I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
32 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved; (Joel 2:28-32)
Thoughts: Before the Christian Pentecost, the Spirit is over all the earth, but especially poured out only in Zion. Now the Spirit is poured out on everyone- men, women, all nations. When the Christian Pentecost came all people could come to God- of all nations. "Whosoever will" becomes a reality. This is illustrated in circumcision- where only adult males from Israel were made a part of the covenant in the Old Testament. Baptism replaced circumcision as the initiation and cleansing ritual of our covenant with God. Baptism is open to both males and females of any race or people- only repentance ("repent and be baptized") and coming to Christ are necessary.
The early Christians saw this verse fulfilled in the Christian Pentecost recorded in Acts 2.
It is interesting that the coming of the Spirit in power (the Comforter) is tied with judgment (the sun and moon and judgment Joel 2:31). The early Christians believed Jesus' promise of judgment on Jerusalem (Mt. 24 et al) which was fulfilled when Jerusalem fell within a generation of Jesus' death- 70 AD. Jesus quoted 2:31 in Mt. 24:29. Often the awareness of judgment and the outpouring of the Spirit go hand in hand. When we do not believe God blesses or holds us to account, then we do not call on Him to be saved from being held to account. Many great movements of God occur when there is a deep awareness of our sin, or an awareness of God's judgment upon us. If we do not believe there is a personal God who acts among us, then we will not likely turn to Him personally. So perhaps the first step of seeking the Spirit is to be aware of your own sin and God's ability to bless or hold to account. The second step is to repent and be baptized- as Peter who said in Acts 2 after quoting this verse.
Prayer: Lord, keep me from taking my sin for granted this day. Help me to understand the gravity of my sin. Prompt me to call out to you, Holy Spirit, and to have you poured out into my life.
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