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A Year Held in His Hands| A New Year Sermon

By Ekombe Hau -
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A Year Held in His Hands| A New Year Sermon Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash Every time a new year comes close, something in me start feeling that weird mix of excitement and heaviness. Maybe you know the feeling too—like you’re standing at this invisible doorway. One foot in the old year (the stuff you want to forget but somehow still sticks to you like stubborn glue), and the other foot stepping into something you still can’t see clearly. And sometimes you’re hopeful, sometimes you’re scared, sometimes you’re… well, both at the same time. I was thinking about all that while reading some Scriptures again, and honestly, it hit me harder this year. Maybe because life been kinda loud lately, or maybe because I’m tired of pretending everything always makes sense. But the Bible does this thing, right? It sneaks into the parts of your heart you thought you cleaned up, and suddenly you realize God is trying to talk to you again. Even if it feels like you weren’t exactly listening. S...
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Joel Chapter 3 – Commentary and Explanation

By Ekombe Hau -

 Joel Chapter 3 – Commentary and Explanation

Photo by JOHN TOWNER on Unsplash


You ever read Joel Chapter 3 and just pause for a moment? Like, wow. This chapter is bold. It's got fire. It's got judgment. It's got hope. It's the kind of passage that jolts you. It’s got this heavenly courtroom vibe where God basically gathers the nations and says, “Alright, time to settle accounts.”

Joel wraps up his short, three-chapter prophecy with a chapter that takes us far beyond the locusts and devastation we saw earlier. Now we’re stepping right into the endgame — God’s final judgment and restoration. And, whoa… it’s a lot. Let’s unpack this together.

1. The Stage Is Set (Joel 3:1–2)

"For behold, in those days and at that time,
When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,
I will also gather all nations,
And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
And I will enter into judgment with them there..."

First off, Joel opens with a timeline clue: “in those days and at that time.” What days? The days when God restores His people — brings them back from captivity. That’s huge. We’re talking post-exile, post-trauma, post-everything-they-went-through. There’s restoration on the horizon. But God isn’t just going to fix Israel’s problems and call it a day.

Nope. He’s also going to gather all the nations. That includes everyone who came against Israel. The Assyrians. The Babylonians. And, prophetically, all the future enemies of God's people too. God’s saying, “I saw what you did. I didn’t forget.”

He brings them to this place — the Valley of Jehoshaphat — to enter judgment. Now, this place name means “Yahweh judges.” Whether it’s a real geographic spot or a symbolic name for the place of judgment, the message is clear: God’s gonna handle it.

2. God Has a Legal Case (Joel 3:3–6)

"They have also cast lots for My people,
Have given a boy as payment for a harlot,
And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink."

Okay, this part... it’s hard to read. It’s raw. God brings up horrific things the nations did to His people. He lists specific charges — trading boys for prostitutes, selling girls just to get drunk. We’re talking complete dehumanization. Utter disregard for life.

And God's not glossing over any of it. He’s bringing it into the light. This is a God who sees — even the darkest stuff. Especially the darkest stuff. Sometimes we think God’s silent about evil, but here He is, saying, “I remember what you did. And I will deal with it.”

Also, God names names. He calls out Tyre, Sidon, and the coasts of Philistia — enemies on Israel’s borders. These weren’t just any folks. They were neighboring nations who took advantage of Israel’s vulnerability. The betrayal stings even more coming from neighbors.

3. You Mess With God’s People, You Answer to Him (Joel 3:7–8)

"Behold, I will raise them out of the place to which you have sold them,
And will return your retaliation upon your own head."

You ever heard that phrase “what goes around comes around”? Yeah. Joel 3 might be where that idea gets supercharged. God says, “You sold My people? I’m gonna bring them back. And you — you’re gonna taste your own medicine.”

He flips the tables. The captives will return, and the captors will become captives. It’s poetic justice. Righteous, divine, terrifying justice. And it’s not random or angry vengeance. It’s measured. It’s just. It’s God being a protector and a defender.

4. Prepare for War… But It Won’t End Well (Joel 3:9–11)

"Proclaim this among the nations:
'Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men...'"

Here comes the taunt. God challenges the nations to bring their best. “Go ahead. Get your warriors. Beat your plowshares into swords. Turn your farming tools into weapons. Come at Me.”

This is the opposite of the peaceful vision in Isaiah 2 where swords get turned into plowshares. Here, it’s war. But again, God’s almost daring them. The nations think they’re powerful, but they’re no match for the Lord of Hosts.

He says, “Assemble yourselves.” And guess what? They will. But it’s not gonna go the way they think.

5. The Valley of Decision (Joel 3:12–14)

"Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations..."

This moment right here? It’s the climax. The showdown. The nations gather for battle, thinking they’re gonna crush someone. But they’re actually walking straight into judgment. God’s not pacing. He’s sitting — calm, sovereign, in control.

He’s got a sickle in hand and says the harvest is ripe. The winepress is full. That’s Old Testament talk for “time’s up.” Evil has reached its peak, and now comes the reckoning.

Joel calls it the valley of decision. Not because the nations are making a decision, but because God is. He’s rendering judgment. It’s His call. His justice. His verdict.

6. Cosmic Shifts (Joel 3:15–16)

"The sun and moon will grow dark,
And the stars will diminish their brightness."

Whoa. This just went cosmic. We’re talking end-of-the-world vibes. The sky dims. The lights go out. All creation responds to the weight of what’s happening.

But look what comes next — "The LORD also will roar from Zion..." He’s not whispering. He’s roaring. His voice shakes the heavens and the earth. He’s not the passive God some folks imagine. He’s the Lion of Judah, roaring in judgment.

And for His people? He’s a refuge. A stronghold. Same roar — but two different outcomes. One group trembles. The other group finds safety.

7. Then You’ll Know (Joel 3:17)

"So you shall know that I am the LORD your God,
Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain..."

And there it is. The point. The whole point. So you will know. God’s justice, His restoration, His judgment — it’s not about revenge. It’s about revelation. So people will see Him clearly. So there’s no more doubt about who reigns.

He’s not some distant deity. He dwells with His people. In Zion. On His holy mountain. That’s intimacy. That’s relationship. That’s presence.

8. The Glorious Future (Joel 3:18–21)

"And it will come to pass in that day
That the mountains shall drip with new wine..."

What a turnaround! After all the war talk and judgment and darkness… we get this vision of beauty. Overflowing blessing. Mountains dripping with wine. Hills flowing with milk. Brooks bursting with water.

It’s like Eden all over again. But better. It’s the restored land — fertile, vibrant, alive.

And smack in the middle of it all? A fountain from the house of the LORD. Water flowing out of the temple. Life-giving, God-originating, never-ending water. We see this imagery again in Ezekiel 47 and Revelation 22.

It’s hope. It’s joy. It’s shalom.

Meanwhile, Egypt and Edom — symbols of hostility and betrayal — become desolate. Why? Because of their violence against Judah. Again, God sees. God remembers.

But Judah? Oh, they remain forever. Their blood is avenged. God dwells in Zion.

Wrapping It All Up: What’s Joel 3 Saying to Us Today?

Joel 3 is intense. But it’s not just some dusty old judgment scroll. It’s alive. It speaks into our moment.

Here’s what it’s saying:

  • God sees injustice. All of it. Even the hidden stuff. Even the generational pain. He doesn’t brush it off.

  • God remembers His people. Even after exile. Even when it looks hopeless. He restores.

  • God judges nations. He holds leaders and systems accountable. There is no corruption He won’t confront.

  • God defends the weak. Especially those who’ve been trafficked, abused, or discarded. His heart burns for them.

  • God reigns forever. Not just with power, but with presence. He’s in Zion. With His people.

So whether we’re trembling under the weight of injustice… or longing for restoration… Joel 3 reminds us:

God will act. God will roar. And God will dwell.

Reflection Questions:

  1. Where in your life do you long for God’s justice to show up?

  2. Have you ever felt like the nations were too strong, the odds too high, the darkness too deep? What does Joel 3 say about that?

  3. Are you more afraid of the roar — or comforted by it? Why?

  4. What’s your “valley of decision” right now? Where is God calling you to trust Him with the outcome?

Joel ends not with destruction, but with presence.

"The Lord dwells in Zion."

That’s the promise. That’s the hope. That’s where all of history is headed.

And friend, if you belong to Him — so are you.

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