"For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: And they shall spring up among the grass, as willows by the water courses."
Isaiah 44:3-4
Part 2
Yesterday:
“For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty,”
“And floods upon the dry ground:”
God had blessings for Israel that were left unclaimed because of her sin. This put distance between Her God and His people.
Today:
“I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:”
It is the Holy Spirit that gives blessings to the LORD’S children.
This, God’s promise to Israel, began to be fulfilled at Pentecost. As Peter preached, he said,
“But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And, it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams,” (Acts 2:16-17).
The Holy Spirit was given to believers that day, and Joel’s prophecy was partially fulfilled to Israel. But Israel rejected the King and His Kingdom.
“And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive,” (Acts 28:25-26).
Joel’s prophecy for Israel is fascinating. Note the highlighted word in these words…
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions,” (Joel 2:28).
“‘Afterward’ would come the days of the Spirit; and ‘this is that’ which was area on ‘the day of Pentecost,’ when [Joel 2:28-29] began to be fulfilled. Had the nation repented at the summons of Peter in Acts 3:18-26, ‘all things which God had spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets’ would have been fulfilled, including [Joel 2:30-32].”1
Later, Israel will turn to God and receive these blessings…
Today, we believers do have the Holy Spirit. But we do not always walk with God and obey Him. What should we do when we realized we have sin in our lives? Come back tomorrow and let’s talk more.
1. E.W. Bullinger, on Joel 2:28. The Companion Bible, the electronic version in eSword.