Weekly Devotion no 32
6 November 2020
Bible reading – Joel 2:18-27[1]
18 Then the Lord was
concerned for his land.
He took pity on his people.
19 He replied,
“I am sending you grain, olive oil and fresh wine.
It will be enough to satisfy you completely.
I will never allow other nations
to make fun of you again.
20 “I will drive far away from you
the army that comes from the north.
I will send some of its forces
into a dry and empty land.
Its eastern troops will drown in the Dead Sea.
Its western troops will drown in the Mediterranean Sea.
Their dead bodies will stink.”
The Lord has done great things.
21 Land of Judah, don’t be afraid.
Be glad and full of joy.
The Lord has done great things.
22 Wild animals, don’t be afraid.
The desert grasslands are turning green again.
The trees are bearing their fruit.
The vines and fig trees are producing rich crops.
23 People of Zion, be glad.
Be joyful because of what the Lord your God
has done.
He has given you the right amount of rain in the fall.
That’s because he is faithful.
He has sent you plenty of showers.
He has sent fall and spring rains alike,
just as he did before.
24 Your threshing floors will be covered with grain.
Olive oil and fresh wine will spill over
from the places where they are stored.
25 The Lord says,
“I sent a great army of locusts to attack you.
They included common locusts, giant locusts,
young locusts and other locusts.
I will make up for the years
they ate your crops.
26 You will have plenty to eat.
It will satisfy you completely.
Then you will praise me.
I am the Lord your God.
I have done wonderful things for you.
My people will never again be put to shame.
27 You will know that I am with you in Israel.
I am the Lord your God.
There is no other God.
So my people will never again be put to shame.
Reflection
In chapter one of Joel, we learnt that the people of God had turned away from God and that a plague of locusts gave them a sense of God’s judgement. And we saw the effect of this plague on the nation: it devastated them and they mourned for what they had lost and were concerned about how the other nations would view God because of this. And last week, we saw that God, in His grace, said that if they returned to him in repentance he would bless them. And so they prayed: young and old, prayed.
And in today’s reading, God answers their prayers. God kept the covenant he had with his people and the land, that He would reach out to the nations of the world through them. And so, He sends the locusts away and promises them food and wine aplenty, enabling them to recover from the famine resulting from the locusts. The people recognised that judgement had come from God, but so did the rains and the growth in crops.
God’s name was restored as the surrounding nations saw His care for His people. From this they would know that he was the almighty God and that he alone was sovereign.
So once again, we are
reminded that God is faithful. He is also incredibly gracious. We read the
ongoing history of humanity and people regularly turn away from God, then
realise the error of their ways, repent, and God graciously forgives them. And
this is the case for us too. We do not deserve God’s forgiveness, but he loves
us and delights to provide for us. He lavishes his blessing on us and his compassion
never fails. We can be assured of this and be confident as we have seen God act
in history.
Hymn
Verse 1
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
there is no shadow of turning with thee;
thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
as thou hast been thou forever wilt be.
Refrain:
Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see:
all I have needed thy hand hath provided-
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Verse 2
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
[Refrain]
Verse 3
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
[Refrain]
Prayer
God of all the
living,
in the resurrection
of Christ Jesus
you have given us the
promise of life
which death itself
cannot destroy:
in the strength of
this unshakeable promise,
give us a new heart
to live, even now, as your new creation.
We ask this through
your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns
with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and
ever. Amen.
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