3:1,2The phrase “at the time of those events” refers to the time when those who cail on the LORD will be saved (2:32). God will not only bless believers with everything they need; he will also bless them by destroying all evil and ending the pain and suffering on earth. This prophecy had three fulfillments: immediate, ongoing, and final. Its immediate interpretation could apply to King Jehoshaphat's recent battle against several enemy nations, including Moab and Ammon (2 Chronicles 20). Its ongoing fulfillment could be the partial restoration of the people to their land after the exile to Babylon. The final fulfillment will come in the reat battle that precedes the Messiah’s reign over the earth (Revelation 20:7-9).
Life Application Study BibleJoelChapter 3
Joel 3
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1433, 1434
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
3Joel 3
1and for dividing up my land.
3They cast lots to decide which of my peoplewould be their slaves.They traded boys to obtain prostitutesand sold girls for enough wine to get drunk.
4“ What do you have against me, Tyre and Sidon and you cities of Philistia? Are you trying to take revenge on me? If you are, then watch out! I will strike swiftly and pay you back for everything you have done. 5You have taken my silver and gold and all my precious treasures, and have carried them off to your pagan temples. 6You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,* so they could take them far from their homeland. 7“But I will bring them back from all the places to which you sold them, and I will pay you back for everything you have done. 8I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the people of Arabia,* a nation far away. I, the LORD, have spoken!”
9Say to the nations far and wide:“Get ready for war!Call out your best warriors.Let all your fighting men advance for the attack.
10Hammer your plowshares into swordsand your pruning hooks into spears.Train even your weaklings to be warriors.
11Come quickly, all you nations everywhere.Gather together in the valley.”And now, O LORD, call out your warriors!
12“Let the nations be called to arms.Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat.There I, the LORD, will sitto pronounce judgment on them all.
13Swing the sickle,for the harvest is ripe.*Come, tread the grapes,for the winepress is full.The storage vats are overflowingwith the wickedness of these people.”3:6 Hebrew to the peoples of Javan. 3:8 Hebrew to the Sabeans.has come. Compare Mark 4:29.
14Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision.There the day of the LORD will soon arrive.
15The sun and moon will grow dark,and the stars will no longer shine.
16The LORD’s voice will roar from Zionand thunder from Jerusalem,and the heavens and the earth will shake.But the LORD will be a refuge for his people,a strong fortress for the people of Israel.
Blessings for God's People
1717 “Then you will know that I, the LORD your God,live in Zion, my holy mountain.Jerusalem will be holy forever,and foreign armies will never conquer her again.
18In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine,and the hills will flow with milk.Water will fill the streambeds of Judah,and a fountain will burst forth from the LORD’s Temple,watering the arid valley of acacias.*
19But Egypt will become a wastelandand Edom will become a wilderness,because they attacked the people of Judahand killed innocent people in their land.
20“But Judah will be filled with people forever,and Jerusalem will endure through all generations.
21I will pardon my people’s crimes,which I have not yet pardoned;and I, the LORD, will make my homein Jerusalem* with my people.”
Textual footnotes
- 3:1 Verses 3:1-21 are numbered 4:1-21
- 3:13 Greek version reads for the harvest time
- 3:18 Hebrew vatley of Shittim.
- 3:21 Hebrew Zion.
Life Application Notes 14 notes
3:2The geographic location of the valley of Jehoshaphat is not known, and some suggest it is being used as a symbol for the place where the LORD is to judge. Some think it may be a future valley created by the splitting of the Mount of Olives when the Messiah returns (Zechariah 14:4). The most important fact for us is that the name means “the LORD judges.”
3:4Tyre and Sidon were major cities in Phoenicia to the northwest of Israel; Philistia was the nation southwest of Judah. Phoenicia and Philistia were small countries that rejoiced at the fall of Judah and Israel because they would benefit from the increased trade. God would judge them for their wrong attitude.
3:4mentions Tyre, Sidon, and Philistia. These places were contemporary with Judah before their captivity.
4:5The people’s physical and moral senses were dulled, making them oblivious to sin. Joel called them to awaken from their complacency and admit their sins before it was too late. Otherwise everything would be destroyed, even the grapes that caused their drunkenness. Our times of peace and prosperity can full us to sleep. We must never let material abundance hinder our spiritual readiness.
3:6Jews were sold to Greeks, a pagan and unclean people. Some think this verse and 3:1 indicate that Joel lived after the captivity in Babylon (586 B.C.}, when the Greek culture began to flourish. But archaeological studies have shown that the Greeks were trading with Phoenicia as early as 800 B.C. Atso
3:8The “people of Arabia” are also referred to as Sabeans, who came from Sheba, a nation in southwestern Arabia, One of Sheba’s queens had visited Solomon over a century earlier (1 Kings 10:1-13). The Sabeans controlled the eastern trade routes.
14:13Mourners at a funeral would wear burlap clothing. Used here, it would be a sign of repentance.
3:14Joel described multitudes waiting in the “valley of decision” (the valley of judgment of verses 2 and 12). Billions of people have tived on earth, and every one of them—dead, living, and yet to be born—will face judgment. Look around you. See your friends—those with whom you work and live. Have they received God's forgiveness? Have they been warned about sin’s consequences? If we understand the severity of God’s final judgment, we will want to take God’s offer of hope to those we know.
3:17The last word will be God’s; his ultimate sovereignty will be revealed in the end. We cannot predict when that end will come, but we can have confidence in his contro! over the world’s events. The world’s history, as well as our own pilgrimage, is in God's hands. We can be secure in his love and trust him to guide our decisions.
3:18The picture of this restored land is one of perfect beauty, similar to the Garden of Eden. The life-giving fountain flowing from the LORD’s Temple illustrates the blessings that come from God. Those who trust in him will be forever fruitful. (See also Ezekiel 47:1-12; Revelation 22:1, 2.)
3:19Egypt and Edom were two of Israel’s most persistent enemies. They represent all the nations hostile to God's people. God's promise that they would be destroyed is also a promise that all evil in the world will one day be destroyed.
3:20,21The word Judah is used here to refer to ail Gad’s people—anyone who has called on the name of the LORD. There is full assurance of victory and peace for those who trust in God (2:32).
3:21Joel began with a prophecy about the destruction of the Jand and ended with a prophecy about its restoration. He began by stressing the need for repentance and ended with the promise of forgiveness that repentance brings. Joel was trying to convince the people to wake up (1:5), get rid of their complacency, and realize the danger of living apart from God. His message to us is that there is still time; anyone who calls on God’s name can be saved (2:12-14, 32). Those who turn to God will enjoy the blessings mentioned in Joel’s prophecy; those who refuse will face destruction.