Today’s Reading: Joel
From this point onward, we will encounter more and more prophetic literature. Some of it will be hard trekking, but you can do it! (Keep reading! You’re half way through the year!)
Yes, we have arrived at another type of biblical literature, but we needn’t be intimidated! There is so much to learn about God, what He is like, mankind, our relationship to God, as well as what God is going to do in the future! Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes, there is “nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9-10), and this is true of God’s word to us in the Prophets. They are just a repackaged and expanded version of what has already been stated in the Bible. God’s message never changes!
As J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays write in their book, Grasping God’s Word (p. 373), the basic prophetic message can be stated in three points:
- You have broken the covenant; you had better repent!
- No repentance? Then judgment!
- Yet, there is hope beyond the judgment for a glorious, future restoration.
So, don’t be anxious, bothered, or confused while reading through the Prophets! Remember, this is what we’ve heard before and what we’ll hear again. The real issue to consider is: are we listening?