Joel Two Verses 18-27

Wow, where were we?

Oh yeah, priest praying in public to be seen by all that we might be spared from the wrath of Gods army, prayers by all, repentance, fasting and mourning all done very publicly by all, the sacred assembly of all, elders and the wise, so dire were the times, newly weds and suckling babies were expected to attend etc etc etc...had to get the plan together right? So we did all that, so now what? Well? Things take a drastic turn.

The Lord’s Answer

Then the Lord was jealous for his land
and took pity on his people.

The getting together of all? With humbleness and repentance, seems to have worked. Forgiveness is apparently on the way.

The Lord replied 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.

The earth shall provide for you once again. You will not have the fear of having to travel to foreign lands and "be the scorn of nations" Not only will you have food? You shall have "enough to satisfy you fully." Not just enough, more than enough. This can also be looked at as spiritual blessings as well. Remember "a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness." that was spiritual desolation? It also is going away.

“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!

"The Northern horde". This is not our army of god that was compared to locust early on in this chapter, but a different army. Multiple times an "army from the north" is mentioned in the bible as coming against Israel. (Jer 6:22, Jer 50:41, Ezekiel 38:6,15, 39:2, Dan 11:11, Dan 11:13). Wanna guess where Turkey is located geographically in relation to Israel? The enemy is defeated. God does great things for those who humble themselves, repent and turn toward him.

Do not be afraid, land of Judah;
be glad and rejoice.
Surely the Lord has done great things!

There is no longer any need to be afraid in this land. God will prevail.

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.

Even the animals do not have to live in fear anymore. Things are being restored, life sprouts anew. Trees bearing fruit? Ripe is the harvest of the righteous at the end of ages. I can hear them already Lucy, What? Where is he getting all this about the harvest of the righteous at the end of times and blah blah blah... 

Luke 21:29-31 

And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. The vine as well. 

"When ye see these things come to pass" is a reference to the signs of the end of ages discussed in the Olivet discourse, and indicates the coming Kingdom of God.

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.

Be happy in your God. These rains? It's not just rain, but it is his spirit both former and later. The former rains? The out pouring of his spirit during the day of Pentecost, the later rains? His spirit that will be pour out during the end of days.


Mathew Henry Commentary

He has given you a teacher of righteousness, (so the margin reads it, for the same word that signifies the rain signifies a teacher. and that which we translate moderately is according to righteousness ), and this teacher of righteousness, says one of the rabbin, is the King Messias, and of him many others understand this; for he is a teacher come from God, and he shows us the way of righteousness. But others understand it of any prophet that instructs unto righteousness, and some of Hezekiah particularly, others of Isaiah. Note, It is a good sign that God has mercy in store for a people when he sends them teachers of righteousness, pastors after his own heart. 3. All their losses shall be repaired

The threshing floors will be filled with grain;

the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.

The threshing floors? His places of worship. Where the wheat shall be separated from chaff. The righteous from the wicked. 

Luke 3:17

His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Matthew 3:12

His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

“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—
my great army that I sent among you.

"The times of the Messiah, in which so many good things come to the people of God, are a sufficient recompense for what they endured in times past."

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.

They will not just get by, but they will be provided for in abundance. He will repair what was visited upon them, because it was the work of his hand to begin with and because they turned to him and with mourning and humbled themselves and repented.


Mathew Henry commentary

Note, When God deals graciously with poor sinners that return to him it must be acknowledged that he deals wondrously and does great thing.

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.

"They shall not be ashamed of their faith and hope, and expectation of good things promised them. Nor of the word and ordinances, and the profession they have made of Christ in this world.

Nor shall they be ashamed at his coming; but shall be placed at his right hand, and received into his kingdom, and shall be led by him to fountains of living water. And be satisfied with pleasures for evermore."

Remeber the 

"Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” Verse 17? That has been taken care of :-).

The commentary in quotes? From a source I can't recall, but not my own material.

Love you Lucy.