Joel 2:23-27 — Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

I love this passage in Joel’s book. Joel, like quite a few of the prophets, is personally anonymous. He’s “Joel, the son of Pethuel” and that’s about all we know of him for sure. It seems to me, though, that he was an educated man, and a man who loved the land — not, perhaps, as austere as some of the other prophets.
The whole book of Joel is beautiful but I’m not sure why I feel such a connection to this passage. It might be because I didn’t accept Christ as my Lord until I was forty seven years old. That’s a lot of years for the lotus to have eaten!
God promises to send the early and the latter rains. As well as the material blessing, the rains symbolize the return of righteousness to the land. Next he promises to return the “years” that the lotuses have eaten — the damage done by the lotuses was felt for several years. Now the good things lost in that time will be fully replaced — and the word used carries the sense of “legally restored”. The judge has promised!
Not only will the good things consumed by the locusts be restored, but the people will celebrate in abundance. They had brought shame to themselves and dishonor to the name of The Lord. Now He promises to wipe away the shame and to restore His name.
Finally, in the greatest promise of the greatest blessing, The Lord promises that He will dwell among His people.
This grand passage tells the story of grace in a few short
verses. When we go astray, God will discipline us if we are truly His children. When we repent, He will restore us. Better yet, there will come a day when He will restore His creation and dwell among us!
When I look at this portion of scripture, and then I look at my life — the former years and the later years — I know His grace in my life too. It’s a wonder, and I am grateful.