Do Not Fear (part 2 of 2)

In this new age, the one that has been inaugurated so that the Creator God can pour out His Spirit on all flesh as Peter will say in Acts, the prophet Joel reports that God saying, “Do not fear, My land!  Rejoice and be glad, because the Lord has accomplished great things!” (2:21)  This is an age in which the covenant God is reversing the curse that mankind brought upon His creation that had been established as very good.  The insistence of the New Testament is that the God of Israel will begin to do this through His covenant people as they are in union with Christ (confirming Jesus as King), with the beginning of that reversal pointing to a final consummation in which a great and final restoration, a final reversal, will take place.  The Creator God speaks and says, “Do not fear, wild animals!  For the pastures of the wilderness are again green with grass.  Indeed the trees bear their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield to their fullest” (2:22). 

In this new age, the Creator God speaks to His covenant people, saying “Citizens of Zion, rejoice!  Be glad because of what the Lord has done” (2:23a).  What is it that the Lord has done?  Well, because Peter appears to link all of this with Jesus, it can be declared that He has performed a great work in and through the Christ.  Through Him then, He has redeemed a people for Himself from exile.  This is the ongoing story of Israel, as reflected by their history, and this is the continuing story of the covenant people that are formed around Jesus.  Yes, once again, a new age has been inaugurated.  This is an age in which Resurrection power has been brought to bear in the world, with Jesus being the first to thoroughly experience that Resurrection power as the first-fruits of what is to come for God’s people and God’s creation. 

In this inaugurated age, where Jesus is King, awaiting His final crowning (much like David was anointed king, merely awaiting His final crowning, though the analogy to David should not extend too far beyond form rather than substance), it is said that “The threshing floors are full of grain; the vats overflow with fresh wine and olive oil” (2:24).  Such language speaks to the removal of the thorns and thistles that plague this world.  It is an age in which the exile that is being experienced by the creation, ends in an exodus into becoming a promised land.  As always, the language of the prophets is provided context and depth of meaning by Israel’s narrative 

Through His prophet, the covenant God says that in this age (the one that is Peter affirms has begun with the Resurrection of Jesus) “You will have plenty to eat, and your hunger will be fully satisfied; you will praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has acted wondrously in your behalf” (2:26a).  Because of what the Creator God has wrought---the Resurrection of the Christ and the redemption of His covenant people to be set forth as royal servant ambassadors for the world---the promise is made that “My people will never again be put to shame” (2:26b).  That is, once the covenant God brings His Spirit to bear in this world, His people will never again experience the curse of exile. 

After declaring that His people will be fully convinced of His power (2:27a), which will take place by the gift of faith by the Spirit, Israel’s God repeats Himself, saying “My people will never again be put to shame” (2:27b).  The witness of Scripture affirms that there is no need to fear, for everywhere, the Word of God speaks of His faithfulness, Resurrection, redemption, restoration, renewal, and re-creation.  In Him, one may confidently trust and rejoice.