3-13-07 Joel 2:23-26

Joel 2: 23-26 (NAS)
So rejoice, O sons of Zion, And be glad in the LORD your God; For He has given you the early rain for your vindication. And He has poured down for you the rain, The early and latter rain as before. And the threshing floors will be full of grain, And the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil. "Then I will make up to you for the years That the swarming locust has eaten, The creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust, My great army which I sent among you. "And you shall have plenty to eat and be satisfied, And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; Then My people will never be put to shame.

Joel 2: 23-26 (NIVUS)
Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. ‘I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.

Rejoice and be glad, son of God, for the Lord your God has made you a signpost and a monument. In the midst of a drought and a desert, Jehovah, your righteous God, pours out upon you the early rain and His justice defends you. He sends you not only the former rain but also the later rains which come in March and April to mature the crops. He is the one who causes you to grow.

He makes you full and satisfied. You are complete and have abundance. You overflow with new wine and fresh oil. You have become an heir through your new birth and you have been possessed by His own Holy Spirit.

Yeshua has made you a partaker of His covenant of peace. In Him you are sound, safe, and whole. He has restored you and rewarded you. Through Him you have been compensated and received recompense for everything that has repeatedly attacked you. Those things can no longer devour or destroy you. They will not finish you off or bring you to an end. He will give you back the years that you lost.

Now you have plenty to eat, at least twice as much as before. You have all of your desires completely satisfied in excess. And you boast and praise the name of the Lord your God. You shine because of His favor. What He has done for you is wonderful and marvelous. He has hidden you in His secret place and you will not be ashamed or disappointed again!