A Prophet's Vision (Joel 2:23-32)

Sermon as preached at Lambs and Evington UMC on 10/27/13

This week we begin a multiple week study into some of the lesser known prophets of the Bible. These prophets are sometimes referred to as the “minor prophets.” They may be called the Minor Prophets, but what they have to say to the Israelites and what we can learn from them is no less important. In fact the term minor prophet simply references the fact that these books of the Bible are far shorter than some of the longer prophetic books such as Isaiah or Ezekiel. Today we begin our study into these prophets by looking at the prophet Joel.  The words of Joel are amazing because they are able to speak to the Israelites of the time and yet are so powerful and relevant for us as believers today.  Joel is so important that Paul uses it in his letter to the Romans, and Luke references it in the book of Acts, which we will talk about shortly.

            Before we start into our passage for today, it is important for us to first get a better understanding of the book of Joel, why it was written and to whom it was written.  Throughout the history of prophets there seems to be a theme that runs through their words, this theme is probably over simplified but it seems as though when things are prosperous in Israel the prophets speak of repentance and foretell of destruction and gloom, and then when things are bad for Israel, the prophets seem to speak of hope. The history of Israel throughout the time of the prophets of the Old Testament lends itself to this type of theme. The history of Israel, (not the modern day nation) had a roller coaster of emotions, it was a history of ups and downs. For a while Israel grew under King David, and Solomon and some of the others. The borders expanded as well as their power.  Unfortunately as their power increased, so too did their egos. Many began to believe they no longer needed God and turned away, many distorted the teachings to fit their own economic and moral beliefs. For this reason we see many prophets coming to warn Israel to repent and turn back to God.  The destruction that the prophets warned about came true, as the Babylonians conquered Israel, destroyed the temple, and took many Israelites captive. During this time many of the prophets spoke words of perseverance, and words of hope that God would deliver them from this evil.  Once again the prophets’ words rang true, and the Israelites were able to return home where they would have to pick up the pieces and try to start life as a nation over again. Our prophet for this morning is interesting because this book contains both words of hope for the future while at the same time the warnings and call to repentance can also be found.  In all likelihood this means that Joel is writing in the times after the Babylonian exile, the Israelites are rebuilding a destroyed Israel, things are getting somewhat back to normal, which means the possibility exists to falling back into bad habits. Joel seems to be giving the Israelite hope for the future, but at the same time is warning them against the same actions that led to their initial destruction.

            Our passage that we are reading today from Joel is most certainly a message of hope. It is a hope for the building of a new kingdom, and a call to trust the Lord.  As I mentioned this was most likely written after the exile in Babylon, when the Israelites are trying to rebuild their once great nation, and yet it is probable that hope was lacking because these people had to try and rebuild something great from the midst of destruction.  Scripture also alludes to the fact that not only had the Israelites faced destruction from the Babylonians, but that there was some sort of famine that destroyed the land, most likely caused by some sort of locust. Yet in the midst of this despair, God gives the people hope through the prophet Joel saying, “The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. “I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against 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, the LORD, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame.”   What wonderful words of hope!  A hope of a time in which there is plenty of food in the land, hope of a time when the Israelites will no longer be put to shame, hope of a wonderful and new Kingdom of God.

            As we read this text today as Christians we may begin to think, so what. So what if the Israelites are never put to shame again, so what if a new kingdom is built, what does that mean for us as Christians today? If we hear these words of Joel as simply words to the Israelites of that time, if we hear them as only words of hope of a rebuilt Israel, then yes there is not much for us to learn from this, other than the love and mercy of God. On the other hand if we hear Joel speaking not only to the Israelites but to all humanity, if we envision not just a new Israel, but rather a Kingdom of God, where God reigns over the Earth, then we  may start to understand the magnitude of Joel’s message for our lives.

            The Kingdom of God is something we as Christians frequently talk about, it is a hope that we hold dear as well.  Yet while it is a hope we have, it is also something that we have seen begun on Earth, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Christians we proclaim that Christ broke through barriers of sin and death, and brought for us a new covenant. A covenant that that provides eternal life through the grace of God, but also a covenant that declares the reign of God, the Kingdom of God here on Earth. Through Jesus, this Kingdom was established on Earth, and yet by looking around at the world today it is obvious that the Kingdom is not yet fully arrived. We see violence, we see greed and corruption, we see jealousy and hate instead of love, and yet through Christ we have the hope of the time in which the Kingdom comes in full glory, and we feast at a heavenly banquet. It is surprisingly, or maybe not surprisingly, a hope very much like the words of hope that we find from the prophet Joel in our passage today.

            The question may be asked though, if Jesus brought the Kingdom of God to Earth, and yet it is not fully actualized, then what happens now that Jesus has ascended to heaven? The answer to this comes in a familiar story to most of us, found in Acts 2, that is of course the story of Pentecost. Many were asking the same questions, what do we do now, but the Holy Spirit descended on the people gathered on that day and the church was founded. All were given ability to receive the Holy Spirit and to guide us. This was such a spectacle to see, that those who were observing thought that the members were drunk, but Peter responded, “Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. ¹⁵ These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! ¹⁶ No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ¹⁷ “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.Your sons and daughters will prophesy,  your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.  Even on my servants, both men and women,  I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above  and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.  The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.  And everyone who calls  on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

            Do these words sound familiar?  Well they should because On that wonderful day of Pentecost, out of all the books in the Bible that he could quote from choses our passage from Joel. So what does this mean? Joel prophesies about a time in which all are able to receive the power of the Holy Spirit. In the time of Job that was something that was seen as being reserved for leaders and prophets, those who had a specific mission from God.  Yet Joel prophesies that one day sons and daughters will prophesy, that young men will see visions and old men will dream dreams, even the servants and the slaves will receive the power of the Holy Spirit. Joel is giving hope to the Israelites of a time in which the Kingdom of God was upon the Earth,  A time in which God reigned and all the people were led by the spirit. Peter on the day of Pentecost is telling us that that day has happened.  That the Holy Spirit has descended upon the people, that through Christ a new covenant has been established through water and the spirit. That the time had come when God would save his people through the power of Jesus Christ, and that we would all be able to receive the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. The Kingdom of God that  Joel has prophesied about had arrived.

            Yet we know that it is not fully here. There are still many without food, countless affected by violence. It makes us stop and wonder how is this possible? How is it possible that the Kingdom of God is both already here on Earth and yet not fully here?  Interestingly enough, this seeming paradox of the already and the not yet aspect of the Kingdom of God is very similar to our personal salvation as well. If any were able to attend last Sunday’s revival at Lambs, the guest speaker J.D. Jump went into a lot of detail of the nature of salvation and grace. That first and foremost in order to understand our salvation we must understand our brokenness. Ever since the fall of Adam of Eve in the garden of Eden, humanity has been plagued with sin. As Larry Davies pointed out the following night, when we talk about sin we most often think of the big and heinous crimes such as murder, theft and so on, and then we think to ourselves that we are doing well. Sin however is a condition, sin is like a disease, sin is our failure to perfectly follow Christ. When we truly reflect upon our lives, I don’t think there is anyone here who could truly say that they have not fallen short of perfectly loving and serving God. Once we realize our sinful nature we realize that we cannot save ourselves. Something has to happen to change us and make salvation possible. That something was of course Jesus. Through Christ we have received the grace to respond to God and to strive towards perfection. This initial response is known as justification, which is usually received through baptism. Justification allows us to turn away from the path that leads towards sin and death and leads us towards union with God. We are however not yet perfect, we still need grace to continue to lead us towards God and away from sin, this we call sanctification, or perfecting grace. In other words salvation is a journey that is only possible through the grace of God.

            When we start to understand how grace works in our personal salvation then we can start to see how it is possible for the Kingdom of God to have already been established, and yet not be fully here. Just as we personally are riddled by sin, so too has all of creation been affected by sin. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection not only brought us our own personal salvation, but brought salvation to all creation. Through Christ, sin and death were conquered and all are now capable of eternal life. Jesus established a new covenant on Earth, Jesus gave a hopeless world hope, and established the Kingdom, or the reign of God on Earth. As is the case with our own salvation, there is more needed than this initial response. Just as justifying grace made it possible for us to be saved, and sanctifying grace leads us towards that perfection;  Jesus’ life, death and resurrection on Earth brought forth the salvation of creation, and yet transformation through grace received through the Holy Spirit is still needed. This is why we can claim that through Christ the world was saved, and still hope for the day when creation is restored to full glory. This is why we can read the words of Joel from our passage today and see that the day of Pentecost is both the fulfillment of his words, and yet also just the beginning of the hope for a Kingdom that he is talking about. This is why this morning we can read these words of Joel with a new hope, knowing that we have saved through Jesus Christ, that the power of the Holy Spirit is with us, and yet at the same time through the grace of God strive towards the beautiful vision of peace that Joel describes. Joel’s vision is not just a vision of hope for the Israelites of his time, but is truly a vision of hope for us all.