The Berean Pursuit
This is the word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel:
Hear this, O elders;
and give ear, all who dwell in the land.
Has anything like this ever happened in your days
or in the days of your fathers?
Tell it to your children;
let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the next generation.
What the devouring locust has left,
the swarming locust has eaten;
what the swarming locust has left,
the young locust has eaten;
and what the young locust has left,
the destroying locust has eaten.
Wake up, you drunkards, and weep;
wail, all you drinkers of wine,
because of the sweet wine,
for it has been cut off from your mouth.
For a nation has invaded My land,
powerful and without number;
its teeth are the teeth of a lion,
and its fangs are the fangs of a lioness.
It has laid waste My grapevine
and splintered My fig tree.
It has stripped off the bark and thrown it away;
the branches have turned white.
Wail like a virgin dressed in sackcloth,
grieving for the husband of her youth.
Grain and drink offerings have been cut off
from the house of the LORD;
the priests are in mourning,
those who minister before the LORD.
The field is ruined;
the land mourns.
For the grain is destroyed,
the new wine is dried up, and the oil fails.
Be dismayed, O farmers,
wail, O vinedressers,
over the wheat and barley,
because the harvest of the field has perished.
The grapevine is dried up,
and the fig tree is withered;
the pomegranate, palm, and apple-
all the trees of the orchard-are withered.
Surely the joy of mankind has dried up.
Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests;
wail, O ministers of the altar.
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God,
because the grain and drink offerings
are withheld from the house of your God.
Consecrate a fast;
proclaim a solemn assembly!
Gather the elders
and all the residents of the land
to the house of the LORD your God,
and cry out to the LORD.
Alas for the day!
For the Day of the LORD is near,
and it will come
as destruction from the Almighty.
Has not the food been cut off
before our very eyes-
joy and gladness
from the house of our God?
The seeds lie shriveled beneath the clods;
the storehouses are in ruins;
the granaries are broken down,
for the grain has withered away.
How the cattle groan!
The herds wander in confusion
because they have no pasture.
Even the flocks of sheep are suffering.
To You, O LORD, I call,
for fire has consumed the open pastures
and flames have scorched all the trees of the field.
Even the beasts of the field pant for You,
for the streams of water have dried up,
and fire has consumed the open pastures.
Blow the ram's horn in Zion;
sound the alarm on My holy mountain!
Let all who dwell in the land tremble,
for the Day of the LORD is coming;
indeed, it is near-
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness.
Like the dawn overspreading the mountains
a great and strong army appears,
such as never was of old,
nor will ever be in ages to come.
Before them a fire devours,
and behind them a flame scorches.
The land before them is like the Garden of Eden,
but behind them, it is like a desert wasteland-
surely nothing will escape them.
Their appearance is like that of horses,
and they gallop like swift steeds.
With a sound like that of chariots
they bound over the mountaintops,
like the crackling of fire consuming stubble,
like a mighty army deployed for battle.
Nations writhe in horror before them;
every face turns pale.
They charge like mighty men;
they scale the walls like men of war.
Each one marches in formation,
not swerving from the course.
They do not jostle one another;
each proceeds in his path.
They burst through the defenses,
never breaking ranks.
They storm the city;
they run along the wall;
they climb into houses,
entering through windows like thieves.
Before them the earth quakes;
the heavens tremble.
The sun and moon grow dark,
and the stars lose their brightness.
The LORD raises His voice
in the presence of His army.
Indeed, His camp is very large,
for mighty are those who obey His command.
For the Day of the LORD is great and very dreadful.
Who can endure it?
"Yet even now,"
declares the LORD,
"return to Me with all your heart,
with fasting, weeping, and mourning."
So rend your hearts and not your garments,
and return to the LORD your God.
For He is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.
And He relents from sending disaster.
Who knows? He may turn and relent
and leave a blessing behind Him-
grain and drink offerings
for the LORD your God.
Blow the ram's horn in Zion,
consecrate a fast,
proclaim a sacred assembly.
Gather the people, sanctify the congregation,
assemble the aged, gather the children,
even those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.
Let the priests who minister before the LORD
weep between the portico and the altar,
saying, "Spare Your people, O LORD,
and do not make Your heritage a reproach,
an object of scorn among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
'Where is their God?'?"
Then the LORD became jealous for His land,
and He spared His people.
And the LORD answered His people:
"Behold, I will send you
grain, new wine, and oil,
and by them you will be satisfied.
I will never again make you
a reproach among the nations.
The northern army I will drive away from you,
banishing it to a barren and desolate land,
its front ranks into the Eastern Sea,
and its rear guard into the Western Sea.
And its stench will rise;
its foul odor will ascend.
For He has done great things.
Do not be afraid, O land;
rejoice and be glad,
for the LORD has done great things.
Do not be afraid, O beasts of the field,
for the open pastures have turned green,
the trees bear their fruit,
and the fig tree and vine yield their best.
Be glad, O children of Zion,
and rejoice in the LORD your God,
for He has given you the autumn rains
for your vindication.
He sends you showers,
both autumn and spring rains, as before.
The threshing floors will be full of grain,
and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
I will repay you for the years eaten by locusts-
the swarming locust, the young locust,
the destroying locust, and the devouring locust-
My great army that I sent against you.
You will have plenty to eat,
until you are satisfied.
You will praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has worked wonders for you.
My people will never again
be put to shame.
Then you will know that I am present in Israel
and that I am the LORD your God,
and there is no other.
My people will never again
be put to shame.
And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
Even on My menservants and maidservants,
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth,
blood and fire and columns of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.
And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD
will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance, as the LORD has promised,
among the remnant called by the LORD.
"Yes, in those days and at that time,
when I restore Judah and Jerusalem from captivity,
I will gather all the nations
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I will enter into judgment against them
concerning My people, My inheritance, Israel,
whom they have scattered among the nations
as they divided up My land.
They cast lots for My people;
they bartered a boy for a prostitute
and sold a girl for wine to drink.
Now what do you have against Me, O Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you rendering against Me a recompense? If you retaliate against Me, I will swiftly and speedily return your recompense upon your heads. For you took My silver and gold and carried off My finest treasures to your temples. You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, to send them far from their homeland.
Behold, I will rouse them from the places to which you sold them; I will return your recompense upon your heads. I will sell your sons and daughters into the hands of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans-to a distant nation."
Indeed, the LORD has spoken.
Proclaim this among the nations:
"Prepare for war;
rouse the mighty men;
let all the men of war
advance and attack!
Beat your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Let the weak say, 'I am strong!'
Come quickly, all you surrounding nations,
and gather yourselves.
Bring down Your mighty ones,
O LORD.
Let the nations be roused
and advance to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit down
to judge all the nations on every side.
Swing the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,
for the winepress is full;
the wine vats overflow
because their wickedness is great.
Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision!
For the Day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision.
The sun and moon will grow dark,
and the stars will no longer shine.
The LORD will roar from Zion
and raise His voice from Jerusalem;
heaven and earth will tremble.
But the LORD will be a refuge for His people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel.
Then you will know that I am the LORD your God,
who dwells in Zion, My holy mountain.
Jerusalem will be holy,
never again to be overrun by foreigners.
And in that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine,
and the hills will flow with milk.
All the streams of Judah will run with water,
and a spring will flow from the house of the LORD
to water the Valley of Acacias.
Egypt will become desolate,
and Edom a desert wasteland,
because of the violence done to the people of Judah,
in whose land they shed innocent blood.
But Judah will be inhabited forever,
and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
For I will avenge their blood,
which I have not yet avenged."
For the LORD dwells in Zion.
And calling His twelve disciples to Him, Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits, so that they could drive them out and heal every disease and sickness.
These are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go onto the road of the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
Do not carry any gold or silver or copper in your belts. Take no bag for the road, or second tunic, or sandals, or staff; for the worker is worthy of his provisions.
Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy there and stay at his house until you move on. As you enter the home, greet its occupants. If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it; but if it is not, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. But beware of men; for they will hand you over to their councils and flog you in their synagogues. On My account, you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to respond or what to say. In that hour you will be given what to say. For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Truly I tell you, you will not reach all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
So do not be afraid of them. For there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.
Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
'a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
A man's enemies will be the members
of his own household.'
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward."