Seder 96: Joel 3---A Harvest of Judgment

A number of biblical passages speak of harvests of salvation.  Jesus used this kind of metaphor in John 4:34-38 and Matthew 9:35-38.  

Harvest imagery is also used in the Bible in prophecies of eschatological judgment.  For example, Joel 3 looks ahead to Israel's restoration in the Day of the Lord and the judgment of nations that have oppressed her.  In verse 13 we read, "Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.  Go in, tread, for the winepress is full.  The vats overflow, for their evil is great."  Commentator David A. Hubbard explains, "The wickedness...of the nations is so great that they are as ripe...for judgment as grapes would be for harvest at the peak of their season."

Other passages that use similar imagery for judgment are Isaiah 63:1-6 and Revelation 14:14-20.  In his Tyndale Old Testament Commentary on Joel and Amos (1989), Hubbard notes that the passage in Revelation 14 "draws heavily upon this scene in Joel."

Seder 153: Psalm 28---Depending on the Rock and Shepherd

 Psalm 28 is an individual lament that concludes with an expression of confidence in God.  This is a familiar pattern in the psalms.  The act of praying helps us to see the truth more clearly.  

The psalmist calls upon God as "my rock."  This metaphor, which is prominent in Deuteronomy 32 and is picked up in several psalms (18:2,31; 19:14; 73:26; 92:15; 144:1).  God is strong and dependable and gives refuge and protection.  

The psalmist expresses his dependence on God.  He prays "toward your holy sanctuary" (v 2).  Solomon, of course, asked that prayers directed toward the temple be heeded (1 Ki 8:35, 38, 42).  

We may have a bit of a mixed metaphor in Psalm 28:1, since he asks the rock to "be not deaf to me," and rocks do not really have ears.  But God is strong and dependable in taking action for his people, which is the full meaning of him "hearing" or "being not deaf.

He prays that he not suffer the fate of the wicked (v 3) and asks for justice to be done.  Verses 4-5 say much about the works of God versus human works.  The wicked disregard the works of God and work to undermine God's works with their own works.  He prays that the wicked be judged according to their works. 

Later in the psalm he praises God in anticipation of deliverance and vindication.  He is no longer in despair but confident in "my strength and my shield" (v 7).  God helped David and later anointed kings of Israel and Judah---he is "the saving refuge of his anointed," as verse 8 says. 

He intercedes for God's people (v 9).  "Be their shepherd and carry them forever," he concludes.  We see such imagery elsewhere in Isaiah 40:11; 46:3-4; 63:9.