This is the last chapter of Joel. Considering he was a prophet for almost 40 years, he didn’t have a lot to say or maybe it just wasn’t recorded. Here’s the chapter in its entirety: “At the time, when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will judge them for harming my people, for scattering my inheritance among the nations, and for dividing up my land. They cast lots to decide which of my people would be their slaves. They traded young boys for prostitutes and little girls for enough wine to get drunk.” (Nice! The valley of Jehoshaphat is the location where Jehoshaphat and his small army was instructed to go, and when they arrived, the three armies marching against them were all dead! God had instructed them that the battle was not theirs, but the Lords! All they had to do was show up! Wow…Lord, you are amazing!)
“What do you have against me, Tyre and Sidon and you cities of Philistia? Are you trying to take revenge on me? If you are, then watch out! I will strike swiftly and pay you back for everything you have done. You have taken my silver and gold and all my precious treasure, and you have carried them off to your pagan temples. You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, who took them far from their homeland. But I will bring them back again from all these places to which you sold them, and I will pay you back for all you have done. I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the peoples of Arabia, a nation far away. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Say to the nations far and wide: “Get ready for war! Call out your best warriors! Let all your fighting men advance for the attack! Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Train even your weaklings to be warriors. Come quickly, all you nations everywhere! Gather together in the valley.”
And now, O Lord, call out your warriors!
“Let the nations be called to arms. Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I, the Lord, will sit to pronounce judgment on them all. Now let the sickle do its work, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread the winepress because it is full. The storage vats are overflowing with the wickedness of these people.”
Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. It is there that the day of the Lord will soon arrive. The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine. The Lord’s voice will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem, and the earth and heavens will begin to shake. But to his people of Israel, the Lord will be a welcoming refuge and a strong fortress. (Yes!)
Blessings for God’s People
“Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, live in Zion, my holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy forever, and foreign armies will never conquer her again. In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. Water will fill the dry streambeds of Judah, and a fountain will burst forth from the Lord’s Temple, watering the arid valley of acacias. Egypt will become a wasteland and Edom a wilderness, because they attacked Judah and killed her innocent people.”
“But Judah will remain forever, and Jerusalem will endure through all future generations. I will pardon my people’s crimes, which I have not yet pardoned; and I, the Lord, will make my home in Jerusalem with my people.” (Joel 3) (How do these promises relate to the current war in Israel?}
Lord, thank you for your Word today! Thank you for continuously being our refuge! You have proven to us time after time that you are with us, and no weapon formed against us will prosper. No matter who may be marching against us, the battle is not ours! You have shown us that you are fighting them all! Lord, you are awesome! And thank you for allowing us to complete another one of your amazing books. We love you!
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
….AND MAY WE ALL PRACTICE THIS WITH ONE ANOTHER.
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