Commentary by Ron Beckham
Verse 1. “Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy
mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day
of the Lord is coming; surely it is near,”
Years ago, in Arizona, while crossing the
Indian Reservation each day, to and from my place of employment, I
listened to cassette tapes, including music and audio books. The
first words of this verse: “Blow a trumpet
in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain!” are words I
remember very well from a song often heard while crossing that
reservation. The idea is that the people of God are like an army
that must wake up! for a day of battle is upon us!
The enemy has had his day, but today is “the
day of the Lord.” Starting with Acts 2:16, the Apostle Peter
quoted this section of Joel (particularly 2:28-32), relating it to
the infilling of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The Holy
Spirit equips us for spiritual battle through the gifts of the
Spirit and God is preparing us for war right this minute. He
expects that you will answer His call.
Verse 2. “A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick
darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a
great and mighty people; there has never been anything like it, nor
will there be again after it to the years of many generations.”
In Isaiah 50:9-10, the prophet encouraged us
to walk “in darkness,” explaining
that we should “trust in the name of the
Lord and rely on… God.”
Conversely, the ones who constantly light their own way, “shall
lie down in torment.” The “great
and mighty people” of this verse in Joel are those who FOLLOW
their king into spiritual battle, not trusting in themselves, but
responding to Him.
And it is true that “there
has never been anything like it,” this army that goes into
battle with “weapons” wrought by the Holy Spirit of God, not
depending at all on arms of the flesh. We should understand that
God has been preparing us to become a “mighty
people,” but for the most part, through the centuries, we
have chosen to remain vain and selfish, superficial and ego-driven.
As you read these verses, understand that YOU can be an exception by
responding to the Lord.
Verse 3. “fire consumes before them and behind them a flame burns.
The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but a desolate
wilderness behind them, and nothing at all escapes them.”
It is interesting the way Israel barged into
the land of Canaan and fought many wars, often utterly destroying
the inhabitants completely. For the most part they followed the
Lord in those battles. The place was described as a “land
flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8, 17). Before them
was life, but they would make it a place of death for the
inhabitants of Canaan.
Continuing the idea that the events in
Israel recorded in the Bible were not only literal and historical,
but are also parables of that which would come through the advent of
the Messiah and the infilling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; this
verse foreshadows the war in the spirit that is continually
encountered by God’s people. We are to have no compromise with sin
whatever, but instead bring everything to Christ for the utter
destruction of sin in our lives (1 John 1:9).
Verse 4. “Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; and
like war horses, so they run.”
“You have a face like a horse” – those are
words we do NOT want to hear, and yet this verse is actually
encouraging. God intends to take ordinary people who are without
spiritual strength and turn us into warriors in the Spirit. He sees
us as a finished product, like great “war horses” that encounter the
forces of the enemy, each with our special God-given calling and
gift, and utterly defeat them.
That we don’t look like great animals of war
to ourselves or other people does not change the fact that God will
use us even in our weakness. Actually He often can make use of us
BECAUSE OF our weakness. His statement, “Not
by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts”
(Zechariah 4:6) should wake us up to the fact that God’s Holy Spirit
in us is more important than any personal “strength” we might bring
to the supernatural war that has raged since before the beginning of
time.
Verse 5. “With a noise as of chariots they leap on the tops of the
mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire consuming the
stubble, like a mighty people arranged for battle.”
These verses depict how God sees His
people. We look in the mirror and often see carnality and strife,
but these verses reveal the way God intends us to be. His people
are dead to this world (Colossians 3:3), but the part of them (of
us) that is ALIVE in the Messiah (Christ) of God, “leap(s)
on the tops of the mountains” as in this verse.
Many are weak in prayer, but even the
smallest action in the arena of prayer is a battle that God will
win, in and through His little ones. Most of us just do not
understand even remotely the power that God has placed into our
hands and hearts. We see that if we “resist
the devil” he will run from us (James 4:7). Actually it
isn’t us doing the “resisting,” but instead the Spirit in us is
accomplishing what none of us can do.
Verse 6. “Before them the people are in anguish; all faces turn
pale.”
God is IN His people and you need to relate
it to the fact that the enemy is terrified of God. The enemy’s fear
is reflected in those who follow him (their “faces
turn pale”). Scripture reveals that “perfect
love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18), but human love is not
perfect. The kind of love that casts out fear only comes from God,
and He intends to deliver you from “anguish”
of the soul.
Without the Lord there is only fear. Jesus
said, “I am the light of the world”
(John 8:12) and He also said, “YOU are the
light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). All that He has brought
to this world is reflected in those who have placed their faith in
Him. He brings you His love and freedom from fear. The enemy and
his minions know that God is in His people, and they are afraid.
Verse 7. “They run like mighty men, they climb the wall like
soldiers; and they each march in line, nor do they deviate from
their paths.”
When we become willing to “hear” the Spirit
of God, when we praise the Name of the Lord and respond to His Word,
we become like those of this verse in Joel. God is our Mighty
Commander and He has a very specific plan for each one of His
people. We tend to see our lives as uncoordinated and chaotic, but
His perspective is much better. In His sight, we are the “soldiers”
of this verse.
Each soldier in a battle typically only sees
his or her own position and cannot understand the overall plan and
strategy of the Officer in charge. That’s a good reason why we must
look to the Lord. He DOES see how our small contribution fits into
the whole. We only need to do our part as we “march
in line,” not deviating from the path God has set for us.
Live your life, trust in Him, and find hope within the problems of
your life, for He will have the victory.
Verse 8. “They do not crowd each other, they march everyone in his
path; when they burst through the defenses, they do not break
ranks.”
This is God’s will for our lives, that we do
“not crowd each other,” marching “everyone
in his (own) path.” Each one
has an assignment from the Lord and we are expected to accept the
differing assignments of those around us. All too often we “crowd
each other” by criticizing others with assignments unlike
ours. Just like one soldier carries a rifle and another has a
medical kit or a radio, the encourager is not necessarily the
teacher or an evangelist.
“Do not break ranks”
with others in the body of Christ, but instead begin to understand
that the duties of the person next to you may not be like yours.
Not all are called to feed the homeless, though such actions are
good. Not everyone is equipped to shout from a soapbox on a street
corner or knock on doors, though some may be precisely drawn to do
such things.
Verse 9. “They rush on the city, they run on the wall; they climb
into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief.”
Within our study in the Book of Revelation
we encountered two “women” - The “bride of
Christ” (Revelation 21:9-10; collectively the people of God),
and a grinning “harlot” (Revelation
17:1 & forward) who leads many astray. We also found two “cities.”
One was named the “New Jerusalem”
(Revelation 21:2) and the other is called “Babylon”
(Revelation 18:10 & context). The “women,” “cities” and the
“warfare” depicted in this chapter of Joel are parables designed to
instruct us.
When we respond to the call of God in our
lives, we become in God’s sight like the “soldiers” of these verses,
“rushing” to the citadel of the enemy, suddenly appearing on his
walls and climbing into the houses of those he has in bondage. We
climb into the enemy’s “windows like a
thief” when he least wants or expects us and we strip him of
those he holds in the prison of fear.
Verse 10. “Before them the earth quakes, the heavens tremble, the
sun and the moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness.”
As we saw in verse 6, the enemy himself and
his people are filled with fear. Individually and collectively,
they are like those who wear Halloween masks. They look impressive
and say scary things, like “Boo!” or make insulting remarks, but if
you remove the masks of the enemy and his followers; they are simply
frightened children, pretending to be something they’re not.
The minions of the enemy are terrified of
the people of God. There is actually nothing about us personally
that causes them to fear, as you would see if you attempted to go up
against them in your own strength. But when you advance on the
strongholds of the enemy in the power of God, the “earth”
around them “quakes,” the very “heavens
tremble,” and darkness fills them with fear. We are
conquerors – in Him who loves you and me!
Verse 11. “The Lord utters His voice before His army; surely His
camp is very great, for strong is he who carries out His word. The
day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome, and who can endure
it?”
Those who deny that God “speaks” to His
people simply do not understand the process involved. When a person
receives the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit of God comes and
lives IN them (Romans 8:11). His urgings and your thoughts are
intermingled to the point where you are literally “one” with Him.
You KNOW that the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God and apply
personally to you because He “utters His
voice” in your heart as He does in all His people.
You may not feel that you and your “camp”
are “very great,” but it is you that God has chosen, “for
strong is he who carries out His word.” It is not our
strength or knowledge that this “army”
utilizes, but it is faith in the Lord that carries the day. “Who
can endure it?” No one can. This is an army that was “crucified”
with Christ… we have been “freed from sin”
and “if we died with Christ, we believe
that we shall also live with Him” (Romans 6:6-8). An “army”
that has the victory -in Him.
Verse 12. “‘Yet even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘Return to Me with
all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning;’”
At the time when the prophet Joel shouted
these words to the people of Judah, this agrarian nation had lost
everything. Their crops had been ruined, destroyed by locusts,
drought and wildfires. What was left of their livestock was dying.
Even the wild creatures in the land around them were dying of
thirst. The people had no possibility of any life at all, for all
their resources were gone.
When this kind of circumstance occurs in
your life, remember this verse and the ones that follow. You might
say, all this WON’T happen to me, but think for a moment about the
aging process – the tendency of people is to accumulate more and
more, but the aging process and what follows will take it away.
Like all of us, you should hear God’s words: “Return
to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning”
- He is your real need in life.
Verse 13. “And rend your heart and not your garments. Now return to
the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to
anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.”
Those in Judah of that time had all sorts of
ways in which to show outward piety. If they wanted to display
mourning, they would tear their clothing. They would bend down to
the ground and grab up dirt which they would fling up into the air
and in their hair. They would take off their soft clothes and put
on rough “sackcloth” to wear. But God has much more in mind than an
outward show – He wants our hearts.
There is much in Scripture that most people
do not understand, as in Isaiah 58, where we see that a “fast”
is not what we expected at all – it is when we reach out and give
something of ourselves for the benefit of someone else. Here in
Joel we find that you and I are to give up our outward show of
religion and utterly “rend” our “heart(s)”
as we completely “return” to Him.
He is full of grace and compassion, “slow
to anger,” quick to forgive and full of love for you and me.
Verse 14. “Who knows whether He will not turn and relent and leave
a blessing behind Him, even a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord your God?”
There are many who think: “Why bother to
pray; God won’t answer MY prayer anyway!” It’s a problem most of us
have had at one time or another. Actually, the reason He doesn’t
answer your prayer is NOT because He doesn’t like you; it’s because
of your unbelief. We can KNOW that He loves us because He sent His
Son to die for our sins. He didn’t just die for other people’s
sins, He died for yours and mine, making all of this truly up close
and personal for us all.
How do you KNOW He “will
not turn and relent and leave a blessing” for you? The
answer is: you don’t know. “Unbelief” is like a scientific
hypothesis in which you already decide the outcome of the experiment
BEFORE you run any laboratory or other tests to prove your theory.
“Belief” is a theorem that must be lived in order to be proved. He
is saying in this verse, “Who knows?”
Try Me! See if I won’t give you more than enough in exchange for
your simple faith, and you will even be able to tithe to the Lord in
your place of worship.
Verse 15. “Blow a trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, proclaim a
solemn assembly,”
To “blow a trumpet”
is to summon the army to readiness for battle. He intends to get
your attention and mine. “Wake up,” He shouts! The real
Commander-in-Chief of all humanity is calling especially to you!
His intention is that you will be a key soldier in the King’s
army!” But this army is different, for we hold weapons that are
unfamiliar to many, including “truth,”
“righteousness,” the “preparation
of the gospel,” “faith,” “salvation,”
the “Word of God” and “prayer.”
You could write a book on any one of them, but for now just view
them in Ephesians 6:13-18.
It’s important to understand that this
battle is not like anything we can find in secular history books, “for
we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places,” and for this we
need the “whole armor of God”
(Ephesians 6:12-13). Our Commander tells to “fast”
in preparation as defined in Isaiah 58:6 & forward – To truly “fast”
is not simply to go without eating, but it is instead to let go of
our selfishness and learn to love.
Verse 16. “Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble
the elders, gather the children and the nursing infants. Let the
bridegroom come out of his room and the bride out of her bridal
chamber.”
You may recall Joel 1:8 – “Lament
like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth,”
carrying the idea that sin ruins our lives to the extent that we
become like a young bride, standing at the altar, shocked that her
husband-to-be has just dropped dead at her feet! This verse takes
us to the place where we see the Remedy for sin: We can repent and
turn to the Lord. He will save us and our dreams become possible
once more.
It’s also more than just a personal turn to
the Lord, though that is wonderful. The additional need, once we’ve
trusted in Him and have received His Spirit, is to tell a friend! “Gather
the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather
the children and the nursing infants.” Peter quoted this
section of Joel right after the Day of Pentecost, and applied it to
those events (Acts 2:16-21). The blessing that God has imparted to
You is to be shared with others.
Verse 17. “Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers, weep between the
porch and the altar, and let them say, ‘Spare Your people, O Lord,
and do not make Your inheritance a reproach, a byword among the
nations.’ Why should they among the peoples say, ‘Where is their
God?’”
The assumption by many is that “men of the
cloth” are somehow not like other men and women. In His many
battles with the Pharisees and Sadducees of His time, Jesus gave the
lie to that idea. Actually it’s even more dangerous for people who
have labels like priests, ministers, imams, monks, or even those who
are just spokespersons for a congregation, than it is for the
so-called “laity.” Titles like “Reverend” or whatever, tend to
enhance pride.
“Revival” or a “renewal,” or whatever you
want to call it, should START with the clergy in charge of the
“flock” of God. We should “weep” and lament, for we are not
sufficient to lead His people. We need the Lord and we shall begin
to find Him by first confessing our own sins, and then calling out
to God, “Save Your people!” If you
honestly do that, He will forgive you, and He will answer your
prayer by healing you – and the people of God.
Verse 18. “Then
the Lord will be zealous for His land and will have pity on His
people.”
Sometimes, quite often actually, life is not
unlike trying to walk through two inches of glue on the floor.
Everything becomes very difficult and eventually the one in the glue
won’t be able to do much of anything at all. It’s called “life” and
it comes to us all. Quite often OUR actions contribute to our
problems, and from God’s point of view, it’s called “sin.”
But sin is not the end of the story, for God
has provided a way of escape by allowing Jesus Christ, the Messiah
of Israel and the savior of the world, to die in our place. As
Isaiah the prophet said about Him, “He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;
the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we
are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). By His sacrifice, God has shown
that He is “zealous” for His land,
His people. He has “pity” on us,
for He loves you and me.
Verse 19. “The Lord will answer and say to His people, ‘Behold, I
am going to send you grain, new wine and oil, and you will be
satisfied in full with them; and I will never again make you a
reproach among the nations.’”
“If only the Lord would answer me,” is the
thought of many, and interestingly the Lord has the same thought –
He intends to answer you. Have you thought about Jesus’ statement
in relation to communion? The communion service is basically a
picture of repentance. We come to the Lord with nothing except an
open heart, confessing our sins and He not only forgives, but He
also fills the sinner with Himself. God’s chief answer is Jesus
Christ.
As to communion, He said to the church: “Do
this” and we understand from it that He intends we shall do
it often, “in remembrance of Me”
(Luke 22:19-20). And when our hearts are right in His sight, a
process of blessing will come into our lives, not unlike “grain,
new wine and oil” to a hungry nation. His intention is that
you will be “satisfied” and no
longer a “reproach” to yourself or
others. This applies to the Jewish people and to everyone else who
will TRUST in Him.
Verse 20. “But I will remove the northern army far from you, and I
will drive it into a parched and desolate land, and its vanguard
into the eastern sea, and its rear guard into the western sea. And
its stench will arise and its foul smell will come up, for it has
done great things.”
As it is with so many prophetic Scriptures,
the Lord has both a short term fulfillment intended for this verse,
and also a long term realization of the promise. A short term
fulfillment of prophesy may be soon or it might be thousands of
years in the future, but it will be fulfilled directly as it is
stated. Here we find a promise to the nation Israel - the enemies
that have beset them for many centuries, particularly in this verse,
a “northern army,” will be utterly
destroyed.
But considering the nature of Peter’s sermon
in Acts Chapter 2, when he quoted this section of Joel, an
additional realization of these promises will be seen in the people of
God that come out of the Day of Pentecost. And I also believe that
the final completion of these promises, whether to Jew or Gentile,
will be experienced in eternity. Jesus said, “lay
up… treasures in heaven”
(Matthew 5:19-20), stating clearly that even the “good things” of
earth are merely temporary. The victory will only be complete when we
are finally with the Lord.
Verse 21. “Do not
fear, O land, rejoice and be glad, for the Lord has done great
things.”
The imagery in these verses is an invading
army, destroying all that it encounters. Nothing is left alive, as
indicated by the “stench” and “foul
smell” (verse 20) resulting from their march into the
promised land. But this is a “spiritual” war and the aftermath is
far different from what we would expect. Yes indeed, those we
“kill” in this war are very dead, but they are also made alive in a
way not understood by this world. In this strange war we can “rejoice”
and be “glad.”
The person who led us to Christ was a
soldier in the Lord’s army. As the agent of the Lord, he killed
us. This is seen in places like Romans 8:10 & context, where we
find these words: “If Christ is in you, the
body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of
righteousness.” To give Jesus Christ to someone is to kill
them to the sinful allurements of this world and make them alive in
the Spirit of God. We die in one sense and come fully alive in
another.
Verse 22. “Do not fear, beasts of the field, for the pastures of
the wilderness have turned green, for the tree has borne its fruit,
the fig tree and the vine have yielded in full.”
Joel Chapter 1 spoke of locusts that ate
everything in sight, followed by a great famine and fires that
burned whatever was left. Even the “beasts
of the field” suffered at the terrible blight that had come
upon God’s people. The phrase “fig tree
and the vine” speaks of God’s special people that were
created and tenderly planted by Him in the land of Israel.
God spoke to them the same words He is
saying to us: “Do not fear,” for His
intention is good for you and me. Even if we allow our lives to be
ruined to the point where it seems like there is no hope at all, the
“wilderness” will ultimately turn “green”
for those who trust in Him. Often right here on earth, but
certainly in eternity, we will discover that our lives have “yielded
in full” in ways we never expected or even thought.
Verse 23. “rejoice, O sons of Zion, and be glad in the Lord your
God; for He has given you the early rain for your vindication. And
He has poured down for you the rain, the early and latter rain as
before.”
The “Pentecostal” movement of a century ago
understood clearly the relationship of these verses to the Day of
Pentecost as seen in the Book of Acts Chapter Two. They often used
the phrase “latter rain” to describe
the actions of the Holy Spirit of God within their midst. It takes
both the “early rain”
and “latter rain” to ensure
that crops will develop to maturity, and God is assuring us that the
smallest faith in the least of His people will reap greatly for His
kingdom.
Look at the promises of God! He is telling
us over and over in a variety of creative ways that we should
REJOICE in all things for He has a good outcome, a “happy ending”
for every one of His people. Some have grumbled about Paul’s
command that we should “Rejoice always”
(1 Thessalonians 5:16), not understanding that the secret to a
joyful life is simply to BELIEVE GOD that He offers “vindication”
for all who trust in His Son.
Verse 24. “The threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats
will overflow with the new wine and oil.”
God tends to communicate with us in human
terms that we will understand. Not only is this verse a direct
promise to Judah (the southern portion of the land of Israel)
through the prophet Joel, but the context of these verses is quoted
by Peter in Acts Chapter Two as an explanation of what happened on
the Day of Pentecost. This verse is a vital part of God’s promise
that He intends something wonderful for you and me.
He not only wants our lives on this earth to
be positive, but there is even more. He intends that our walk in
the Spirit will bless us more than we ever imagined. He expects
that you will trust in the Lord, read His Word and reach out to Him
in prayer. As you mature in Him, you may anticipate that you will
begin to “hear” him as He “utters His voice”
(verse 11) with marching orders for your life. The presence of the
Holy Spirit in your life is like a full cupboard to a starving man.
Verse 25. “Then I will make up to you for the years that the
swarming locust has eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust
and the gnawing locust, My great army which I sent among you.”
Hospitalizations, the loss of loved ones,
financial reversals, imprisonment and a ruined reputation are just
some of the problems in life that feel like “locusts”
have eaten us up. Notice that God is not shy about stating that HE
is the one who authored such events (“I
sent” them). Much like the character “Pilgrim”
in the classic book, “Pilgrim’s Progress,”
we often tend to get off the track and God will allow circumstances
like “locusts” in our lives that
will return us to His will.
This verse was a promise to me for many
years. The financial reversals of our lives continued for so long
that I began to think they would never go away. Though I had God’s
promise in my heart that I would minister His Word; after a quarter
century of waiting, it seemed like it would never occur. Yet when I
cried out to Him, the phrase “I will
(restore)
to you for the years that the…
locust has eaten,” came to me again and again, and His
promise of ministry did come to pass. Just as it will for you.
Verse 26. “You will
have plenty to eat and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord
your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; then My people will
never be put to shame.”
These verses are a complete reversal of the
catastrophes that struck the country of Judah in Chapter One. When
we view the disasters that have hit so many in Scripture and as seen
in other recorded historical events, it is tempting to conclude that
God simply gets angry and slaps us around now and then. But there
are many Scriptures that give the lie to such an idea and one of
them is Genesis 15:16.
God was telling Abraham in the context of that
verse that his descendents (at a time when he was old and had no
children) would be slaves in another land for 400 years. They would
remain in such a state to the “fourth
generation,” but not for the reason you would expect. It was
because the “iniquity of the Amorites”
was not yet full. In other words, there was still faith in God in
the people of Canaan. No harm would come to them as long as there
was any trust in God among them. All trouble in our lives is
carefully designed to bring us close to the Lord, and it does much
good for all when we have faith in Him.
Verse 27. “Thus you
will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord
your God, and there is no other; and My people will never be put to
shame.”
The troubles in your life are intended to be
curative in nature. Unbelief is like a cancer of the soul that must
be corrected at all cost. Sin is not unlike leprosy in that it will
take a healthy person and ruin them. “Has God forgotten me?” is the
cry of those who have terrible occurrences in their lives. And the
real answer is: “No,” He has not forgotten you. He is always doing
something wonderful in your life and/or in the lives of those who
know about your need.
Your troubles are not always directly about
you. Read 2 Corinthians Chapter One carefully. Sometimes we will
be rescued and know He is “in the midst”
of us. But other times it is so we will learn to comfort others “in
similar distress” (2 Cor. 1:4). Our tendency is to attempt
to be “strong” for God, but He intends to show us that we “should
not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead” (2
Cor. 1:9). The Lord is God, and in Him, our existence on earth need
not end in “shame.”
Verse 28. “It will
come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all
mankind; and your sons and daughters will
prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see
visions.”
During the times that were the “present” when
these verses were written, only a few in each generation were
considered “holy men” by their contemporaries. Every one else just
held jobs, married and had families, perhaps fought in an occasional
battle, and so on. Some in their midst were called “priests,” and a
“prophet” or two often roamed the countryside, calling the people to
repentance.
But it was considered unthinkable that anyone
other than those few would lead them in religious matters. The
words of this verse were shocking to listeners because they are
saying that EVERYONE who loves God will be gifted by Him to lead
others, and that is what happened on the Day of Pentecost – “They
were ALL filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4). It’s sad
that in “modern” places of worship, most hold to the old system
where only “clergy” speak and all the others simply listen.
Verse 29. “Even on
the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those
days.”
Although some women did emerge in positions of
leadership within the nations of Israel and Judah, it was considered
not “right” that women would lead them. That attitude continues to
permeate much of the world today, including the world of the
church. Also, our “modern” cultures of this earth tend to listen to
those who are “somebody” and ignore “nobodies,” just like at the
time of Joel. And yet GOD’s choices are the ones that count and He
often chooses “servants” as in this
verse.
There way your life will truly matter is to
give up being “somebody” and trust in the Lord to make you what He
wants you to be. The Apostle Peter quoted Joel on the Day of
Pentecost (Acts 2:17-21) and his listeners were “cut
to the heart” by what they heard, asking “What
shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). Peter’s reply is that we are to “Repent,
and let every one of you be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for
the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
Verse 30. “I will
display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire and columns
of smoke.”
Interesting – it’s so important to real the
WHOLE of Scripture, probably a number of times before making
absolute doctrinal decisions about what it all means. Actually we
should be very slow to EVER make such absolute decisions. We need
to keep on prayerfully reading for the rest of our lives and never
think we know it all. For instance, it is so TEMPTING to conclude
that these verses refer to the “Second Coming” of Jesus Christ in
power to judge the earth.
And yet, Peter quotes precisely these verses,
stating clearly that they pertain to the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
at Pentecost (Acts 2:16-21), 2000 years ago. Onlookers were making
fun of what had happened, and Peter replied that this (the “wonders…
blood, fire and columns of smoke”) “is
what was spoken by the prophet Joel…” and he cited these
verses. For those who trust in the Son of God, MORE is being given
to us RIGHT NOW than we imagine.
Verse 31. “The sun
will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the
great and awesome day of the Lord comes.”
What has been called the “church age” was
initiated by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These are
among His last recorded words, after He arose from the dead and just
before He went back to the Father: “You
shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now”
(Acts 1:5). His followers went back to Jerusalem, remained in
prayer, and on the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit dramatically
fell on them all.
This phrase (“the sun
will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood”) is
interesting in the context of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The
sun is a natural light, not unlike the way we try to understand life
with our natural minds. The Lord is telling us that His intention
is to take us away from our natural way of doing things and make us
think and act in a new way, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are to live in this manner until the “awesome
day of the Lord” when He returns to this earth.
Verse 32. “And it
will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be
delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those
who escape, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the
Lord calls.
Because these verses were carefully quoted by
the Spirit of God through Peter the Apostle and related to the Day
of Pentecost, we can be sure that all of this has direct reference
to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit given at that time. Do you wonder
how life could be better for you? Do you want to know how to be
delivered from trouble? As Joel said, “whoever
calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered.” Peter
quoted it this way: “whoever calls on the
name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).
There is only one way to know God, and that is
to stop trying to save ourselves through whatever means we have been
trying to do it, and look to Him in everything. “The
promise is to you,” Peter stated to his listeners, “and
to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord
our God will call” (Acts 2:40). If you are drawn inside to
respond to this message, it is because the Lord our God is calling
to you right now. Note in this verse in Joel, that those “on
Mount Zion and in Jerusalem” (God’s special people, the Jews)
are specifically included in this promise.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
P.O. Box 92131
Long Beach, CA
90809-2131 USA
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org
