Joel 2:18-27 He Had Pity
The Lord has seen the plight of His people and He had pity on them. He returned to them that which was taken. Because of their repentance, all was not lost.
We don’t see the people repent in this passage, but we KNOW that God would not relent until they did. God sent the swarms of locust among His people for judgment and to get them to turn back to Him. Apparently it worked, because God stopped the onslaught. And He restored what was taken.
I don’t believe that this section is talking about Judah’s captors. I think God, through Joel, is speaking about the actual locust, but His message applied to both of His judgments. God saw His people in BOTH places and had pity on all of them. He saw that their lesson was complete. They had learned what He wanted them to; that HE was/is/ and will always be their God. NO others!
God didn’t give them a ‘let’s see how you do now’ answer. He trusted that they had learned the lesson He set before them. His people were starving to death so, He addressed their needs right away. But it wasn’t an instant answer. They would have to plant the seeds. They would have to tend the crops. And they would have to trust that what He promised He would do. They had to have faith and put feet to it.
I don’t know if He caused on of their neighbors to give them relief, but their full relief had to wait through the process. In Joel’s time, He took away ALL the locust. In Cyrus’ time, He made a way for the people to return to the land of their fathers’. Cyrus helped support the people when they first returned to the land but he didn’t continue that massive supportive care once they were not in his provinces. He supported them against their enemies and detractors through political power but didn’t put bread on their tables. That they had to rely on God for.
This restoration and pity that God poured out could still be for a time yet to come. God’s words could be speaking of the restoration of Israel that happens during the tribulation time, or during Jesus’ rule here on earth. I’ve read ahead and what I see coming is the judgment of ALL nations and people. God will gather them together and judge them as a whole. He will repay them for how they treated His people.
One reason I’m leaning towards this scenario is because He says “And My people shall never again be put to shame” (verse 27b). Israel has suffered greatly since the days of Joel. We know for a FACT that Israel has suffered much in her existence; not the least of which was the holocaust inflicted on them through the hands of the Germans during World War II. Today they are embroiled in a conflict with Palestine. I don’t think they have had lasting peace since the days of Solomon. And I’m certain that there have been detractors from the moment God first called Abraham to Himself.
There WILL be a time of peace! There will come a day of FULL restoration. There will be a day of abundance and peace. We just have to trust Him with the process. He said it will happen so IT WILL!!! It’s just the ‘when’ that we are all waiting on. And that restoration will reach FAR beyond the borders of Israel!
Father God, thank you for sharing this prophecy. THANK YOU that there is a time of peace coming. Thank You for setting my eyes onto the future where I KNOW who is in control! I will continue to ‘put feet to my faith’ as I also wait for the final days of the Lord to dawn.
