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be certain that the prophecy was not written before that king ruled but it could have been
written any time during or after.
The name Jehoshaphat means "Jehovah has judged" and so the valley of Jehoshaphat
is a most appropriate place for this battle. Elsewhere this valley is called the Kidron
valley and it is situated between the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem. Here judgment is
dispensed and to here Christ returns!
"And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before
Jerusalem on the east" (Zech. 14: 4, A.V.).
What an event that will be! How the nations will be amazed! How they will be
judged! We may not always understand God's judgments but we would do well to
always keep in mind that He is a God of love; He is a righteous God and He is the
righteous judge (II Tim. 4: 8).
"I will plead with them for My people" (Joel 3: 2) may be a little misleading. The
R.S.V. has "I will enter into judgment with them on account of My people and My
heritage Israel". Moffatt, as usual, is more vivid. "I shall assign them their doom for the
treatment of Israel, My heritage". Here the promise of Gen. 12: 3 is to be fulfilled.
There Abraham was told that:
"I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee."
Matthew 25: 31-46 also deals with the judgment of these nations, again showing the
future fulfillment of Gen. 12: 3 in verses 40 and 45. How had the nations treated "These
My brethren"? One aspect of this treatment is the scattering of the people of Israel. Here
again we meet with the problem of one verse saying the nations scattered Israel and
another verse with God saying He scattered Israel. The problem is not difficult for God
allowed the nations to scatter His people because of their sin and unbelief. He permitted
a nation to teach Israel a lesson, to show them that He was their true God but . . . . . how
did that nation treat the people of Israel? That is the issue! That is what is to be judged.
Even today, some country's treatment of the exiled Jews leaves much to be desired and
that country's leaders would do well to read Gen. 12: 3.
Joel 3: 2-3. In verses 2-6, possibly to demonstrate how badly Israel had been treated
by the nations, Joel gives historical examples of maltreatment. A more comprehensive
list of such treatments is found in Amos 1: 1 - 2: 3, a prophecy which had been written
many years before Joel.
"for they have scattered My people throughout their own countries, have taken each a
portion of My land and shared out My people by lot, bartered a boy for a whore and sold
a girl for wine and drunk it down" (Joel 3: 2, 3. N.E.B.).
The reference to `parted My land" (A.V. and J.N.D.) or `divided up My land' (N.I.V.;
Moffatt; R.S.V.) is very significant and very applicable to today. The present day
partitioning of Palestine may well not meet with God's approval but . . . . .!!!