Uncovering the Beauty of Joel

The book of Joel in the Bible is very poetic and declaring.  I cannot say that I have a favorite phrase, line, or passage of Joel, because it all speaks to my heart dearly.  When deciding what to write on, two passages stood out to me, however one passage in particular reveals the beauty in Joel's—Holy Spirit inspired—writing.

"And in that day
     The mountains will drip with sweet wine,
     And the hills will flow with milk,
     And all the brooks of Judah will flow with water;
     And a spring will go out from the house of the LORD
     To water the valley of Shittim."
                                                  —Joel 3:18

This passage talks about after the coming of the Lord.  Before He comes, the land will be dark, the moon blood red, and there will be chaos.  The Lord's people will suffer, but we know that we can take hope that He is returning and will rescue us.  To my limited research, I believe this passage is talking about Heaven.  I could be wrong, but to me this is what I picture when reading.  Another thing I thought it may be talking about is during the 1000 year reign here on Earth or Joel could be speaking figuratively saying how amazing the time will be when the Lord returns.  An indicator here in the passage that seems to signify Heaven is the line “And the hills will flow with milk…”  In other various places, the Bible describes the land of the Canaanites, in which the Israelites are to possess, as a land flowing with milk and honey.  I have heard many sermons spoken using the metaphor “flowing with milk and honey” in talking about Heaven.

What a beautiful and very well-worded passage of scripture.  It is passages like these that keep the hope of Christians alive, looking forward to such a joyous time.  The line “And all the brooks of Judah will flow with water” seems to indicate that nothing will be missing and that everything will be fulfilled.  The brooks will not be dried up, but flowing.  And lastly the line “And a spring will go out from the house of the LORD to water the valley of Shittim” seems to indicate that God will extend his merciful hand towards His people and bless us.

This being both poetry and scripture, God could speak differently to different people from the same passage or even differently to the same person at a different time.  After reading and researching this passage, this is what the Lord has spoken to me through His Word.