#DailyDevotion The LORD Primarily Wants To Be Loving To You
Joel 2 18Then the LORD was zealous for His country and took pity on His people. 19The LORD answered His people: “Now I’m sending you fresh grain, new wine, and olive oil, until you are, satisfied. And I will no longer let you be a disgrace among the nations. 20I will put the northern army far from you and drive him to a barren and forsaken land, his frontt soldiers into the. eastern sea and his rear soldiers into the western sea. His foul odor will come up and his stench rise!”
Well if ever there was an example of a Law->Gospel sermon, the book of Joel would be said example. We’ve been drowning in the Law, its commands, threats and punishments since chapter 1 verse 1. Now there is a sudden shift to full bore Gospel. Mind you, there is a space in time between 2:17 and 2:18. So maybe the point of a sermon isn’t quite spot on. All of Joel’s sermons have been nothing but Law for the most part up to this point. Starting here it is going to be mostly Gospel (what God has done, what He is doing and what He is promising to do for us).
The LORD is zealous for His country and His people. They apparently, like the Ninevites, heard the call to repentance and ran with it. They tore their hearts, turned from their sins and idols and turned to the LORD’s name for mercy, kindness, steadfast live, grace and forgiveness. This of course is all the LORD ever wanted to bestow upon His people and well all people everywhere. I’ve seen a meme recently countering the “reconstructed” Christian argument, “Better obey me or I will send you to hell,” with, “You were already going to hell and I came to rescue you from your fate.” Certainly a different paradigm of thinking. If you’re not thinking the LORD our God is primarily grace motivated towards you, then you have a perverted mind and spirit. Change your mind and you will find a God always waiting with open arms waiting to embrace you in the person of Christ Jesus.
So the disaster the LORD was bringing upon His people, the locusts and then some army, He is now drawing to a near. They have served their purpose in waking up His people from their sleep of death. So the “who knows,” of the earlier verses ends up with the LORD blessing the people, reversing what the locusts and the army had previously done. The things needed for worship, grain and wine, are restored. The LORD has removed their disgrace among the nations.
Now at this point it seems the prophecy is forward looking. For we know at the very least, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and then the Romans humbled the Israelites and the Jews, and they still lack no trouble unto this day. Even the true Israel, the Church, suffers until the second coming of our LORD Jesus Christ. So the removal of the disgrace forever seems to be tied to belonging to Jesus on the Last Day. The destruction of the enemies from the north hearken to Revelation 19 where the enemies of Christ and His Church become food for birds in the great feast of our God.
So we, all people, are called to turn to our Father in heaven, through our LORD Jesus Christ, and expect from Him to bestow upon us these good things when Jesus’ kingdom is made manifest. The suffering we endure now is for our good, giving us repentance and life eternal.
O Forgiving Father, turn us from our sins to Your heart, so we may receive from all the blessings You want to bestow upon us, now and forever. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.