Dwell in the Word Joel 3:17-21

Think on these questions as you dwell in Joel 3:17-21:

1. How does Joel use contrasting imagery in verses 17-21 to convey the blessings of God's provision for His people compared to the desolation faced by those who have opposed Him? What significance do these images hold in the context of the ancient world?

2. Reflecting on the contrast between the abundant blessings for God's people and the desolation faced by their enemies, how does this passage emphasize the importance of being in a relationship with God through faith in Christ? What does it teach us about the consequences of rejecting God's offer of salvation?

3. In light of this passage, how can believers today draw encouragement and assurance from the fact that they are recipients of God's abundant blessings and provision? How does this knowledge impact our outlook on life and our interactions with those around us who may not yet know the grace of God?

Transcript:

And so, as we come to verses 17-21 here of Joel 3, as this short book concludes, we see a really interesting conclusion to the book, and it's using contrast. And so as we look at this here, what we see is that the Lord says, You shall know that I'm the Lord your God, the one who dwells in Zion because Jerusalem is to be set apart and to be holy. And he gives some imagery here. In that day, the mountain shall drip sweet wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all the stream beds of Judah shall flow with water. You see that there is plenty here, that there is abundance here. And we see that these are good things that are supplying the land and supplying the people with life. But what is the contrast that's set up here? Egypt shall become a desolation, Edom, a desolate wilderness. And why is this? Because they have done violence to the people of Judah because they've shed innocent blood in their land. Then the contrast comes back again. These places are desolate. But what is Judah? Judah is inhabited forever. Jerusalem is inhabited to all generations. And God says that He'll avenge the blood, the blood that he hasn't avenged yet, for the Lord dwells in Zion.

He is showing that he is going to stand up for His people, that he is going to be a God who is righteous and will not tolerate these assaults against His people. Let's dwell a little bit here on this idea of these contrasts. We see that this imagery of this flowing land with milk and with wine and with water in the ancient world, think how important that would have been. They couldn't walk across the hall and flip a faucet up and have water in their hands. They had to work for everything. They weren't running to the store and buying a bottle of wine for $10. They weren't just having milk everywhere. They just didn't go to the store and there was a gallon of milk that they could have abundantly. These things were important for their livelihood. They were important for their lives. The idea here is that God is going to give His people plenty. He is going to build them up and it's going to be a place where He is providing for them. But then the contrast comes. The enemies of God are going to see a desolation and this desolate wilderness.

Imagine what this would be like. There's not a place where they can have food. There's not a place where they can travel safely because there won't be water for them, and things are spread out. You get the idea here that this is all a huge contrast that gives us life versus death. And so, as we think about this passage as it closes up, what does this mean for us? We need to remember that when we are in Christ, that when we have been blessed by God through His Spirit to have the gift of faith, we are like that image that we see in the first part of this passage with the mountains that are dripping with sweet wine, and they're flowing with milk and flowing with water, and with a fountain coming from the house of the Lord to us, that's who we are in Christ. That's how we have been blessed in Christ. We have life. We have life because God has given us the gift of faith. And we understand that no matter what happens, we have these blessings of God because He is eternal. He is the one who blesses us, and we know that we have this sure salvation that God has rescued us.

But then the contrast is if we are not in Christ, life is a desolate. It's a desolate wilderness. There is vengeance. There is the wrath of God, and it's well-deserved. You and I deserve the wrath of God also. But what happened? God gave us grace, and we received it by faith. And so, we have this confidence that we are not the ones who are in the desolate wilderness, grasping for life, waiting to die because there is such great desolation that there is no hope. Instead, we are the people of God, and so we have streams that are flowing, and we know that this flows from Christ. It flows from Him. It is through the Spirit that we have this life. So may we rejoice in the truth that we see this in our lives. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, no hope of anything but desolation. But now we are this description that we see here, flowing with milk, dripping with sweet wine, and the water of our stream beds, of our lives are flowing with the life that Christ gives. So may we exhibit that in our world. May we show that to our family, to our friends, and to those around us, that they might see the truth of what the gospel can do, and may that gospel be on our lips that others may hear and believe.