TEXT: JOEL 2
28And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour
out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in
those days will I pour out my spirit.
30And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the
earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon
into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.
32And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on
the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem
shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD
shall call.
KEY TEXT: Joel
2:28 “… I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh...”
REFLECTION: Writing eight centuries before Christ, the
prophet Joel foresees the New Testament Pentecost. The Apostle Peter cited this very passage to
explain what was happening on the momentous day, 50 days after the
Resurrection. “This is that,” declared
Peter, “which was spoken of by the prophet Joel.” Thousands of people ran through the streets
of Jerusalem to see the Disciples. Drawn
by the sound of the rushing mighty wind and convicted by the powerful preaching
three thousand repented and were baptized that day.
Note the specifics of
Joel’s prophecy—
1.
I will pour out my Spirit
upon all flesh
2.
Your sons and daughters
shall prophesy
3.
Your old men will dream
dreams,
4.
Your young men shall see
visions,
5.
Servants and handmaids
will be filled with the Spirit
6.
There will be wonders in
the heavens and earth,
7.
And whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered.
No prejudice: The
promise that God’s Spirit would be poured out upon all flesh cannot be
overemphasized. There is no prejudice here. Peter preached, “God is no respecter of persons.” (Acts
10:34). No one culture, or nation, or
race, or ethnic group can rightfully lay exclusive claim to the Spirit of
God. He is Lord of all.
No discrimination: The
pledge that God’s Spirit would inspire both sons and daughters to prophesy
cannot be denied. Servant and handmaids will both experience the glory of His
presence. The Apostle Paul declares that in Christ there “is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female: for ye are
all one in Christ.” (Galatians 3:28). Pentecost proved the point.
No mediation: When the
Spirit is poured out, men will know the will of God immediately—that is without
mediation. God’s Will will be impressed upon
old and young alike in dreams, visions, and by the witness of God’s Spirit with
our spirit.
A spiritual revolution—the
wonders in heavens, the sun darkened, and the moon turned to blood, must refer
not to natural phenomena, but to the “dreadful sights, dreadful protents, and
destructive commotion, by which the Jewish polity was finally overthrown and
the Christian religion established in the Roman empire.” (Adam Clarke). The Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70,
tearing down the Temple, abolishing the sacrifices, and demolishing the State
of Israel.
And the greatest promise
of all was Salvation---for “whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord!”
In that name there is
deliverance! In that name there is
victory! In that name there is
salvation! In that name there is sanctification! And it is for “whosoever will call!” It is for us today.
PRAYER: Our Father, Once again we are impressed by the unity of your
truth. We are awed as we realize that
the revelation of God’s great plan of redemption, given over a span of 1,400
years to 40 inspired authors, is not only consistent within itself, but
consistent with the facts of history. Thank you for speaking your perfect truth
through these Spirit filled writers. We
pray that the promise of Pentecost would be our personal experience. As we call upon the name of the Lord, we pray
that you would pour your Spirit into our hearts and lives. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. “Our Father, &c.”
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