I think I might get a little esoteric on this lesson. It’s verses twelve through fourteen that the Lord made to stand out to me reading this.

Verses 12 “…a land that the Lord your God cares for. The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.”

Verse 13 “And, if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,”

Verse 14 “he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil.”

One thing I’ve noticed reading through Deuteronomy is that on occasion, it’s hard to know who is talking; is it God or Moses? Look at verse 13. If you obey My commandments that I command you, to love God and serve Him. It doesn’t say obey My commandments and serve Me. It doesn’t say obey His commandments and serve Him. It’s like they’ve become one. Moses’ words are God’s words. Of course, that’s my prayer, that my words would be His words. No other words matter.

Verse twelve is talking about the land of Israel. It says God cares for the land. It’s not talking about the people of Israel. Verse 11 is about its hills and valleys. God’s eyes are on the land of Israel all year long.

Charismatics have made much of the “latter rain.” Here we see its purpose; the land of Israel. The rain is for the land of Israel to gather in the grain, wine, and oil. God’s redemptive plan will come full circle. His chosen people were the Israelites. The Gospel was shared with us Gentiles for our good but ALSO for the good of the Israelites. Part of the point was to make them jealous and draw them back in.

God loves His people. He chose to love them because He loves them. He didn’t stop loving them. His love is just big enough for all of us. Jesus will rule from the physical land of Israel. His people will be one people, one body, with Christ as our head, and He is Jewish. We are all part of Israel by blood, by the blood of a Jew.

A later rain of the Holy Spirit may very well be coming. Joel says that it will come in the first month. That’s Nisan, the month of Passover. The point of that rain will be to bring in the harvest of grain, wine, and oil, which are God’s people who live by His Word, are washed in His blood, and are filled with His Spirit. It will be to gather God’s scattered people, to make them one, and ultimately gather them in the New Jerusalem.