Throughout the month of October 2024 we read and wrote out the whole of the book of Joel using one of our free Bible Writing Plans.
The author Joel writes about the "Day of the Lord"; the coming judgment of God on the people of Israel for their repeated disobedience to Him. He uses the picture of a plague of locusts to describe the total devastation that will come on the people and their land, and calls them to repentance in order to avoid God's judgment (that they actually deserve!).
Whilst this is not an easy or lighthearted book to read, there are still things we can take from it. Here are three things I (Bee) have learnt from Joel in the past month.
Repentance is not just an apology
It's easy to think that simply saying "sorry" to God is enough to make up for the wrong things we do. We can easily get into the habit of quickly apologising (sometimes without really meaning it) and moving on, or even repeating the same thoughts or behaviour before apologising yet again. Now, whilst God is loving, gracious and compassionate (more on that later), He loves us too much to leave us the way we are. He longs to see us transformed, and genuine repentance is a big part of that: twice Joel calls the people to repent (1:13-14 and 2:12-13) which they do (1:19 and 2:17). But this isn't just a quick apology. In 2:13 Joel tells the people to "rend your heart and not your garments"; God wants to see genuine desire to change in our hearts and minds rather than just a superficial outward expression of regret.
2. God's mercy and love are more powerful than His wrath and judgment
The description of the devastation caused by God's judgment on the people of Israel's disobedience is like something out of a sci-fi end-of-the-world type film. Chapter two of Joel describes a "day of darkness and gloom" with an invading army, a devouring fire and the removal of God's presence. BUT THEN. Following His people's act of repentance, we read that God is "gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love and he relents from sending calamity." (2:13) Phew! Yes, God is judge and there are (terrible) consequences for those who are unrepentant, but He also abounds in love and longs to be gracious to His people.
3. One day God will renew all things
After all that devastation and drama, the second half of chapter two brings some welcome relief as Joel explains how God reverses and restores everything that was ruined. The invaders are defeated (2:20-21), the land is restored (2:22-26) and God's presence dwells once again among His people (2:27).
Joel then points to a future Day of the Lord, where one day God's own Spirit will fill the temple and His people (2:28-32), He will confront the threatening invader (3:1-14) and will renew the whole of creation (3:17-21).
Two of these promised things have already happened; as Christians we have the Holy Spirit in us and believe that Jesus conquered the threatening invader of death on the cross. And we continue to live in the hope that God will one day not just restore but RENEW all things, both in the world around us and inside us.
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