ODJ: the promised Spirit


April 29, 2013 

READ: Joel 2:28-32 


Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out My Spirit upon all people (v.28).

In a world where promises are easily made and broken,many people are sceptical about the value of them. We read quotes such as, “The problem with promises is that once you’ve made one, it’s bound to be broken. It’s like an unspoken cosmic rule.” 


So how good is a promise? Well, it depends on the content of the promise as well as the character and ability of the promise-maker. Thankfully, as believers in Jesus, we don’t need to be sceptical about promises. We’re recipients of promises that are “great and precious” (2 Peter 1:4), and as C. H. Spurgeon says, “[God] who makes the promise will find ways and means of keeping it.”

Today’s reading provides some compelling insights. God promised that all believers—Jews and Gentiles, men and women, old and young, servant and master—would possess the Spirit (Joel 2:28-29). This is an amazing promise, because at this point in history God’s people had been identified by circumcision and by obedience to the Torah. The Holy Spirit had come upon certain people for specific purposes only—such as Bezalel in Exodus 35:31.

We read of the amazing fulfilment of Jesus’ prophetic promise of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:1-6—something that is still being fulfilled. For anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will receive His Holy Spirit as a seal for the day of redemption as well as empowerment to live the Christian life (Ephesians 3:16; 4:30).

Just as God has brought His promise in Joel 2:28-29 to pass, He will also fulfil His promises in verses 30-32. The day of reckoning is coming, and God has promised that all who receive salvation will be saved (v.32).

Praise Him for being the God who keeps His promises! —Poh Fang Chia


› Nehemiah 2:1-20