Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her. 

In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house and will water the valley of acacias. 

But Egypt will be desolate, Edom a desert waste, because of violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood. 

Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all generations. Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged? No, I will not. 

The Lord dwells in Zion!

Sometimes it is important to summarize our learning and try and gather takeaways to apply to life.

Throughout the book of Joel, we witness Joel the prophet urging his people to call out the devastation that has happened as an act of God. He also warned them with a message of judgment from God, if they continue to sin.

Then, in the middle of the book, they repent. And now, they are receiving a multiplied blessing from God. The final section summarizes some of the crucial points: 1) God loves his people and is pleased to provide for them when they follow him. 2) He may use wicked nations, like Edom and Egypt back then, but he later judges those same nations for their lifestyle of sin.

So I can be confident, as a follower, that God is on my side, he loves me, and he has great plans for me. I can also leave payback to God. He is better at it.

Lord, help me to walk in confidence with you today and to know that you have all the best plans for me. Help me to leave justice to you as you deal with those around me who are treating me or others poorly. Thank you that I’m called to serve you first.