CARDINAL PRINCIPLES OF A COMMITTED PROPHET
#353 CARDINAL PRINCIPLES OF A COMMITTED PROPHET
Scripture Amos 3:2, NIV
Orig. 1/22/1967 (10/1981)
Rewr. 11/7/1986
Passage: “You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”
Purpose: Following revival, to give my people opportunity for serious soul-searching to determine the working of grace in their own lives.
Keywords: Forgiveness Responsibility
Grace Revival
Introduction
What is the link between faith and the way we live? Are acquaintances able to read by our actions and our words that being a Christian brings some pronounced changes in our lives?
The story is told of two [men] who were riding a train together. One punched his friend, pointed toward a man sleeping a few seats from them, and said, “Isn’t that the evangelist that preached that arbor revival last summer?” The other looked as carefully as he could and replied, “Well, it does look like him, but I don’t believe it is ‘cause he don’t have on one of those loud coats.”
Well, they got into an argument. One was sure it was. The other was sure it wasn’t. Finally, one who raised the question pushed it further, “I bet you $50 that that is Rev. Ambusher.” After getting his friend’s consent he went up to the sleeping man, awakened him, and asked if he were the reverend. The awakened man lit into the questioner. He was angry because he had been awakened, and told the man in no uncertain terms how he felt. In fact, he called the man by some very unpopular names.
The one who initiated this scene sheepishly returned to his seat. He declared to his friend. “The bet’s off! He wouldn’t tell me his name! I don’t know if he’s Ambusher or not!”
It is a sad day indeed, when one cannot substantiate differences in the lives of so-called believers from those around them.
I. The First Principle is that Grace is Extended. “You only have I known of all the families of the earth.”
Grace is extended through election. Deuteronomy 7:7, “The Lord did not set His love upon you and choose you because you were more in number than any people, for you were the fewest, . . . but because the Lord loved you.”
Do our rich gifts mandate a worthiness? Am I worthy of health when tens of thousands face lingering deaths? Do I deserve the pleasures of family when so many are alone? Were there no others who would have been more receptive of the miracle of forgiveness than I?
By so many important considerations, we are recipients of undeserved grace. Little boy on Today Show, born without arms, stubs for legs, but this glorious attitude about life. Veteran who lost legs to land mine; in Boston marathon, took five days to finish, born-again Christian—“First step is hard, afterward you’re on your way home” (Bob Wieland).
Some home types we have known.
It was a grace that was to be reflected in human righteousness. Psalm 23:3, “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Proverbs 14:34, “Righteousness exalteth a nation. Sin is a reproach to any people.” Matthew 5:10, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
It was to be reflected in worship and praise of God. Some think that non-tongues speakers can “praise” God. Isaiah 60:18, “Thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.”
It was to be a reflected grace in terms of social justice. Amos 5:15, “Hate the evil and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate.” 5:24, “Let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.”
II. The Second Principle is When Grace is Extended, Responsibility is Demanded. “. . . Therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.”
It is the requirement of His sovereignty to punish sins. But understand punishment in God’s use of the concept. We think of punishment for the drugged rapist, or the child abuser. Whatever it takes to protect. (Little interest in reforming.) With God, punishment is redemptive: Meted out to effect human good—ultimately on the back of Jesus, “With His stripes we are healed”; meted out to change society.
Yet, how ready we are to prevent this redemptive punishment. Jesus worked closer and closer with the disciples. They were more and more included in Jesus’ life and works. Yet, when told of His approaching death, the ready response was, “Master, this shall not be.”
Such punishment is the only thing that will bring the human ego to the point of spiritual awareness. Most of us wax soft on capital punishment—biblically sound; rationale the criminal mind understands; to punish by taking human life is inhumane.
But there is no doubt that such pending punishment keeps us spiritually aware. Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, “He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper.”
III. The Final Principle is that God’s Judgment is Rendered in Mercy.”
Listen to a further word of the prophet.
· 5:1, “Hear ye this word of Lamentation.”
· 5:18, “Woe to you that desire the day of the Lord.”
· 7:8, “Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel.”
· 8:3, “. . . The songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day.”
But listen as the book is concluded. 9:11-15, “11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:
12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the Lord that doeth this. 13 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed. . . . 14 And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them . . . . 15 And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up. . . .”
The highest of principles illustrates
· First, God’s judgment, meted out in the person of His only son Jesus: John 10:11, “The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep”; I Peter 3:18, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.”
· And second, in the midst of moral perversity, [that] God’s redemptive judgment is at work.
Conclusion
The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'T is mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown:
. . . It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice.
. . . in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy.
Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act IV Scene I
A MISSIONARY IN HIDING
#512 A MISSIONARY IN HIDING
Scripture Jonah 1:1-3; 3:1-3, NIV
Orig. 8/11/1968
Rewr. 12/7/1990
Passage: 1:1The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2"Go to the great city of Nineveh and
preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." 3But Jonah ran away from the Lord and
headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
3:1Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2"Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." 3Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city—a visit required three days.
Purpose: To share a message with my people during a major mission emphasis of our perceived concern for our mission responsibility.
Keywords: Commitment Missions Revelation Disobedience
Timeline/Series: Mission Promotion
Introduction Pro 2-90p23
On May 20, 1987, a strange item was read in our newspapers. A West German youth had leased an American-built Cessna airplane and started the first leg of an unbelievable journey. Extra gas tanks were placed in the rear, and he flew first to Helsinki where he filed a final and fictitious flight plan. He wasn’t going where he said he was going.
In fact, he wound up a few hours later looking literally down the barrels of the armor of Soviet warplanes. With fool-hardy abandon, he flew his little craft toward the most heavily guarded city in the world.
He flew on to the city of Moscow with a bevy of these Russian fighters following his every move. He located Red Square, and literally flew around the Kremlin, the seat of government. Unbelievably, he then landed the Cessna on the cobblestone pavement of Red Square.
Surprisingly, he was not fired upon. He left the airplane, waved to the surprised crowd, and as he was arrested and taken away, he explained that he just wanted to talk to the Soviet people. I am not sure what he wanted to say. Perhaps just “Hello! How are you?”
Jonah had something he didn’t want to say. It was a message of great importance, urgency even, but he thought better of it. Instead of dangerously running into the face of the enemy, he just as dangerously went the other way. God called him to a task, and his inclination was to get by, callously hiding his missionary credentials.
I. First, There is a Clear Mandate from God. V5, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.”
A mandate to a chosen messenger. God effects a sovereign choice. Jonah can be easily perceived as a mistake, a malcontent, a rebel. But then, others whom God has chosen were not that different. Moses: reared in luxury, accepted responsibility, ran from it, married a Gentile, made all those excuses. David: of huge ego, proud, became immoral, enamored of himself. Simon: bold, brazen, little patience, no culture.
He is still choosing His messengers. Either, He has saved you or in the attempt you spurned it. We’re still enamored of ourselves. We use the same stale excuses.
Not only was the messenger chosen, the message was made clear. The West German youth just wanted to be chummy, to say, “Hallo!” Jonah was to tell Nineveh that their sins stank, but, more importantly, that God loved them and wanted to forgive them.
People get caught up in the whale. Did he/didn’t he? Could he/couldn’t he? When we make our peace with God, and His love, such things as whales are neither intellectual nor emotional ___. You see, for the believer, the whale becomes an instrument for deliverance.
But if this exacting message was to get through, a committed messenger would be required. Somewhat more is required than belief. Jonah clearly believed. He believed so strongly that God would forgive that he went elsewhere. He presumed wrongly that he could keep it from happening.
With belief is the need for conciliation. God’s judgments are just. The best investment that I can make in my life is to yield to His will.
II. Next, Is a Missionary in Hiding. V3, “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”
At the outset, it is simply a refusal to comply with this mandate to serve. Jonah was the sovereign choice of God for the redemption of Nineveh. The Hebrew people lost sight of the intermediary posture of being “chosen.” Through them God had chosen the way that He would affect world-wide reconciliation.
Many are yet like Isaac, taken as he was with Abraham to Mt. Moriah: Helping to prepare the altar, he asked, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Most of us are no more willing than Isaac “to be offered up.”
Missionaries tell of methodology of the church in India. The convert being baptized is required to place his own hands on his head saying, “Woe unto me if I preach not the gospel,” I Corinthians 9:16.
There are various ways that we accommodate such seclusion in our lives:
· Refusal to give up hidden sins of the flesh—Not something that we struggle with without effect; a recognized indiscretion that we refuse to part with.
· One of the works of the Holy Spirit is to convict of sin—To deny Him right of reproof is to willfully exclude God.
· To refuse opportunities for growth as Christians is to hide our witness—List the avenues in your life that are directly related to your faith; list the things that go on in your church of which you have no part. Do you want your community to perceive of you as Christian? Other?
The most obvious now is to deny stewardship opportunity. Is regular financial support an integral part of my faith? Am I doing what I can? Should?
How seriously do I take the idea of participation in Jesus’ birthday? Lottie Moon goal is $86 million. Participation at 20-25%. What could we do if our best? Do you remember who Lottie Moon was? After 40 years, perceived her Chinese friends starving, began to go without food until [she] fell seriously ill, put on a boat to USA. Died at sea.
III. The Final Note Is One of Ministry. 3:3, “So Jonah arose and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord.”
There are social responsibilities that are not to be denied. We are to feed and clothe the destitute. We are to protest injustice. We are to champion unpopular but righteous causes.
The responsibility to share the gospel creatively is just as demanding. Jesus championed social causes. He died for the sin of men and women,
Jesus left a message through John that we deliberately downplay. Religious leaders reacted negatively to His claim to be “the living bread.” Those who “ate His flesh and drank His blood” had eternal life. John 6:66, “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him.”
He, of course, did not literally mean to cannibalize Him, but to be at one with Him in life and death.
Are you “at one” today with Jesus? Or, are you a believer taking the easy road to faith?
You believe the gospel, but you don’t want it to cost you anything? You didn’t place your hands on your head and say “Woe unto me if. . .”?
It’s easier being “a missionary in hiding,” or is it?
Conclusion
During WW2, workmen were building a cathedral in a city on the coast of England. The city was bombed again and again. “Why do you continue to build when the next bomb may destroy all?”
“Everytime those bombers come this way, we want them to see the spires of this cathedral, and to know that we still have faith in eternal things.”
Give us, O God, the strength to build
that city that hath stood
Too long a dream, whose laws are love,
Whose crown is servanthood.
Already in the mind of God
That city riseth fair
Yea, bids us seize the whole of life
And build that city there.1
1 https://hymnary.org/hymn/EH1982/583
1 Public domain: Bowie, WR. O Holy City, Seen of John. (1910). In HYMNS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE, Harper & Row.
A PROPHET RESIGNS
#101 A PROPHET RESIGNS
Scripture Jonah 1:1-2:10, NIV
Orig. 7/1/1964
Rewr. 5/17/1989
Passage: 1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
4 Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.” 7 Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
10 This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)
Purpose: Beginning a two-part series on Jonah, here telling the story of a prophet who resigns his commission.
Keywords: Bible Study Disobedience
Series: Old Testament Prophets
Introduction
The story contained here is relatively simple. God calls a man by the name of Jonah to go to a place called Nineveh to denounce her wickedness. Nineveh was a real place, Jonah was a real prophet. But instead of occupying himself with what God has called him to do, Jonah, for reasons of his own, chooses to disobey. In fact, he acts upon the call by going in the opposite direction.
His reasoning does not reflect deep spiritual insight, but it certainly does reflect the posture of man who believed in God’s power to redeem. It was potential to success that drove him to other considerations.
On board that ship, they encounter a storm. Jonah is thrown overboard as a compensation to Jehovah, and is at once swallowed by a “great fish.” Three days later he was disgorged back near where he boarded the ship. The three days had given him time to re-think his position, and when the call came to him again to go to Nineveh, he concurred. True to God’s original expectation, when Jonah preached, the Ninevites repented.
Jonah left Nineveh in a huff, found a place to observe what would happen, and angrily waited. He wanted God to give them what they deserved. A small plant grew up and shaded the prophet. Then the plant died, and Jonah again became angry. He then had to face up to the principle teaching of the book that God, unlike Jonah, was more interested in the needs of the people, than he was for the tenure of a worthless plant.
I. There are Background Questions to Consider. V1, “Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah, the son of Amittai, saying. . . .”
We need to authenticate Jonah. II Kings 14:25, “According to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spoke by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher.”
Amaziah is dead, Uzziah comes to the throne. Jeroboam II in the northern kingdom. Thus, we learn he is a real person, that his home was in Galilee, and that he lived about 800 B.C. He comes from a devoted family. Jeroboam’s reign was one of material success. In fact, it seems to have been Jeroboam II who kept Assyria at bay.
We do not need to prove that Jonah wrote the book. It doesn’t contain oracles or visions. It contains life episodes told in the third person. Could have been written immediately after Jonah’s time, or 200 or more years later.
The book has a strong historical following: The book of Tobit (14th Century, BC); Josephus; Philo (1st Century Jewish philosopher). The early church accepted it. Christ quoted it (Matthew 12:38f—“no sign except”).
It is important to deal with the book as a possible allegory. Those who say it is spurious, a fake, we will ignore. There is spiritual truth given on occasion through allegory. There is no other Biblical event where a historical figure was used in allegory, telling a story figuratively or symbolically. Jonah stands for Israel/Has been commissioned to make Yahweh known to Gentiles/Refuses/Is swallowed up in exile/Repents/Given a 2nd chance.
Where the grumps have a problem, of course, is with the fish. Most refer to it as a “whale” though the text indicates “great fish” (special). Baxter calls it a “prepared” fish. Greek of Jesus refers to sea-monster which indicates Jesus’ belief. There are stories of whales taken in which were human remains. One seaman, James Bartley, disgorged stated he could have lived to starve.
We need to think through his possible reasons for refusal to go to Nineveh.
· A natural fear of another culture. Their inhumanity was well-attested.
· People, then and now, have a deep protestation against other religions.
· The prophet wanted to be among the known of Israel, not wasted in Assyria.
· Believing God to be a redeeming God, he would not be the instrument of delivery.
· To escape God, “flee from the presence of the Lord,” v3. Psalm 139:8, “If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in sheol, behold, thou art there.” At home, reminders are everywhere. At Tarshish (?)
· Simply, he did not want Nineveh spared. 4:2, “I fled . . . for I knew that thou art a gracious God.”
We can piece together what Jonah’s rationale must have been.
· Prophesied during Jeroboam’s reign.
· Jeroboam II’s son Zechariah reigned six months.
· Assassinated by Shallum (1 month).
· Assassinated by Menahem (10 years).
· But early on, Assyria is mentioned.
· Later prophets will point to struggles with Assyria.
· There is an earlier struggle with Syria. See II Kings 13:5f. See Bib. Illus. Sp83p82.
· Apparently, Jonah reacted against what would be a nation of power.
HINDS FEET IN HIGH PLACES
#298 HINDS FEET IN HIGH PLACES
Scripture Habakkuk 3:17-19, NIV Orig. 9-20-89
Passage: Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength, he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. (For the director of music, on my stringed instruments.)
Purpose: Continuing a series on the Old Testament prophets, here examining Habakkuk’s change from perplexity to praise.
Keywords: Bible Study
Timeline/Series: Sequential/Old Testament Prophets
Introduction
The guide sheet covering the prophets of Israel and Judah shows Habakkuk as a contemporary of Jeremiah. The same prevailing injustice that Jeremiah railed against, is the contention driving this prophet to deep consternation.
Nothing about this man is known other than the historical setting that surrounded him. His name appears only here in this book of three chapters. He was of the tribe of Levi, for he identifies himself as one of the temple singers (3:19)
Paul knew him and so should we. He three times extols his great statement of faith, “the just shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).
Romans 1:17 “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’”
Galatians 3:11 “Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’”
Hebrews 10:38 “But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”
I. Note his perplexity. Habakkuk 1:1 “The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see”: Invasion coming from without—the Battle of Carchemish in 605 B.C., in which the Babylonians claimed total dominance, and corruption arising within—Josiah has been dead a few years and his sons have come to the throne (Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah).
He raises three questions. How long? V2 “How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save?” Why? V3 “Why do you make me look at injustice: Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.” These questions assert both the evil of foreign powers, but also the corruption of religious/political leaders. He pauses, and God answers these questions in a way unsettling to Habakkuk. V5-6 “For I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you. For lo, I raise up the Chaldeans.” Remember Jonah’s struggle with Nineveh.
Habakkuk responds with his third question, V 13b “Wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously?” V12 He remembers who he is addressing, and V12b he extols God’s promise: Israel will live and her enemies will die. God’s holiness will not allow Him to betray His word.
II. Next, see what persuades him. Habakkuk 2:1 “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.” God’s three-fold plan for his prophet: He is to wait (2a, 3c), he is to watch (2a), and he is to write (2b). Again God answers the prophet’s question with a recordable vision of five parts. Woe against their insatiable greed (V6-8)—“because”; woe against their overarching ambition (V9-11)—“for”; woe against their cruelty (V 12-14)—“for”; woe against their inhumanity toward other people (V15-17)—“”for”; woe against their idolatry (V18-20)—“but.”
Habakkuk concludes ashamed that he has so rudely doubted. 2:20 “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”
III. Finally, we hear the call to prayer and praise. 3:2 “O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath, remember mercy.” He stands convicted and convinced. Nothing will stay him from faith.
Habakkuk 3:17-19 “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength, he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.”
THE LORD'S INTERVENTION
#040 (continued from #035) THE LORD’S INTERVENTION
Scripture Joel 2:18-3:21, NIV Orig. Date 11-14-71
Rewr. 4-26-89
Passage:
18 Then the Lord was jealous for his land
and took pity on his people.
19 The Lord replied[a] to them:
“I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil,
enough to satisfy you fully;
never again will I make you
an object of scorn to the nations.
20 “I will drive the northern horde far from you,
pushing it into a parched and barren land;
its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea
and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea.
And its stench will go up;
its smell will rise.”
Surely he has done great things!
21 Do not be afraid, land of Judah;
be glad and rejoice.
Surely the Lord has done great things!
22 Do not be afraid, you wild animals,
for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green.
The trees are bearing their fruit;
the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.
23 Be glad, people of Zion,
rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given you the autumn rains
because he is faithful.
He sends you abundant showers,
both autumn and spring rains, as before.
24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—
the great locust and the young locust,
the other locusts and the locust swarm[b]—
my great army that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has worked wonders for you;
never again will my people be shamed.
27 Then you will know that I am in Israel,
that I am the Lord your God,
and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed.
28 “And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
32 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,
as the Lord has said,
even among the survivors
whom the Lord calls.[c]
3 [d]“In those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will gather all nations
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.[e]
There I will put them on trial
for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered my people among the nations
and divided up my land.
3 They cast lots for my people
and traded boys for prostitutes;
they sold girls for wine to drink.
4 “Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. 5 For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.[f] 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland.
7 “See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done. 8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far away.” The Lord has spoken.
9 Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare for war!
Rouse the warriors!
Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Let the weakling say,
“I am strong!”
11 Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
and assemble there.
Bring down your warriors, Lord!
12 “Let the nations be roused;
let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit
to judge all the nations on every side.
13 Swing the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,
for the winepress is full
and the vats overflow—
so great is their wickedness!”
14 Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will be darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.
16 The Lord will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the heavens will tremble.
But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel.
17 “Then you will know that I, the Lord your God,
dwell in Zion, my holy hill.
Jerusalem will be holy;
never again will foreigners invade her.
18 “In that day the mountains will drip new wine,
and the hills will flow with milk;
all the ravines of Judah will run with water.
A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house
and will water the valley of acacias.[g]
19 But Egypt will be desolate,
Edom a desert waste,
because of violence done to the people of Judah,
in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20 Judah will be inhabited forever
and Jerusalem through all generations.
21 Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?
No, I will not.”
The Lord dwells in Zion!
Purpose: Continuing a study in the Prophet Joel, here describing God’s response to His people’s repentance.
Keywords Bible Study God, Sovereignty Repentance
Series/Timeline Minor Prophets Sequential
Introduction
The concluding part of chapter 2 gives much of the weight of choice to those who believe the book to be apocryphal. He speaks of “wonders in heaven,” of “blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke” in the earth. The sun is pictured becoming dark, the moon, bloodlike. It is the terminology of the doomsayers. But Joel is a simple prophet who loves God, and who loves his people, and his wish is to call these people “back” to God.
I. He Holds Out to Them the Prospect of Intervention. V18f “Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity His people.” V21 “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice; For the Lord will do great things.”
What will be seen first are material blessings (vs 18-27): An abundance of crops, v19; deliverance from military peril, v20a; restoral of what they lost, v25—the stripped catalpa tree would be restored, the frost-bitten potatoes rejuvenated.
The second consideration is of spiritual blessings (Joel 2:28-32), when God’s Spirit comes to bring grace to His people (V28): on sons and daughters, on old and young, on bond and free. In a day of utter darkness, there will be light, v31. In a day of wasting, there will be a remnant to carry on, v32.
II. A Final Word Describes a Judgment of World Proportions. Joel 3:2 “I will gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people, . . . whom they have scattered among the nations.” It is a temporal judgment because of the mistreatment of God’s people: “They have scattered my people;” “they have parted my land;” “they have abused the guiltless.”
The judgment will be thorough. There is accusation, v3, “They have cast lots for my people.” There is investigation: They have taken treasures, v5—not of God’s house, but of God’s; they have abused God’s people, v6. As they have done, so will it be done to them.
There is condemnation, v9, “Prepare war, wake up the mighty men”; they are to make plowshares into swords. Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3 use the imagery, but it is reversed, and it is to God’s own people.
Joel paints a vivid picture of the final confrontation of the forces of flesh and the power of God. V11 “Assemble yourselves and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together, round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord.” The heathen will appear in the valley of decision (Jehoshaphat). A day of terror is described.
III. The Concluding Thought Is of Blessing Upon Believers. V16b “The Lord will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.” God will be their hope. V16b “The Lord will be the hope of His people.” God is their dwelling. V17 “I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion.” God is their sufficiency. V18 “And a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord.” God is their protector. V1--Egypt and Edom are described as desolate. Is the mention of Judah post-exilic? V20-21 “But Judah shall dwell forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwelleth in Zion.”
WHO CAN ABIDE THE DAY OF THE LORD?
#035 WHO CAN ABIDE THE DAY OF THE LORD?
Scripture Joel 1:1-2, 11 Orig. Date 1/20/65
Rewr. Dates 4/26/89
Passage: The word of the Lord that came to Joel son of Pethuel.2 Hear this, you elders;
listen, all who live in the land.
Has anything like this ever happened in your days
or in the days of your ancestors?
3 Tell it to your children,
and let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the next generation.
4 What the locust swarm has left
the great locusts have eaten;
what the great locusts have left
the young locusts have eaten;
what the young locusts have left
other locusts[a] have eaten.
5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!
Wail, all you drinkers of wine;
wail because of the new wine,
for it has been snatched from your lips.
6 A nation has invaded my land,
a mighty army without number;
it has the teeth of a lion,
the fangs of a lioness.
7 It has laid waste my vines
and ruined my fig trees.
It has stripped off their bark
and thrown it away,
leaving their branches white.
8 Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth
grieving for the betrothed of her youth.
9 Grain offerings and drink offerings
are cut off from the house of the Lord.
The priests are in mourning,
those who minister before the Lord.
10 The fields are ruined,
the ground is dried up;
the grain is destroyed,
the new wine is dried up,
the olive oil fails.
11 Despair, you farmers,
wail, you vine growers;
grieve for the wheat and the barley,
because the harvest of the field is destroyed.
12 The vine is dried up
and the fig tree is withered;
the pomegranate, the palm and the apple[b] tree—
all the trees of the field—are dried up.
Surely the people’s joy
is withered away.
13 Put on sackcloth, you priests, and mourn;
wail, you who minister before the altar.
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
you who minister before my God;
for the grain offerings and drink offerings
are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Declare a holy fast;
call a sacred assembly.
Summon the elders
and all who live in the land
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out to the Lord.
15 Alas for that day!
For the day of the Lord is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty.[c]
16 Has not the food been cut off
before our very eyes—
joy and gladness
from the house of our God?
17 The seeds are shriveled
beneath the clods.[d]
The storehouses are in ruins,
the granaries have been broken down,
for the grain has dried up.
18 How the cattle moan!
The herds mill about
because they have no pasture;
even the flocks of sheep are suffering.
19 To you, Lord, I call,
for fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness
and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.
20 Even the wild animals pant for you;
the streams of water have dried up
and fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness.
2 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming.
It is close at hand—
2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness.
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
a large and mighty army comes,
such as never was in ancient times
nor ever will be in ages to come.
3 Before them fire devours,
behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,
behind them, a desert waste—
nothing escapes them.
4 They have the appearance of horses;
they gallop along like cavalry.
5 With a noise like that of chariots
they leap over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire consuming stubble,
like a mighty army drawn up for battle.
6 At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;
every face turns pale.
7 They charge like warriors;
they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,
not swerving from their course.
8 They do not jostle each other;
each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defenses
without breaking ranks.
9 They rush upon the city;
they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses;
like thieves they enter through the windows.
10 Before them the earth shakes,
the heavens tremble,
the sun and moon are darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.
11 The Lord thunders
at the head of his army;
his forces are beyond number,
and mighty is the army that obeys his command.
The day of the Lord is great;
it is dreadful.
Who can endure it?
Purpose: Beginning a Prayer Meeting series dealing with the Minor Prophets, here introducing Joel’s call to repentance.
Keywords: Bible Study Judgment Repentance
Timeline/Series: Minor Prophets Sequential
Introduction
One thing is sure, the author, Joel, called the “son of Pethuel” has witnessed a frightsome event and he likens it to the “day of the Lord” (2:1). Little is known about him other than his fixation on the priesthood, and the region surrounding Jerusalem. There is no scriptural documentation. Other Joels are mentioned (I Chronicles 5:54), but nothing is found to tie them to this Joel.
The name means “Jehovah (or the Lord) is God.” His name probably does mean that he came from a family, whether out of Reuben as some believe, or out of Jerusalem herself, that worshipped the Lord God.
When he wrote is anybody’s guess. Pre-20th Century scholarship favored a pre-exilic view. He is positioned with Hosea and Amos among first mentioned prophets. Amos and Hosea are known from the 8th Century B.C.. The enemy nations are the Philistines, Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Edomites. However, these were enemies after the captivity as well.
The lack of a reigning king fits the time when Joash was made king at age 7 (II Kings 11:21f). The priests actually governed the people.
But such circumstance fits a post-exilic date as well. There was no king. The priests ruled. The enemies were no longer Assyria and Babylon. But the message does not depend upon the selection of a date.
It is important to decide if the text is apocalyptic, allegorical, or actual. Those who take the first position say the locusts represent the enemies of God’s people in the end times. The allegorical view would represent these locusts as the traditional enemies of Israel. To see an actual locust invasion is to see Joel describing a natural event as an actual intervention of God to bring the people to repentance.
II Chronicles 21-22 may describe the period. Jehoram, fifth from Solomon, was a wicked king. There was a carrying away of people and possessions by enemies (II Chronicles 21:17). At Jehoram’s death, Ahaziah, his youngest son, became king. He was assassinated by Jehu, and his mother, Athaliah, ascended the throne. It was she who killed the royal sons, only to have Joash hidden by the priests.
I. Successive Plagues and Drought, Joel 1:1-20. V4 “That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.” It is a scene of total destruction. Who has seen it before? Who will see its equal again?
The different names are thought to be the various stages in the life cycle. William Thomson was a 19th Century American missionary who worked for 25 years in Ottoman Syria. He writes in The Land and the Book: “Their number was astounding; the whole face of the mountain was black with them. On they came like a living deluge. . . . It was perfectly appalling as we watched this animated river as it flowed up the road, and ascended the hill above my house. For four days they continued to pass on toward the east . . . they devoured every green thing . . . . The noise they made in marching and foraging was like that of a heavy shower on a distant forest. . . . They all pursue the same line of march, like a disciplined army.”
The effect of all of this will be felt throughout the land. Desolation was as of a drunkard denied his bottle, v5. Despair was as of the young bride whose husband-to-be dies on her wedding day, v8. Desperation was as that of the farmer whose crops are destroyed at harvest, v11.
Thus, Joel issues his first call for repentance, v13-15. It is directed first to priests. The elders are to be brought together. The people are to assemble in “the house of the Lord.” It would be a “solemn day,” v14, a day to “cry out” danger.
Don’t lightheartedly pass over the semblance of the “house” of God.
Thus, in this context, Joel perceives “a day of the Lord.” He was given “the word of the Lord,” v1. He senses that word has directed him to an event, and the people are to be warned. Is it the activity of God’s righteous indignation? Is it man’s abuse bringing recompense on his own head?
The news told of the plight of an Australian sheepherder. Animals were dying by the hundreds. There was a caption with a picture of thousands of thirst-ravaged livestock: “Why doesn’t God hear their prayer? Who brought them to a dire land in such numbers that their needs could not be met?”
II. This “Day of the Lord” is Imminent, v 2:1-11. “For the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.” The meaning of the phrase: The prophets used this term of deliberate intervention by God—popularly, it was used of God’s intervention to bless Israel, curse their enemies. Amos used it as Joel here: “Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! . . . The day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.” It is a day of judgment and justice.
Joel uses the phrase five times: In relation to an event (1:15); as a symbol of a coming judgment (2:1,11)—also v31: “The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into ‘blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord’”; as a warning that personal response is required, v3:14—“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision or the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”
III. A Parenthetical Call to Repentance is Issued. V1f “Turn ye even to me with all your heart, . . . rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for He is gracious and merciful.” Disasters of the gravest magnitude may be circumscribed, v13. Their “turning” must be acceptable—from the Hebrew “shub,” for returning. It appears over 1000 times in the Old Testament, 111 by Jeremiah. The same word is used in v14 of God.
Religious pretension without heart performance is hypocritical and useless. God has the power to act in response to our faith. The people of faith and covenant must act: Observe a feast (v15); gather together for declaration of unity (v15, 16); forgo personal liberties and pleasures, v16b. Let the priests express before God the will of the people for intervention.