Key Truth: We are called to reflect God’s justice in our relationships with those who bear His image recognizing the cost of injustice to the generations of both the oppressor and the oppressed.  

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “justice”?

The Call to Judgment in the Valley of God’s Justice:

Joel 3:1-3 

“In a word, the Prophet here shows, that God will not be a half Redeemer, but will continue to work until he completes everything necessary for the happy state of his Church, and makes it in every respect perfect. This is the import of the whole.”

John Calvin, Commentary on Joel

What injustices are the nations being judged for by God in the Valley of Jehoshaphat?
How should this shape our views of justice and what we care about and apply the Gospel to by getting involved?
What proves foundational to our views of justice?

The Generational Cost of Injustice:

Joel 3:4-8

“It is striking that in their polemic against the nations and their idols, the prophets never appeal to the loftier ethics of their religion, or the greater sublimity of their theology, or the beauty of the temple architecture; their boast is always that it is Yahweh who controls history, and that it is his ability to fulfill his word that demonstrates that he is God.”

Raymond Dillard, “Hosea” in  The Minor Prophets: An Exegetical and Expository Commentary ed. by Thomas Edward McComiskey

What generational impact does injustice have on both the oppressor and the oppressed?
Can God be bargained with when it comes to injustice?

Application: 

Joel 3:1-8 teaches us that God is just in His judgment of those who make commodities of His image bearers so we are called to:
- reflect God’s justice in our relationships with those who bear His image
- recognize the cost of injustice to the generations of both the oppressor and the oppressed 

Benediction:

Revelation 21:3-4