Slices
Prepare
The apostle Paul urges his readers to ‘Consider … the kindness and sternness of God’ (Romans 11:22). Does this sound like the God you worship?
Bible passage
The nations judged
3 ‘In those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will gather all nations
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I will put them on trial
for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered my people among the nations
and divided up my land.
3 They cast lots for my people
and traded boys for prostitutes;
they sold girls for wine to drink.
4 ‘Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. 5 For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples. 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland.
7 ‘See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done. 8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far away.’ The Lord has spoken.
9 Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare for war!
Rouse the warriors!
Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
10 Beat your ploughshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Let the weakling say,
‘I am strong!’
11 Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
and assemble there.
Bring down your warriors, Lord!
12 ‘Let the nations be roused;
let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit
to judge all the nations on every side.
13 Swing the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,
for the winepress is full
and the vats overflow –
so great is their wickedness!’
14 Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will be darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.
16 The Lord will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the heavens will tremble.
But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel.
Blessings for God’s people
17 ‘Then you will know that I, the Lord your God,
dwell in Zion, my holy hill.
Jerusalem will be holy;
never again will foreigners invade her.
18 ‘In that day the mountains will drip new wine,
and the hills will flow with milk;
all the ravines of Judah will run with water.
A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house
and will water the valley of acacias.
19 But Egypt will be desolate,
Edom a desert waste,
because of violence done to the people of Judah,
in whose land they shed innocent blood.
20 Judah will be inhabited for ever
and Jerusalem through all generations.
21 Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?
No, I will not.’
The Lord dwells in Zion!
Explore
Many Christians struggle with the idea of judgement. How can a loving God also be the one who punishes people? Others will ask, ‘How can God be loving if he allows the strong to get away with oppressing the weak?’ Joel is in no doubt: the day of reckoning is on its way. Surrounding nations have destroyed Jerusalem, looted the Temple (v 5), traded children as if they were commodities (v 3), and displaced God’s people (v 6). They will answer for what they have done.
Joel has a vision of these nations, armed to the teeth but ultimately defenceless before the Lord. They are funnelled into a valley from which they cannot escape, the valley of decision where God will decide their fate.
It is in God’s nature to be a father to the fatherless, to defend widows, to set the lonely in families, and to set people free (Psalm 68:5,6). He loves to take ‘the stone the builders rejected’ and to make it central to his purposes (Psalm 118:22), and to make the despised city his dwelling place (vs 17,21). Ultimately, all this is fulfilled in Jesus. In Jesus’ death, God demonstrates his justice towards our rebellion, and at the same time opens up the way for us to be made right with him (Romans 3:26).
Respond
Why not use Psalm 68 to pray for people who are oppressed today and desperate for justice?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 2 Kings 23–25; Psalms 66,67
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for Sarah Howard-Smith, Support Worker for the north region, as she supports the team in the early stages of planning some face-to-face Faith Guide training. Pray for her too as she prepares to co-lead the Edale Holiday.
