Joel Part 08

Joel 3:4–8 refers to Tyre and Sidon and Greeks, who seem to refer to peoples in the area cooperating in the conquest of Israel, and God will punish them for doing so!

In Joel 3:9, God says, “Prepare for war.” The Hebrew is “sanctify a war,” which could refer to making a sacrifice before battle, just as Saul wanted to do in 1 Samuel 13:5–12. Looking back to the great battle just prophesied, God tells the nations to get ready for it. Preparation for battle is described in Joel 3:10, which presents the opposite of Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3, where God eliminates war forever. The phrase “let the weak say I am strong,” may be indicating that no nations are exempt; they will ALL be involved.

Verses 3:11–13 refer back to the gathering described in Joel 3:2. All nations are gathered, perhaps staging at Megiddo and feeding down toward Jerusalem. As mentioned in a previous lesson, Valley of Jehoshaphat means “YHWH judges,” and God says, “There I will sit to judge,” which seems like a play on words. This will be when He deals with ALL the world, not just Israel.

The phrase “put in the sickle” in verse 13 matches the imagery in Revelation 14:15–20, “thrusting a sickle” and in Isaiah 63:1–4 where Jesus Christ will trample armies like grapes, and blood will flow as high as the horse’s bridle. John 4:35 mentions that the fields are already ripe for the harvest. This imagery of reaping can be positive, as in good seed bearing fruit, OR negative, as in God trampling the nations in a wine press.

The “Valley of Decision” in verse 14 reiterates how many will be involved. It seems to be the same as the Valley of Jehoshaphat. The word “decision” in Hebrew can be better defined as “threshing.” Joel 3:15 again speaks of the sun, moon, and stars darkened—during the Day of the LORD (see Joel 2:10, Revelation 8:12, Revelation 16:10).

Joel 3:16 mentions Zion and Jerusalem, which can denote an actual location, as in Zechariah 14:4, “His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives.” However, this can also refer to Christ’s Church as in Revelation 19:14 where armies in heaven follow Christ. Amos 1:2 says, “The LORD roars from Zion.” The heavens and earth shake, which connects to many end-time earthquakes. BUT the Lord will be a shelter for His people. This could be a possible reference to the “Place of Safety.”

Joel 3:18 uses figurative language for great abundance—to be fulfilled only in the millennium. “A fountain shall flow from the house of the LORD” seems to be literal, those waters are literally healing! They probably symbolize God’s Holy Spirit (John 7:37–39).

Joel 3:19 says, “Egypt shall be a desolation” (See also Ezekiel 28:12–13). Egypt won’t be permanently destroyed, but Egyptians may have to learn a lesson by having a drought, but they will learn and eventually be blessed. Isaiah 19:24–25 says,

“Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria . . . Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

Finally, Joel 3:20–21 says, “The LORD dwells in Zion.” This seems to have dual meaning. The first being, God dwells by His spirit in the Church, and second, Jerusalem’s name will be, “The LORD is there” (Ezekiel 48:35). In Hebrew that is, YHWH Shamah—“Yahweh is there.”  

We can look forward to that time for all mankind. In the interim, the Lord does dwell in His Church, and we can experience the blessings that come as a result in this lifetime.  

UYA Team | uya@ucg.org  

United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.