Old Testament Commentary - Joel 3

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 3 All nations shall be at war—Multitudes stand in the valley of decision as the Second Coming draws near—The Lord will dwell in Zion.
1 FOR, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall ^abring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also ^agather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will ^bplead with them there for my people and for my ^cheritage Israel^a, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. 3 And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.	2^a my heritage Israel Isreal is an ancient name from before the world was. These are they who have prevailed in the Lord, which appelation does refer to the people of the Lord. While Jacob was given the name of Israel, it was a matter of changing his name to indicate that the covenant would come through him and his seed and that the people of the Lord would all be considered as being of Israel. In that this does include all those who prevail in the covenant of the Lord who ever have lived, many who will we considered of Israel will not be literal descendants of Jacob but will be children of the Lord in the covenant of the Lord having been baptised and born unto him. Thus the broader picture of Israel is all those who are counted as the Lord's, the Lord's heritage, those that have been given him of the Father. Thus from before the world was, was Israel, those who were followers of Jehovah, the people of the Lord. That these have been refered to since the time of the preexistence is seen in that judgment and determination council seen in vision by Zechariah. In Zechariah chapter 3 verse 2 another ancient name which come from the time of the preexistence is also used to designate the poeple of the Lord, and that is Jerusalem. Jerusalem meaning the abode/city/community of peace and that those who are the peace makers as opposed to those who did content against the Lord and the plan of God, were counted as the community of Jesus or people of Jehoshua from the beginning. In that chapter, these people are also refered to as 'men wondered at' for they indeed even then were the 'peculiar' people of the Lord. And they did prevail then with the Lord, they were the Lord's heritage given him of the Father, and they are they who will again be the children of Christ called Israel, called Jerusalem, Jerusalem being a universal term and not just the name of that city of the Jews which David did establish.
4 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye ^arecompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your ^brecompence upon your own head; 5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:
6 The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border. 7 Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head: 8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the LORD hath spoken it.
9 ¶ Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare ^awar, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: 10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am ^astrong. 11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy ^amighty ones to come down, O LORD.
12 Let the ^aheathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to ^bjudge all the heathen round about. 13 Put ye in the ^asickle, for the ^bharvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the ^cpress is full, the ^dfats overflow; for their wickedness is great. 14 Multitudes, ^amultitudes in the valley of decision: for the ^bday of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
15 The ^asun and the moon shall be ^bdarkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 16 The ^aLORD also shall ^broar out of ^cZion, and ^dutter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall ^eshake: but the LORD will be the ^fhope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. 17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God ^adwelling in Zion, my holy ^bmountain: then shall ^cJerusalem be holy, and there shall no ^dstrangers pass through her any more.
18 ¶ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the ^amountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a ^bfountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim. 19 ^aEgypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. 20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. 21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in ^aZion.