PLENTY

A definition of plenty is an adequate or more than adequate number or amount of something: a number or amount of something that is enough for a particular purpose.

  • Given the picture above, how much food is plenty enough for you to be satisfied?
  • Does your sense of “plenty” vary?
  • Maybe your sense of “plenty” depends on what food is in the chafing dishes above?
  • What type of banquet are you imagining that you would love to have plenty enough for you to feel satisfied?
  • What is the ultimate purpose behind having plenty?

Read Joel 2:26:

ESV  Joel 2:26 “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

Once again in the book of Joel, the Lord is speaking to the Judeans with the intent of promising a reversal of the situation they have been experiencing.

This verse stresses that they will eat to the point of being satisfied in contrast to the locusts that ravaged their foodstuffs back in Joel 1:4.

  • What does the Lord say they will do once they are satiated with plenty of food?

Read Joel 2:26 again:

ESV  Joel 2:26 “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

They are going to eat plenty, be satisfied and then praise the name of the Lord.

  • Do you say a prayer of praise before or after you eat a meal or snack?
  • Why do you think Joel 2:26 states that the praise about having plenty comes after being satisfied?

Remember the Judeans had been suffering from famine, drought, and fire.

Look again at the final phrase of the first sentence of Joel 2:26.

The Lord expects to be praised because He is promising to deal wondrously with them.

  • What wondrous things has the Lord done?

The Lord sent His message to the prophet Joel

The Lord equipped Joel to share His message with the Judeans

The Lord sent plenty of locusts to get the Judeans attention

And now the Lord promises to send plenty of food to reverse the situation so that the Judeans may eat to the point of satisfaction and praise His name for His wondrous deeds.

  • Does the Lord stop with just providing physical nourishment for the Judeans?

Read Joel 2:26 again:

ESV  Joel 2:26 “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

The plenty offered in the final sentence of this verse is that the Lord’s people will never be put to shame again.

This should remind the Judeans and us of Joel 2:17:

ESV  Joel 2:17 Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, “Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?'”

  • I ask again what is the purpose of having plenty?

Or maybe I should ask my question differently…

  • Why does God send us seasons of deprivation?

The Judeans were deprived of food and even water because the Lord was calling them to pay attention to Him again.

Now, in Joel 2:26 the implication is that the Judeans have returned to a wholehearted relationship with their Lord. Thus, He is now promising to restore them so that not only will they have plenty to eat and be satisfied but so that they will praise His name so that the nations will see His wondrous dealings with His people.

The year of 2020 has been a challenging one for most around the globe. Some are experiencing physical deprivation. Others are experiencing social depravation. Even introverted personalities are feeling the stress of the challenges presented to us this year.

  • Could it be the Lord has allowed these challenges to occur because we have neglected to praise Him regarding the wondrous things He has done for us?
  • Could it be the Lord is trying to get everyone’s attention, not just those who are already a part of His flock?
  • If you are a part of His flock, how should you view the circumstances you find yourself in today?
  • Are you lacking food, clothing, shelter, or means to acquire them?
  • Do you have plenty enough to be satisfied?
  • How do you define plenty?
  • Has your definition changed in 2020?

My prayer for you and myself is related to our verse today but comes from Proverbs:

ESV  Proverbs 30:7 Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

Blessings,

Barbara Lynn

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