And my people shall never again
be put to shame.
You shall know that I am in the
midst of Israel,
and that I, the Lord, am your
God and that there is no other.
And my people shall never again
be put to shame. (Joel: 2:26-27)
To read this after the Holocaust is, perhaps, less reassuring than was once
the case.
But it was also read after the destruction of the second Temple.
The prophecy may originally have been preached to give meaning to the
Babylonian captivity.
We can quibble over "shame" and assert not every failure is cause for shame.
But in the context of whole prophecy this would, I think, be ignoring Joel's clear meaning.
There is purpose beyond earthly pride. There is joy beyond earthly success.
There is a kingdom beyond our current existence.
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