The next we learn about Jesus is when He begins His public ministry. We aren't told any more about His growing up years.
Luke 3:1-18
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar--when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitus, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene--during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, --
This is exactly when, what year, precisely.
the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. --
This is when John the Baptist began to baptize. He is the one who will introduce Jesus.
He says, "One Who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of His sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" ... and with many other words.
This is Jesus' introduction by John: "Ladies and gentlemen, we now present . . ."
Then:
Mark 1:9
At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
Jesus comes on the scene publicly, with Heaven opening and the Spirit descending and lighting on Him like a dove, and the Father declaring Him to be His Son (see Matthew 3:3-7, Mark 1:10-11 and Luke 3:21-22). Wow, no one can out-dramatize God!
Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the Wilderness where He fasted for forty days and was tested, tempted by the devil (see Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-5).
While Jesus is in the Wilderness, John is still baptizing, and "the Jews," which were the leaders of the Jewish people, questioned John, asking him who he thought he was, anyway, if he was Messiah, Elijah or That Prophet (in the prophesies).
John 1:19-28
He answered, "I am not the Messiah," and "I'm not Elijah" (I'm only John), and I don't consider myself That Prophet; I'm just a voice calling out in the desert, "Make straight the way for the Lord" (see Isaiah 40:3-5).
John 1:29-31
Then, The next day (Day 1) John saw Jesus coming toward him [back from the Wilderness] and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world! This is the One I meant when I said 'A man Who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.' I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed to Israel."
John knew Jesus, He was his cousin. But now he knows that Jesus is Messiah, and is introducing Him. The Greek word for "Lamb" here is specifically "lamb set aside for sacrifice," and He would not just "cover up" sin, as the Old Testament sacrifices did, but actually take it away.
John 1:35-37
The next day (Day 2) John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.
This passage, the rest of this chapter, has Jesus beginning to gather His own disciples; He acquires at least five right here.
John has given us a preview of the work Jesus completed by dying for us and rising from the dead. We are witnessing the very start of the public ministry of Jesus, presenting the Kingdom of God, that will be rejected by the Jewish leaders.
The third day is the Wedding in Cana. I will cover that tomorrow.
Even so, come Lord Jesus!
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Friday, September 16, 2016
Jesus' Early Years
Jesus' early years teach us about His conception, birth and all that happened to show Who He really is.
The Angel announced to Mary that she would be the mother of the Messiah, and God would be His Father, not Joseph (Luke 1:26-38). When she told Joseph, he was about to break up with her for unfaithfulness, even though he loved her, but he just couldn't believe this fanciful story. Then the Angel told him in a dream that it was all true, and he didn't need to doubt her (Matthew 1:18-25).
The culture in that day gave engaged girls freedom to travel, and Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth. Here is where Mary's beautiful prayer, the Magnificat, is recorded, where she admits that God is her Savior. She stays with Elizabeth three months, long enough to learn first-hand about childbirth, the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:39-56).
About six months later, Caesar Augustus' decree had Joseph travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and he brought Mary with him at the most difficult time for her, so late in her pregnancy. We all know the Christmas story, with the stable, the manger and the shepherds, with God announcing to the shepherds by His angels that their Messiah was just born (Luke 2:1-20).
When Jesus is eight days old, He is circumcised and officially receives His name. Then when the rest of Mary's 40 days are finished for her purification (Leviticus 12:1-4), they go to the Temple in Jerusalem and both Simon and Anna prophesy about Jesus.
When Jesus is about two years old, they are still living in Bethlehem, but have moved into a house, and the Magi came to worship Him and present their gifts (Matthew 2:1-12). Joseph had another dream, and takes his little family all the way to Egypt to live, until the death of "those who were trying to take the Child's life." When they returned to Israel, they didn't stop in Bethlehem again, instead continuing all the way to Galilee, to their original town of Nazareth (Matthew 2:13-23).
By the time Jesus is twelve years old, his parents have apparently forgotten about His Divine origin, having focused on the every-day mundane living of life, and He reminds them of Who His Father really is (Luke 2:41-52).
We are told that Mary "treasured all these things in her heart," but that didn't mean that she was thinking about them all the time.
I'm glad that God saw fit to share with us all these amazing things about Jesus' birth and childhood, that prove He was not just an ordinary boy. But He lived a very ordinary life as the son of a carpenter, learning that trade.
Even the Lord of the Universe grew up as a normal boy, learning and relating in a family situation, like the rest of the human race. And He suffered the loss of His dad, Joseph, before He reached adulthood, so He probably was the family bread-winner with His carpentry until He began His public ministry.
So Jesus was God, having been conceived supernaturally, yet He was also now a genuine human Man, being born of a woman, the same as every other man. We'll see later in this series how both His genuine Divinity and His genuine humanity were both necessary for Him to redeem us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The Angel announced to Mary that she would be the mother of the Messiah, and God would be His Father, not Joseph (Luke 1:26-38). When she told Joseph, he was about to break up with her for unfaithfulness, even though he loved her, but he just couldn't believe this fanciful story. Then the Angel told him in a dream that it was all true, and he didn't need to doubt her (Matthew 1:18-25).
The culture in that day gave engaged girls freedom to travel, and Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth. Here is where Mary's beautiful prayer, the Magnificat, is recorded, where she admits that God is her Savior. She stays with Elizabeth three months, long enough to learn first-hand about childbirth, the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:39-56).
About six months later, Caesar Augustus' decree had Joseph travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and he brought Mary with him at the most difficult time for her, so late in her pregnancy. We all know the Christmas story, with the stable, the manger and the shepherds, with God announcing to the shepherds by His angels that their Messiah was just born (Luke 2:1-20).
When Jesus is eight days old, He is circumcised and officially receives His name. Then when the rest of Mary's 40 days are finished for her purification (Leviticus 12:1-4), they go to the Temple in Jerusalem and both Simon and Anna prophesy about Jesus.
When Jesus is about two years old, they are still living in Bethlehem, but have moved into a house, and the Magi came to worship Him and present their gifts (Matthew 2:1-12). Joseph had another dream, and takes his little family all the way to Egypt to live, until the death of "those who were trying to take the Child's life." When they returned to Israel, they didn't stop in Bethlehem again, instead continuing all the way to Galilee, to their original town of Nazareth (Matthew 2:13-23).
By the time Jesus is twelve years old, his parents have apparently forgotten about His Divine origin, having focused on the every-day mundane living of life, and He reminds them of Who His Father really is (Luke 2:41-52).
We are told that Mary "treasured all these things in her heart," but that didn't mean that she was thinking about them all the time.
I'm glad that God saw fit to share with us all these amazing things about Jesus' birth and childhood, that prove He was not just an ordinary boy. But He lived a very ordinary life as the son of a carpenter, learning that trade.
Even the Lord of the Universe grew up as a normal boy, learning and relating in a family situation, like the rest of the human race. And He suffered the loss of His dad, Joseph, before He reached adulthood, so He probably was the family bread-winner with His carpentry until He began His public ministry.
So Jesus was God, having been conceived supernaturally, yet He was also now a genuine human Man, being born of a woman, the same as every other man. We'll see later in this series how both His genuine Divinity and His genuine humanity were both necessary for Him to redeem us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Our Good And Others' Trouble
Matthew 2:16-18
When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah (31:15) was fulfilled:
"A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."
Sometimes when we do what is right, other people suffer for it. These Benjamite children were innocent, but were murdered by a wicked king.
We are to mourn with those who have sustained a loss, but we are never to not do what is right in order to spare some one else the negative consequences. God is still in control, and when other people experience sorrow or loss or other trouble because of our doing right, then God's plan for those other people is to carry them through whatever they're facing. We each have our own road to travel with our Lord, and they have theirs.
We only need to make sure that the trouble others face is not the result of our own selfishness or neglect. I know that my own careless words have resulted in broken hearts, when I could have kept that muzzle on my mouth.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah (31:15) was fulfilled:
"A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."
Sometimes when we do what is right, other people suffer for it. These Benjamite children were innocent, but were murdered by a wicked king.
We are to mourn with those who have sustained a loss, but we are never to not do what is right in order to spare some one else the negative consequences. God is still in control, and when other people experience sorrow or loss or other trouble because of our doing right, then God's plan for those other people is to carry them through whatever they're facing. We each have our own road to travel with our Lord, and they have theirs.
We only need to make sure that the trouble others face is not the result of our own selfishness or neglect. I know that my own careless words have resulted in broken hearts, when I could have kept that muzzle on my mouth.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Be Prepared
Matthew 25:1-13
The Parable of the Ten Virgins, Five foolish and Five wise, ends with this conclusion:
(v. 13) Be on the alert then [therefore keep watch], for you do not know the day nor the hour.
This is a warning to be constantly on the alert, and to prepare for the coming of the Bridegroom.
These are the virgins, the friends of the Bride (we, the church, are the Bride), but their example to us is to be prepared ahead of time, before we see Him or hear Him call us from within the clouds. As His Bride, we will be called up to be with Him without warning, except to see all the "end times" happenings taking place all at the same time. We should recognize when it is near, maybe even the season, but we won't know the exact day or hour.
So we need to be preparing for Him every day, because He can be coming now any day.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The Parable of the Ten Virgins, Five foolish and Five wise, ends with this conclusion:
(v. 13) Be on the alert then [therefore keep watch], for you do not know the day nor the hour.
This is a warning to be constantly on the alert, and to prepare for the coming of the Bridegroom.
These are the virgins, the friends of the Bride (we, the church, are the Bride), but their example to us is to be prepared ahead of time, before we see Him or hear Him call us from within the clouds. As His Bride, we will be called up to be with Him without warning, except to see all the "end times" happenings taking place all at the same time. We should recognize when it is near, maybe even the season, but we won't know the exact day or hour.
So we need to be preparing for Him every day, because He can be coming now any day.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Jesus Took YOUR Place On The Cross
Acts 4:12
For there is no other name by which we must be saved. -- Jesus, God's Christ.
I Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man, Christ Jesus. --
There is no mediatrix, or any priest or minister that can negotiate between God and mankind, other than Jesus, Himself.
Genesis 3:6
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. --
When Eve ate the Forbidden Fruit, she thought she was doing a good thing. She had sinned a personal sin. But when Adam ate it, he knew he was disobeying God.
I Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die; --
We know enough today about DNA and genes and how traits are "inherited" from our parents, and how the mother and the father each contribute different traits.
Adam would pass along his "original sin" to every other person born into the human race, so each of us is born with that "sin-nature," that bent that draws every one of us into thinking that we know better, we're smart enough to make our own decisions; we are our own god. That's what leads us into making the poor decisions that cause our problems, missing the bull's eye.
We are each born into this life already under condemnation.
II Corinthians 5:21
God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin ... --
Jesus didn't die for certain sins, He took the whole basket, our sin-nature, which is the root and fountainhead of every sin, from the smallest to the most horrendous.
... for us, --
In our place, just as a lawyer will represent us and speak for us before the judge.
so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. --
This is a possibility for us now, that we might become, not just have, God's own righteousness. But only when we face our own frailty and culpability, and recognize God for Who He is and what He's done for us, and let Jesus take our place in the death each one of us deserves on the Cross.
Isaiah 53:12
... And he (1) bare the sin of many, and (2) made intercession for the transgressors. --
This is the chapter that describes Jesus so accurately that Jewish people today who study it recognize Him as their Messiah. Jesus' Divine blood had endless value, to cover all sins everywhere. Often in doctrinal passages, "many" actually refers to "all;" and "sin" is the sin-nature, "sins" are individual acts.
The end of this verse, essentially, is saying, "Jesus' blood ransomed all those who have been born with a sin-nature, and paid in full the whole debt of those who have disobeyed a law."
So babies, even though born with a sin-nature, are covered; and those who have reached the "age of accountability" and deliberately disobeyed a rule, can be redeemed by admitting their guilt, and letting Jesus pay their debt for them.
God does not leave out anyone, no matter who they are, when or where they live, or what kind of life they've lived. All we need to do is just turn around, He's there with arms stretched out to receive every one of us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
For there is no other name by which we must be saved. -- Jesus, God's Christ.
I Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man, Christ Jesus. --
There is no mediatrix, or any priest or minister that can negotiate between God and mankind, other than Jesus, Himself.
Genesis 3:6
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. --
When Eve ate the Forbidden Fruit, she thought she was doing a good thing. She had sinned a personal sin. But when Adam ate it, he knew he was disobeying God.
I Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die; --
We know enough today about DNA and genes and how traits are "inherited" from our parents, and how the mother and the father each contribute different traits.
Adam would pass along his "original sin" to every other person born into the human race, so each of us is born with that "sin-nature," that bent that draws every one of us into thinking that we know better, we're smart enough to make our own decisions; we are our own god. That's what leads us into making the poor decisions that cause our problems, missing the bull's eye.
We are each born into this life already under condemnation.
II Corinthians 5:21
God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin ... --
Jesus didn't die for certain sins, He took the whole basket, our sin-nature, which is the root and fountainhead of every sin, from the smallest to the most horrendous.
... for us, --
In our place, just as a lawyer will represent us and speak for us before the judge.
so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. --
This is a possibility for us now, that we might become, not just have, God's own righteousness. But only when we face our own frailty and culpability, and recognize God for Who He is and what He's done for us, and let Jesus take our place in the death each one of us deserves on the Cross.
Isaiah 53:12
... And he (1) bare the sin of many, and (2) made intercession for the transgressors. --
This is the chapter that describes Jesus so accurately that Jewish people today who study it recognize Him as their Messiah. Jesus' Divine blood had endless value, to cover all sins everywhere. Often in doctrinal passages, "many" actually refers to "all;" and "sin" is the sin-nature, "sins" are individual acts.
The end of this verse, essentially, is saying, "Jesus' blood ransomed all those who have been born with a sin-nature, and paid in full the whole debt of those who have disobeyed a law."
So babies, even though born with a sin-nature, are covered; and those who have reached the "age of accountability" and deliberately disobeyed a rule, can be redeemed by admitting their guilt, and letting Jesus pay their debt for them.
God does not leave out anyone, no matter who they are, when or where they live, or what kind of life they've lived. All we need to do is just turn around, He's there with arms stretched out to receive every one of us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, September 12, 2016
Candy For Your Soul
Psalm 97
The Lord reigns; let the Earth rejoice;
Let the many islands be glad.
Clouds and thick darkness surround Him;
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
Fire goes before Him, and burns up His adversaries round about.
His lightnings light up the world; the Earth saw and trembled.
The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole Earth.
The Heavens declare His righteousness.
And all the peoples have seen His glory.
Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images,
Who boast themselves of idols;
Worship Him, all you gods.
Zion heard this and was glad,
And the daughters of Judah have rejoiced
Because of Thy judgments, O Lord,
For Thou art the Lord Most High over all the Earth;
Thou art exalted far above all gods.
Hate evil, you who love the Lord,
Who preserves the souls of His godly ones;
He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
Light is sown like seed for the righteous,
And gladness for the upright in heart.
Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones;
And give thanks to His holy Name.
Wow, this is like candy to the soul!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The Lord reigns; let the Earth rejoice;
Let the many islands be glad.
Clouds and thick darkness surround Him;
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
Fire goes before Him, and burns up His adversaries round about.
His lightnings light up the world; the Earth saw and trembled.
The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole Earth.
The Heavens declare His righteousness.
And all the peoples have seen His glory.
Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images,
Who boast themselves of idols;
Worship Him, all you gods.
Zion heard this and was glad,
And the daughters of Judah have rejoiced
Because of Thy judgments, O Lord,
For Thou art the Lord Most High over all the Earth;
Thou art exalted far above all gods.
Hate evil, you who love the Lord,
Who preserves the souls of His godly ones;
He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
Light is sown like seed for the righteous,
And gladness for the upright in heart.
Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones;
And give thanks to His holy Name.
Wow, this is like candy to the soul!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, September 11, 2016
The Prophesy Of Joel
Joel is all about the Day of the Lord.
Chapter 1 is twenty verses of devastation in the land of Israel. He starts off saying,
(v. 2) Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors?
The implied answer is, "No!"
It will be a story worth telling to their children, their grandchildren, and even their great grandchildren.
(1:15 and 2:11) Alas for that Day! For the Day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. ... The Day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?
Who can endure it? In Matthew 4:21-22 and Mark 13:19-20 Jesus tells us that if God had not shortened the days (to only 7 years?) then "no flesh" would survive. Because this Day will be ultimately destructive to our Earth (see Revelation).
(v. 10) Before them the Earth shakes, the Heavens tremble, the Sun and Moon are darkened, and the Stars no longer shine.
(v. 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.
(3:15) The Sun and Moon will be darkened, and the Stars no longer shine.
Revelation 6:12-13, 8:12, Matthew 24:29, Mark 13:24-25 and Luke 21:25 all talk about these same astronautical phenomenons of observable changes in the Sun, Moon and Stars, immediately preceding the Glorious Appearing.
Chapter 2 talks about God's mighty locust army that,
(v. 4) have the appearance of horses.
So they're locusts that look like horses; Revelation talks about this same thing, with much more description of them in chapter 9, verses 7 to 10.
Then right in the middle of all this gloom-and-doom, Joel says that there's still an opportunity to not be among those who are judged. He says,
(2:12-14) "Even now," declares the Lord, "return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing--grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God.
Even though Joel is pronouncing God's judgments on Judah and Israel, there is still room for them to change their minds and decide to do things God's way. And He just might turn the planned judgment into a blessing!
Then the following passage (vs. 15-27) describes all the blessings God will shower upon His people when they do turn around their attitudes and actions, and God even says that,
(v. 25) "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten."
This is a promise for all of God's people, not just for the Hebrews. As Christians today, we can claim this promise, and expect our Heavenly Father to restore what our own foolish choices have lost us, when we also turn our own attitudes and thinking processes around from the World's ways to align with God's ways for us.
Now in chapter 3 Joel talks quite a bit on what we refer to as the "Battle of Armageddon" (from Revelation 16:16), calling the place the Valley of Jehoshaphat (vs. 2, 12) and the Valley of Decision (twice in v. 14), as a judgment of the Nations for their treatment of Israel and the Jews, to
(3:2) put them on trial for what they did to My inheritance, My people Israel, and
(3:19) because of violence done to the people of Judah.
In Matthew 25:31-40 Jesus says that when the Son of Man comes in His glory with His holy ones, He will sit on His throne of glory and judge the Nations, according to how they treated, "the least of these, My brethren" (v. 40).
We are those Nations, the individuals who choose our leaders with our votes, or allow them to rule us through not bothering to vote or voice our views. We are responsible to be on the side of God's people Israel, as they are again a Nation among the Nations of the World, and to help those who are still dispersed to meet their material and spiritual needs, or to even do what we can to help them make aliyah back home to their ancient land of Israel.
This little 3-chapter book is so densely filled with meaning, I don't think I've even scratched the surface of it's depth.
If you have further thoughts on any of this, I welcome your comments, and will consider your views.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Chapter 1 is twenty verses of devastation in the land of Israel. He starts off saying,
(v. 2) Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors?
The implied answer is, "No!"
It will be a story worth telling to their children, their grandchildren, and even their great grandchildren.
(1:15 and 2:11) Alas for that Day! For the Day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. ... The Day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?
Who can endure it? In Matthew 4:21-22 and Mark 13:19-20 Jesus tells us that if God had not shortened the days (to only 7 years?) then "no flesh" would survive. Because this Day will be ultimately destructive to our Earth (see Revelation).
(v. 10) Before them the Earth shakes, the Heavens tremble, the Sun and Moon are darkened, and the Stars no longer shine.
(v. 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.
(3:15) The Sun and Moon will be darkened, and the Stars no longer shine.
Revelation 6:12-13, 8:12, Matthew 24:29, Mark 13:24-25 and Luke 21:25 all talk about these same astronautical phenomenons of observable changes in the Sun, Moon and Stars, immediately preceding the Glorious Appearing.
Chapter 2 talks about God's mighty locust army that,
(v. 4) have the appearance of horses.
So they're locusts that look like horses; Revelation talks about this same thing, with much more description of them in chapter 9, verses 7 to 10.
Then right in the middle of all this gloom-and-doom, Joel says that there's still an opportunity to not be among those who are judged. He says,
(2:12-14) "Even now," declares the Lord, "return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing--grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God.
Even though Joel is pronouncing God's judgments on Judah and Israel, there is still room for them to change their minds and decide to do things God's way. And He just might turn the planned judgment into a blessing!
Then the following passage (vs. 15-27) describes all the blessings God will shower upon His people when they do turn around their attitudes and actions, and God even says that,
(v. 25) "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten."
This is a promise for all of God's people, not just for the Hebrews. As Christians today, we can claim this promise, and expect our Heavenly Father to restore what our own foolish choices have lost us, when we also turn our own attitudes and thinking processes around from the World's ways to align with God's ways for us.
Now in chapter 3 Joel talks quite a bit on what we refer to as the "Battle of Armageddon" (from Revelation 16:16), calling the place the Valley of Jehoshaphat (vs. 2, 12) and the Valley of Decision (twice in v. 14), as a judgment of the Nations for their treatment of Israel and the Jews, to
(3:2) put them on trial for what they did to My inheritance, My people Israel, and
(3:19) because of violence done to the people of Judah.
In Matthew 25:31-40 Jesus says that when the Son of Man comes in His glory with His holy ones, He will sit on His throne of glory and judge the Nations, according to how they treated, "the least of these, My brethren" (v. 40).
We are those Nations, the individuals who choose our leaders with our votes, or allow them to rule us through not bothering to vote or voice our views. We are responsible to be on the side of God's people Israel, as they are again a Nation among the Nations of the World, and to help those who are still dispersed to meet their material and spiritual needs, or to even do what we can to help them make aliyah back home to their ancient land of Israel.
This little 3-chapter book is so densely filled with meaning, I don't think I've even scratched the surface of it's depth.
If you have further thoughts on any of this, I welcome your comments, and will consider your views.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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