God Promises His Presence

January 29, 2023 Background Scripture: Joel 1:1 - 4; 2:18 - 31 Lesson Passage: Joel 2:21 - 27 The prophet Joel is best known for his prophetic description of the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit baptized the believers in the first century church: "I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days." Peter referenced the prophet to explain the phenomenon that occurred on that day as recorded in The Acts of the Apostles. What is not so well known is all that surrounds that passage of scripture in Joel's prophecy, Joel, as with the other prophets of God, was speaking to the people on God's behalf. God sent a dire warning to His wayward people to return to Him with all their heart. To not do so would invite severe consequences. Throughout recorded biblical history God has used nature to punish people. God described the severe damage that would occur as a result of Him sending swarms of locusts to devour the vegetation that was being used to sustain and bring joy in life. Nothing could be done by people to stop the swarms from destroying the land. God uses nature in a way that defies technology and human ingenuity. Recently, God used a microscopic virus to simultaneously shut down every economy in the world. It happened in small countries and large nations. It didn't matter which nation had a military and weapons and which did not. No number of nuclear bombs could act as a deterrent or force a swift resolution to the economic disaster. Nuclear weapons were totally useless against the invisible but potent force of nature. Those of us who know something about God knew what needed to be done. The solution has been the same throughout human history. With the warning, God always provides the option to avoid disaster. God always require that His people repent of sin and return to Him. God offers to do more after the repentance than the bountiful blessings He provided before the falling away, It was no different in the time of Joel. God promised an even closer relationship with His people after they repent. First, God promised that repentance would bring restoration. He would even restore what was lost during the plague of locusts. They deserved the punishment, yet God promised to remove the penalty. They would not continue to suffer as a result of their past sin. God's work in their lives would bring forth praises to the name of the Lord. Not only would God remove the penalty for their sin, He would also take away the guilt and shame of it. Hearts of joy and praises for the Lord's name would be evidence of God's presence in their midst. In that environment of praise and worship, God would pour out His Spirit on His people. They would experience God's presence in an amazing way: His Spirit will take up residence inside of them. That's the promise of His presence that God made to His people through Joel. And Peter declared on the Day of Pentecost that the fulfillment of God's promise had taken place in Jerusalem. On that day, there were devout Jews living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven. What a great cloud of witnesses. Every language in the world at that time was used by the Spirit-filled believers to praise the wonderful works of God. God's presence was available as He promised. Robert C. Hudson January 19, 2023