The book of Joel talks about wrath, repentance and restoration. I love how God's power and mercy is shown at the same time. The beginning of the chapter talks about the wrath of God:
Sound the alarm in Jerusalem!
Raise the battle cry on my holy mountain!
Let everyone tremble in fear
because the day of the Lord is upon us.
Raise the battle cry on my holy mountain!
Let everyone tremble in fear
because the day of the L
The next part is a warning from God, demanding repentance.
12 That is why the Lord says,
“Turn to me now, while there is time.
Give me your hearts.
Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
“Turn to me now, while there is time.
Give me your hearts.
Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
God is being forceful, yet loving, as he tells His people to repent and come back to Him. His patience and mercy amazes me because it is so contrary to the way we as humans act. He shows how unfailing His undying mercy is as He calls back His people to a place of refuge and restoration from the rebellion that they had engulfed themselves in.
Then Joel speaks about restoration and deliverance:
The Lord will reply,
“Look! I am sending you grain and new wine and olive oil,
enough to satisfy your needs.
“Look! I am sending you grain and new wine and olive oil,
enough to satisfy your needs.
It is so interesting how this parallels the story of the prodigal son in the New Testament because if the Israelites are willing to turn from their sin and come back to the holy place of sanctification then God is more then willing to take them back. Not only is He willing to take them back but He is once again ready to be Jehovah Jireh, their provider and to forget all of their transgressions against Him. This is because all He wants is to have a relationship with them once again.
I love the comment about God not being forceful to bring us back into His loving arms. God is a gentleman and He is not going to force anything on us which is so comforting at times but then again sometimes we do need forcing! haha
ReplyDelete"God is a gentleman."
ReplyDeleteHaha, Danielle: word. That made me laugh (and made me think of the Killers' song, When You Were Young) but that is so true. He does sometimes hide his face, but he's always waiting for us to come home.
I liked how you broke down the different sections of Joel and explained what they meant. It helped me to better understand and see the connection to the Israelites. Thanks!
ReplyDelete