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September 2, 2020

The Lord has done great things | Joel

By Rev. Jeremiah Cheung

From Joel 2:21-32

2:21 Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things! 22 Do not be afraid, you wild animals, for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches. 23 Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. 24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. 

25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm —my great army that I sent among you. 26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. 27 Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed. 

28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. 30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 32 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.

The prophet told the people to rejoice because the Lord has done great things. The Lord is a God of abundant grace. When the nation repents sincerely, the Lord does great things for them. In this passage, we see that the great things God wanted to do for them came in three different forms:

  1. Material blessings. Verses 22-24 declare that the Lord will once more grant abundant blessings to His people. The pastures in the wilderness will once more become green, the trees will bear their fruit, the fig tree and the vine will also yield their riches because the Lord will send the autumn rains and spring rains as before. As a result, the threshing floors will be filled with grain and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. The Lord also said, “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm —my great army that I sent among you.” These are all material blessings.
  2. Restoration of relationship. In verses 26-27, the Lord declares that He will re-establish the relationship between Himself and those who belong to Him. They will praise the name of the Lord God for His wonderful works.  From that time forth, the people who belong to God will no longer be ashamed, for they will know that the Lord is among them and that there is no other god besides the Lord. They now truly acknowledge the Lord as God, therefore they will not be ashamed.
  3. The future in the spiritual realm. In verses 28-32, the Lord wanted them to see the future spiritual realm. In the future, the Lord will pour out His Spirit on all flesh and blood, children will prophesy, old men will dream dreams, and the young will see visions. God will pour out His Spirit on His servants, both men and women.  Wonders will appear in the heavens and on the earth, with blood, fire, and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon will turn into blood, all before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. At that time, the whole earth will return to the only true God, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. What a glorious picture this is! This is the day of the Lord’s victory and what a great comfort and encouragement this is to all God’s children!

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耶和華行了大事 | 約珥書 

張國強牧師

約珥書 2:21-32

2:21 地土阿, 不要懼怕, 要歡喜快樂; 因為耶和華行了大事。22 田野的走獸阿, 不要懼怕, 因為曠野的草發生, 樹木結果, 無花果樹, 葡萄樹也都效力。23 錫安的民哪, 你們要快樂, 為耶和華你們的神歡喜,因他賜給你們合宜的秋雨, 為你們降下甘霖, 就是秋雨、春雨和先前一樣。24 禾場必滿了麥子, 酒醡與油醡必有新酒和油盈溢。

25 我打發到你們中間的大軍隊, 就是蝗蟲、蝻子、螞蚱、剪蟲、那些年所喫的, 我要補還你們。26 你們必多喫而得飽足, 就讚美為你們行奇妙事之耶和華你們神的名; 我的百姓, 必永遠不至羞愧。27 你們必知道我是在以色列中間, 又知道我是耶和華你們的神, 在我以外並無別神, 我的百姓必永遠不至羞愧。

28 以後, 我要將我的靈澆灌凡有血氣的, 你們的兒女要說預言, 你們的老年人要作異夢, 少年人要見異象．29 在那些日子, 我要將我的靈澆灌我的僕人和使女。30 在天上地下, 我要顯出奇事, 有血、有火、有煙柱。31 日頭要變為黑暗, 月亮要變為血, 這都在耶和華大而可畏的日子未到以前。32 到那時候, 凡求告耶和華名的就必得救, 因為照耶和華所說的: 在錫安山耶路撒冷必有逃脫的人, 在剩下的人中必有耶和華所召的。

先知向百姓說, 你們要歡喜, 因為耶和華要行大事。神是滿有恩典的心, 當百姓, 當全國家真是誠心誠意悔改的時候, 神要為他們行大事, 在這段經文裡, 我們可以看見神要行的大事可以分為三方面：

  1. 屬物質上的祝福。從22-24節裡, 神要將豐盛的物質再賜給祂的百姓, 曠野的草發生, 樹木結果, 無花果樹, 葡萄樹也都效力。因為神再賜下合宜的秋雨, 降下甘霖, 就是秋雨、春雨和先前一樣。結果禾場必滿了麥子, 酒醡與油醡必有新酒和油盈溢。神還說: 我打發到你們中間的大軍隊, 就是蝗蟲、蝻子、螞蚱、剪蟲、那些年所喫的, 我要補還你們。這些都是屬物質上的祝福。
  2. 屬關係上的重建。從26-27節裡, 神所要建立是祂與屬祂的人的關係, 他們會讚美神奇妙事的作為, 稱讚耶和華神的名; 從那個時候開始, 屬神的人必永遠不至羞愧。因為他們知道神在他們中間, 又知道除了耶和華以外, 並無別神, 他們真的以神為神, 所以他們必不蒙羞。
  3. 屬靈性上的遠境。從28-32節裡, 神要他們看見在屬靈上的遠境, 將來神要將祂的靈澆灌凡有血氣的, 兒女要說預言, 老年人要作異夢, 少年人要見異象; 神要將祂的靈澆灌祂的僕人和使女。甚至在天上地下都要顯出奇事, 有血、有火、有煙柱。日頭要變為黑暗, 月亮要變為血, 這都在耶和華大而可畏的日子未到以前。到了那時候, 全地都要歸向獨一的真神, 而且凡求告耶和華名的就必得救。這是何等榮耀的圖畫, 這是神得勝的日子, 這對屬神的兒女們是何等大的安慰與鼓勵啊!