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

God Promises Light

January 22, 2023 Background Scripture: Isaiah 58: 1 - 14 Lesson Passage: Isaiah 58:6 - 10 As I meditated on the Background Scripture, I thought about the many occasions of seeing inappropriate "theme scriptures" used for annual days at some local churches. It appeared someone searched for a biblical verse that used words that seemed to match the occasion of the annual day. Yet, there was no apparent attempt to match the context of that verse with that annual day. In other words, the specific scripture chosen communicated something biblically that had absolutely nothing to do with the occasion for which the scripture was being used. Sometimes we are tempted to take God's words and use them for our own purposes—despite what God communicated with those words. God said what He said, and God meant what He said. God has not given us the privilege to reinterpret what He has communicated! That is why it is important to carefully consider whatever God said, who He said it to, the context in which He said it, and to whom He directs its application. To not do this is to open ourselves up to disappointment. God taught Israel to fast and pray as a means of afflicting their souls, humbling themselves before Him, and living righteously. Under those conditions, God responded to whatever they prayed about to Him, Fasting was much more involved than not eating for a span of time. Over time, people of God, including today, have tended to abuse fasting. Fasting is a method whereby a person afflicts their soul to earnestly seek God's face. Fasting is not to be used to get God to seek us. God promises to allow His presence to be sensed more by a person who sincerely fasts. God promises to be attentive to the prayers of those who fast according to His guidelines. Proper fasting affects the internal holiness of the person, and it is not an outward display of piety. In the Background Scripture, God spoke through the prophet words of chastisement to His people, They were fasting as an outward show of religion and not with an internal change of heart. In essence, they were not eating and continued to behave in a very unholy manner. Then, they wondered why God was not responding to them. They were not eating, wearing sackcloth, and sitting in ashes and waiting on God to answer their prayers. And God's question to them was, "Would you call this a fast?" God leveled some heavy accusations against them. While they were pretending to fast, they were enjoying themselves, mistreating people, arguing, and fighting. There were hungry people around them not being fed. There were naked, or poorly dressed, people around them not being attended to. There were homeless people not being provided shelter. God was saying to His People: If you're not going to do My business while you afflict your souls and fast, then you might as well eat! God would not respond to any requests they made of Him while not eating and purposely living unholy lives. On the other hand, God gave them an option. If they would fast according to His directions: not eating, afflicting their souls, and doing His business by relieving the poor of their burdens, then their light would shine brightly. God would respond to their prayers quickly. Their righteousness before Him would be obvious to others. His glow would be their protection. As they humbled themselves through fasting and prayer before God, He would elevate them in the world. Then they would receive all the blessings God promised their forefathers. Proper fasting would cause their light to shine, Robert C. Hudson January 12, 2023