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Joel
Joel 3:16

The LORD roars from Zion
and utters His voice from Jerusalem,
and the heavens and the earth tremble.
But the LORD is a refuge for His people
and a stronghold to the sons of Israel.

We're familiar with '3:16.' I'm not talking about the time, but a location. Have you noticed that many well-known, and beloved Bible verses are found at 3:16 - chapter 3, verse 16. Consider:

Luke 3:16, John answered and said to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Galatians 3:16, Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ.

Colossians 3:16, Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

2 Timothy 3:16, All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness…

1 John 3:16, We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

How could we list these without

John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

And to add to that collection, we should mention,

Joel 3:16,The LORD roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth tremble. But the LORD is a refuge for His people and a stronghold to the sons of Israel.

Let's consider this major comfort from this Minor Prophet - that God saves His people amidst judgment. We'll consider that truth under two heads:

1. The LORD is a Lion to His Enemies (v.16a)
2. The LORD is a Refuge for His People (v.16b)

But what is especially noted in this passage is the voice of the lion - 'The LORD roars.' Have you ever heard a lion roar? Rarely do you at the zoo, unfortunately. I once heard one roar at the zoo. I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard it. I was paralyzed with fear because when he did, others screamed, and I thought he might have gotten loose!

If you've never heard a lion's roar, the closest comparison, I think, would be the Balrog in the film version of Tolkein's Fellowship of the Ring. Deep, rumbling, penetrating, reverberating, terrifying sound! The LORD 'roars' - like Balrog to the fellowship in Moria, or Aslan to the Telmarines.

But for what purpose? To terrify the wicked in His judgment.

Whenever God spoke as a roaring lion, it was either for the calling of His people to salvation (cf. Hosea 11:10), or for the scaring of His enemies in justice. Here, it is the latter. Hezekiah referred to God's chastening as a lion breaking all his bones (Isaiah 38:13). In Hosea's prophecy, God was likened to a lion who would tear to pieces in His judgment (5:14), who would wait by the wayside to tear in pieces (13:7-8; see also Lamentations 3:10). In Amos' prophecy, the Day of the LORD would be to sinning Israel 'as when a man flees from a lion' (5:19). The message of God's judgment was so strong that Amos' response was, 'A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The LORD has spoken!' (3:8). Or as you notice at the very beginning of Amos' prophecy (perhaps on the same page as Joel 3:16 in your Bibles?) - 'The LORD roars from Zion, and from Jerusalem He utters His voice. The shepherds' pasture grounds mourn' (3:2). That's almost identical to Joel's words.

That God is here a roaring lion is a depiction of divine judgment. It is a signal that God is not only able, but ready to judge and involved in judgment. That's the immediate context of Joel 3:16.

Joel has already presented the locust plague that came on the Jews for their disobedience to God's covenant at 1:1 - 2:17. At 2:28-32 he prophesied of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit into the Church at Pentecost, which assumes Jesus Christ is King on His heavenly throne. This is all recorded at Acts 2, where Joel's words are quoted. And then, isolating that very time period as the peg on which he will hang the gavel of divine judgment, he sets forth chapter 3:

For behold, in those days and at that time, When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all the nations And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations.

And so this being the case, Joel heralds that the nations should be rallied to 'the valley of Jehoshaphat,' i.e., 'the valley of God's judgment.' Reversing Isaiah and Micah's metaphor, they are to 'beat their plowshares into swords and pruning hooks into spears' (v.10). They are called to make war their work and their mission. So they come, fully equipped for battle. But there they found the Judge of all the nations (v.12). And in their hands is the incriminating evidence of their own history of violence against God's people. They thought they would show up for a brutal battle against God's people, but on arrival they find they are mere grain for harvesting by a sickle, and grapes for treading in a winepress (v.13). Thinking to meet vulnerable people of God, they meet a lion who roars at them, shaking the heavens and the earth as He does (v.16).

What an amazing scene - heaven and earth shaking; the sun and moon growing dark; stars short-circuiting (v.15)! It's not so much about the bare power of God, or even the protective power of God toward His people, but the intensity with which He shows that! God is not a chained barking dog, nor a declawed hissing cat to passersby. He is a loose, roaring lion against His enemies. He is not a cuddly lion sitting lifeless against a backdrop of warm, soft colors in a child's bedroom. He is a roaring lion ready to pounce on His enemies, tear their flesh, and devour them. Surely God saves His people amidst judgment! And so He 'roars from Zion' against His enemies. Notice again how God's intent is to save His people amidst judgment - vv.2-3:

I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land. "They have also cast lots for My people, traded a boy for a harlot and sold a girl for wine that they may drink.

This calls you to consider your relation to God through Jesus Christ. Jesus said, 'He who is not with Me is against Me' (Matthew 12:30). So on which side are you? Would you side with Him and His people, or do you align yourself with the world in opposition to God and His Church?

It is a terror of terrors to deem Jesus Christ as irrelevant, and so to have God, as a lion, open His mouth, show His fangs, loose His roar, and turn His gaze at you.

But it is a comfort of comforts to have Jesus Christ as your King; a King who as such 'restrains and conquers all his and our enemies' (Shorter Catechism #26). But the earlier part of that catechism question says what? 'He subdues us to Himself, rules and defends us.' And that leads us to a second point. Notice the remainder of the verse, 'But the LORD is a refuge for His people and a stronghold to the sons of Israel.'

2. The LORD is a Refuge for His People (v.16b)
God is intent on saving His people amidst judgment. He is a roaring lion to His enemies, but a safe, strong refuge for His people. That is such a comforting thought!

I remember hearing R.C. Sproul say that one of his favorite words of the Bible is the word 'but.' At first I wasn't sure what he was really getting at. But then he went on to explain the nature of the word. The word usually signals a change, a contrast, or a comparison. You see it in our verse, how that word contrasts the people groups and God's relation to them. One side of the expression is terrifying (God a lion to the wicked), the other the greatest comfort (God a refuge for His people).

The idea is not that God is a place of safety to whom you can go just to 'get out of the rain.' Many people relate to God that way. He's just sort of an abandoned shelter, if you will, and they look to Him only when a 'storm' of life comes. But then when the storm passes, and they've 'dried off,' they go about their merry, sinful way. They use God, reducing Him to a mere abandoned building. They don't fear Him.

The idea behind the Hebrew words translated 'refuge' and 'stronghold' is a place of safety and protection from opposition or adversity, not mere inclement weather. 'God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble' (Psalm 46:1). 'The LORD is the defense of my life… When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident' (Psalm 27:1-3). The 'refuge' and 'stronghold' are places of protection against severe opposition.

'The LORD roars from Zion…but the LORD is a refuge for His people, a stronghold to the sons of Israel.' The image is both captivating and comforting. There we are surrounded by all sorts of foes; physically and spiritually. But there we are - safe behind the mane of 'the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, who has overcome' (Revelation 5:5). And as He roars, though it sends chills down our spine, to know that this One is for us and not against us; in front of us and not behind us! A comfort of comforts!

I suppose it's like being inside your house in the midst of a thunderstorm. The sky has turned very dark. The wind is howling. The thunder is sounding. The lightning is flashing. Evening has fallen. The rain is blurring even what sight you still have through the windows. The electricity goes out. And suddenly there is a smashing of the window, a big black boot, coming from a black-clothed person begins to make entrance through what remains. And your heart jumps into your throat. But then Fluffy and Bootsy, your twin Rottweilers, enter the room. And a smile forms on your face as you remember you forgot to feed them this morning. And they begin to bark; and they are not happy that this blackened figure has just thoughtlessly dropped glass into their dog dishes.

Such is something of the safety we have in the Lord Jesus. The Lord saves His people amidst judgment. In the Lord there is refuge.

I've always taken great comfort from Psalm 57, 'In the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by' (Psalm 57:1). We take shelter in Him 'until destruction passes by.' That reminds me of the painting (I forget the artist) of a great sea storm - waves crashing against the rocks - but in the bottom corner, under all the roaring foam of the wind and waves, rests a tiny bird, sheltered by the cleft of a rock.

God is our Rock and strength; our refuge and stronghold. 'The LORD roars from Zion…but the LORD is a refuge for His people, a stronghold to the sons of Israel.'

Now, knowing that God saves His people amidst judgment, being a lion to His enemies and a refuge for His people, means that you should lay hold of His comforts by faith. These comforts are directed to all of you who trust in Jesus Christ alone for your eternal salvation. If from a true conviction of sin and guilt, you do not have Jesus Christ as your Savior by faith, then there simply is no comfort for you, and I can in no way diminish the volume of His roar by speaking to the contrary.

Comfort #1: You should be comforted that the Lord has been a refuge to you amidst His judgment against sin.

'The soul that sins it shall die,' says the Lord (Ezekiel 18:4). The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). 'If you live according to the flesh, you must die' (Romans 8:13). This is the case for each one of us in our father Adam! But a heavenly Father had long before marked us out to receive His eternal love and eternal life. He sent the Son of God as the Savior for man; the Christ to the cross. There the lion roared, and there God 'condemned sin in the flesh.'

But there the door of a refuge swung open! The hammer of God's judgment for sin fell on the anvil of the cross, but the sparks of mercy flew brightly to the people of God. It was at the cross that God 'laid on Christ the iniquity of us all,' and our sins, though red as scarlet, became white as snow, because at the cross God struck the Rock of our salvation, and out came a fountain of mercy and grace to wash away all our sin and impurity. And so we were saved amidst divine judgment for sin. As Jesus said, 'He who hears my word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life' (John 5:24). 'He who believes is not judged' (John 3:18).

The hammer could have fallen on you! The rod could have struck you! But it was Christ who voluntarily took them on Himself. He opened His ears to the lion's deafening roar in order that we might hear the soft, sweet melodies of grace and be 'surrounded by songs of deliverance.' But there we were - and there we are - safe behind the mane of 'the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, who has overcome' (Revelation 5:5). And as He roars, though it sends chills down our spine, to know that this One is for us and not against us; in front of us and not behind us! A comfort of comforts!

You children - some of you may not understand what I've been saying, so let me put it in a way you might understand. I've seen some of you playing 'tag' (at least that is what I think you call it). I've seen you having fun playing tag - one person is 'it' and all the others have to keep away from them. And thankfully, there is a place that is 'safe.' I smile whenever I see one of you getting tired - almost out of breath - and you touch and say, 'safe!' That's a tiny picture of what you should do in relation to Jesus Christ. Sin and death seek to 'tag' you. But you must run to Jesus with all your might, reach out your hands by faith, touch His garment and say, 'safe.' The Lord will be a refuge to you from His judgment against your sins. But you must be very careful not to make something 'safe' when it really is not. I've seen you do this also. There is only one 'safe' place, and that is Jesus Christ. Do not get in the habit - even now - of deceiving yourself. Many people have thought a certain sin a 'safe' place, only to find out that they were 'tagged' by God's judgment.

Comfort #2: You should be comforted that the Lord will be a refuge to you amidst His judgment of the world.

There will be a time - no one knows when, but it will be - when the Son of God again will descend from Heaven. He will come for judgment on the entire world, but it will be a day of salvation for His people (see Hebrews 9:28). He will give His almighty roar, and 'all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come forth.' As Lazarus came forth from the dead at the Lord's call when He was a mere servant, so the entirety of mankind will come forth at the Lord's call when He comes in glory. And then all will appear before the great white throne for final, irreversible judgment. Books will be opened. Lives will be reviewed. But there will also be the Book of Life. And if anyone's name is not found written in the Book of Life, he will be thrown into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:12,15).

Many will plead 'Lord, Lord,' but He will roar again saying, 'I never knew you.' There will be horror in the face of all His enemies. He will roar again with such volume, such power, such convicting truth, 'Depart from Me you who practice lawlessness' (Matthew 7:21-23). Though no ear will be able to withstand those words, they will echo through the caverns of the damned for all eternity as a testimony that, indeed, the Lord is a lion to His enemies. But there we will be - safe behind the mane of 'the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, who has overcome' (Revelation 5:5). And though we heard Him roar against all those risen to a resurrection of judgment - though it may have sent chills down our glorified spines - what everlasting comfort it will be to know, so fully, that this One has all the while been for us and not against us; has been in front of us and not behind us!