The Valley of Jehoshaphat | Joel
By Rev. Jeremiah Cheung
From Joel 3:1-8
3:1 “In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land. 3 They cast lots for my people and traded boys for prostitutes; they sold girls for wine to drink.
4 “Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. 5 For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples. 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland.
7 “See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done. 8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far away.” The Lord has spoken.
The prophet Joel was the first prophet to prophesy. ‘In those days’ in verse 1 refers to the day of the Lord, the coming of the Lord. However, at that time the prophet preached this message, none of this has occurred yet. Yet the prophet spoke this message early on to instill the fear of the Lord among the people. These eight verses mention a place named the Valley of Jehoshaphat, which means the judgment of the Lord, and the prophet preached a message of judgment.
This message has three main points:
1. The people will be taken into captivity
Joel 3:2 “…because they scattered my people (my inheritance), Israel, among the nations and divided up my land.” Joel 3:3 “They cast lots for my people and traded boys for prostitutes, they sold girls for wine to drink.” Joel 3:6 “You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland.” Through the prophet, the Lord announced the message of how the people would be taken into exile by the Gentile nations. What a startling message this must have been for Israel. The people of Israel always thought that the Lord would never abandon them as long as the temple was there. They believed the Lord would preserve the temple for the sake of His own name. But the Lord did not regard even His own temple and allowed His people to be taken into exile among the Gentiles. The horrors of sin reach far beyond what we can fathom.
2. The people will return
Joel 3:1 “In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem.” Joel 3:7 “See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done.” The Lord will bring back the Israelites; this is a wonderful thing! How can it be possible for a people that has been exiled to Gentile nations – a scattered nation – to be brought back? God’s words always come true. What God says will be accomplished. In Ezra 1:1, we saw that God moved the king’s heart, and he ordered the people of Israel to return to their nation.
3. Judgment on the earth.
Joel 3:2 “I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.” Joel 3:4 “Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done.” Joel 3:5 “For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples.” The Lord spoke judgment to the nations, because they took away the gold and silver which belonged to the Lord; they carried away His people. They encroached on God’s sovereignty. God will avenge Himself upon the nations. The Valley of Jehoshaphat is where God will judge the whole earth.
Church, God is sovereign over all. The affairs of the whole earth are in His hands. He has His own plan and His own timetable. In His justice and love, everything is moving towards a glorious ending.
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約沙法谷 | 約珥書
張國強牧師
約珥書 3:1-8
3:1 到那日, 我使猶大和耶路撒冷被擄之人歸回的時候, 2 我要聚集萬民, 帶他們下到約沙法谷, 在那裡施行審判, 因為他們將sup>我的百姓,就是我的產業以色列, 分散在列國中, 又分取我的地土; 3 且為我的百姓拈鬮, 將童子換妓女, 賣童女買酒喝。
4 推羅西頓和非利士四境的人哪, 你們與我何干, 你們要報復我麼? 若報復我, 我必使報應速速歸到你們的頭上。5 你們既然奪取我的金銀, 又將我可愛的寶物帶入你們宮殿 6 並將猶大人和耶路撒冷人, 賣給希臘人使他們遠離自己的境界, 7 我必激動他們離開你們所賣到之地, 又必使報應歸到你們的頭上, 8 我必將你們的兒女賣在猶大人的手中, 他們必賣給遠方示巴國的人, 這是耶和華說的。
先知約珥是最早發出預言的先知, 到那日就是耶和華日子來臨的那日, 但當先知傳講信息時, 一切的事根本沒有開始, 但先知卻早發出, 使百姓日後更敬畏神。這八節的經文提到一個地方名叫約沙法谷。意思是耶和華的審判。先知為神發出審判的信息, 這篇信息有三個重點；
1. 百姓被擄。
3:2 因為他們將我的百姓,就是我的產業以色列, 分散在列國中又分取我的地土; 3:3 且為我的百姓拈鬮, 將童子換妓女, 賣童女買酒喝。3:6 並將猶大人和耶路撒冷人, 賣給希臘人使他們遠離自己的境界。神藉先知發出百姓要被擄到外邦的信息, 這是何等使人感到意外的信息, 因為猶大人總以為神不要放棄他們, 只要聖殿還在, 神是不會不理會的, 神要為祂的名保守祂的聖所, 但神竟然連自己的聖所也不理會, 使祂的子民被擄到外邦。罪的可怕遠遠超過我們能明白的。
2. 百姓歸回。
3:1 到那日, 我使猶大和耶路撒冷被擄之人歸回的時候。3:7 我必激動他們離開你們所賣到之地, 又必使報應歸到你們的頭上。神將他要讓猶大人歸回, 這是何等奇妙的事, 一個被擄外邦的國家, 一個被分散的民族, 怎可能可以歸回呢？神的話是不會徒然返回的, 神怎樣說, 必怎樣成就。在以斯拉記第一章第一節, 我們看見神激動王的心, 結果下令讓猶大人回國了。
3. 全地審判。
3:2 我要聚集萬民, 帶他們下到約沙法谷, 在那裡施行審判。3:4 推羅西頓和非利士四境的人哪, 你們與我何干, 你們要報復我麼? 若報復我, 我必使報應速速歸到你們的頭上。3:5 你們既然奪取我的金銀, 又將我可愛的寶物帶入你們宮殿。神向列邦發出審判的聲音, 因為他們奪取神的金銀, 奪取神的百姓, 他們侵犯了神的主權, 神要向列邦報復, 約沙法谷就是神審判全地的地方。
教會, 神是掌管一切的神, 全地的事都在祂的手中, 但祂有祂的時間與計劃, 在祂公義與慈愛的引導下, 一切都向美好的結局邁進。