Dwell in the Word Joel 2:28-32

Consider these questions as you dwell in Joel 2:28-32:

1. How does Peter's interpretation of Joel's prophecy at Pentecost emphasize the inclusivity of the Gospel message? What significance does this have for believers today in terms of spreading the Good News?

2. In what ways does Joel's prophecy foreshadow the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on both Jews and Gentiles? How does this demonstrate God's desire for a diverse and unified body of believers?

3. What does it mean to "call on the name of the Lord" in the context of Joel's prophecy and Peter's interpretation? How does this act of calling on the Lord relate to salvation and faith in Jesus Christ? How has this truth personally impacted your own faith journey?

Transcript:

As I was reading this, you may have thought, Hmm, this sounds pretty familiar. I didn't realize I was familiar with portions of the Book of Joel. Maybe you thought that, maybe you didn't. But there's a reason, if you thought that, why you thought that. That's because this is a big part of Peter's sermon at Pentecost. You can see here what I have highlighted from Acts 2. We are familiar with this, and we're also familiar with Peter's interpretation of it, because Peter is saying that this has happened due to the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, and the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost. We need to interpret that in light of this, because we have a deeper understanding because of the Covenant of Grace that we have in Christ, because of the teaching of the Apostles. We come to this text looking not only at what Joel is saying, but how Peter has applied it. What do we have here? We have in verse 28 that it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. What does this mean? What is the contrast here? What is all flesh?

Well, we're contrasting the division between Jew and Gentile with all of flesh, all people. The idea here is that the Spirit is going to come not just on the Hebrew people, but it will come on the Gentiles, so all flesh. This is expanded upon by the categories of people that Joel uses here: sons and daughters, so prophesy, your old man shall dream dreams, your young man shall see visions, even the male and female servants. So, everybody in the house, from young to old, male and female, they're all going to be partaking in this outpouring of the Spirit. And so, what else is going to happen? We're going to see wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire. The sun should return to darkness, the moon to blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. Now, how does that apply here? Now, we have to think about this a little bit. We have to understand prophetic language. Peter is saying in the Book of Acts that this has been exhibited to the people, and these last days are upon them. He's not saying that the last days are going to come in a few days or in a few weeks or in a few years, and Peter was wrong.

He's not saying that. He's saying that Christ's ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost initiated the last days. We have to understand this prophetic language. The Son shall be turned to darkness, the Moon to blood. Who are the, and I've said this before as we've been in the Book of Joel, who are the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars in the Old Testament? Well, it's Israel. Think back to Joseph's family when he has the dream about his parents and brothers. These things have happened. The Sun, Israel, has been lessened in things. That's one interpretation of this here. We have this great and awesome day of the Lord. Well, it was darkened also. The Sun was darkened while Christ was on the cross. We've seen these things. We've seen them happen in the New Covenant. We can expect that these last days of the Spirit being poured on all flesh are upon us. Now, that does not mean that there will not be a greater fulfillment in future history, but Peter is saying that these days are here, and we know that they're here because verse 32 has come to pass also. Think about this.

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. What is the prophet, Joel, saying here? Is he saying, Just all the everyone that I mean, all the everyone. All the everyone that I mean is, what I mean by everyone is just the Hebrew people? All the Hebrew people who call in the name of the Lord? No. What have we seen here? That the Spirit would be poured out on all flesh. And so, what do we have? We have this idea that people of every nationality, every tribe, tongue, and nation are coming to faith, and they're being saved. Why? Because they have kept the law perfectly? No, because they have called on the name of the Lord and they have been saved. They have faith because you do not call on the name of the Lord unless you have faith. And so, we're seeing that this has come to pass and that we are in the last days because we call on the name of the Lord. Most of us listening to this are not Hebrew folk. We are Gentile folk. And so, we understand that this has come to pass.

We have called on the name of the Lord. We have been saved by his grace. And so, this has been fulfilled in us. And Peter saw this as we look quickly again at the Book of Acts, he had this same idea that you were to come to faith and the Gentiles were to come to faith. Why? Because there were these people from all over the place speaking different languages, and the Gospel was going to go out to them after Pentecost. And so that's the anticipation here in the Book of Acts that these last days are because the Gospel is going out into all the world. As we think about what this passage means for us, there's a couple of things that we really need to consider. The first one is what a blessing this is. You and I are able to call on the name of the Lord because this prophecy has come to pass. We would not have faith if it were not for the Gospel going to the Gentiles, if God was not pouring out His Spirit in all flesh, if the Holy Spirit only went to the Hebrews, you and I would not come to faith.

We need the Spirit to bring us to faith. And because of this coming to pass, you and I are saved. And so, what else does this tell us? Obviously, that's the best news there ever was. We have been saved by the grace of God. But it also tells us that if God is pouring out this so abundantly on people from every tribe, tongue and nation, we should be expanding that message out to those that we know. Because anyone who hears that the Spirit brings to faith can have eternal life, can have this salvation, they can call on the name of the Lord. And so, may we relish in this truth that we have been saved, even though we're Gentile folk, and not only relish in it, but share that good news that other people who hear might call on the name of the Lord and be saved.