Joel the prophet shared the
words of the LORD as he called upon the “heathen” nations
to “assemble”, “gather” themselves “together”,
and “cause” their “mighty ones to come down”. In
chapter three and verse twelve of his prophesy, Joel continued the
call to the “heathen” as he shared concerning “the
valley of Jehoshaphat” where we read:
Let the heathen be
wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat:
for there will I sit to
judge all the heathen round about.
The
verse begins, “Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to
the valley of Jehoshaphat:” Joel
began with the phrase, “Let the heathen”
or “nations usually of non-Hebrew people” “be
wakened” which means “to
rouse oneself, awake, incite, be excited and triumphant”, “and
come up” or “ascend, climb,
visit, follow, depart, withdraw and shoot forth” “to
the valley” which refers to
“the vale, lowland and open country” “of Jehoshaphat”
which means “Jehovah has judged” and is the “symbolical
name of a valley near Jerusalem which is the place of ultimate
judgment; It maybe the deep ravine which separates Jerusalem from the
Mount of Olives through which the Kidron flowed”.
The call was for the “heathen” nations to “wake up” and
“climb” to the “valley of Jehoshaphat”
where battle was to ensue.
The
verse goes on to say, “for there will I sit to judge all the
heathen round about.” Joel added, “for there will I sit”
or “dwell, remain and abide” “to judge” which means
“govern, vindicate and punish” “all the heathen” which
refers to “nations usually of non-Hebrew people” “round
about” or “in a circuit and from every side”. It is in “the
valley of Jehoshaphat” or the “valley of decision” where
God will “vindicate and punish” people who have surrounded and
compassed Judah.
When we
think through these words of Joel, we see once again the “vengeance”
of the LORD against those who oppose not only Him but also His
people. God calling people together so He can “judge” them
should make all who are against Him be in fear. There will be a day
of judgment, and those who do not receive Jesus Christ God's Son as
their personal Savior and LORD might as well understand they are
being called to the “valley of decision”, and now is the time to
decide.
Next
time Joel tells the people to “put in the sickle”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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