God's Word for the Day: Joel 2:18-27

You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame. (v27)

This passage is written in the broader context of the judgment of the nation of Israel, but within the more narrow context of the judgment of all the earth. Thus, this is not the old Israel that is being referred to, nor their return from exile, but to the new Israel, the Church, to which the old Israel pointed, and its ultimate deliverance on the Day of Judgment.

My friends, shame has hung upon our hearts since the very beginning, when our forefather and representative Adam attempted to cover his shame with his own hand-picked covering. Shame stalks us like a shadow, filling our hearts with grief and anger at our brokenness. We often attempt to avoid our shame with mind-numbing distractions, self-righteousness and judgmentalism.

And the worst part is that our shame is not the worst part. It is not our shame that offends God and not our shame from which we need to be saved. It is the sin and guilt before God that causes that shame. Our shame is merely our heart's reflection of God's displeasure at sin.

In the second chapter of Joel, we have seen a picture of the final judgment and a call to return to the Lord in repentance before we stand before Him in judgment. Just as we were given a picture of judgment on one side of the call to repentance, we're given a picture of salvation and the new heavens and earth on the other side.

This is what awaits for those who have placed their faith in Christ Jesus: life and satisfaction in abundance (vv18-19), eternal security and provision (vv20-22), the vindication of our faith (23), restoration--overflowing vats, not overflowing tears! (v25), right relationship with God (v26), and because we have been restored into right relationship with God, no more shame (v27).

Through the righteous life and sacrificial death of Jesus on our behalf, the guilt of our sin has been done away with and the power of our sin is being put to death by His Spirit. In glory, the power of our sin will be destroyed with its guilt, as well as Satan and death itself (1 Cor. 15). In that day, we will approach the throne of grace in person as we now do in prayer, with boldness and confidence because our great shame has been done away with. We will be fully exposed, and fully loved.