#DailyDevotion Jesus’ Blood Restores All Things.
Joel 3 18 On that day the mountains will drip with fresh wine, and milk will flow on the hills. In all the brooks of Judah water will flow, coming out of a spring at the LORD’s temple, watering the valley of Shittim. 19 Egypt will be laid waste and Edom become a barren desert because they did violence against the people of Judah, murdering innocent people in their country. 20 But Judah will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem through all generations. 21 Though I’ve passed by the bloody wrongs done to them, I will not do so in the future, because I, the Lord, am living in Zion.”
After the judgment and terrible day of the LORD, the LORD Jesus Christ restores creation. The plagues laid down upon the earth to call humanity to repentance are taken away. What an image we have with the mountains dripping with fresh wine. Some may take dripping to meaning very little. You should think of it more like being so full it has nowhere else to go. Milk will flow on the hills. So it will be rich with milk producers. That means great wealth. The drought in chapter 2 is now replaced with the brooks flowing with water. The water comes out of a spring from the LORD’s temple.
It is written in Psalm 46, “ 4There is a river whose streams delight God’s city.” In Rev. 22 it is written, “Then he showed me a river of the water of life bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 and down the middle of the street of the city. On each side of the river is a tree of life, producing twelve kinds of fruit, for each month its own fruit, and the leaves of the tree are to heal the nations.” The river is the water of life. One could say it is the redeeming blood of the Lamb which restores all things. In the temple in the Old Testament, there was a ditch which carried the blood of the sacrifices out of the temple and the city. As long as the blood flowed the people could be certain the LORD was not holding their sins against them. Now it is the blood of the Lamb, the LORD Jesus Christ which covers our sins, washes away our sins, purges sin from us, makes peace between the Father and us, and gives us His life.
Egypt and Edom are metaphors for the place of divine wrath and punishment. As the rich man in the Lazarus parable notes, there is no water there, not even a drop to cool off the tongue in the fire that burns there. This is not the place you want to be. You don’t have to go there. You can turn from your sins and turn to Jesus and trust Him for the forgiveness of your sins and for the gift of eternal life. They always claimed they just want what they deserve, fooling themselves into thinking they are good people and did enough good to enter into eternal life. A good TV show that demonstrates this is “The Good Place.” The inhabitants there thought they had done good to live in paradise. However, it was just a scam of the devil, and the people really thought they were good people. There is no one who is good, no not one. (Ps. 14:3, Rom. 3:12)
Joel refers to Judah and Jerusalem always being inhabited. He says the LORD will always live in Zion. In Rev. 21:3 it is written, “Look! God’s home is among the people, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them.” Indeed, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have already taken up residence in our hearts, the throne of His Temple, our bodies, and we will see this collectively when He restores all things on the Last Day. He promises in Hebrews 13 to never leave us or forsake us.
Heavenly Father, always give us Your Holy Spirit so we may persevere in the faith and enter into Your eternal kingdom. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.