by:
11/20/2024
0
“Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love ...” (2:13). The prophet Joel spoke to a people threatened by terrible invading armies, like locusts that destroy everything. Joel knew that Israel’s sin had caused God’s wrath, and he urged the priests to proclaim a fast and call people to repentance (2:15-17). Whether facing urgent calamity or God’s final judgment (the “day of the Lord”), Joel’s answer was the same: Return to the Lord.
“I will pour out My Spirit in those days” (2:28-32). Joel prophesied not just cataclysmic disaster, but world-changing hope. Through Christ, God’s redeemed people would receive His Spirit, enabling them to take His salvation to the whole earth (Acts 2:17).