Delivered (Joel 2:18–32)

We’re into the final two sections of the book of Joel and we’re now in part of the book where it finally starts to take a turn for the positive, where God’s people have been challenged to repent, and we now get to see God’s response for when they do so. The last two weeks described judgement on God’s people in the southern kingdom of Judah, and called them to repentance for their disobedience, and it was fairly simple to make the connection to see how those texts could still be relevant and applicable for us today. A passage that calls for turning from sin and turning to God, all for the sake of his glory can obviously draw our mind to our own struggles, temptations, and disobedience and what we should do about them. Today’s passage is a little less obvious, at least in my opinion, because the majority of the verses are focused on God turning from his punishment, showing mercy, and even blessing the very people he had just been disciplining. While God has shown us all mercy, particularly through the person and work of Jesus Christ, he is not necessarily going to bless us or relent of discipline in the exact same ways he did for his people in Joel. This is a specific story of God’s mercy and blessing, not a template, not a “if you do this, God will do that” scenario, necessarily. Specifically, in today’s passage we’re going to see God offering deliverance to his people, relenting of his discipline and blessing them through meeting their physical needs after the army and the locust invasions. He then promises a future deliverance available to all people, where he will offer to meet their spiritual needs through the outpouring of his Spirit.