In the Bible, God sometimes sent droughts to get Israel’s attention. In one prophecy of Jeremiah, for example, the ground is cracked and dry. There is no rain. Farmers despair. Even rich people can’t get water because the wells have run dry. Wild animals were suffering too. What’s the message? God was using drought to call His people to repent of their sins (Jer. 14, especially vv. 1–10). If they chose to repent, God would bless them.
Yesterday, we considered ruined fields in Joel 1, and today we turn our focus to restoration. The ruined fields were both literal and figurative; they represented hunger, hardship, and judgment. Similarly, the restored fields stand for abundance, blessing, and God’s favor. When the rain arrived it would cause seeds to grow and lead to a rich harvest (v. 23). The cattle would graze freely in broad, green pastures, and other farm animals would also eat well (v. 24). There would be plenty of water (v. 25; cf. Jer. 17:8). “The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days” (v. 26). Light here symbolizes God’s blessing.
All of this is a picture of what will happen “when the LORD binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted” (v. 26). He inflicted them as a judgment on their sin. In other words, they’d deserved it. But also: He’d been in control the entire time, which was a comforting truth. He wasn’t throwing lightning bolts from on high. His judgment was mercifully intended to summon them back to Himself. The Great Physician hadn’t given up on His people (see Exod. 15:26; Mark 2:17)! This image of God as a doctor or healer has clear messianic implications (Isa. 61:1–3; Luke 4:16–21).
Go Deeper
Have you gone through times of drought and/or times of restoration? How did those times in your life impact your relationship with the Lord?
Pray with Us
Whether we are in a season of drought or restoration, we worship You. Thank You that You use hardships to draw us to Yourself. We depend on You for all things.
He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentifulIsaiah 30:23
