Repentance, Restoration, and the Holy Spirit! Joel 2:18-32

A few days have since elapsed since we have gathered together for a breeze through Joel. It was a busy week; wedding, Sunday school, and preaching. I thought about posting this installment on Thursday, but instead worked on the wedding ceremony. Sorry, you'll have to take it up with the bride.

Quick review: Judah got in trouble for too much drinking and worldly stuff. God sent a plague of locusts in Judgement. As a result, the people could not fellowship w/Yahweh b/c their thanks offering was resting the belly of the locusts. The Spirit of the Lord led Joel to use this judgement to point forward to the greater judgement of The Day of the Lord at the end times. Joel compares the vast destructive power of the locusts to God's armies- promising that there is no hope for those outside God's camp. Rather than be fearful of the judgement, Joel urges national repentance as for the priests and people to remind God of His obligation to them as covenant partner. Joel 2:18-32 then is God's response to their repentance.

If you haven't already, please read vv. 18-32.

Welcome back. Most all the prophets do this, which is comforting. They give a glimmer of hope after crushing our spirits with what is to come.... or what has already come. V. 18 is no different. Apparently the people have repented and God has "remembered" His people and became zealous for them.... Just a quick note- it is good to have God zealous for you... Have you ever met a sports fan? They are zealous for their team, right? Yes, completed nuts they are. God is even more so zealous for His people- what a comforting thought.

As a result of their national repentance, God promises restoration,  grain, grape, and olives, such that they will be full satisfied! God not only promises to restore- but to fully restore! Not just provide only what is needed for survival, but for satisfaction- how great is our God.... (its ok to shout amen to yourself here if you want... no one is looking, unless of course you are in coffee shop or something, then its still ok, just make sure to evangelize the people in there).

So their produce is restored, but so also will be their national pride. Along with their national pride, comes national safety. God promises to clear out the enemies of Judah so that she can rest easy and satisfied... at least until they mess up again.

What is great about this passage is that is doesn't just pertain to the people, but the land and the animals on the land. God is talking about complete restoration after the locusts.... The land will once again grow vegetation and the animals can again feed on that vegetation. This is the temporal fulfillment... But one has to wonder if this is also an allusion to the new heaven and the new earth that is coming? Or, perhaps, this is an allusion to the Millennial Kingdom? Yes, I suppose.

Then Joel gives a promise to the actual people- rejoice, because the rains are coming again, the grain is coming again, and your vats will again overflow! This is messianic imagery here- all things that are supposed to happen once the Messiah arrives. How often does this imagery make its way form the pages of the bible to our ears? Are your vats overflowing, the messiah has come!

What will be the response of the people? "You will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has acted wonderfully in your behalf." The people's sorrow will turn to praise and worship! The object of wrath again becomes the object of worship. It is amazing how swift to forgive is our God, and how fully the restoration. God will restore the nation such that the response will be to worship and rejoice in God's goodness...

Not only will they rejoice, but the nation will again turn its heart toward God and "be convinced that I am in the midst of Israel."

When all this happens, the Spirit of God will come upon the people....vv 28-29 "And after all of this, I will pour out my Spirit on all kinds of people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your elderly will have revelatory dreams; your young men will see prophetic visions. Even on male and female servants I will pour out my Spirit in those days." This is the verse Peter referenced in Acts 2:16... So then, this verse finds at least its partial fulfillment on the day of Pentecost, it not its complete fulfillment.

To close it up (I know I'm getting long winded now), Joel closes with some "signs of the times," (c.f. Ezek 32:6-8) that will precede the Day of the Lord and that in order to be saved from the coming destruction, one must call on the name of the Lord. These are the same people on whom the Spirit indwelled (Joel 2:28-29), who are most likely the remnant spoken of in v. 32, specially called by the Lord... whew!

There is a lot going on here for sure. If you are trying to wrap your brains around this prophecy, let me try and help. Remember a while ago I talked about partial/complete fulfillment of prophecy. This is a common thing in the Bible. Joel promises immediate restoration to the people of Judah, which foreshadows the full restoration that is coming to all people as a result of the coming of the Messiah. When the Messiah comes, he will usher forth a time of great, bountiful harvest and the coming of the Spirit on all people that will cause tremendous blessing. After this, there will be a coming great judgement and only those so called by the Lord, the Spirit-filled remnant, will be delivered through the destruction. Now, some of this has happened and some has not. Let's start with the "has happened."

Ok, Jesus the Messiah came and offered the Kingdom to the Jews. Where is the bountiful harvest and land restoration? This was forfeited as a result of Christ's rejection. This was what was on the table at the arrival of the Messiah. This doesn't mean the prophecy was wrong, this means that the prophecy is still yet to be fully fulfilled at the Millennium (that is the "has yet to come" portion).

Jesus comes, is rejected, then offers an alternative solution- the Church. Jesus' death on the cross brings us the spiritual restoration, and the promised Spirit, but not the physical land promises, yet.... This is saved for a later day, until the full measure of believers have been called. Then, as promised, Jesus will return and the prophecy of Joel will be finally fulfilled.

God is great and promises full restoration, and has already provided for it. At some point, Jesus will return to gather up those believers on earth and bring forth the destruction that leads to total restoration. You have the possibility now of full restoration with God through faith in Jesus christ, just as the people of Judah looked forward to full restoration from the devastation wrought by the plague of Locusts, and to the promise of national, spiritual restoration at the coming of the Messiah. If you haven't already believed in Jesus for restoration- I challenge you to do so... Then the promised bountiful harvest will be yours and your spiritual vats will be overflowing and you will be included as the "remnant" at THE Day of the Lord.

If you are already saved, rest easy in the hope of complete restoration one day. The world is a sick and dying place. We haven't experienced God's full restoration of His creation- that day is coming. So let's worship our God of restoration!