Joel 4:1-21 (Daily bread of 25/09/2017)

key verse: 2b

I WILL EXECUTE JUDGMENT ON THEM

God's judgment falls on the nations. It's the remuneration for all the calamities caused by the nations to Israel. God is living, acting his justice throughout history. 

1. I will gather all the nations (1-8)

The sending of Holy Spirit prepares the supreme expression of his opponent's hate. For now, God make the captives of Judah and Jerusalem come. They were prisoners and sold to remoted people by the Phoenicians, the Philistines, the Edomites. They must heave so that the opponents be defeated, so God make them go down and conduct a siege. They think that they spontaneously act but they are wrong, they only accomplish the secret God's will. They act like foolishs selling the Israelites at the price of a slave. But now the Eternal God's day will come and they will be revenged by the Israelites. The valley of Jehoshaphat is ambiguous and considered as the valley of Kidron, east of Jerusalem. The name of Jehoshaphat means God judges. 

2. The Eternal God will remain in Zion (9-21)

The Eternal God convenes himself all the nations to the final war against his people so that judge them together (9). Their famers make their instruments become ploughing weapons of war. The prophet instantly invokes God so that the celestial army be sent (11b). The enemies are compared to a ripe harvest to mow, to a tank full of grapes to crush. God gives a verdict between those who take sides for or against him. The nature itself ties to this solemn act (15). God's people will profit material and temporal blessing (18). A source will flow from God's house like the river of Ezekiel 47. It's the emblem of the spiritual blessing which will spread over the faithful. The part the most arid of Israel will be fertilized while Egypt very watered will be deprived of his fertility and of Edom's pastures (19). It's because of the wicked treatment of Judas' sons. The world ennemi of God depicted by Edom and Egypt will be desolated (19). The Eternal God will purify by the eternal judgment and he will live among his people (21; Ap 21:3)