For today's meditation, we will look into the Book of Joel. We'll read from chapter two and verse 12 onwards. Joel 2:12-14
12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?

May God add his blessings to the reading of the Scripture portion. When we look into the Book of Joel, there is not much known to us about the Prophet himself. There are things we may understand or gather by the passage, the text that is the prophecy, but for now, we will keep that aside, and we will try to look into especially the first two chapters, and we will try to see how the principles given there, the truths that the Lord conveyed to the people of God at that time, and let's see how that can be applied to us today in our time as well. For we know that all scripture is not necessarily about us, but certainly for our benefit.


Ignorant Men
So let's read from chapter one. We begin from chapter one, verses two, and three. And we are brought to this very strange situation in the time of Joel. A plague of locusts has happened. And God is equipping this prophet with a word to, in fact, awaken people that a judgment has happened. And I say that it's strange, because normally when you think of judgment, we understand judgment has happened. We have endured judgment. So then we know judgment has happened. But here it seems as if the judgment has happened and people need to be reminded. Consider what just happened. And so Joel begins his first address to this group of people that is elderly men, and even in general to all inhabitants of the land. That is to everyone who is associated with God in this covenant relationship. All who enjoy those covenantal blessings from God. All the inhabitants of the land. That land was given to them. The Promised Land is based upon God's covenant relationship with them.

And so Joel addresses them with this question, Have you considered that which has happened? He asked this question. Has this been in your days or even the days of your father's? Can you notice what is happening around you right now? Has anything like this happened in your time or even the time of your father's? Has such severity of judgment as this kind of destruction? Have you witnessed it before? Have your fathers told you about such a judgment in the past? It's a rhetorical question. The answer is no.

And so Joel proceeds further, in telling that this what has happened is so great a judgment that you must pass it on, you must convey it, even to the coming generations. That not only do you realize that judgment has happened, but you must also be sure to warn your coming generations of what has just happened. In the New Testament, we have the instruction given to Timothy on how truths, the doctrines, must be committed to faithful men. And that is also over four generations that we see there. And that ought to be the blessing of the people of God, to be able to commit the truths of God to the next generation. But here we have the judgments, the news of judgment, the experience of judgment having to pass again to four generations. Themselves, their children, their children, and then another generation.

Now let's consider the severity of this judgment. Let's read verse four. And the picture here is of utter destruction. Like if one time something has happened, and something might remain, but then there is a second time, and then a third. Finally, even a fourth time that this destruction is sweeping through the land. In effect, ensuring that nothing is left and that is the strange part as we saw in the beginning, people have to be reminded, that things are being taken away. Judgment of God has come, locusts have come, wave after wave, taken away things. Is it really justified for Joel to speak in this urgency, that it is after all, a natural event that has happened, the plague of locusts?

Let's turn to Deuteronomy chapter 28. And we read there from verse 33 onwards. Deuteronomy 28:33 onwards,
33 The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed always:
34 So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
35 The Lord shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.
Let's read verse 38. 38 Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.
39 Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
Again in verse 40, we have about olive trees. But look further into vs 43 onwards. Thy stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
44 He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.

And further on when we read even in this whole chapter, that this kind of judgment would be a precursor of a greater judgment to come. In verse 40 and 49 we see that. 40. Therefore shall thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee. vs49. The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far from the end of the earth, as swift as Eagle flieth, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand. It was a promise or it was a precursor to the captivity that was to come. It was a clear sign of the further judgments that were to follow. And so perhaps even with this prophecy, when people would have seen these things happening, they immediately must have considered from the word what is actually happening here.

But we find that that was not the case, that people were not alert. People no longer had a discernment from the Word of God. Were no longer able to discern the times or the things that God was doing unto them. Certainly, if they were familiar with the law, they should have been frightened. They should certainly have seriously considered what has just happened, because this is the portion of the curses that the Lord pronounced upon the nation of Israel. That if you do not obey me, if you do not serve me wholeheartedly, I will bring upon you all these things. But we find that that was not the case. And so Joel had to be raised up to come up with this prophecy.


Insensitive People
We move on to the next category of people, maybe not category, maybe the next state of people's condition. He says, vs5. Awake ye drunkards and weep and howl all ye drinkers of wine. What does that drunkard term mean? Probably in reality at that time, it really meant drunkenness, but even spiritually it signifies something that is insensitive. It's so intoxicated and controlled by something else, that it is insensitive to everything else right around it. And that is the next state that Joel addresses. Firstly, people were not alert. Secondly, people were insensitive. He says the reason why they should be and the action that he asks, or that he tells them to do, is howl, and weep. Why does he say that?

He says because of the new wine. For it is cut off from your mouth. So this thing in which you have been intoxicated with, that has just now been taken away from you. And the picture that we find there is about joy. Its about seeking happiness. Yeah, people have, in that time people have engaged themselves in things of God, without God. When I say engage, enjoy. Enjoying things from God but without God. So in doing so, a life is spent in pursuing those things outside of God, and purpose and joy and all these things are sought in something else, something other, apart from God.

And so Joel tells them this new wine in which you are intoxicated, has been taken away from you. It has been taken away, cut off from your mouth. In verse six and seven we see how, as we saw earlier from Deuteronomy, that this whole judgment was to be a precursor for the future judgment to follow. And there again, let's go to the portion again, Deuteronomy chapter 28. There's one very significant verse which, which shows the heart of the matter. vs47. Yeah, because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness. To serve God with joy, not just to be oppressed in his obedience. The Lord abundantly blessed the people who he redeemed. God has a double right over his redeemed people. That He created them, and then he redeemed them. And then as we read, he abundantly blesses those he redeems. And so it is so right of God to expect that they serve Him with gladness.

So when we look at the nation of Israel and those curses that were to follow, we find that disobedience, the root of it is that lack of joy in God. And that joy is being sought out outside God. And God says, that is enough. There is no need for that. They're not doing God a favor by coming and serving Him. It is based on God's favor that we have a privilege to serve Him. And so the people of Israel needed to be made aware that it was a privilege to be a priest. It was a privilege to be the people of God and never the other way around. Men are not doing God a favor by coming to him and worshipping him. Men are never doing God a favor by serving Him, by laboring for him. But in fact, that itself is the blessing. If God were not to give us anything else worldly, but just the very privilege of serving Him, of worshipping Him, that by itself is the great blessing. That is to be associated with the name of this mighty God.

And those things were slowly disappearing from the people of God. And so, this judgment of locusts came, which clearly we have seen is a precursor of the next judgments to come. And so, then the portion moves from speaking generally to that which is priestly service. Generally, from the daily lives and how they spent, to priestly service. And note that in every way in every area of our life, this is expected, that we are devoted to God. That we are to serve God with gladness. Whether it be within the confines of what is called priestly service, or even outside in our daily lives. And when it comes there, Joel opens this portion with an action, that is lament.

These are common terms you will find in this book, weep, howl, mourn, lament. And I thought to see what is the difference between lament and weep, for example. Lament is coming from a word which essentially means to be afflicted. Yeah, it is the heart behind true fasting. That is how a man should be, a person should be as he approaches fasting. And like how? like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. And if you just take a minute to consider what that means. That is so painful, but that is precisely the relationship of the people of God with God. The way scripture portrays people of God, joined to God in this manner in a covenant.

And what the people of God ought to be deeply concerned is their association with God in the blessings that they enjoy with God, but also that relationship, that fellowship that they have with God. And so having received the judgment of God, the response should be to lament like a virgin, a virgin who has just lost a husband. And that's a terrible pain, but that pain is coming because they have realized what has just been lost.


Missing Ingredients
And so we move forward. We're seeing in verses 9 and 10, the real matter that that Joel wants to present. That all these external factors or external signs of God's judgment that is the locus coming and destroying the fields, the nature, the greenery, all these things. All the trees have been destroyed, all the crops have been destroyed, but notice where it is leading us to. He says, in KJV, meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of God. That is the real issue. What has happened in our personal life, what has happened in clear, visible ways, what we ought to consider, and what the people of God ought to consider is what is happening in the house of God.

People have not been noticing what is happening in the house of God. So God has gone even further to their daily lives and shown them that this must stop. And so the people's attention might be drawn towards the house of God. The meal offering and the drink offering has been cut off. We will look later into in detail on what that meal offering and drink offering actually represent. So the Lord took away the means to prepare this offering. And it is an opportunity to serve God. That meal offering and drink offering represented their service to God. And God simply took away the means to prepare that service.

And that's something for a lesson for us also in today's time, when we when we consider if an assembly is missing out on a particular service, missing out on a ministry. Then certainly we must take notice of that, and we must consider why it is so. We must consider what is missing and we must turn to the Lord. Because God desires that we do that service. For it is the Lord who provides the gifts for the assembly. Lord is the one who directs that ministry. The Lord is the one who strengthens in that ministry. It is always entirely of the Lord. And if an assembly lacks any ministry, we must stop and consider that. We must plead to the Lord, about what has gone missing.

Furthermore, we read how it was. Let's go to verse 12. At the end of that verse, because joy is withered away from the sons of men. Joy is not taken away but withered away. I thought that was interesting to note because withering tells us that the source itself is inefficient. You have noted already that joy was being sought out outside God. Temporary fleeting things, a life is being pursued in that, and every now and then a dose of happiness is brought in, but the joy that the Lord intends to give us, can’t be found there. And the joy is withering away. Again, the response is given to them, that when that joy is lost, gird yourself and lament.

And so we see Joel presenting two main reasons why these kinds of extreme measures should be taken. And we have seen both of that, firstly that this judgment is a precursor of the judgment to come. And that judgment is a far greater judgment. And in the context of the passage, not only is Joel talking about the time of a nation coming but even going up to Revelation where a severe time of hardship is to be experienced. So first of all that the fear of judgment to come. Secondly, the privilege to serve God has been cut off, and the people of God ought not to miss out in their lifetime, this great blessing of serving God. As we saw in Deuteronomy, what is the real reason behind it is that they have not served God with joyfulness.


Meal and Drink Offering
Now briefly, we want to consider also what this meal offering and drink offering actually represent. Every offering we should seek its meaning in Christ. And we will do that. Let's go to Exodus 29:40-41. 40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering. 41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

That is the description of the meal offering and the drink offering. We find that it's always in combination with something like the burnt offering. It by itself was not speaking of the remission of sins, but it was speaking of Christ. If the burnt offerings spoke of how Christ would propitiate the wrath of God, and how God was fully satisfied in his sacrifice, then the meal offering speaks of Christ's life. The spotless life that he led here. And that includes every service that he did. When he says that He came to serve men and not to be served himself. And he did so as the perfect servant of God. And we say that because of the descriptions of that fine flour and things like that would speak of sinlessness which speaks of perfection. And so service is in view there. Christ's perfect life is in view there.

What about the drink offering? The word drink offering, the drink itself is coming from something like poured out. To be spent upon something. And that is the way Christ offered himself or spent his life. That is not just that momentary sacrifice, but it's being poured out, it's being spent upon something and even to its entirety. That is significant, that it is not something held up but everything, everything is given over. And also the joy aspect of the devotion. The joy in that service that Christ had in serving God. And having considered that the New Testament also gives us very clear applications of this drink offering.


Applications in New Testament
So let's look to Philippians 2:17 onwards, let's read first verse 17. Yeah, so the word there if I be offered, offered upon the sacrifice, offered is essentially the same as a drink offering. And Paul is speaking of his own life's service as a drink offering. And he's combining that with the sacrifice and service of faith of the Philippian believers. And we know the context behind the letter to Philippi. Much difficulties are going on in Paul's life. As you all know the word rejoice, Joy is so prominent in this epistle. And he goes ahead to say that not only these present sufferings, but even to the very point of death. Why so? Because he sees the blessings of serving God. He sees the blessings of the fruit of that labour. He sees the blessings of the privilege of being associated with this great master. And so he says that if his life would be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of the faith of these believers, he says, oh then I rejoice, I joy and rejoice in you all. For Paul that did not feel like a sacrifice. For Paul, it was very clearly a blessing.

We can see that such contrast from what we read in Joel, where there is that half-heartedness to serve God. Even not half-heartedness, in reality, something else is being pursued. In reality, God is not the centre. And so time and life and ambitions are all directed outside God. And so their lives were spent, as we read, years that the locusts have eaten up. What does that mean? Unfruitful labour. Unfruitful pursuit of life. That at the end of it, it's all eaten up. There is no joy in the fruit because there is no fruit. And that is a sad picture that we find there in Joel. When we look at the New Testament to Paul and if we think that you know, Paul is an apostle and much grace is added upon apostles, but we find also examples of Timothy and Epaphroditus in the very same manner.


Timothy and Epaphroditus
What is their characteristic? Timothy. vs20-21. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Jesus Christ. This man will naturally care for your state. That is the nature of a servant, who will readily spend his life upon others. vs30 speaks of Epaphroditus. And again, there we have in Epaphroditus the extent to which he was willing to go. A man like us with all weaknesses, with all limitations. Here was another one who was willing to be poured out, spending their labour, their lifetime on something that is exceedingly profitable. Considering it a great honour to be called a child of God. A great privilege to be a servant of Christ. A fellow-labourer in the Gospel. These things, these people desired.


What is the Assurance?
In closing let us look at what the Lord instructs them. What is the assurance? What can we do about it? That's the portion we read in the beginning. Joel 2:12-14. 12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, We saw how that lack of God was evident in their life. The Lord says, Turn to Me with all your heart. Not half-heartedly, not along with the other things that have already been part of our life, but in its entirety. To be poured out for his service. To consider it a great privilege. That one could be a drink offering in his service. That one's life could actually be spent glorifying God.

And again, the genuineness of it is shown in vs13. Rend your heart, not your garments. Not external reformations, but understanding the great lack, genuinely coming to God, and rending one's heart. Then there is a great hope that Joel presents. Who knoweth, if he will return and repent and leave a blessing behind him, even a meat offering and drink offering unto the LORD? Joel speaks of the other things also being restored but primarily this, we may once more receive the blessing of the meal offering and the drink offering.


What Do We Devote Ourselves To?
So we leave ourselves with that question. What do we devote ourselves unto? And like we've seen from Joel, we must not consider it an okay thing to not devote ourselves entirely to God. Two reasons we saw there. The judgment that has happened is a precursor to judgment to come. Secondly, that our years might be spent in unfruitful labour. And so let us consider this question this morning time. What do we devote ourselves unto? Can we devote our life entirely like Paul did so that the sacrifice and service of others might be encouraged? Notice how the service of Paul towards Christ is shown in service towards the people of God. And so, let us also in like manner, move in that direction, that together we may encourage one another, that we may minister unto one another, as members of one body. May God bless this word.