©John Yerkes
Chapter 2:18-27 (ESV) - Then the LORD became jealous for his land
and had pity on his people.
The LORD answered and said to his people,
“Behold, I am sending to you
grain, wine, and oil,
and you will be satisfied;
and I will no more make you
a reproach among the nations.
“I will remove the northerner far from you,
and drive him into a parched and desolate land,
his vanguard into the eastern sea,
and his rear guard into the western sea;
the stench and foul smell of him will rise,
for he has done great things.
“Fear not, O land;
be glad and rejoice,
for the LORD has done great things!
Fear not, you beasts of the field,
for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit;
the fig tree and vine give their full yield.
“Be glad, O children of Zion,
and rejoice in the LORD your God,
for he has given the early rain for your vindication;
he has poured down for you abundant rain,
the early and the latter rain, as before.
“The threshing floors shall be full of grain;
the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
I will restore to you the years
that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my great army, which I sent among you.
“You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
Question to consider: How did the LORD fulfill the promise that His people shall never again be put to shame?
In the verses leading up to today’s passage, Joel called for the people to return to the LORD in repentance. The promises given in today’s text was the LORD’s reaction to those who returned to Him. Again, this is based on the promise given to Moses in Leviticus 26:40-42, “But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.”
First, the LORD expressed jealousy for the land and had pity on His people. We often confuse the sinful jealousy we experience with that which is expressed by God in scripture. God is not jealous of His people but for them. A true expression of love is to want to keep the ones you love from harm and danger. The LORD is not one god among many vying for the attention of His people. He is the one true God, and all others are lifeless idols or demons that bring only death, destruction, and despair. Life and salvation are found in Him alone, and He wants that for His creation.
In remembering (or bringing to pass) His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the LORD would bring about the covenantal blessings: bringing His people to a land flowing with milk and honey and protecting them from their enemies. The LORD even promises a blessing on the land and the beasts that inhabit it. The God “...who will by no means clear the guilty…” is also the God who restores those who have been reconciled to Himself.
In the near term, the wrath of the LORD subsided until the coming of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah. Sennacherib was unsuccessful in destroying the city, but its end would come under Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonians. After 70 years in exile, God restored the inhabitants of the land, but it was short-lived because Israel failed to keep the Law. Rather than looking at this prophecy as being yet fulfilled, I would argue that the one who brought about this restoration is Christ. As Isaiah wrote (Isaiah 28:16 in the Septuagint), “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
The apostle Peter argued this in his first epistle (1 Peter 2:1-11). The restoration of the land is a description of the heavenly Jerusalem where Christ currently reigns (Hebrews 12:18-24), and we pray daily for that kingdom to come, and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your blessed forgiveness which restores us and redeems the very mess we make with our sin. Help us to live a life of repentance which bears the fruit of one connected to the vine of life, Christ Jesus. Amen.