SCRIPTURE: Joel 2:18-27
OBSERVATIONS
1. (v.18) The section that follows assumes that the people do gather together in humility and repentance. When He sees them genuinely sorry for what they have done, His deep love (jealous = zealous = passionate) will flood them with the blessings of His mercy. God is just waiting for repentance…
APPLICATION: God doesn’t delight in punishing His children. He allows them to experience the ‘wages’ of their sin in the hope that they will repent, SO THAT He can shower us with blessing. God is waiting for me to humble my heart before Him. I cannot even begin to imagine how great His blessing will be.
2. (vv.19-26) The blessings of God’s mercy are described in terms of the land flowing with “milk and honey”, the same promise that was held out to Israel before they entered the land. From the beginning God designed the creation to be a fruitful garden, it is our sin that has introduced barrenness and weeds.
APPLICATION: It is not wrong for me to delight in God’s creation, or to enjoy the wealth and blessing that the land produces. It is what we were created for. Our sin is attempting to attain this blessing apart from God. He wants to bless me with Himself, and all these other things will be given as well (Matthew 6:33).
3. (vv.26-27) God’s abundant blessing should help us know that only He is God, and lead us to praise Him. Unfortunately, history reveals how often God’s blessing leads His people to forget. God’s desire is to never let us be shamed again, but our choices often bring us back into it (Proverbs 26:11).
APPLICATION: My own experience bears this out. I know God wants to bless me, yet how often do I return to my folly. God’s mercy ought to lead me to love and serve Him every day, yet how often I turn back to the very attitudes and practices that get me into trouble. Lord have mercy!
PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for Your patience, and thank You for Your great compassion and mercy. Thank You for the taste of blessing that I have had, may it be enough to keep me loving and serving You. Amen.
With the Lord our God, saying and doing are not two different things. His actions are His words. His words are His actions. It is only I that needs to learn that the Lord my God is Who He is. I am who I am, says the Lord my God. I must know that He is MY Lord and MY God and there is none other! At times I am a slow learner and the Lord uses the the happenings around me to turn my heart to Him again. Lord, help me to see You in all the happenings from day to day so that I will walk with my Saviour each and every day. Give me the eyes that see You!
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see Your face
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see
Open my ears, Lord
Help me to hear Your voice
Open my ears, Lord
Help me to hear
Open my heart, Lord
Help me to love like You
Open my heart, Lord
Help me to love