©Clay Eldridge
Chapter 3:1-8 (ESV) - “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.
“What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily. For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples. You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. Behold, I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and I will return your payment on your own head. I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far away, for the LORD has spoken.”
Question to consider: Who are those considered “my heritage Israel” in this promise?
The Hebrew name Jehoshaphat means, “YHWH is judge,” so the Valley of Jehoshaphat is the “valley of God’s judgment.” Later in the vision, Joel referred to it as the “valley of decision.” Even though the LORD used Assyria as His sword to wipe out the northern kingdom of Israel and the Judean countryside and Babylon to destroy the holy city and temple, Joel was assured that these nations would be judged for the injustices they perpetrated on the faithful remnant which was scattered among the nations.
A good example of this was a young Israelite girl who was carried off to Assyria and made a servant of the wife of an Assyrian commander called Naaman. We know she is among the faithful remnant because she pointed Naaman to the prophet Elisha to cure him of his leprosy (2 Kings 5).
We know that all of the nations that participated in the judgment against Israel were judged by the LORD. Nations like Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia were overthrown by these same nations whom the LORD used to judge Israel. Then Babylon was overthrown by the Medes and Persians, and the Medes and Persians were overthrown by the Greeks, and the Greeks were overthrown by the Romans. This sequence of history was depicted in dreams throughout the book of Daniel, and the hope at the end of this succession of kingdoms was of an eternal king who would be delivered on clouds to rule at the right hand of God. The fortunes of Israel were restored during the time of Nehemiah and Ezra when they were given the means to rebuild the city and temple.
While Joel may have been giving the people the assurance that the LORD “...will by no means clear the guilty,” the ultimate promise was that the LORD also keeps “...steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” (Exodus 34:7)
The valley of judgment (and decision) is perfectly depicted in the cross of Christ and will be completed when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead. The sin of all mankind was judged on the cross so that we may receive the LORD’s steadfast love and promise of forgiveness. As the apostle Paul wrote, “Then comes the end, when [Christ] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:24-26)
The “enemies” will be servants of Christ. Justice will be achieved whether through His mercy (steadfast love and forgiveness) or His judgment. Choose today whom you will serve.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for giving us a way to be reconciled to You and bring justice to a world filled with sin. Help us to see the wonderful gift set before us in Christ Jesus and give us a desire to share that gift with our neighbor. Amen.