Sermon Tone Analysis

*Joel 3**.*

*Intro:* *[OHP1] *- Day of the LORD - judgment on Israel, but then the nations are judged.

*Read *- attack on world trade centre, Osama Ben Laden?

What were his first words?

USA got their just deserts, why?* *? capitalism, ?

Permissiveness, ?

Iraqi sanctions, no, tanks in Ramalla, occupation of West Bank - the issue is Israel.

*The Valley of Decision: v.1* - The LORD will act on behalf of Israel - "In those days" i.e. the day of the LORD - יהוה Himself declares that /He will /restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, /He/ will return their captives - not they themselves in Zionist enterprise - it will be the LORD’s doing (/ /*Jeremiah 23:5-8*/ “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land.

“In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The Lord our righteousness.’

Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’

Then they will live on their own soil.”/)׃

*v.2* - The nations will be judged!

יהוה announces what He will do to Israel’s enemies when He restores His people (note "/My/ people"; "/My/ land"; "/My/ inheritance"; /My/ people").

The place of judgment is the "Valley of Jehoshaphat" i.e. יהוה judges - The Kidron valley, nations come up against Jerusalem (this is not the battle of Armageddon).

This is the "valley of decision" (cf.

v.14) - do they choose יהוה or reject Him? Did they show honour and compassion for His people and land or not?

God’s decision and man’s - God’s verdict but that based on man’s decision.

The basis of the judgment will be "/on account of MY people .... MY inheritance/" i.e. the nations will be judged according to how they have decided to treat the Jews and the land of Israel, the people and the land.

The sin of the nations has been their mistreatment of the Jew - antisemitism; laying claim to, and dividing up, the land of Israel.

Antisemitism will be judged.

This is why it is so universal, it is satan’s opposition to, and rebellion against, what God has decided to be His own - against His plan and purpose.

So opposition to יהוה’s will, plan and purpose is crystallized in the opposition to His own people, the Jews, and His own land, Israel.

The nations will be judged according to how they have treated the Jews and the land of Israel (cf.*

Genesis 12:3* /And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse.

/*Zechariah 1:14**,15*/ So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “I am exceedingly jealous for //Jerusalem// and Zion.

But I am very angry with the nations who are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they furthered the disaster.”/)׃֯

The nations have done a terrible thing, they have scattered God’s own people, the Jews - driving them out of His land and dispersing them among the nations leaving them homeless.

Then the vacant land they have sought for themselves dividing it up amongst themselves.

For this sin they will be held accountable.

יהוה Himself will recompense them and exact vengeance for this abominable deed.

יהוה will act on behalf of His people, will vindicate them and take vengeance on those that have persecuted them.

The issue is Israel, how we have treated her.

Our response to her shows our attitude to her God.

Yahweh will give the verdict, not us, but let’s examine NZ’s record - How will the nation of New Zealand be judged according to these criteria?

*[OHP2]* Our nuclear or GE free policy won’t impress God!

*v.3 *- They have divided up the land and scattered the people.

Dealt with human beings as merchandise - objects to be bought and sold, traded, gambled for.

There was no respect for the people themselves - their only value was as a commodity that could be exchanged for another - a boy for a night with a prostitute, a slave girl for a drink.

Jews were treated as sub-human - indeed this has been the consistent record throughout the Christian era.

*v.4* - They treated Israel as nothing - they are nothing to יהוה - "What are you to Me?"- Can we pay back God? - they paid back their hatred of יהוה by hurting that which was precious to Him: Israel.

If this was their motive (and in the judgment motives are judged) then יהוה Himself would quickly repay in kind - exact vengeance.

They sought to pay back יהוה, He would pay them back their own recompense back upon their own heads.

What they intended for Israel, they themselves would suffer.

The evil they intended for Israel, they themselves would suffer.

This is יהוה’s justice at work

*v.5* - In plundering Israel of her treasures they were taking from God Himself! - "/My/ silver"; "/My/ gold"; "/My/ precious things".

They had taken them for themselves, for their own fancy houses, palaces and temples.

*v.6 *- As the nations have done to Israel so will God do to them.

Not only did they remove the treasure of the land they also removed its people.

They did not want Jews on their border (sound familiar?) - so they sold them to the Greeks (and how the Jews have been sold to the Greeks and their philosophy!)

*v.7* - now the Jews are displacing them from the land they have overrun.

They consider that land their own - but it is land that they have stolen from יהוה - hence it is not unjust for them to be removed, rather it is unjust for them to remain.

"I will return ...." - this vengeance is יהוה’s doing.

It is a valley of decision - are we for God or against Him?

*The Gathering of the Nations: v.8 *- They sold יהוה’s people, so He would sell them - ignominy upon ignominy.

In Divine justice they will be sold to the Jews! - the very ones they had sold.

Just as they had sought to remove Jews from their territory (v.6) so their own sons and daughters would be removed to a distant land (*Deuteronomy 32:35**,36* /‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.’

“For the Lord will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free./)׃֯

*v.9* - יהוה has proclaimed the judgment of the nations.

They had fought His people, been His instrument to punish them, now they would face judgment and punishment in a mighty battle - a war to end all wars, a battle against יהוה Himself!

They had consistently been fighting against יהוה throughout history by their rebellion against Him - now this fight will be crystallized in an actual war, a battle against יהוה Himself - a day of terrible bloodshed and slaughter).

The call to war goes out - the whole military force of earth is mobilized - "all men of war" - the call to battle!

The nations battle the LORD (*Zechariah 14:2**,3 */For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.

Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.

/*12:1-4* /Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him, Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah.

It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured.

And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.

In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will strike every horse with bewilderment and his rider with madness.

But I will watch over the house of Judah, while I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness./)

"Prepare a war" actually "consecrate" (קַדְּשׁוּ) - this is holy war.

A spiritual battle is behind the physical battle - the spirit that opposes יהוה has come out to the open in one final desperate battle.

But the outcome is a foregone conclusion, for who can prevail against Him on the white horse whose Name is "King of kings and Lord of lords"?

*v.10* - It is total war, total mobilization.

The last and ultimate.

All reserves are used, every resource - all effort and every means are put into the war - even agricultural production required to sustain life is sacrificed and its resources harnessed to the war effort.

It is all out, desperate, war with every thing available directed to the one goal: to fight against יהוה.

Even the weak will be mobilized, they will be forced to be mighty warriors - so committed is man in heart in his opposition to God (quoted way out of context in “Give Thanks” - are we to claim strength as Joel’s army?

No, it’s talking about the rebellious nations mobilising for war against God!).

This opposition is disguised and hidden at present - but at this time man’s true inner motivation is revealed - all out opposition to God.

*v.11* - The call goes out for the nations to muster all their forces - as rapid mobilization as they can manage for the impending battle.

When they are assembled then the call comes for יהוה to send down His army from heaven (*Revelation 19:11-19* /And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.

His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.

He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.

From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.

And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”

And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army/).

The last battle!

All the forces of man directed in the final battle of earth against heaven, darkness against light, flesh against spirit, evil against righteousness, man’s will against God’s will.The culmination of the war that has been going on continually between man and God.

That inherent opposition to God is now no longer hidden, it is all out in the open - the climax to all man’s opposition against God in one ultimate, all out, battle.

*v.1**2* - for once and for all He is going to have it out with the nations and sit in judgment over them in the valley of Jehoshaphat (cf.

v.2).

He says, "Let the nations be aroused"; "Let the nations come up." the time for judgment has come.

יהוה Himself will execute justice.

He will punish the nations and the mighty men of the earth will be destroyed.

His wrath has been stored up for thousands of years, patiently He has withheld His anger giving opportunity for man to repent.

Long He has allowed their opposition to continue, but now, NO LONGER!

Their iniquity is full, and all the wrath stored up through the ages will be released against this united amassing of all that human opposition against God.

They are all at action stations, but יהוה sits!