiritual Currier entrusted with a message from God.
Preachers are Currier's; our job is to faithfully deliver the message of Holy Scripture.
2. In other words, God says, nothing like this has ever happened in your lifetime, or in your father's lifetime.
3. The message in this book isn't just for those the prophet was speaking to at the time. This message is for everyone. We should pay attention to this message today because it is God's word for us as well. This isn't a book report; this is the living word of God which never passes away.
4. The country had been devastated by an invasion of locusts which ate everything in sight as long as it was green. Israel must have looked like the surface of Mars. The country was a mess and yet it was just a symbolic foretaste of the day of the Lord; that is, the coming day of wrath when the nation would be destroyed and the people either killed or captured for the evil they had done to the lord. They were experiencing a warning shot.
When God's people backslide they experience warning shots of guilt, sadness, and failure. He sends bad in the hopes that he won't have to send worse.
5. Instead of being holy the Israelites were a bunch of self-indulgent drunks. They loved material things more than holiness; more than God so now those things which they loved will be taken away.
People will give up their sins; they will do it voluntarily, or by force, but they will give them up; it's not a question of if, but when.
6. God allowed locusts to come and destroy his country Israel. They ate all the crops, and the vines. This was divine judgement; perhaps now since Israel doesn't have any food or wine they will turn back to God.
If good times do not keep a Christian close to the Lord then often he will send bad times.
7. The locusts chewed everything that was worth anything off the branches and then threw the bare branches away because there was nothing of value left.
Unbridled sin chews away at a persons life until there is nothing of value left. The person becomes an outcast from all that is good, or useful.
8. In other words, cry like a girl who never had a child with her husband, whose husband is now dead. In other words, Israel you've lost something very important. Because of your relentless sin and your lack of repentance you have bad where there could have been good, and it's too late to get back those lost blessings.
9. Even if they had wanted to offer God a sacrifice there was nothing to offer; they were destitute because of their sin.
10. Anything that could have been offered to God was consumed by the Locust. Anything that could have been enjoyed by the people was also gone.
11. The seeds that were planted did not become food for the people. The farmers work was all for nothing. The curse of sin was rolling across the land in high gear, and everything it touched was ruined.
12. No one was happy; they lost all their food. Their own sin destroyed the good life which God had given them. They have no one to blame for their misery but themselves.
Sinners have no one to blame for their misery but themselves. I get so sick and tired of people who make up excuses for their sin and their lack of devotion to God. Something else that's bad: people who make up excuses for the sins of others. Until people take personal responsibility for their sin they will not repent and if they don't repent they will surely burn in hell. Oh they will have trouble in this life also, but that will be nothing compared to the trouble they will have in the lake of fire. When people indulge in sin, sin destroys them; that is what God's people are learning here in the book of Joel.
13. The priests could not do their job. They couldn't offer anything to God because there wasn't anything to offer. God didn't want the offerings of the wicked so he left them nothing to offer.
God is not interested in your gifts if he doesn't also have you; He would say, keep it, I don't need it, and I don't want it.
14. This is their only hope; if they want things to change they better get serious about God. Fasting and prayer is a good place to start.
There is no running from God unless one runs to God. In other words, the only way to avoid his wrath is to run to him, repent, and ask for forgiveness.
15. The day of the Lord in Scripture refers to the times when God intervenes in history. Many times it refers to divine judgment for sin, like here with the locusts.
16. The food supplies were destroyed by the locusts. That should've been a warning that all was not well between them and God.The people no longer were experiencing the joy of the lord either. How could they since their sin had separated them from God?
Sin robs us of good times with God, and sin comes fully loaded with misery as well. It is not worth it, and yet most people never learn.
17. The locusts destroyed all vegetation, and many seeds didn't even sprout because of a terrible drought. God hit his people with judgment from many different angles; he is trying to get their attention.
18. Sheep are usually the last animals to suffer the effects of a drought because if need be they will scratch out the roots of plants and eat them. However things were so bad that even the sheep were in trouble. God's judgment is cutting deep.
19. The reason for God's judgement in this world is that people might cry out to him for mercy; it is to wake people up before the final judgement hits, and it's too late to repent.
19,20. Fire danger is at a high level when there is severe drought and that was the case here. Locust, drought, and wildfires were God's judgment on Israel for their sin, and their lack of repentance.
Rebellion doesn't pay. Sin comes with a heavy price. That is the message of chapter one; not just for Israel but for all people of all ages.
Chapter 2
1. In other words, if you are not afraid then you better start being afraid. Blowing the trumpet in Israel was a warning of danger. If anyone in Israel is relaxed, and comfortable they better wake up because there is big trouble on the way; big trouble from God.
If anyone today has fallen into a spiritual stupor where they are condoning sin in themselves they better hear the trumpet blast which is saying, unless you repent you shall all likewise perish, and whom the lord loves he disciplines.
2. There will be darkness and gloom over the land, and it will not be because of storm clouds, which actually would have been welcomed because of the drought. The darkness will be the result of massive swarms of locusts blocking out the sun.
3. The land was like a beautiful Paradise Park before the Locust. However after they leave it will look like a desert.
If allowed to go unchecked sin will remove all that is good, or could have been good in the life of the guilty one.
This book is God's warning to all people that they must take God seriously, and not take sin lightly.
4. The head of a Locust resembles a horse, and like horses the swarm of locusts will move quickly through the holy land.
5. An invading army would be easier to stop then this army sent by God. Horses and chariots would find it difficult to pass over mountains, but these destroying locusts will glide over them with ease.
6. Those who see the Locust coming will shake for terror. They know that they can't do anything to stop their advancement, and the destruction which will follow. It is the judgment of God; once it starts it's too late to reverse the damage.
7. The Locust charged straight ahead in their attack. No one could stop them.
Puny, sinful man defies God with their sin, but when judgement hits they whimper because they are helpless.
8. They are like a well drilled army. They will fly and attack with precision. They are smart weapons created and controlled by God for this precision attack on his rebellious people.
God knows who to judge and who to bless.
9. When Locust invade a land they fly and attack with perfect harmony. They are like the Thunderbirds or the blue Angels; their flying formation is perfect, and they get into everything including homes.
10. The land is described as shaking with terror. It knows the destruction that it's about to experience.
11. No one should think that this is simply a natural disaster; this is the day of the Lord. The general leading this army of Locust is God himself.
God's people make a mistake when they try to explain away as coincidence the chastisement, or punishment of the Lord.
12. God warns his people of the coming destruction, but it is not too late to halt the wrath of God as it stands, so he gives them another opportunity to repent.
13. Tearing ones garment was an outward sign of sorrow. The Lord God is saying, I've had enough of your surface level repentance. He saying, I've had enough of all your pious talk; it's time for pious action; it's time for you to truly repent instead of always talking about repentance. Tear your heart not your garments. It's time to stop talking about the right that we should be doing, and start doing what we should be doing; that's repentance; that's what God is looking for, and that's the only thing he will bless.
13. Someone says, what does the Bible mean, God is slow to anger; look what's going on here? If God was not slow to anger Israel would not have been given opportunity after opportunity to repent. God is gracious toward even the worst sinners if they will only repent.
14. Joel is saying, we have one hope of escaping more of this terrible judgment, and that is to repent and pray to the Lord our God. Only God knows if they have pushed him beyond the point of no return, but one thing is certain, repentance is their only hope.
Sinners who are enduring a miserable life because of their rebellion have one hope of salvaging any kind of a decent existence in this world, and that is to repent and make Jesus the absolute Lord of their life.
15,16. In other words, everyone needs to stop, and think about what is important, and that's getting back on track with God. Everyone needs to slow down, and think more about God because ignoring God has lead to the trouble they are experiencing. No segment of the population is exempt from God's wrath. All must pray, fast, and repent; it is the nation's only hope. No one can afford to say, the other person needs to get serious about God; they themselves must get serious about God. It's time for every person then, and now to put Jesus first.
17. The ministers are to plead for the nation to be spared; not because the people deserve it, because they do not, but for God's reputation in the world. In other words, why should the world say, their God is too weak to save them from a Locust invasion; from continual disaster? Repent to save your own neck, but more importantly repent for God's sake.
18. The "then" refers to the time when God's people repent. You see God was judging them for their sin; we saw that last time with the plague of Locust. But judgment is not what God wants to do; judgment is not what he wants to keep on doing, however it was necessary back then, and sometimes today as well. But this is the thing to remember, God is full of pity, and he puts that pity into action the moment his people repent.
19. In other words, God says, things are going to change for the better. He says I want to bless you, blessing is waiting for you, and I'm going to bless you; all you have to do is repent, and turn back to me, and put me first.
It's the same with us today, God will bless us the best that he can if we will turn to him, and live for him, and serve Jesus with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
20. That destroying army which God sent; that army of Locusts will be destroyed itself by God when his people repent. When that happens there will probably be billions of dead Locusts spread throughout the land, and consequently the stench will be horrible.
God will remove the judgment once they repent, however the footprints of that judgment will remain, at least for a while. The stench will be a reminder of what their rebellion against God cost them. It's good to remember any suffering from sin which we may have experienced in the past; it'll help keep us from making the same types of mistakes in the future.
21. God will do great things for his obedient people.
God is a great God who does great things, and he loves to bless his people greatly if they will only allow him to do so by their obedience. Salvation is free, but blessing depends on our faithfulness to God.
22. Even the animals will be blessed when God's people repent. It's a shame that the earth, including the animals suffer because of the sin of man.
Whenever evil is judged there is collateral damage. Hitler was defeated but many innocent children suffered in the process. Man committed sin, consequently we have droughts, floods, below zero temperatures, earthquakes, and so forth, and the animals suffer as a result of these things as well. Our pets suffer and die because man sinned. But, at least to some degree, the sufferings of nature will be alleviated when Israel repents.
23. In other words, God promises his people Israel that they will have whatever sunshine and rain they need, to have an abundant harvest when they repent.
God is in control of all these things; God is in control of the weather and sometimes he uses it to get our attention.
24. God promises to give his obedient people more blessings than they can handle; the blessings will overflow. Why? Because they put him first; because they got serious about God. Because they gave to God what he had coming namely devotion he will give back to them to the point where it is overflowing.
God gives us the same sort of promise today when he says give, and it shall be given unto you good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.
25. God will restore to them the years which the Locust have eaten. There will be good times where there used to be bad times. Sin produced bad times where there used to be good times; repentance will reverse that.
Repentance doesn't enable us to go back into time and relive the wasted moments which past sins ruined; what's done is done. However from the moment that a person repents judgment ceases and from that point on God will bless if one puts him first.
26. God promises that Israel's physical needs will be met, and their spiritual needs will be met as well because their connection with God will be restored. When sin doesn't stand between us and God we will be blessed.
This is how it works, the more we live for God the closer we are to God, the closer we are to God the more we enjoy his company, the more we enjoy his company the more we will praise him, and the more we praise him the easier it is to live for him, which means more blessing, which means more praise, which means more holiness, and it just keeps building upon itself.
27. God says, you will know that I am in your midst. When they start living for God they will know that he is with them; his fingerprints will be on everything they experience.
When we don't live for Jesus; when we play with sin; when we become spiritually lukewarm we lose the sense of his presence, and consequently we lose the joy of the Lord. He's with us; he says I'll never leave you or forsake you, but you can't sense, or enjoy his presence; you have no fellowship with him because sin has put up a barrier. In that sense you don't know that he is in your midst because you're not fellow shipping with him. But when we get right with God we know that he's with us because he begins to work in us, and through us, and we are blessed. It is a blessing to receive reminders from God that he is in our midst.
28,29. Between verse 27 and 28 there is a span of about 900 years. The afterwards which God speaks of here refers to the church age which began on the day of Pentecost. We know that's the case because Peter quoted this verse when he preached his sermon on that day.
Between the day of Pentecost when the church began and the second coming of Christ God will pour out his spirit on anyone, on all flesh who will turn to Christ and receive him as Lord and Savior. In other words, it doesn't matter what your race is, what your social status is, what your financial situation is he will give you his spirit if you receive Christ. Jesus couldn't care less if you're a man or woman, boy or girl, young or old, rich or poor, or fall into any other category; he wants you to have his spirit. And if you ask he will fill you with the Holy Spirit, enabling you to live a holy life and experience his blessings even more.
30-32. Between verses 29 and 30 there is a gap of at least 2013 years as I speak today. Verse 29 refers to the day of Pentecost; verse 30 jumps ahead to the final days before Jesus returns. Cosmic chaos will usher in the return of Christ. God will cause upheaval in the sky, and when he has everyone's attention looking up Jesus will cut through the clouds and return to earth to set up his kingdom, which is what we will be looking at in the third chapter.
Chapter 3
3:1,2. Judgment day is coming, and it will occur in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. The wicked will be judged on the basis of many things and one clear criteria by which the unsaved will be condemned to hell is how they mistreated God's people, whether it be Israel in the Old Testament or the church in the new.
People don't go to hell because they mistreat Christians; they go to hell for rejecting the Savior. People don't go to hell for mistreating Christians; they mistreat Christians because they are lost sinners who never repented and received Christ as Lord and Savior, and that's why they go to hell. Their mistreatment of Christians is not the problem it's a symptom.
3. This description is an example of how the unrighteous have mistreated God's people over the years, and God has kept score.
4. Tyre and Sidon were two cities north of Israel. They mistreated God's people repeatedly. God says, why did you do that to me? Did you notice that God said: why did you do that to me? He said, have I hurt you, and is that your way of getting revenge? God says I will now get you! By the way, when someone mistreats you they mistreat God; that's the way he sees it.
If someone mistreats you for your Christian principles God will take care of them in the valley of Jehoshaphat, in the valley of judgement.
5-7. God will overrule the evil done to his people. He will save his people from their cruel oppressors. Again the ultimate deliverance from all oppression and unfairness will be accomplished for God's people on judgement day; His justice will be swift and permanent in the valley of Jehoshaphat.
8. God's justice eventually prevailed against the enemies of his people in old testament days.
The bad that people do to others will in some way happen to them; God will see that it comes to pass.
9. The Gentiles are seen here preparing to wage war against God's people, and the nation Israel. This occurred throughout the Old Testament and of course the unsaved continue to oppose God's people, and the spread of God's word today. But ultimately this verse and the ones following point to the rebellion against God, his people the church, and the nation Israel that will take place shortly before our Lord's return.
10. The ungodly nations and the people within those nations will put all their energy and capital into winning their unholy war against God's people. This war to end all wars will happen right before Jesus returns.
Jesus told us, in this world you will have tribulation, and it will be that way right up until the very end. A holy Christian will never be popular with the ungodly so they might as well quit trying, and just determine to live for Jesus. Quit trying to be cool in the eyes of the unsaved; it's a lost cause, and a Christian ought to be ashamed for even trying.
11. The nations of the world are seen here, gathering to attack God's people; this will occur at the end of the age.
12. The ungodly, Christ-rejecting nations of the world will think they're headed to the middle east to attack Israel, but God is bringing them there for judgement day. God will blindside them; he will hit them so hard their heads will spin.
13. God will call to his angels to swing the sickles. That's because the crops of the world are ripe. In other words, sinners are now ready to be plucked and judged; this is the end of the age.
14. Men have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, and now God will decide who accepted it and who did not. Thus God will here decide who is saved and who is lost. This is judgement day.
15. In the Old Testament this was symbolic language which pictured God breaking through the veil between heaven and earth in order to judge sinners. The symbolism isn't lost, but these things will also literally occur in the final couple of days before Christ returns.
16. For centuries God's voice pleaded with sinners to trust Christ and receive mercy. On the last day God's voice will no longer plead, but instead will thunder at the world; the time for mercy will be over; the time for judgment will begin.
17. When God talks about foreigners, or strangers he is talking about, those who have rejected Christ. They will be no more, after Judgment Day. No one will ever bother God's people again, and more importantly no sin will ever bother God again.
18. This is a description of the coming messianic age after Jesus returns; he will return this earth to the way it was in the garden of Eden.
19. Egypt and Edom were longtime enemies of God's people and therefore are a picture of impenitent sinners in general. There will not be any good times for them after judgment day.
When the coffin lid closes on the unsaved, I don't care what the person eulogizing says, their good times are done forever.
20. The Church of Jesus Christ will triumph forever. God's people will enjoy the new earth forever. Nature will be in harmony with man, and man will be in harmony with God, and so peace and joy will prevail for Jew, and Gentile who belong to Christ.
21. Through the cross of Jesus Christ God's people are forgiven, and made right with the Lord. Judgment day will usher in a time of happiness for all Christians, both Jew and Gentile. God will avenge all evil on behalf of his people. He will make sure that everything is right; he will make sure that in the end everything will be fair.
The big lesson of this book is that God chastens his people, like he did Israel with the locusts, in order to bring them back to him so that ultimately he can bless them as we see here in verse 21. God disciplines his people so that he can bless them. People could skip the bad if they would skip doing the bad.
1. Like all scripture, the book of Joel is the word of God. Joel was just a messenger, a spiritual Currier entrusted with a message from God.
Preachers are Currier's; our job is to faithfully deliver the message of Holy Scripture.
2. In other words, God says, nothing like this has ever happened in your lifetime, or in your father's lifetime.
3. The message in this book isn't just for those the prophet was speaking to at the time. This message is for everyone. We should pay attention to this message today because it is God's word for us as well. This isn't a book report; this is the living word of God which never passes away.
4. The country had been devastated by an invasion of locusts which ate everything in sight as long as it was green. Israel must have looked like the surface of Mars. The country was a mess and yet it was just a symbolic foretaste of the day of the Lord; that is, the coming day of wrath when the nation would be destroyed and the people either killed or captured for the evil they had done to the lord. They were experiencing a warning shot.
When God's people backslide they experience warning shots of guilt, sadness, and failure. He sends bad in the hopes that he won't have to send worse.
5. Instead of being holy the Israelites were a bunch of self-indulgent drunks. They loved material things more than holiness; more than God so now those things which they loved will be taken away.
People will give up their sins; they will do it voluntarily, or by force, but they will give them up; it's not a question of if, but when.
6. God allowed locusts to come and destroy his country Israel. They ate all the crops, and the vines. This was divine judgement; perhaps now since Israel doesn't have any food or wine they will turn back to God.
If good times do not keep a Christian close to the Lord then often he will send bad times.
7. The locusts chewed everything that was worth anything off the branches and then threw the bare branches away because there was nothing of value left.
Unbridled sin chews away at a persons life until there is nothing of value left. The person becomes an outcast from all that is good, or useful.
8. In other words, cry like a girl who never had a child with her husband, whose husband is now dead. In other words, Israel you've lost something very important. Because of your relentless sin and your lack of repentance you have bad where there could have been good, and it's too late to get back those lost blessings.
9. Even if they had wanted to offer God a sacrifice there was nothing to offer; they were destitute because of their sin.
10. Anything that could have been offered to God was consumed by the Locust. Anything that could have been enjoyed by the people was also gone.
11. The seeds that were planted did not become food for the people. The farmers work was all for nothing. The curse of sin was rolling across the land in high gear, and everything it touched was ruined.
12. No one was happy; they lost all their food. Their own sin destroyed the good life which God had given them. They have no one to blame for their misery but themselves.
Sinners have no one to blame for their misery but themselves. I get so sick and tired of people who make up excuses for their sin and their lack of devotion to God. Something else that's bad: people who make up excuses for the sins of others. Until people take personal responsibility for their sin they will not repent and if they don't repent they will surely burn in hell. Oh they will have trouble in this life also, but that will be nothing compared to the trouble they will have in the lake of fire. When people indulge in sin, sin destroys them; that is what God's people are learning here in the book of Joel.
13. The priests could not do their job. They couldn't offer anything to God because there wasn't anything to offer. God didn't want the offerings of the wicked so he left them nothing to offer.
God is not interested in your gifts if he doesn't also have you; He would say, keep it, I don't need it, and I don't want it.
14. This is their only hope; if they want things to change they better get serious about God. Fasting and prayer is a good place to start.
There is no running from God unless one runs to God. In other words, the only way to avoid his wrath is to run to him, repent, and ask for forgiveness.
15. The day of the Lord in Scripture refers to the times when God intervenes in history. Many times it refers to divine judgment for sin, like here with the locusts.
16. The food supplies were destroyed by the locusts. That should've been a warning that all was not well between them and God.The people no longer were experiencing the joy of the lord either. How could they since their sin had separated them from God?
Sin robs us of good times with God, and sin comes fully loaded with misery as well. It is not worth it, and yet most people never learn.
17. The locusts destroyed all vegetation, and many seeds didn't even sprout because of a terrible drought. God hit his people with judgment from many different angles; he is trying to get their attention.
18. Sheep are usually the last animals to suffer the effects of a drought because if need be they will scratch out the roots of plants and eat them. However things were so bad that even the sheep were in trouble. God's judgment is cutting deep.
19. The reason for God's judgement in this world is that people might cry out to him for mercy; it is to wake people up before the final judgement hits, and it's too late to repent.
19,20. Fire danger is at a high level when there is severe drought and that was the case here. Locust, drought, and wildfires were God's judgment on Israel for their sin, and their lack of repentance.
Rebellion doesn't pay. Sin comes with a heavy price. That is the message of chapter one; not just for Israel but for all people of all ages.
Chapter 2
1. In other words, if you are not afraid then you better start being afraid. Blowing the trumpet in Israel was a warning of danger. If anyone in Israel is relaxed, and comfortable they better wake up because there is big trouble on the way; big trouble from God.
If anyone today has fallen into a spiritual stupor where they are condoning sin in themselves they better hear the trumpet blast which is saying, unless you repent you shall all likewise perish, and whom the lord loves he disciplines.
2. There will be darkness and gloom over the land, and it will not be because of storm clouds, which actually would have been welcomed because of the drought. The darkness will be the result of massive swarms of locusts blocking out the sun.
3. The land was like a beautiful Paradise Park before the Locust. However after they leave it will look like a desert.
If allowed to go unchecked sin will remove all that is good, or could have been good in the life of the guilty one.
This book is God's warning to all people that they must take God seriously, and not take sin lightly.
4. The head of a Locust resembles a horse, and like horses the swarm of locusts will move quickly through the holy land.
5. An invading army would be easier to stop then this army sent by God. Horses and chariots would find it difficult to pass over mountains, but these destroying locusts will glide over them with ease.
6. Those who see the Locust coming will shake for terror. They know that they can't do anything to stop their advancement, and the destruction which will follow. It is the judgment of God; once it starts it's too late to reverse the damage.
7. The Locust charged straight ahead in their attack. No one could stop them.
Puny, sinful man defies God with their sin, but when judgement hits they whimper because they are helpless.
8. They are like a well drilled army. They will fly and attack with precision. They are smart weapons created and controlled by God for this precision attack on his rebellious people.
God knows who to judge and who to bless.
9. When Locust invade a land they fly and attack with perfect harmony. They are like the Thunderbirds or the blue Angels; their flying formation is perfect, and they get into everything including homes.
10. The land is described as shaking with terror. It knows the destruction that it's about to experience.
11. No one should think that this is simply a natural disaster; this is the day of the Lord. The general leading this army of Locust is God himself.
God's people make a mistake when they try to explain away as coincidence the chastisement, or punishment of the Lord.
12. God warns his people of the coming destruction, but it is not too late to halt the wrath of God as it stands, so he gives them another opportunity to repent.
13. Tearing ones garment was an outward sign of sorrow. The Lord God is saying, I've had enough of your surface level repentance. He saying, I've had enough of all your pious talk; it's time for pious action; it's time for you to truly repent instead of always talking about repentance. Tear your heart not your garments. It's time to stop talking about the right that we should be doing, and start doing what we should be doing; that's repentance; that's what God is looking for, and that's the only thing he will bless.
13. Someone says, what does the Bible mean, God is slow to anger; look what's going on here? If God was not slow to anger Israel would not have been given opportunity after opportunity to repent. God is gracious toward even the worst sinners if they will only repent.
14. Joel is saying, we have one hope of escaping more of this terrible judgment, and that is to repent and pray to the Lord our God. Only God knows if they have pushed him beyond the point of no return, but one thing is certain, repentance is their only hope.
Sinners who are enduring a miserable life because of their rebellion have one hope of salvaging any kind of a decent existence in this world, and that is to repent and make Jesus the absolute Lord of their life.
15,16. In other words, everyone needs to stop, and think about what is important, and that's getting back on track with God. Everyone needs to slow down, and think more about God because ignoring God has lead to the trouble they are experiencing. No segment of the population is exempt from God's wrath. All must pray, fast, and repent; it is the nation's only hope. No one can afford to say, the other person needs to get serious about God; they themselves must get serious about God. It's time for every person then, and now to put Jesus first.
17. The ministers are to plead for the nation to be spared; not because the people deserve it, because they do not, but for God's reputation in the world. In other words, why should the world say, their God is too weak to save them from a Locust invasion; from continual disaster? Repent to save your own neck, but more importantly repent for God's sake.
18. The "then" refers to the time when God's people repent. You see God was judging them for their sin; we saw that last time with the plague of Locust. But judgment is not what God wants to do; judgment is not what he wants to keep on doing, however it was necessary back then, and sometimes today as well. But this is the thing to remember, God is full of pity, and he puts that pity into action the moment his people repent.
19. In other words, God says, things are going to change for the better. He says I want to bless you, blessing is waiting for you, and I'm going to bless you; all you have to do is repent, and turn back to me, and put me first.
It's the same with us today, God will bless us the best that he can if we will turn to him, and live for him, and serve Jesus with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.
20. That destroying army which God sent; that army of Locusts will be destroyed itself by God when his people repent. When that happens there will probably be billions of dead Locusts spread throughout the land, and consequently the stench will be horrible.
God will remove the judgment once they repent, however the footprints of that judgment will remain, at least for a while. The stench will be a reminder of what their rebellion against God cost them. It's good to remember any suffering from sin which we may have experienced in the past; it'll help keep us from making the same types of mistakes in the future.
21. God will do great things for his obedient people.
God is a great God who does great things, and he loves to bless his people greatly if they will only allow him to do so by their obedience. Salvation is free, but blessing depends on our faithfulness to God.
22. Even the animals will be blessed when God's people repent. It's a shame that the earth, including the animals suffer because of the sin of man.
Whenever evil is judged there is collateral damage. Hitler was defeated but many innocent children suffered in the process. Man committed sin, consequently we have droughts, floods, below zero temperatures, earthquakes, and so forth, and the animals suffer as a result of these things as well. Our pets suffer and die because man sinned. But, at least to some degree, the sufferings of nature will be alleviated when Israel repents.
23. In other words, God promises his people Israel that they will have whatever sunshine and rain they need, to have an abundant harvest when they repent.
God is in control of all these things; God is in control of the weather and sometimes he uses it to get our attention.
24. God promises to give his obedient people more blessings than they can handle; the blessings will overflow. Why? Because they put him first; because they got serious about God. Because they gave to God what he had coming namely devotion he will give back to them to the point where it is overflowing.
God gives us the same sort of promise today when he says give, and it shall be given unto you good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.
25. God will restore to them the years which the Locust have eaten. There will be good times where there used to be bad times. Sin produced bad times where there used to be good times; repentance will reverse that.
Repentance doesn't enable us to go back into time and relive the wasted moments which past sins ruined; what's done is done. However from the moment that a person repents judgment ceases and from that point on God will bless if one puts him first.
26. God promises that Israel's physical needs will be met, and their spiritual needs will be met as well because their connection with God will be restored. When sin doesn't stand between us and God we will be blessed.
This is how it works, the more we live for God the closer we are to God, the closer we are to God the more we enjoy his company, the more we enjoy his company the more we will praise him, and the more we praise him the easier it is to live for him, which means more blessing, which means more praise, which means more holiness, and it just keeps building upon itself.
27. God says, you will know that I am in your midst. When they start living for God they will know that he is with them; his fingerprints will be on everything they experience.
When we don't live for Jesus; when we play with sin; when we become spiritually lukewarm we lose the sense of his presence, and consequently we lose the joy of the Lord. He's with us; he says I'll never leave you or forsake you, but you can't sense, or enjoy his presence; you have no fellowship with him because sin has put up a barrier. In that sense you don't know that he is in your midst because you're not fellow shipping with him. But when we get right with God we know that he's with us because he begins to work in us, and through us, and we are blessed. It is a blessing to receive reminders from God that he is in our midst.
28,29. Between verse 27 and 28 there is a span of about 900 years. The afterwards which God speaks of here refers to the church age which began on the day of Pentecost. We know that's the case because Peter quoted this verse when he preached his sermon on that day.
Between the day of Pentecost when the church began and the second coming of Christ God will pour out his spirit on anyone, on all flesh who will turn to Christ and receive him as Lord and Savior. In other words, it doesn't matter what your race is, what your social status is, what your financial situation is he will give you his spirit if you receive Christ. Jesus couldn't care less if you're a man or woman, boy or girl, young or old, rich or poor, or fall into any other category; he wants you to have his spirit. And if you ask he will fill you with the Holy Spirit, enabling you to live a holy life and experience his blessings even more.
30-32. Between verses 29 and 30 there is a gap of at least 2013 years as I speak today. Verse 29 refers to the day of Pentecost; verse 30 jumps ahead to the final days before Jesus returns. Cosmic chaos will usher in the return of Christ. God will cause upheaval in the sky, and when he has everyone's attention looking up Jesus will cut through the clouds and return to earth to set up his kingdom, which is what we will be looking at in the third chapter.
Chapter 3
3:1,2. Judgment day is coming, and it will occur in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. The wicked will be judged on the basis of many things and one clear criteria by which the unsaved will be condemned to hell is how they mistreated God's people, whether it be Israel in the Old Testament or the church in the new.
People don't go to hell because they mistreat Christians; they go to hell for rejecting the Savior. People don't go to hell for mistreating Christians; they mistreat Christians because they are lost sinners who never repented and received Christ as Lord and Savior, and that's why they go to hell. Their mistreatment of Christians is not the problem it's a symptom.
3. This description is an example of how the unrighteous have mistreated God's people over the years, and God has kept score.
4. Tyre and Sidon were two cities north of Israel. They mistreated God's people repeatedly. God says, why did you do that to me? Did you notice that God said: why did you do that to me? He said, have I hurt you, and is that your way of getting revenge? God says I will now get you! By the way, when someone mistreats you they mistreat God; that's the way he sees it.
If someone mistreats you for your Christian principles God will take care of them in the valley of Jehoshaphat, in the valley of judgement.
5-7. God will overrule the evil done to his people. He will save his people from their cruel oppressors. Again the ultimate deliverance from all oppression and unfairness will be accomplished for God's people on judgement day; His justice will be swift and permanent in the valley of Jehoshaphat.
8. God's justice eventually prevailed against the enemies of his people in old testament days.
The bad that people do to others will in some way happen to them; God will see that it comes to pass.
9. The Gentiles are seen here preparing to wage war against God's people, and the nation Israel. This occurred throughout the Old Testament and of course the unsaved continue to oppose God's people, and the spread of God's word today. But ultimately this verse and the ones following point to the rebellion against God, his people the church, and the nation Israel that will take place shortly before our Lord's return.
10. The ungodly nations and the people within those nations will put all their energy and capital into winning their unholy war against God's people. This war to end all wars will happen right before Jesus returns.
Jesus told us, in this world you will have tribulation, and it will be that way right up until the very end. A holy Christian will never be popular with the ungodly so they might as well quit trying, and just determine to live for Jesus. Quit trying to be cool in the eyes of the unsaved; it's a lost cause, and a Christian ought to be ashamed for even trying.
11. The nations of the world are seen here, gathering to attack God's people; this will occur at the end of the age.
12. The ungodly, Christ-rejecting nations of the world will think they're headed to the middle east to attack Israel, but God is bringing them there for judgement day. God will blindside them; he will hit them so hard their heads will spin.
13. God will call to his angels to swing the sickles. That's because the crops of the world are ripe. In other words, sinners are now ready to be plucked and judged; this is the end of the age.
14. Men have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, and now God will decide who accepted it and who did not. Thus God will here decide who is saved and who is lost. This is judgement day.
15. In the Old Testament this was symbolic language which pictured God breaking through the veil between heaven and earth in order to judge sinners. The symbolism isn't lost, but these things will also literally occur in the final couple of days before Christ returns.
16. For centuries God's voice pleaded with sinners to trust Christ and receive mercy. On the last day God's voice will no longer plead, but instead will thunder at the world; the time for mercy will be over; the time for judgment will begin.
17. When God talks about foreigners, or strangers he is talking about, those who have rejected Christ. They will be no more, after Judgment Day. No one will ever bother God's people again, and more importantly no sin will ever bother God again.
18. This is a description of the coming messianic age after Jesus returns; he will return this earth to the way it was in the garden of Eden.
19. Egypt and Edom were longtime enemies of God's people and therefore are a picture of impenitent sinners in general. There will not be any good times for them after judgment day.
When the coffin lid closes on the unsaved, I don't care what the person eulogizing says, their good times are done forever.
20. The Church of Jesus Christ will triumph forever. God's people will enjoy the new earth forever. Nature will be in harmony with man, and man will be in harmony with God, and so peace and joy will prevail for Jew, and Gentile who belong to Christ.
21. Through the cross of Jesus Christ God's people are forgiven, and made right with the Lord. Judgment day will usher in a time of happiness for all Christians, both Jew and Gentile. God will avenge all evil on behalf of his people. He will make sure that everything is right; he will make sure that in the end everything will be fair.
The big lesson of this book is that God chastens his people, like he did Israel with the locusts, in order to bring them back to him so that ultimately he can bless them as we see here in verse 21. God disciplines his people so that he can bless them. People could skip the bad if they would skip doing the bad.