The Battle Belongs to the Lord - Joel 3

In Joel, we're introduced to an Israel that has wandered far from God, and God threatens them with locusts and his great army. This day is referred to as "The Day of the Lord", which is a day of un-creation to them. If creation is the sun, moon, stars, and the earth putting out life and light, the Day of the Lord is a day when the Sun, Moon, stars, and earth put forth darkness and death. Israel will not and cannot stand against YHWH. In the midst of this, he repeatedly calls for their repentance. When they repent, they are promised that they will get their land back from their enemies, God will restore what the locusts have eaten, and creation will be renewed again. 

In Chapter 3 - after Israel repents - God turns his wrath away from Israel and on to Israel's enemies. The Day of the Lord is coming for the nations because they have sinned against Israel and against humanity. God summons the nations for judgment into the Valley of Jehosaphat (Yahweh Judges), and he begins judging the nations. They have taken land from Israel, and the people who were on that land were scattered among the nations and sold as slaves. What they got from the sales of these slaves, they spent on prostitution and drunkenness. I particularly like the reference to the Greeks, because we know from history that Alexander the Great is about to start conquering. 

Alexander might be exactly what God is referring to when he says "I will return your payment on your head swiftly and speedily." What happened to Israel is going to happen to you, and Israel will be scattering YOUR people. 

Imagine being a reader of this when it was written, or really in any point of Israelite history. The message here is that if you return to God and he is on your side, the nations of the world cannot stand against you. The battle belongs to the LORD, and he will judge the nations. Joel 3:9 and following calls the nations to bring up every man they have for battle, even the farm tools will become weapons. Even still, they cannot stand against our God. Egypt and Edom (who we know from Amos was selling Israelites into slavery) will be nothing. Meanwhile, the nation of Israel will become a paradise. 

This is the same message we are given in the book of Revelation. Despite Christianity being tormented in the first and second centuries, God lets them know and lets US know that he is on our side. Our temptations and our stresses may not be life threatening like theirs, and our enemy is sometimes ourselves. We still have God to lay that on. Injustices done against Christians everywhere will be judged. That isn't for us to worry about. We have a promise in heaven, as long as we stay loyal to God and follow him.