Joel 3:17-21
A Spring Will Flow
17Then 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.
18And 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.
19Egypt 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.
20But Judah will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21For I will avenge their blood, which I have not yet avenged.” For the LORD dwells in Zion.
Berean Standard Bible
Joel closes by returning to knowledge and presence. God's people will know that He is the LORD their God, that He dwells in Zion, and that Jerusalem will be holy. The city that was threatened by nations is no longer described as abandoned.
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.
The promise does not stop at protection from enemies. The land becomes abundant.
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.
The dry places of Joel 1 are answered by streams. The failed harvest is answered by fruitfulness. The house of the LORD is not pictured as isolated from the land. A spring flows from it and brings life outward.
Egypt and Edom are named as desolate because of violence against Judah and the shedding of innocent blood. The restoration of Judah is not sentimental. Joel continues to name the violence that made restoration necessary.
The final line says the LORD will avenge blood that has not yet been avenged, and then repeats the reason for hope: the LORD dwells in Zion. The book began with a land stripped of joy. It ends with God present, water flowing, Judah inhabited, and a wronged people no longer forgotten.
Hold the promise of abundance with care. We should not turn these images into a guarantee that every believer will have an easy life. We can receive the deeper hope: God is present, injustice is not invisible, and His future includes life flowing into places that have been dry.
How We Know
Ezekiel 47:1-12 describes water flowing from the temple and bringing life wherever it goes, including trees whose fruit and leaves serve others. Psalm 46:4-5 speaks of a river whose streams make glad the city of God because God is within her. Joel's spring from the house of the LORD echoes that biblical image of God's presence bringing life.
Questions
1 What will God's people know?
AnswerThey will know that the LORD is their God, that He dwells in Zion, and that Jerusalem is holy.
2 What flows from the house of the LORD?
AnswerA spring flows from the house of the LORD to water the Valley of Acacias.
3 Why are Egypt and Edom made desolate?
AnswerThey are judged because of violence against Judah and the shedding of innocent blood.
4 What final reason for hope does Joel repeat?
AnswerThe LORD dwells in Zion. His presence means His people are not forgotten and injustice is not invisible.
What This Means for Us
Hope is not a promise that every life will be easy. It is confidence that God's presence can bring life into dry places, that violence will be answered, and that the future belongs to more than the damage we can currently see.
Prayer
LORD, dwell among Your people and bring life to dry places. Remember the wounded, answer violence with justice, and teach our family to hope in Your presence. Amen.