It’s one thing to know about someone; it’s another thing to live with someone. Many optimistic high school graduates have had to learn the hard way that a best friend is not always the best roommate. “Do I like spending time with this person?” is not the same as, “How many times does this person push snooze before he gets up?” Or “How often does this person clean a bathroom?”
Knowing about God is not the same as living with Him. The purpose of Joel is to prepare the people of Judah (and us) to live with God (Joel 3:21). As we saw last month, scholars debate many of the details of the book of Joel, but one clear issue is that, unlike Amos and Hosea, Joel was ministering to the southern kingdom of Judah, which is where Jerusalem was — and, more importantly, where God had promised to dwell (1 Kings 9:3).
As we saw last month, the first feature of living with God is repentance. Like the people of Judah, we must return to the Lord (Joel 2:12–13). Once the people repented of their sins with weeping, fasting, meeting, and praying together (2:14–17), Joel shows us three major actions God takes toward those who return to Him.
The first action is that God promised to remove judgment from the people. God takes pity on those who repent (2:18) and reverses His judgment. He promises to fill their barns and vats again (2:19). Their fields and orchards would become fruitful. The rains would arrive, and the locusts would leave for good. God promised to take danger and shame away from them. He would truly satisfy them (2:18–19). Although God doesn’t promise to fill our bank accounts or stocks, He promises a deeper and longer-lasting fruitfulness to those who return to Him today (Matt. 7:15–20, John 15:5, and Gal. 5:22–24).
The second action God takes is to send the Holy Spirit. The Spirit who hovered over the waters of creation, clothed the judges who delivered Israel, and inspired the prophets to speak the very words of God would dwell with all God’s people (Joel 2:28–32) and show that everyone who called upon the Lord’s name would be saved. Peter pointed out how Pentecost fulfilled this prophecy (Acts 2:17–21), and we have this same Spirit today to equip, guide, and strengthen us (1 Cor. 12:13).
The third action God takes is to vindicate His people. Joel goes through the many nations that oppressed Judah during the time of their destruction. All will stand before God’s judgment. God would give to those nations the punishment they deserved (Joel 3:1–19). God will also one day give all His enemies what they deserve and vindicate His own people (1 Cor. 15:25–26).
This passage gives us a humble confidence in the Lord. We are sinners like the Jews of Joel’s day, but we, like them, can rejoice and be glad in the Lord (Joel 2:21). We can trust that the same Spirit God poured out at Pentecost dwells with us as we call upon Him. And we can live in hope. Although we may feel in this life as if the locusts have eaten our years, we know that one day God will restore them back to us (2:25). He will defeat our enemies, Satan and death, once and for all. We will not merely know about Him; we will live with Him forever.