ISSL Reflections January 29 2023 Joel 2:21–27 Post 1

I.
Joel hears and relays the word of God to the people,

You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel
       and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other.

How is the presence of God described in this passage?

II.
Joel 2:21-27 (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition)

Do not fear, O soil;
       be glad and rejoice,
       for the Lord has done great things!
Do not fear, you animals of the field,
       for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit;
       the fig tree and vine give their full yield.

O children of Zion, be glad,
       and rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given the early rain for your vindication;
       he has poured down for you abundant rain,
       the early and the later rain, as before.
The threshing floors shall be full of grain;
       the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

I will repay you for the years
       that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
       my great army that I sent against you.

You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied
       and praise the name of the Lord your God,
       who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel
       and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.

III.
As you spend time with this passage, what recollections of God’s presence come to mind for you?

How do you notice God both in nature and in your own experience?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}


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