Joel 3 - Water and Wine
by Lance Ponder(95)http://fkiprofessor.xanga.com
Restoration and Judgment
Joel 3:1-3 “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it. This passage suggests restoration of a Jewish state and judgment against its enemies because of the way those enemies have treated God’s people. This prophecy was partly fulfilled when Persia allowed the Jews to return to Judah and rebuild the temple late in the sixth century BC. The phrase “in those days” combined with recalling scattered tribes indicates that the return of Judah in the Persian period cannot be the main fulfillment. The phrase “in those days” refers to the church age initiated at Pentecost. Rome destroyed the second temple in 70 AD. Rome then wiped out the last remnant of hope for Jewish sovereignty when it crushed the final Jewish rebellion in about 132 AD. For about 18 centuries Jerusalem was reduced to obscurity. Although the city always maintained at least a partial Jewish population, it remained under the control of other powers until 1948. Since formation of the Jewish state of Israel, the small country has prospered in spite of formidable enemies and fair weather friends. Israel has aggressively pursued a policy of repatriating lost tribes scattered literally around the globe. Even today Israel’s enemies seek to divide Jerusalem and the nation itself. They compete with each other only for which pieces of Israel they can take for themselves. The reference to a gathering of nations into judgment at the Valley of Jehoshaphat is interesting and specific. Jehoshaphat was king over Judah about a century after Solomon’s death. The Valley of Jehoshaphat is supposedly located between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives in a place today called the Valley of Kidron. Joel was certainly not the only prophet to speak of a future gathering of nations to a specific place for group judgment. Zechariah speaks of a time when “all the nations” will come against Israel (Zech 14:2). Both Joel and Zechariah talk about women and children suffering. Zechariah goes on to say YHWH will stand on the Mount of Olives and the valley between the Mount and Jerusalem will be split by an earthquake then YHWH will come with all the holy ones (Zech 14:4-5). Zechariah says it will be a unique day without a normal light/dark cycle (Zech 14:6-7). Zephaniah also speaks of a time when God will gather nations, judge them, and restore Jerusalem (Zeph 3:8-13). In each of these three prophecies, the context indicates a coming of God in person, strange and amazing signs in the skies as well as the land, a gathering of enemies of the people of God for judgment, and restoration of the faithful. The restoration of the faithful is described differently, but in each case God acts supernaturally with divine authority to transform His people. Zephaniah describes the remnant as humble, honest, and unafraid. Zechariah describes the place as inhabited with security and no more destruction. The NASB translation says, “there will be no more curse” (Zech 14:11). Several other prophets spoke of a time of ultimate restoration of either a nation or a return to Eden-like conditions. Jesus spoke at length of a time when the elect would be gathered while the rest would face judgment (Mt 24). Paul talks about the resurrection in some detail in 1 Cor 15 where he describes the result being an incorruptible spiritual body. John’s Revelation provides the final glorious mosaic of the gathering and wrath against the enemies of God’s chosen people along with the gathering of God’s elect and their ultimate restoration to true perfection.
Payback
Joel 3:4-8 “ What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily. For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples. You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. Behold, I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and I will return your payment on your own head. I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far away, for the Lord has spoken.” When God asks questions like this, the purpose is usually to expose false human thinking and force public accountability. When God asked Adam who told him he was naked, the purpose was not to find out the answer, but to force Adam to recognize and confess his sin. Likewise, here the Lord confronts His opponents with their own willful sin. In this instance the enemy is Tyre, Sidon, and the Philistines. This passage, lifted out of its context, would have initially been understood to mean Assyria and later Greece. In Joel’s time the looming enemy was Assyria. Greek control over the region of Judah did not take place until centuries after the time of Joel, yet this passage seems to describe the Hellenization of Judea. The Greeks made efforts to displace Hebrew people by integrating their own cultural influences throughout Palestine. The prophecies against Tyre and Sidon took centuries to be fully realized, but in time they most definitely were. There are other scriptural prophecies concerning these two cities, some very specific, which have come to pass exactly as written. Context suggests the listed enemies merely represent the sum of worldly kingdoms set against the kingdom of God. Regardless of the literal fulfillment of the prophecies against Tyre and Sidon, there are several practical lessons for us to learn. First, God will destroy the enemies of His people. It is best not to be counted among the enemies of the Lord. Second, God’s people will suffer in this world both for our own sin and because we must live in a fallen world. Third, vengeance belongs to the Lord. We are to use righteous judgment, but we are not to execute judgment against others. Finally, you reap what you sow. When you sow wrath against God’s people, you will reap God’s wrath. On the other hand, if you sow love and suffer for the sake of righteousness, you will reap the kingdom of God.
Raising An Army
Joel 3:9-10 Proclaim this among the nations: Consecrate for war; stir up the mighty men. Let all the men of war draw near; let them come up.Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I am a warrior.” This is said to be the only passage in all of scripture that calls believers in YHWH to holy war. If you ignore context you might think the Lord is calling believers to battle. In reality, this is part of the taunt directed toward Tyre and Sidon (3:4). God is daring His enemies to raise an army against Him. The wording here is the exact reverse of Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3. In the context of each of those verses the weapons become farm tools as a result of judgment. Here in Joel the context appears to be leading up to that judgment, before the Lord regenerates humanity. The taunt toward anti-Semitic powers fits perfectly with modern headlines. Nearly every country on earth has condemned the State of Israel for one thing or another. Even the USA, which has generally been supportive, has stood in opposition to Israel over various issues. The region of Jerusalem is a hotbed for violence as three of the world’s largest religions jostle for some sense of control over the area. Human logic fails to explain the desire for control over Jerusalem. It is not an important trade route, it has no significant natural resources, and as a religious center it stood virtually derelict for centuries. There was always a Jewish presence, but it has only been an independent Jewish state since 1948. Religious and political enemies like the PA (formerly PLO), Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other groups constantly create strife because of the Jewish presence. The worldwide anti-Israeli sentiment seems to be building to a crescendo today much the way Joel describes.
Come To Judgment
Joel 3:11-12 Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down your warriors, OLet the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Verse 11 removes all doubt about context. God is clearly taunting those who oppose Him. Again we see a reference to a place called the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Again we see this place designated as a place of judgment. There are many references in scripture to a specific event where the Lord enters into judgment against the wicked of the earth. This valley name may merely be representative or it may be literal, but in any case the judgment is sure to come in the course of the Lord’s time. The ninth Psalm is an excellent example of a prophecy of judgment to be executed against the nations following resurrection (Ps 9:13,19) as is Rev 11:18 and Rev 20:11-13.
The Harvest is Ripe
Joel 3:13-14 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great. Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. In this passage “harvest” is obviously symbolic. Although harvest is usually a literal agricultural term in scripture, in a few other places the word harvest is used to describe a gathering of people. Hos 6:11 alludes to a gathering of people at a time of judgment, but Jesus gave much more direct references to a harvest of people in two passages of Matthew. In Mt 9:35-38 Jesus was preaching the gospel and healing people when he said to his disciples that “the harvest is great and the workers are few.” In that case Jesus was explaining the purpose for what would become the great commission. In Mt 13:24-30 Jesus tells the parable of the wheat and the weeds (tares). Jesus explains (Mt 13:38-43) that the parable refers to the time of judgment at the end of time when people will be gathered into either hell or heaven. John saw a vision of this harvest in Rev 14:13-20. One swipe of the angel’s sickle removed the godly and the second angel’s sickle removed the wicked. This reference in Joel reinforces the certainty that the gathering and judgment (3:9-12) is the final judgment of mankind. The remaining verse of Joel 3 should likewise be read in view of this final judgment. Wine often represents deeds, but it can also represent lifeblood. When the winepresses overflow, this means God’s wrath will be poured out on a massive scale resulting in an end to human evil deeds and probably much of humanity. Jesus used wine as a symbol of his own blood when he instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion. Jesus is given authority to judge by the father (Jn 5:22). Jesus judges the living and the dead (Ac 10:42). John recorded that in his vision all will be judged by their deeds (Rev 20:12-13). Although it seems clear that many will be resurrected before this judgment, all who were not already raised will be resurrected at this time to face judgment. If you are concerned today about facing that final judgment, take stock now of your own faith and your works. Is the life you are living aligned with what you claim to believe? If so, is what you claim to believe lined up with the guidance and commandments of scripture? You must believe (Jn 3:16), be born again (Jn 3:3), repent (2 Cor 7:10), love (Lk 10:27), obey the Lord Jesus (Jn 15:10) and be a doer of good works (Jas 2:14). When you are born again and the Holy Spirit resides within you, you will be made into a new creation (2 Cor 5:17) and out of you will naturally come good works (Mt 5:14-16).
Signs
Joel 3:15-16 The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. Joel contains one reference to the sun turning dark and the moon turning red (2:31) and two references to the sun and moon both turning dark (2:10, 3:15). Is 13:10 refers to a “day of the Lord” when the sun and moon are both dark, the earth is shaken, and God pours out wrath on all sinners destroying most of humanity. Ez 32:7-8 also refers to a time of God’s judgment and wrath when the sun and moon are dark and birds will gorge on dead humans. When Jesus was questioned about the end of the age, he said the sun and moon would go dark and the heavens would be shaken immediately before his return (Mt 24:29). In John’s Revelation, he recorded seeing at least one third of the sun, moon and stars turned dark (Rev 8:12) during a time of great and terrible tribulation in the . The event where the sun was dark and the moon turned the color of blood is mentioned in Joel 2:31, Ac 2:20, and Rev 6:12. Peter referred to Joel’s prophecy (Ac 2:17-21) as a set of signs fulfilled in the crucifixion and Pentecost. The specific reference to the sun turning dark and the moon turning the color of blood was fulfilled during the afternoon when Jesus was crucified. Rev 6:12-17 logically refers to the same event. The first four seals describe horse riders, the fifth describes believers who are told to wait a while for more martyrs, and the sixth seal describes the sun turning dark and the moon turning the color of blood. The seventh seal, which comes last, includes a series of trumpets followed by a series of bowls of wrath. If the sun and moon both dark is the same as the sun dark and moon blood, then the seals, trumpets, and bowls must all be seen as overlapping. If they are truly distinct events, then the signs of Christ being crucified then ascending into heaven are different from the signs of final judgment and his return. The problem with drawing such a distinction is that it seems to beg two different days of the Lord. Both involve celestial and geological signs and both are described as times of judgment. The problem of two times of judgment is really not a problem at all. Justice in any court is realized through a series of events. Law is given, law is broken, the law breaker is captured and brought to the court. Evidence is given and considered. Judgment is made then a sentence is given and carried out. Jesus told us that he is given authority as judge (Jn 5:22). Before God cast Adam out of the garden he told him that the seed of the woman (Jesus) would crush the head of the serpent (Satan). Jesus declared Satan defeated when he gave his last breath proclaiming, “It is finished (Jn 19:30).” Even though the work required for redemption was completed on the cross, the sentence is yet to be fully carried out. First, there are more saints to be added to those waiting for judgment (Rev 6:11). The Holy Spirit would be given (Joel 2:28) and great works would yet be done on earth (Jn 14:12). A time of great tribulation must be completed (Mk 13:19). Only then would the resurrections of the saints and sinners take place (Jn 5:29) and final judgment be carried out (Rev 20:12). Through all of this, however you may picture how it plays it, we are assured that the Lord will be a refuge for His people.
Restoration
Joel 3:17 “ So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it. In the end it will no longer be a question of faith. What we believe will be manifest. The Lord will be among his people, all together in the ultimate promised land. It will be a place like the garden of Eden where there will be no sadness and all living things will live in harmony. There will be no such thing as strangers. This is because all who are strangers to God have been removed. All who reside in this place will be purified, resurrected into incorruptible bodies which do not know sin. Without sin, there is no strife. We place our faith in God and our hope in this joyful eternity. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit we experience only a taste of heaven. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would, among other things, serve as a deposit to guarantee his return. Whatever we experience of the Lord in this lifetime is merely a glimpse of what life in His presence will be like when Jesus returns to rule forever.
Water and Wine
Joel 3:18 “And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streambeds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and water the Valley of Shittim. Earlier Joel used wine as a reference to wrath. Here the wine is sweet. In this place only good works (sweet wine) are done. The good is enjoyed by all. Milk sustains young life and helps it grow. Mountains represent those strong in the Lord while hills represent those of similar faith but with less maturity. Water may represent multitudes of people or it may simply mean the essence of living creation. Jesus said we must be born of water and blood. Genesis says life is in the blood (Gen 9:4). What about the water? Blood is made mostly of water. While blood contains many elements, water is pure. The original creation started out as water (Gen 1:2). Water perhaps is the most pure essence of creation, life, and our spiritual being. Joel’s description here of water coming from a fountain within the hours of the Lord fits perfectly with the way Ezekiel (Ez 47:1) described an issue of water forming the river of life pouring out from the temple at the heart of Zion. The valley of Shittim is another reference to the saving grace of the Lord (Mic 6:5). Shittim is a place that will receive the water. It is a place that will receive grace.
Restitution
Joel 3:19-21 “ Egypt shall become a desolation and Edom a desolate wilderness, for the violence done to the people of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations. I will avenge their blood, blood I have not avenged [or “I will acquit their bloodguilt that I have not acquitted], for the Lord dwells in Zion.” This final bit of prophecy could stand alone. Egypt fell to the Greeks and never again a major world power. Edom did literally become a desolate wilderness. Petra, the capital of old Edom, was discovered as an archeological find in the nineteenth century. In context with the apocalyptic essence of the preceding passage, Egypt and Edom represent both brothers and strangers who choose to go their own way instead of following the commandments of God. They represent the unrepentant hordes who will face God’s final judgment when martyrs and all persecuted believers will finally be vindicated. The reference to YHWH dwelling in Zion and Jerusalem being inhabited forever sounds much more like the eternal reign of Christ than anything in our past history. Jerusalem lay in rubble, inhabited by only a remnant population for centuries. Most of the region of Judah was also left largely uninhabited. Only in recent history has Jerusalem and the region of Judah refilled with a heavy Jewish population. Taken together with many other Old and New Testament prophecies, we can paint a hopeful picture of the final outcome alluded to here. There will be a new heaven and a new earth (Is 65:17, Rev 21:1). This could be literal or it could mean the present heaven and earth will undergo some sort of radical rejuvenation. God will live with mankind (Rev 21:3) who, after being changed for corrupt flesh to incorruptible flesh, will live forever (1 Cor 15:50-58). There will be no more sin so there will be no more death or suffering (Rev 22:3). This is our eternal hope. Now have faith and experience God’s love.
Majoring in the Minors
Joel Chapters:
1 2 3
Article submitted Tuesday, April 20, 2010 & read 34 times.
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