Bible Commentaries
Joel

JOEL,

The Prophet of Pentecost

The prophet Joel lived in a time of great distress for the Hebrew nation. A devastating plague of locusts had ravaged their land, coupled with a scorching drought. On top of these natural disasters the nation had been invaded by neighboring states and many of her people had been sold into captivity. God raised up Joel to interpret and explain the meaning in all of these hardships, call his people to repentance and promise them a brighter future.

About the Author

The author is identified as Joel, the son of Pethuel (Joel 1:1). The name Joel means "Jehovah is God." What is revealed in his three short chapters is all we know of the author. It is probable that he was a citizen of Judah. Some have conjectured that he might have been a priest. From his message, we can determine that he was a bold, powerful, eloquent preacher of God. Also we can see that he was a poetic, prayerful man; a prophet of the first order. He has been called "The prophet of religious revival."

Introduction To Joel

Not much is known about Joel other than he is the son of Pethuel. Dating the book of Joel depends upon one’s interpretation of God’s “great army” of locust, canker- worms, caterpillars, and the palmer-worm (cf. Joel 2:25). If this “great army” is the Babylonians, then the date would likely be during a similar time of Jeremiah (i.e., 605 to 586 BC). There are hints that the Babylonians may be under consideration in the book itself. Joel refers to God’s “great army” as a “nation” (Joel 1:6) and then again as the “northern army” (Joel 2:20). We know that the Babylonian nation is often referred to as the army from the “north” in the writings of the Major Prophets (cf. Jeremiah 10:22). Then again, if Joel is speaking about a literal insect attack, there is virtually no telling when the book was written (Joel 1:7). Many have concluded, with little evidence, that the book was written as early as 830 BC. We do know that Joel belongs among the books of the Bible. The apostle Peter quotes from Joel 2:28-32 at Acts 2:17 ff. The apostle Paul quotes from Joel 2:32 at Romans 10:13. Said quotations from the apostles of Jesus Christ indicate the divine origin of Joel’s work.

Gloomy Days for God’s People

Joel 1:1 to Joel 2:11 paints a vivid picture of doom and gloom upon the land and inhabitants of Palestine. God’s “great army” of locust, canker-worm, caterpillar, and the palmer-worm (whether literal or figurative) cause widespread desolation upon the land. This “great army” is well organized and determined to achieve its purpose of desolating the land (cf. Joel 2:4-11). The destruction caused by this army is seen in that grazing fields, grain, new wine, oil, fig, pomegranate, palm, apple, “and even all the trees of the field are withered” (Joel 1:8-12). Joel depicts these days as “darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness...” (Joel 2:2). A land that has been desolated of all vegetation will surely cause famine to settle in among the inhabitants (Joel 1:15). Joy and laughter is no where to be found (Joel 1:15). Israel faces dark, gloomy, and depressing days. Joel writes, “for joy is withered away from the sons of men” (Joel 1:12 b).

The Cause for all the Doom and Gloom

Joel writes, “turn ye unto me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto Jehovah your God;” (Joel 2:12). The prophet’s request, by inspiration, for God’s people to repent suggests that the cause of all this doom and gloom is their sin. The lesson we learn is no different that that which we learn when studying virtually every book in God’s word. That lesson is that God wants man to serve Him not because it is what he has always done, to get gain, or to mechanically worship God without a real interest, but rather God wants man to serve Him because this is truly one’s desire to do so. I can certainly “rend the garments” in an outward show of humility and sorrow over what has been revealed as wrong in my life, yet no man may see the inward callous heart of apathy. God thereby desires that the man or woman that would serve Him should be torn at heart over his violations of His will. Samuel had instructed Saul to have such a heart at 1 Samuel 15:22-23. David expressed such true sorrow as recorded in Psalms 51. The prophet Isaiah prescribed such a heart at Isaiah 57:15; Isaiah 66:1-2. The apostle Paul spoke of such a humble hearted disposition at 2 Corinthians 7:10.

The Blessings and Future Joy for those

Who Humble Themselves to God

Joel delivers a message of hope and happiness to the downtrodden and depressed people who have been devastated and desolated by the northern army. There will come a great day of blessings. God will pour out His Holy Spirit upon men and women, young and old, slave and free (Joel 2:28-29). Those immersed in the Holy Spirit will deliver a soul-saving message through prophesy, dreams, and visions. Peter quotes from these verses in Joel at Acts 2:17-21. Those who recognize the words of revelation as divine help shall “call” upon the name of Jehovah God by invoking and appealing to the Lord for help (Joel 2:32). All of humanity needs help in areas of emotional strain, temptation, persecutions, and most importantly the forgiveness of one’s sins. Those who so call upon the name of the Lord shall indeed be saved (Acts 2:21). Joel defines said saved individuals as people “whom Jehovah doth call” (Joel 2:32 b). While the gospel calls all to obtain salvation, not all hear, believe, and receive it (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). Those who reject God’s message will be figuratively placed in a wine vat and treaded down by God’s judgments of condemnation (Joel 3:12-13). Those who gladly receive God’s instructions will be filled to complete satisfaction with the Spirit-filled word of God (Joel 3:18; Ephesians 3:19; Ephesians 5:18; Colossians 1:9). There will be unity among baptized believers who are forgiven of their sins, and they shall be clean and separate from the ungodly (Joel 3:17; Joel 3:20). The prophecy of Joel has been fulfilled. Jesus has shed his blood upon the cross that man may be forgiven of his sins (Colossians 1:20-22). Those who call upon the name of God today will never be disappointed (cf. Psalms 3:1 ff; Acts 2:21; Acts 9:14; Acts 9:21; Acts 22:16; Romans 10:12-13; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Timothy 2:22).

The Background of Joel’s Ministry

Dates: Joel does not date his message. Great diversity is reflected in the dates suggested by different commentators. Some suppose a date as early as 900, others as late as 350 B.C. Its place in the Hebrew canon shows that the ancient rabbis viewed Joel as from an early period. There being no compelling reason against it, we assume that the book was likely written in the days of King Joash, 830-810 B. C. For an excellent defense of the early date, see The Doctrine of the Prophets by A. F. Kirkpatrick.

Assuming the early date, Joel’s contemporaries would have been Elijah and Elisha in his early years and possibly Hosea in his latter days. Politically, both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms had recently cast off the devastating yoke of Ahab and Jezebel in the North and Athaliah, daughter of Jezebel, in the South. King Joash was a mere child of seven when crowned king of Judah. The nation was guided by the high priest Jehoiada who served as regent for the young king. Jehu was seeking to stamp out the last vestiges of Jezebel’s influence in the North. Spiritually, both nations were at a low ebb.

Hazael, the cruel king of Syria, was fast becoming a terror to all of his neighbors. Shalmaneser III of Assyria was launching a drive to conqueror the west.

In addition to these two nations, in the last half of the ninth century B. C., Joel’s people were surrounded by several other hostile neighbors. He mentions the Phoenicians who had sold Hebrew prisoners into slavery (Joel 3:4). (See also Amos 1:9-10). The Philistines (3:4) had joined with the Arabians in invading Judah and ravaging Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 21:16). The Egyptians (Joel 3:19) were perennial enemies of the Hebrews (1 Kings 14:25). The Edomites (Joel 3:19) had revolted against Israel’s rule in 848 B. C. (2 Kings 8:20-23). Thus it was a time of political turmoil and uncertainty.

The Occasion for Writing

A devastating plague of locusts had ravaged Palestine. Successive waves of them had stripped the land bare. Upon the heels of the locusts had come a severe drought. Famine stalked the countryside. So severe was the situation, that the daily sacrifice at the temple were discontinued for lack of provisions (Joel 1:9).

About the Locust

Locusts are grasshoppers. Plagues of locusts were greatly feared by the Hebrews. Solomon earnestly prayed that God would deliver them from the locust (1 Kings 8:37). A locust can eat its own weight daily. A female will lay up to 225 eggs in her life time. During a plaque from 100 to 200 million locusts will be found in a square mile. Swarms have been documented that covered more than 400 square miles. In such vast numbers, they devoured every green thing, and even the bark of the trees. They have been known to attack babies. Before the age of pesticides and airplane dusting, people and nations were helpless before these hordes. For a good study on locusts, consult the article: Locusts: Teeth of the Wind, by R.A.M. Conley, National Geographic, Vol. 136, No. 2, Aug. 1969.

About the Book

The book bears the name of its author. It contains both the historical account of the nation’s problems and the prophet’s lessons in response thereto.

The chief characteristic of Joel’s literary style is his simple vividness. His message is written in poetic style. It is a literary gem.

There are four purposes seen in the author’s message.

1. He wrote to interpret the natural disasters of the locusts and drought as judgments from God, intended to bring the people to repentance.

2. He sought to help his brethren see beyond the affliction to the God of discipline.

3. He foretold the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit in Messiah’s Day.

4. He announced the coming day of Jehovah and what would happen at that time.

Joel’s message was fourfold:

1. The natural calamity they faced was so terrible and overwhelming, so far beyond the normal bounds, it could only be explained as a divine judgment.

2. Unless there was repentance and righteousness of life on the part of the nation, the locust and drought will be followed by even worse judgments.

3. He stressed the spiritual impact of the plague more than the economic aspect.

4, In his last chapter, he predicts the doom of their neighbors and the ultimate glory of Jehovah’s cause.

Joel and the New Testament

Joel 2:28-32 is cited by Peter as fulfilled by the out pouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost following Christ’s resurrection (Acts 2:1-4; Acts 2:16-21). Those who hold to the various premillennial theories frequently deny that Joel’s prophecy, was fulfilled at Pentecost. It has well been said that when an inspired man says "this is that which was spoken through a prophet, then that’s it." (See Acts 2:16).

Paul cites the closing words of Joel 2:32 in Romans 10:13, "Whosoever shall, call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." In Revelation 9:7-9, John uses the locust as a symbol of a destroying army.

Some Miscellaneous Facts about Joel’s Book

Joel was the prophet of Pentecost, even as Isaiah was of Messiah. In his prediction of the coming of the Holy Spirit, he may have thought of Moses’ wish that "that all Jehovah’s people were prophets, that Jehovah would put his Spirit upon them" (Numbers 11:29). Joel is quoted by Amos, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Obadiah, Ezekiel, Malachi, and some of the psalmists. This is based on the assumption of an early date. Some 27 of his 73 verses are found in other Old Testament books. Some time must have elapsed between the first and second sections, since the author records the Lord’s answer to their prayers (See Joel 2:18). Joel deals with social and moral issues less than any other prophet. The author reports one episode in his career rather than his entire ministry.

Important Concepts in Joel

"The day of Jehovah (the Lord)" (Joel 1:15). Any and every major divine intervention of judgment foreshadowed the final judgment of God, hence was called a day of the Lord. Thus the term must not be understood as an exclusive designation for the final judgment.

The day of Jehovah will bring both blessings and curses. As God destroyed the locusts, so will he destroyed their political enemies. That he poured out abundant, refreshing rain upon their parched ground and delivered those who called upon him in Joel’s day, is proof that he will deliver those who call upon him in the Great Day of Judgment. (Compare Joel 2:18-19 with Joel 2:32).

Joel uses the term "Israel" (Joel 2:27), to refer to the Southern Kingdom of Judah, not the breakaway Northern kingdom who had claimed the name for themselves.

"The sons of Javan" (Joel 3:6 KJV), is rendered "Sons of the Grecians" in the ASV. The Ionian Greeks had engaged in the business of selling Jewish captives as slaves.

The "Valley of Jehoshaphat" (Joel 3:12), likely refers to the scene of King Jehoshaphat’s victory over the Amorites, Moabites, and Edomites in the wilderness of Judah below Engedi (2 Chronicles 20). The word Jehoshaphat means "Jehovah judges." The context shows that to be the significance of the name as used by Joel. The valley of Kidron between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives was not so named until the time of Jerome and Eusebius of the fourth century A. D.

What Literary Men Have Said about Joel’s Prophecy

"In a literary and political point of view, Joel’s prophecy is one of the most beautiful productions of Hebrew literature" (F. Bleek).

"As a lyrical poet, he stands among the best of the Old Testament, being graphic, terse, and exceedingly effective" (J. Bewer).

Key’s That Unlock the Prophet’s Message

These key verses are seen in Joel’s Book:

Joel 1:15, "Alas for the day! For the day of Jehovah is at hand..."

Joel 2:25, "I will restore to you the years that the locust bath eaten...my great army which I sent among you."

Joel 2:28, "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh..."

The key phrase: "day of the Lord" (Joel 1:15; Joel 2:1; Joel 2:11, etc.).

The key thought: that judgment, if rightly perceived and responded to, can be a prelude to blessings.

A Simple Summary of Joel

I. The Devastation, a Divine Judgment. (Joel 1:1 to Joel 2:21).

II His Call to Repentance (Joel 2:12-17).

III. Blessings Restored (Joel 2:18-27).

IV. Blessings and Judgment of the Latter Days (Joel 2:28 to Joel 3:21).

Exposition of the Text

"The word of Jehovah, that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel" (Joel 1:11). In this introductory statement, the writer identifies himself and claims a divine origin for his message.

The Natural Calamity, Its Meaning and

the Response Demanded (Joel 1:2 to Joel 2:27)

The prophet, describes the devastation of the locusts and drought (Joel 1:2 to Joel 2:11). In the first twelve verses, Joel calls upon his hearers to contemplate the meaning of what had happened to them.

"Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or in the days of your fathers? Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation" (Joel 1:2-3).

Joel appeals to the aged, whose experience was the largest and whose memory was the longest, if ever they had seen or heard of such a heavy judgment? Similar words were used to describe the locust plaque in Egypt when God delivered Israel (Exodus 10:4-6). He then charges them to be diligent in passing on the record of this judgment to generations yet to come. In the ancient world, their history was passed on orally by the older people who had learned from those who had gone before them. Moses urged the people of his day to take heed, lest they forget the things which their eyes saw, and "make them known to their children" and their children’s (Deuteronomy 4:9). So did the psalmist (Psalms 78:5-8).

"That which the palmerworm, hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten" (J0e 1:4). The terms palmer-worm, locust, cankerworm, and caterpillar in Joel 1:4 refers to locust in their different stages of growth. They pass through five stages of development: egg, larva, pupae, young fliers and mature flies. Driver renders the words: shearer, swarmer, lapper, and finisher.

Haupt translates the passage thusly:

"What the old locust left,

the newly hatched hopper ate;

what the hopper left,

the (pupae) crawler ate,

what the crawler left,

the (mature) fliers ate."

Three views have been offered regarding the locust.

1. Allegorical. This view sees them as figurative of hostile nations that invaded Israel.

2. Apocalyptic. This sees them symbolizing the awful judgments of the end time.

3. Natural or Historical. This understands the prophet to be recording an actual locust plague in the history of Israel. To this view this author subscribes.

The locusts had stripped their land and left them helpless and starving in their wake. Today America and other prosperous nations would rush emergency food supplies to a nation in such circumstances. Great airplanes would fly in tons of food. In those distant times, a nation was left to struggle alone in their crisis.

"Awake, ye drunkards, and weep: and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine; for it is cut off from your mouth" (Joel 1:5). While drunkenness is condemned in other places (See Isaiah 5:11; Isaiah 28:13), in this passage Joel is calling them to soberness that they might fully realize the extent of their ruin. The locust had not only eaten the crops in the fields, they had also destroyed the vineyards and orchards (Joel 1:7). Those who abused wine and those who drank fresh grape juice would be deprived because of the locusts. Wine in its various forms was the principal beverage among the Hebrews.

"For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the jaw-teeth of a lioness. He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white" (Joel 1:6-7).

The "nation," that had invaded them was the locusts. Because of their vast numbers, 100-200 million per square mile, and because of their destructive power, he described them as an invading army. In that day, they were invincible. See the introductory section for more information on locusts.

Shifting metaphors, Joel likens the locusts to lions. Though a single locust is tiny and when alone no threat at all, in a great swarm such as the people faced, the mouths of the locusts were deadly and destructive as a lion. Remember that his words are figurative. Locusts have no teeth such as lions have.

Having first cleaned the greenery of the land, the hungry insects ate the tender branches and stripped the bark off the vines and trees leaving the white inner flesh exposed. Thus barked, a tree or vine would soon dry up and die. We can

imagine seeing the land barren or like a wilderness with the whiten poles of its dead trees standing as stark grave markers.

He says to the priests: "Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, Jehovah’s ministers, mourn" (Joel 1:8-9). To lament means to mourn bitterly. "Like" tells, us the comparison is a simile. "Sackcloth" was the coarse cloth worn in times of great sorrow, such as death of a family member. They should mourn like a virgin for the husband of her youth. In those days a young woman was considered the wife of a man from the time of her betrothal (Deuteronomy 22:22-29). Yet during the engagement period she lived with her relatives and did not have direct contact with her husband to be. Her sorrow would he especially great if he died before they were privileged to share their lives together. So should the priests of Jehovah’s temple mourn, because the famine was so severe that no meal offerings or drink offerings could be offered at God’s house.

The meal or meat offering consisted of flour, oil and frankincense (Leviticus 2:1-3). A portion was burned and the rest went to the priests. The drink offering was of wine (Leviticus 23:13). Without the flour, oil, and wine the priests could not offer the daily sacrifice of the temple (Exodus 29:38-42). God had promised to meet with Aaron’s sons at the door of the tent of meeting each day when they offered the daily meal and drink offering.

He then calls upon the husbandmen and vine dressers to consider their plight: "The field is laid waste, the land mourneth; for the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be confounded, 0 ye husbandmen, wail, 0 ye vine dressers, for the wheat and for the barley; for the harvest of the field is perished. The vine is withered, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men" (Joel 1:10-12).

Joel plays upon the sound of the words. In the original, Joel 1:10 a would be expressed as follows, "the field fails," "the ground grieves" (J. J. Given).

Having introduced the fact that the meat and drink offerings were cut off, he proceeds to note specifically that the grain, wine, and oil (ingredients of those offerings) are destroyed.

"Husbandmen" are tillers of the soil or farmers. They mourn because their entire crop is lost. Not only will it mean economic loss, but hunger as well. The "pomegranate tree" is indigenous to Palestine. It grows to a height of 20 feet and has spreading branches with beautiful red blossoms. Its fruit has an orange-brown color and pleasing to the taste.

The "palm tree" refers to the date palm which was important for its fruit production. It grows up to 100 ft. in height.

The "apple tree" is likely a generic term referring to an aromatic fruit and might include, either the apple, apricot, or quince (Laetsch). The Arabs include oranges, lemons, and peaches in the same genre (Henderson).

"The trees of the field" refers to other than fruit bearing trees. None had escaped the teeth of the locusts.

“Joy is withered away," because of their devastating losses. No food, no provisions for worship, no harvest celebrations, only the cruel spectra of famine stalking their land.

He next issues a charge to the priests: "Gird yourselves with sackcloth, and lament, ye priests; wail, ye ministers of the altar; come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering are withholden from the house of your God" (Joel 1:13). He uses a parallelism of three lines to emphasize his point. Three times he refers to the sons of Aaron in slightly different terms: "Ye priests," "ye ministers of the altar," "ye ministers of my God." His point is that they, the spiritual leaders of the nation, must lead the way in repentance and mourning. For before restoration of blessings and renewal can come, there must be repentance and reformation in the hearts and lives of the people.

He continues his charge to the priests, saying, "Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the old men and all the inhabitants of the land unto the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto Jehovah" (Joel 1:14). The drastic situation demanded a drastic response. He calls for a national day of fasting and mourning. King Jehoshaphat called for such a fast when the nation was threatened by an invasion of the Moabites, Amorites, and Edomites (2 Chronicles 20:3). (See also Judges 20:26-27 and Jeremiah 36:9). There was to be a special assembly at the temple of God where they could petition the Lord for mercy.

"The old men" likely refers to the elders of the people who would lead the way in their appeal to God. Considering Joel 1:13-14, we can determine the essential ingredients of such a solemn occasion; a gathering for divine worship, garments of mourning; abstinence from food, confession of sin and petitions for mercy and assistance. The words of mourning expressed by the prophet (Joel 1:15-20), were an example of the words and sentiments the people should lift up unto God.

"Alas for the day! For the day of Jehovah is at hand, and as destruction from the Almighty shall it come" (Joel 1:15). "Alas" is a term expressing unhappiness or misery. "The day of Jehovah" in this text should not be understood as the day of final judgment. It was a term used for any intervention of divine judgment upon a people. All such days do foreshadow that last great day of judgment when the heavens and earth shall be destroyed (2 Peter 3:10; 2 Peter 3:12). "The day of God" which they mourned was the one of locust plague and drought. The prophet stresses, that they should see the plague, not just as an unfortunate event in nature, but as "destruction from the Almighty."

"Is not the food cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?” (Joel 1:16). In these words he describes the awful consequences of the locust. The fruit of their trees and crops in the fields was devoured before their eyes. This was no hyperbole. Thompson, in his volume, The Land and the Book, writes, "I saw under my own eyes not only a large vineyard loaded with young grapes, but whole fields of corn disappear as if by magic; the crops of the husbandman vanish like smoke" (p. 418).

By adding the ellipsis we can better understand the second point he makes. "Joy and gladness (are cut off) from the house of our God." Because, the crops were destroyed, no grain for meal offerings and no wine for drink offerings would be brought to the temple. No rejoicing or celebration of worship and holy days would be experienced under those circumstances. Moses had taught them that when they brought their gifts to God’s house "there ye shall eat before Jehovah.....and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto...." (Deuteronomy 12:7). The word "meat" in the KJV is confusing, the ASV translators correctly render it "food."

Joel 1:17-20 describes the result of the drought that had come along with the locusts. "The seeds rot under their clods; the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down for the grain is withered" (Joel 1:17). The locusts devoured the standing crop. When they replanted, the seed did not germinate because of drought. That which did sprout withered. Store housed, granaries were neglected because there were no crops to store.

"How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea the flocks of sheep are made desolate. O Jehovah, to thee do I cry; for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field, yea, the beasts of the field pant unto thee; for the water brooks are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness" (Joel 1:18-20). He describes the domesticated animals as bewildered in their futile search for food, lowing and bleating in their hunger. The animals, although innocent of any crime, still suffered with the sinners. Nor could the creatures understand why such was happening. The prophet felt sympathy for the poor creatures. He knew God’s concern for both men and beast. (See Psalms 36:5-10).

"The fire" that devoured the pastures and "the flame" that burned the trees are metaphors to describe the searing heat of the drought which is as destructive to the vegetation as would be a fire. It might also refer to literal fire for when the land is tender dry from drought, fires easily break out and ravage the land. Also the ancients set fires before the oncoming locust hoping to destroy them or at least to turn them away from their crops.

The Locusts Pictured as Jehovah’s Army (Joel 2:1-11).

Borrowing the metaphor of war, Joel calls for the watchmen to sound the trumpet of alarm to awaken the people to the imminent danger of invasion. "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of Jehovah cometh, for it is nigh at hand" (Joel 2:1). He interprets the disaster as a "day of Jehovah" that has come upon them because of their sin. All the inhabitants are urged to "tremble" before their offended God that they may find mercy. (Compare Philippians 2:12). That he speaks of Zion is an indication that the prophet was a man of the Southern Kingdom.

The day of Jehovah he proceeds to describe. It is "a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, as the dawn spread upon the mountains; a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be anymore after them, even to the years of many generations. A fire devoureth before them, and behind them a flame burneth: the land as the garden of Eden before them and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and none hath escaped them" (Joel 2:2-3).

With two dramatic pictures, he describes the day of the Lord that had overtaken them. First the immense swarm of locusts is like a huge black cloud that hides the sun. When in flight, a large swarm of these creatures is frequently said to darken the sun. The word rendered "dawn" is shachar which the RSV correctly renders "like blackness there is spread upon the mountains..." That which causes the darkness, the clouds, the blackness is the locust which he calls "a great people and a strong (people)." Similar language is used by Moses to describe the plaque of locusts that struck Egypt. "For they covered the face of the whole earth so that the land was darkened..." (Exodus 10:15).

The second comparison of the devastation of the locusts is that of a fire. Before they come, the land was a lush and green as the Garden of Eden. After they left it looked like a burnt, desolate wilderness. The expression "Garden of Eden" may be translated "Garden of Delight" (F. C. Cook). The student should consult E. B. Pusey’s Commentary on the Minor Prophets for a lengthy and detailed historical description of locust plaques in the Middle East. Joel’s words are not the least exaggerated. The severity of the locust infestations is expressed in the phrase "there hath not ever been the like, neither shall be any more after them."

Joel adds a third description of the locusts. He likens them to an army of attacking soldiers. "The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen so do they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains do they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as strong people set in battle array" (Joel 2:4-5). Like other poets, Joel uses bold and expressive metaphors to describe the invading horde. In their swift advance they remind him of a huge calvary assault. They mow down the vegetation just as military chariots mowed down opposing soldiers. To appreciate this figure, you must understand that the wheels of their war chariots were fitted with heavy cutting blades that rotated as the wheels turned. Drawn by powerful horses, they would shear the legs of any foot soldier they encountered. The noise generated by the locusts devouring the plants he likens to the crackling of vegetation being consumed by fire. As a whole they were like a huge army advancing across the earth.

"At their presence the people are in anguish; all faces are waxed pale" (Joel 2:6). In this verse, he paints a vivid picture of the victims of the invading locusts. It was what you would see if the invasion was an army of cruel men. People saw their livelihood destroyed before their eyes. Their crops were destroyed, but they could be replanted. But locusts also ate the bark off of trees and vines. Thus stripped, the plants died. It would take several years to bring new plants to maturity. The poor farmers were terrified, the blood drained from their faces as they watched the destruction. Remember in those days there were no pesticides. There were no airplanes to dust their crops and save them. To fight them off was impossible. They were helpless before the devouring army. "They run like a mighty men; they climb the wall like men of war; and they march everyone on his ways, and they break not their ranks. Neither Both one thrust another; and they burst through the weapons, and break not off their course. They leap upon the city; they run upon the wall; they climb up into the houses, they enter in at the windows like a thief” (Joel 2:7-9). Still using metaphors of an invading army, he depicts them as invincible. Nothing can deter them. Walls cannot stop the locusts. Just as soldiers scale the walls of a fortress city, so the locust go over the walls of houses or gardens, to reach the food they seek. Like victorious soldiers set on looting their victims, the locusts, seeking anything edible, swarmed through the open or latticed windows into the very houses of the people.

"The earth quaketh before them; the heavens tremble; the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining." (Joel 2:10). The earth quaking, is not to be taken literally. It describes the impact of the locust plague on society. With their means of livelihood destroyed, families were penniless. Taxes could not be paid. Business had no paying customers. The entire social structure, from the peasant to the rulers, was brought to its knees. Neither did the heavenly bodies, sun, moon, stars, literally tremble. The following line tells us what he saw in the heavens. The heavens were darkened when the swarms of locust took flight in search of more food. Imagine swarms numbering 100-200 million per square acre taking flight.

There might be a secondary meaning to his mention of sun, moon and stars being darkened. The Hebrew prophets frequently used this imagery to describe the collapse and overthrow of government. (See Isaiah 13:10; Isa 34; Ezekiel 32:7-8; Joel 2:28-32; Revelation 6:12-17). The key to interpreting these descriptions is found in Genesis 37:9-10. There Joseph dreamed that the sun, moon and eleven stars made obeisance to him. His father understood, the sun to refer to himself, the ruler of the family clan, the moon to Joseph’s mother and the stars to his brothers. Joseph was one of the youngest of the brothers, how could this be? Where this imagery is used, the prophet is saying that kings, queens, and secondary rulers would all be overthrown and lose their power.

"And Jehovah uttereth his voice before his army; for his camp is very great; for he is strong that executeth his word; for the day of Jehovah is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?" (Joel 2:11). Just as armies of nations have a general who sets their objective, plans their strategy and orders their advance, Joel sees his God as the one directing the great army of locusts. God has a purpose in allowing this judgment on his people. He has an objective and no one can keep Him from attaining it. He is invincible. Ezekiel tells us that among the weapons in God’s arsenal are "the sword, and the famine, and the evil beasts, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast" (Ezekiel 5:17; Ezekiel 15). The Hebrews were experiencing the pain of his punishment by the locust plague. Their only hope was that God would have mercy and call off his invading army. "The day of Jehovah" and similar expressions are found throughout God’s Word. The most common usage in the Old Testament is a judgement in time against one or more nations, after which events will move onward. In the New Testament, the meaning most often speaks of the great and final day of the Lord that will bring to an end our material world (2 Peter 3:7-13), and leave us to stand before Christ our Judge (2 Corinthians 10). We must always let the context determine which of these meanings apply in a particular text. In every case the "day of the Lord" is "great and very terrible" and no man can escape its consequences.

His Call to Repentance (Joel 2:12-17).

"Yet even now, saith Jehovah, turn ye unto me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto Jehovah your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repenteth him of the evil" (Joel 2:12-13). The righteous God who judges and punishes the wicked is also the God of mercy and forgiveness. Then as now, "God is not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). He makes it clear that it is not enough to simply say, "I am sorry." No, He demands genuine repentance. He wants more than an outward token such as rending or tearing one’s garment. He wants a heart broken with shame and sorrow for ones sins and a resolution to change one’s life. David says, "Jehovah is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as are of a contrite spirit" (Psalms 34:18). True repentance affects personal sin in the same way that an antiboitic affects an infection. Repentance cannot take away the guilt of sin, but it creates a situation where God can cleanse and forgive the sinner. The church of our age needs to hear lessons on "rend your heart and not your garments."

Although God’s mercy is magnified in Christ (Titus 2:11), passages like this reminded the Hebrews that Jehovah was "gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness" (2:13). Those who preach need to remember when warning sinners of God’s judgment to temper it with his marvelous grace.

It has always intrigued man that God could "repent" of anything. After all, Samuel told Saul that "the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man that he should repent" (1 Samuel 15:29). Enemies of God are quick to pounce on words like Joel’s, thinking to prove a contradiction in the Sacred Word. It is obvious to the unprejudiced student that the word "repentance" has two meanings. For man to receive forgiveness of sins there must be godly sorrow that leads him to change his conduct from disobedience to obedience toward God (2 Corinthians 7:10). Since God does not sin, he cannot repent in this sense of the word. But to repent also means to change ones mind. That is the meaning of all the passages cited that say that God repented of his intention to punish wicked men. (See Exodus 32:14; Jeremiah 18:8, etc.). In this sense, rather than suggesting some weakness or failure in God, it reflects his love, mercy and justice for men who are truly sorry for their sins. "The evil" God repents of in Joel 2:13, is the judgements that their sins had incurred. If they would repent, he would remove his hand of judgement.

"Who knoweth whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meal-offering and a drink-offering unto Jehovah your God" (Joel 2:14). If they would do their part and truly repent, they could count on their merciful God to lift his judgments and restore to them their prosperity. Their crops would flourish and there would soon be sufficient harvest that they could bring to the temple their meal-offering and drink-offering which came from the first fruits of harvest (Leviticus 2:14-16).

"Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly; gather the people, sanctify the assembly, assemble the old men, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth from his chamber, and the bride out of her closet" (Joel 2:15-16). God instructs the priests to call for a solemn assembly at the temple in Jerusalem. The trumpets were used to summon the people for the service were made of silver (Numbers 10:1-2). Earlier they had been used for removal of the camp while they were in the wilderness. Now they were used for calling sacred meetings of the people.

Everyone in the nation was called to stand before God. Normally the very young, those who were too old to make the journey and the newly wed were excused from such pilgrimages to Jerusalem. But now, the extremities of their sin and punishment made it necessary for all to stand before God with penitent hearts and seek his mercy.

"Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep between the porch and the altar and let them say, Spare thy people O Jehovah, and give not thy heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?" (Joel 2:17). This was the purpose of the solemn assembly of Joel 2:15. It was a day of national mourning. The nation was so weakened by the devastating locust plague, that they were in imminent danger of being overrun by their stronger enemies. They had neither strength nor resources to defend themselves. Their only hope for deliverance was their God. Among the ancient peoples, a nation and its God were inextricably united. Thus if the Hebrews failed, their heathen neighbors would concluded that their God had proven incapable of saving them. They would taunt they Hebrews asking, Where is your God?

"Then was Jehovah jealous for his land, and had pity on his people. And Jehovah answered and said unto his people, Behold I will send you grain, and new wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations;" (Joel 2:19). This verse suggests to us that the people did truly repent, rending their hearts and not just their garments. They engaged in the prescribed national day of mourning. God heard and accepted their cries for forgiveness and restoration and granted the blessing. Through his spokesman, Joel, he promised to send them crops that would relieve their suffering. The reproach of which they had spoken would be lifted.

"But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive it into a land barren and desolate, its forepart into the eastern sea; and it hinder part into the western sea; and its stench shall come up and its ill savor shall come up, because it hath done great things" (Joel 2:20). "The northern army" refers to the invading locust horde. Most of the military invasions of Israel had come from the North. With the Mediterranean on the West, and a vast desert to the East, most of their attackers had come from the north. He likens the locusts to those armies. When locusts invade a region their movement is unpredictable. For reasons unknown to us they might take flight and travel for miles before landing again. God promises to "drive" the locusts, some into the desert, some into the "western sea, i.e., the Mediterranean, and some to the "eastern sea," i.e., the Dead Sea, where they would perish. The vast numbers of the decaying locusts would foul the air.

"Fear not, 0 land, be glad and rejoice; for Jehovah hath done great things. Be not afraid ye beasts of the field; for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth its fruit, the fig-tree and the vine do yield their strength" (Joel 2:21-22). In addressing the "land" and promising renewal after the locust invasion, the author uses a metonymy making the land stand for the inhabitants thereof. In addressing the beasts of the field and pastures, he uses a figure call an "apostrophe" whereby one addresses inanimate objects. Notice that Joel attributes the sending of the locusts, their removal and the return of prosperity to Jehovah. People educated in secular schools tend to think of the world’s events in a mechanical sense. Christians should always see God’s hand of providence in all that is transpiring. Because they had repented and turned back to God, he would reward them with abundant crops.

"Be glad then, ye children of Zion and rejoice in Jehovah your God; for he giveth you the former rain in just measure, and he causeth to come down for you the latter rain, in the first month" (Joel 2:23). Mt. Zion is the elevation in Jerusalem whereon the temple stood. Children of Zion were God’s faithful worshipers. They could rejoice because their God not only drove the locusts away, but He caused the drought to cease by sending their normal seasonal rains. In Palestine they have two rainy seasons per year. Early or former rains are those of the autumn months (mid-October to mid-December). With sufficient rain, the newly planted seed would sprout and begin its development. With the latter rains, which came in March and April, the crops would mature, producing a good yield. Notice that he promises God would send the rain "in just measure," i.e, just the right amount; not torrents that would destroy the crops. In the law, God promised them that he would reward their faithfulness with "rains in their seasons" (Leviticus 26:3-4). The "first month" is the month Nisan, which falls in the same period as our March and April.

"And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the Palmer-worm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and shall praise the name of Jehovah your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you; and my people shall never be put to shame. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am Jehovah your God, and there is none else; and my people shall never be put to shame" (Joel 2:24-27). "The floors" full of wheat refers to their threshing floors. The "vats" their vats for crushing grapes and olives from which they derived their prized olive oil.

The NIV greatly improves the rendering of Joel 2:25. "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten--the great locust and the young locusts, the other locusts, and the locust swarm." Thus He reminds them that the same God who sent the plague would send then prosperity and abundance. The purpose of all of this is seen in Joel 2:26 "And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel." God was and is immanent with his people. The church is his kingdom and the Holy Spirit dwells therein (1 Corinthians 3:16). So long as they were faithful and obedient to God they would never be ashamed. Blessings were conditioned on faithfulness. Such is still true today (1 Corinthians 4:2; Revelation 2:10).

II. THINGS YET TO COME (Joel 2:28 to Joel 3:21).

"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 young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit" (Joel 2:28-29). In the Hebrew text, 2:28 is the beginning of the third chapter. With these words, the prophet looks far into the future to that day when God’s Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all nations. These words would seem strange to the average Hebrew who, from his earliest years, was taught that Jehovah’s blessings were reserved for them alone. The rabbis could say it meant all Hebrews of every age and social group, but it seemed never to dawn on them that Joel foresaw a day when Gentiles would receive that great gift. The fulfillment was in two steps. For the Hebrews it came to pass on the Day of Pentecost following the resurrection of Christ. Of this we can be confident because Peter said, "this is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel." It has well been said that "when an inspired teacher says "this is that," then, "that’s that!" There can be no further arguing of the point. We know that God’s Spirit was poured out upon the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius, as Peter was declaring unto them the gospel of Christ (Acts 10:44-45). When Peter was called by the other Apostles to explain his actions with the Gentiles he said, "If then God gave unto them the like gift as he did also unto us, when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand God?" (Acts 11:17).

Prophecies and visions stand as a synecdoche for all the miraculous gifts that would accompany the coming of the Holy Spirit. In addition to these, Paul lists many others in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. In reading in the book of Acts, the record of the early church, we see these several miraculous gifts displayed.

From the fulfillment in Acts 2, we see two categories of receiving the Holy Spirit. The Apostles were "baptized in the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:5). That empowered them to be Christ’s witnesses to sinners of all nations (Acts 1:8). It enabled them to speak in foreign languages they had not learned by study (Acts 2:4-8). They received supernatural guidance in speaking "the mighty works of God" (Acts 2:11). They were enabled to perform remarkable miracles to confirm that God was indeed working in and through them (Mark 16:16-20).

The people who heard and believed the Apostles’ message, repented and were baptized in the name of Jesus received remission of sins and the "gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). This gift of the Spirit endowed them with many rich blessings but it did not empower them to speak in tongues and work miracles. This is clearly noted in Acts 8. Philip the evangelist taught and baptized believers in Samaria (Acts 8:12). This would have brought them the same gifts as Peter promised on Pentecost. Those believers who repented and were baptized...unto (for KJV) the remission of their sins would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

Philip evidently could not bestow on them any supernatural gifts. The Apostles, Peter and John, went to Samaria and laid their hands on them and they "received the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:17). Those receiving that special blessing were given supernatural powers that could be seen (Acts 8:18).

The pouring out of the Spirit was not to be limited to prophets or priests, but all saved people were to receive the blessing. Thus he mentions, men and women, young and old and servants as well as their masters. The recipients would be those who were obedient children of God (Acts 5:32).

The pouring out of the Holy Spirit was to be accompanied by many spectacular signs. Joel speaks of dreams, visions and prophesy. Looking again at Acts chapter two, we see that fulfilled at the instant the Spirit came upon the twelve Apostles (Compare Acts 1:26 with Joel 2:1). This makes it clear that only the Apostles were baptized in the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. There was the sound of a rushing, mighty wind such as a tornado produces. There were what appeared to be tongues of fire upon the heads of each of them (Acts 2:3). They spoke in languages they had not previously known.

Joel continues, "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke" (Joel 2:30). Taken with Joel 2:31, this could be figurative language describing the desolation of war: great bloodshed and the smoke of burning cities. Some take the words in a literal sense understanding them to refer to things transpiring at the temple at the time of the Spirit’s coming. In his sermon on that occasion, Peter tells us it was "the third hour of the day.” (Acts 2:15). That would be 9:00 a.m., the time when the priests would be offering the morning sacrifice. With the slain sacrificial animals there would be blood. On the great altar, the fire would be kindled to consume the offering and the smoke would be wafting upwards to heaven. While either of these are reasonable explanations of the text, this author prefers the latter meaning.

"The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Jehovah cometh" (Joel 2:30-31). Many teachers have wearied themselves trying to explain how, on that day, the sun and moon were literally changed. The fact is, the prophet clothes his prediction with symbolic language commonly used among the Hebrews. Isaiah described the coming overthrow of Babylon with similar language (13:9-10) and the same of Edom (Isaiah 34:4). Jeremiah used it of Judah (Jeremiah 4:23-25). Ezekiel used similar imagery to describe the punishment of Egypt (Ezekiel 32:1-8). Amos described the coming judgement on the Northern Kingdom in similar language (Amos 8:1-9). Jesus described the destruction of Jerusalem with the same illustration (Matthew 24:29). John used the same in predicting the destruction of Rome (Revelation 6:12-13). The meaning is found in Genesis 37:9. Joseph dreamed the sun, moon and eleven stars made obeisance to him. His father interpreted it to mean that his father, mother and brethren would bow down to him. (Genesis 37:10). Thus the heavenly lights being darkened predicted a violent overthrow of government. The sun represented the highest authority, the moon the second tier of dignitaries and the stars, lesser authorities. The establishment of Christ’s church was the beginning of the end of the Jewish state. The new kingdom of heaven would replace the earthly kingdom of Israel. That occurred in 70 A. D. when the legions of Rome defeated the Jewish rebels, burned the Holy City and temple and scattered the surviving Jews throughout the world. "The great and terrible day of Jehovah," in this context, almost certainly refers to the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the dissolution of the Jewish state. Without question, each day of the Lord that occurs in human history foreshadows the uniquely great and terrible day when God will destroy the material world by fire (2 Peter 3:10), and all who have lived upon the earth will stand before Christ and receive the things done in their lives (2 Corinthians 5:10).

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as Jehovah hath said, and among the remnant those whom Jehovah Both call" (Joel 2:32). As the prophet contemplated the fiery destruction of Jerusalem, in the great day of Jehovah, he saw hope amidst the destruction. "Whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered" and some who dwelt in Jerusalem would escape. In his Olivet Discourse, Jesus warned his disciples of the coming invasion of the Roman armies. He told them, "When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation...standing in the holy place...then let them that are in Judea flee unto the mountains..." (Matthew 24:15-16). We know that when the Romans approached the city, the Christians, one and all, abandoned the city and fled to Pella east of the Jordan River. There they were safe while Jerusalem was being sieged and finally taken and burned. Eusebius, the father of church history, records their escape to safety.

When Peter cited this passage, in his great sermon on the Day of Pentecost, he found a spiritual application in Joel’s promise and offered salvation from sin to all who called upon the name of the Lord. He told those who asked, what must they do? to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins and at that point they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:28). He went on to say, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation" (Acts 2:40). Three thousand souls claimed the promise.

"For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will execute judgment upon them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations: and they have parted my land, and have cast lots for my people, and have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink" (Joel 3:1-3). This section is introduced with the word "For" which ties it to the preceding teaching, i.e., the day when God would pour forth His Spirit. In Joel 2:29-32, Joel had predicted a great and terrible day of judgement on the disobedient Hebrews. In this section he speaks of coming days when God would bring back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem. He also proceeds to predict devastating judgements upon the various nations who had done harm to God’s people. In doing this we see a blending of literal, historical events that were forthcoming and great spiritual developments that would be fulfilled in Christ and his church, the kingdom of heaven.

At the time of Joel’s writing, the citizens of the Southern Kingdom of Judah occupied their homeland. From 606-586 B. C. Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian troops would overrun them and deport them to Babylon as prisoners of war. There they would languish for 70 years. When Babylon was defeated by the Persians, the surviving remnant was allowed to return to their homeland. Under the leadership of Ezra and Zerubbabel the first wave of settlers returned to Judea. Others eventually followed and in time most of the land was repopulated by Hebrews. While this restoration was yet future when Joel wrote, it is more likely that he spoke of the remnant of the Hebrews being gathered into Messiah’s spiritual kingdom, the church. Remember he is writing of things in those days and times of the Spirit’s coming (3:1). Amos expresses a similar thought of restoration and it is clearly in Messiah’s reign. "And I will bring back the captivity of my people, Israel, and they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them" (Amos 9:14). The Apostle James cites the prediction of Amos 9:11-15 as pertaining to the church, the new spiritual Israel (Acts 15:14-18). Isaiah, says, "...in that day, that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people that shall remain..." (Isaiah 11:11).

The church is the spiritual Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem. Its citizens are God’s firstborn children (Hebrews 12:22-23). Today, everyone, who in faith, is baptized into Christ is a child of God. Belonging to Christ, we are "Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise." God no longer makes a distinction between Jew or Gentile (Galatians 3:26-29). All of those who have faith such as Abraham had are his spiritual descendants. The Church of Christ is the "Israel of God" (Galatians 6:17). Today God is gathering Abraham’s children into Christ’s church whether they be Jew or Greek. It is spiritual Israel,

As God punished the disobedient Hebrews, he now serves notice that those Gentile nations that for generations had harassed and ravaged His people Israel will all receive the judgment due them for their wickedness. When reading of God’s judgments, we must always remember that nations are judged in time for the evils they have done while individuals will be judged in eternity (Acts 17:31; 2 Corinthians 5:10).

In this section he tells us:

1. What would happen: Judgement upon Gentile nations for their crimes against God’s people (Joel 3:2).

2. Where it would happen: in the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2). The word Jehoshaphat means "Jehovah judges." It is this meaning of the word the prophet wishes to emphasize. Engagements between warring armies in those days were usually fought in valleys. We should understand that Jehovah is going to judge those heathen nations by making war upon them here on the earth.

3. When it would happen: "In those days...when (God) shall bring back the captivity of Judah..." (Joel 3:1).

4. Why they were to be judged: They had scattered God’s people among the nations and sold them as slaves. They had robbed His temple (Joel 3:2-5).

5. What their judgement would consist of: Other nations would wage successful war against the enemies of God and the Hebrews. They would suffer the same kind of horror and sorrow they had inflicted upon the Hebrews (Joel 3:9-12). Their nations would be destroyed and consigned to the ash heap of history.

Among those cited for judgment are Tyre and Sidon of Phoenicia and the Philistines. These stand by synecdoche for all of their pagan enemies.

Several charges are leveled against the offending nations:

1. They had "scattered among the nations" God’s heritage, i.e., his people (Joel 3:2).

2. As conquerors, they had "parted (God’s) land" among themselves (Joel 3:2 b).

3. They had "cast lots for my people" (Joel 3:3 a). This was done as they took for themselves slaves from among the defeated Hebrews.

4. They sold Jewish captives to slave traders who took them far from their homes.

5. They had given "a boy for a harlot." There were so many captives that the slave market was glutted. A young boy was worth no more than a night with a harlot.

6. They exchanged a young Jewish girl for a bottle of wine (Joel 3:3). These nations had no respect for human life. To them their captives were no more than merchandise to be traded. Even innocent children were abused. This attitude is still with us among many of those individuals and nations that do not honor Jehovah: Nazi Germany, Tojo’s Japan, Russia, China and other Communist nations greatly abused their victims. In our nation it is manifest in those who promote abortion of innocent babies and those who abuse women and children.

7. They had robbed God’s temple of its treasure (Joel 3:5).

"Yea, and what are ye to me, 0 Tyre, and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Will ye render me a recompense? And if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompense upon your own head" (Joel 3:4). When the prophet turns and speaks to an audience not present (Tyre, Sidon and Philistia), it is called an "apostrophe." The word means to turn away from the real audience before you and address an imaginary one. The NIV gives a clearer rendering of Joel 3:4. "Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done." To understand this, imagine these nations standing before the great Judge of the universe, trying to justify the evil things they had done to God’s people. The Judge warns them if you try this ruse, He will add that to the punishment they are due! God then tells them the punishment they can expect to receive.

"Forasmuch as ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly precious things, and have sold the children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem unto the sons of the Grecians, that ye may remove them far from their border; behold, I will stir them up out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompense upon your own head; and I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the men of Sheba, to a nation far off: for Jehovah hath spoken it" (Joel 3:5-8). This reminds us that nations as well as individuals reap what they have sown (Galatians 6:7). As to when this would happen, we must remember that all of chapter three has to do with events that would come after God poured forth his Spirit on all flesh (Joel 2:28 & Joel 3:1). Christians living under the law of Christ are forbidden to take revenge on their enemies (Romans 12:17-21). Such judgements we are to leave to God’s hands. While there is no evidence that the Jews ever exercised such power over their hostile neighbors, we do know that in time, God utterly destroyed all of those nations. Their enemies had sold the Hebrew captives to the Grecians located to their north and west. God would punish them by selling them into the hands of people in Sheba, far to their south. When he says, "for Jehovah hath spoken it," he wants his readers to know that these are not just the words of Joel the prophet, but of almighty God!

"Proclaim ye this among the nations: prepare war; stir up the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong" (Joel 3:9-10). This is a challenge issued by our God to the heathen nations. He taunts them, to make every effort to defend themselves, let them fight with all their combined might. They should know that they will be defeated and destroyed by Jehovah, our king and their Judge. Among the ancient nations iron was in short supply. In peacetime they turned their swords in plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks (Isaiah 2:4). When war approached, they melted down their plow blades and pruning knives and used the metal to make swords and spear heads.

"Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Jehovah" (Joel 3:11). The last phrase in this verse is the prophet’s prayer that God would send his angelic army to deal with these heathen hordes.

"Let the nations bestir themselves, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there will I sit to judge all the nations round about. Put ye in the sickle; for the harvest is ripe; come, tread ye; for the winepress is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great" (Joel 3:12-13). The language of Joel 3:9-17 reminds us of John’s description of Christ’s conquest over the nations of earth. He is depicted as treading "the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God" (Revelation 19:15). In Revelation 14:15 we see God’s Son reaping the harvest of sin in the earth. As the juice of the crushed grapes gushed from the vats, so would the life blood of all those who array themselves against Jehovah and his people.

Think of the vanity and foolishness of any man or nation that thinks they can successfully challenge the great Jehovah. In God’s arsenal are weapons like the locusts, and other insect plagues, blight and disease of every kind; volcanoes and earth quakes; destructive winds, flooding rains, lightning bolts, ice and hail (Psalms 148:8). In addition to these He has at his disposal legions of angels capable of protecting His people and inflicting great destruction on their enemies (Is. 37:36). Asaph put it plainly, "Thou, even thou, art to be feared; And who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?" (Psalms 76:7).

"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of Jehovah is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining" (Joel 3:14-15). Joel tells us what he sees in his vision, a vast army of wicked men arrayed against the Lord and his saints. "The valley of decision" is the same as the valley of Jehoshaphat (Jehovah judges) mentioned in Joel 3:2.

The prophet once again uses the imagery of the sun, moon and stars being darkened (as in Joel 2:31). The meaning is the same. Great nations that had resisted our God would be overthrown. Kings, princes and governors would be cast down. Like snuffed candles, their lights would go out before our triumphant Lord.

"And Jehovah will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake; but Jehovah will be a refuge unto his people, and a stronghold to the children of Israel" (Joel 3:16). Zion was the location of Jehovah’s temple, in which was the Holy of Holies where his shekinah was seen as a glowing light. In our Christian age, the church is the new, spiritual mount Zion (Hebrews 12:22-23). Likening God powerful voice to the roar of a lion is a favorite of the prophets. (See Hosea 11:10; Amos 1:2; Amos 3:8; Jeremiah 25:30). The lion roars when he springs upon his prey. So when our Lord roars, the wicked will be struck down. Joel hastens to assure God’s faithful servants that they will have nothing to fear from God’s destructive judgments. He will be their refuge and stronghold as He pursues their enemies. The shaking of the earth at God’s voice is reminiscent of his appearance on mount Sinai. "And mount Sinai, the whole of it, smoked, because Jehovah descended upon it in fire...and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him..." (Exodus 19:18-19). All of this illustrates his majesty and power.

"So shall ye know that I am Jehovah your God, dwelling in Zion my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more" (Joel 3:17). Each time God delivers his people from danger, they should be reminded that he is Jehovah, their protector. He avenged himself on His enemies in ancient times and will do the same today. The great day of the Lord will be when Christ returns as heaven’s designated judge (2 Peter 3:10; Acts 17:31). The strangers who would no more trouble Jerusalem were the Gentile nations that had molested the Hebrews in days past. Today it would describe those unbelievers who are every trying to find a place of influence and power in Christ’s church.

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall flow with waters; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of Jehovah, and shall water the valley of Shittim" (Joel 3:18). "In that day" is in Messiah’s day, when the Spirit has been poured out upon all nations. The blessings of that age are set forth in profuse poetic imagery, easily understood by an agricultural people. "The mountains shall drop down sweet wine" refers to the abundant crops of grapes that were grown on the terraced hillsides. This is a metonymy of the subject. "The hills shall flow with milk" refers to the cattle and goats that graze up the hills and give abundant milk. "All the brooks of Judah shall flow with waters" was encouraging to a people, much of whose land was semi-arid. Many of their streams were wet-weather streams and often dry. In their glorious future their blessings would flow continually. In Christ, Paul says, we "are made full" (Colossians 2:10).

"A fountain shall come forth from the house of Jehovah, and shall water the valley of Shittim." He speaks not of a literal fountain of water, but a perpetual stream of blessings. Ezekiel saw such a life-giving fountain (Ezekiel 47:1-12). Zechariah also saw a similar fountain. "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness" (Zechariah 13:1). Jesus perhaps had this in mind when he said, "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believed on him were to receive..." (John 7:37-38). "The valley of Shittim" means "the valley of acacias." The acacia tree is a hardwood tree found in the land from Judea to Egypt. The furniture of the tabernacle was constructed of acacia wood. The valley of Shittim was an oasis where the Hebrews camped as they made their way to the promised land. It was there that the people’s hearts were turned to the degenerate Moabite worship of Baalpeor. Twenty-four thousand perished because of their great sin (Numbers 25:1). In Joel’s vision, he sees, not judgment, but blessings flowing into the valley of Shittim from the fountain coming forth from Jehovah’s house. In heaven, John saw a river of water of life flowing from the throne of God, blessing all nations (Revelation 22:1-2).

"Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence done to the children of Judah, because they had shed innocent blood in their land" (Joel 3:19). Both Egypt and Edom were long-time enemies of God’s people. Joel saw in the future that God’s judgments would be upon them along with all others who had set themselves against Jehovah and his people. Both of these nations were overrun and swallowed up by other nations. Today they are occupied by people of other origins. Remember that nations are judged in time while individuals will be judged in eternity.

"But Judah shall abide for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. And I will cleanse their blood, that I have not cleansed: for Jehovah dwelleth in Zion" (Joel 3:20-21). We are again reminded that Joel is speaking of events that would follow the pouring out of God’s Spirit. These lines seem to point to that day when God’s saved people will dwell with Him in New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:1-8). The enemies of God will have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone!

LESSONS TO REMEMBER

1. God executes his judgements by his agents in the natural world, such as locust, and thus displays his justice and omnipotence as moral governor of the world.

2. How can sinful man hope to resist God when He can use the smallest creatures to accomplish His will?

3. Disasters help to turn us to the Lord and make us receptive to his word.

4. A sensation of their dependence on God makes for a true religious revival among people.

5. God wants contrite hearts, not just outward signs of morning such as torn garments. A broken heart is the only sound heart in God’s sight.

6. Genuine repentance gives God a chance to send blessings instead of calamities.

7. The day of the Lord’s judgment is inevitable for all. None can evade it.

8. The only way to escape destruction is through repentance.

9. The enemies of God’s people are God’s enemies. He will war on behalf of his people.

10. National prayer and mourning can avert national calamities.

11. God’s people will abide forever in His blessed land; but his enemies shall be an eternal desolation.

IN THE VALLEY OF DECISION:

LESSONS FROM THE PROPHET JOEL

Notes For Week One: Introduction & The Locust Swarm

(Joel 1:1-12)

The book of Joel is one of the lesser-known books of the Old Testament, and yet it gives us some valuable insights into our relationship with God. Joel also contains a significant prophecy that is fulfilled in the New Testament. In our first lesson on the book, we shall first look at some key verses and background, and shall then study the first few verses of the book.

Introduction, Key Verses, & Overview

Most of the prophetic books have a definite historical context. So, when studying them, we generally make frequent use of historical details. Joel, though, is an exception, in that it cannot be assigned to a definite date. A study of Joel must therefore be primarily thematic, focusing more on principles and ideas than on historical information.

There are a couple of key verses in Joel that will help us to get an idea of what the book is about. One, in particular, may be familiar to you from studying the New Testament, since it was one of the foundations of Peter’s Pentecost sermon. This is Joel’s prophecy of the Spirit in Joel 2:28-32, which contains several important points that we shall study later in much more detail. He prophesies that God will one day pour out his Spirit on all of his people, that this will be accompanied by wonders and signs, and that it will seem like an upheaval of the universe. This passage is also the source of the well-known verse, "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved". When we put this verse in its context, we shall see how this illuminates the meaning of all of these ideas.

Most of this passage is quoted in Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Peter applies it to the beginnings of the church of Jesus Christ in two ways. He tells the crowd that Joel’s prophecy applies to the miraculous sign of the tongues of fire, which occurred just before he got up to speak, and later in the lesson he tells the crowd how they, too, can receive "the gift of the Holy Spirit". So an understanding of Joel can also give us additional appreciation for what happened in Acts 2.

Joel 3:14 could be called the theme verse of Joel, since it concisely summarizes the basic lesson of the book, telling us that "the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision". Joel’s original audience was suffering at the time from the effects of a gigantic swarm of locusts. His message to them was that they should learn from this misfortune. They should realize that we all need God’s mercy all of the time, and they should heed Joel’s call to them to make a firm decision to recommit themselves to God.

For later generations, the same message holds true. Joel tells us all that we shall soon find ourselves "in the valley of decision". This world will last only a short time, and thus we should not become engrossed in the persons, things, and events of this world, but rather should learn from its problems and limitations. We should turn to God and then rely on him alone.

Our study will follow this basic overview of Joel:

I. The Locust Swarm (Joel 1:1-12)

II. Preparing For The Day of the Lord (Joel 1:13 to Joel 2:11)

III. God’s Call to His People (Joel 2:12-27)

IV. God’s Promise to His People (Joel 2:28 to Joel 3:2)

V. Decision & Judgment (Joel 3:3-21)

Although there is not much definite historical background to Joel, we can briefly mention some general background to the book. It is the second of the twelve shorter prophetic books (usually called the "Minor Prophets"*) at the end of the Old Testament. Of these, 10 have definite or fairly definite historical backgrounds, while Joel and Obadiah provide too little internal information for us to assign a definite date. We do get a clue, though, from the fact that the others are arranged roughly in chronological order (that is, Hosea, Amos, and Jonah are the earliest of the ones with definite dates, and Malachi is the latest). Since it is most generally assumed that the ancient Jews arranged these books deliberately, this would suggest that Joel is likely to have been written during the same general era as Hosea and Amos, which would be the first half of the 8th century BC**, or perhaps slightly earlier (see below). This was a time when the spiritual problems of God’s people became particularly serious, and when God began to deal with them with rigorous discipline.

• ·    The common term "Minor Prophets" does not mean that these books are of secondary importance, but rather that they are shorter than books such Isaiah and Jeremiah. The ancient Jews called them "The Twelve", and they were considered one book with that name. The early Christians sometimes called them "The Twelve Prophets", or, because the Latin word "minor" means shorter or smaller, the Minor Prophets.

• ·    That is, during the later years of the Divided Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom fell in 722 BC. While cautious or conservative commentators often still accept this early 8th century BC date for Joel, more modern theories have used his style and his external references to suggest dates ranging anywhere from the 9th century BC, to as late as 500 BC. Most of these theories are speculative, and a date in the first half of the 8th century BC probably still fits the best, at least from a perspective that relies primarily on the Bible’s own internal evidence. (There is also a possible reference to Joel’s locust swarm in Amos 4:9.) Nevertheless, there is no absolute proof of any of this, and the date of the book must be considered as uncertain.

Fortunately, all of this has only a minimal effect on the way Joel is interpreted. The key lessons, such as the prophecy of the Spirit and the concept of the "valley of decision", remain the same regardless of when the prophecies were written. If, in fact, we do not worry about the date issue, we find that Joel becomes one of the easier prophetic books to interpret and apply.

For Discussion or Study: What might Joel’s prophecy about the Spirit have meant to his original hearers? What might we be able to learn from studying it in its original context? How might Joel’s concept of "the valley of decision" apply to Christians? Looking at the key verses and the outline of Joel, what kinds of lessons do you think we might find as we study the book?

The Locust Swarm (Joel 1:1-12)

The book of Joel is set amidst an enormous swarm of locusts that were devastating the land. Joel gives a vivid description of this disaster and of its effects. The locust swarm provides the context for the rest of the book, and by understanding what it was like to live through it, we can see the ways that Joel’s prophecies are significant to believers in any era.

In describing this locust swarm, Joel tells the people that nothing like it has ever happened in their memory (Joel 1:1-4). It is an unprecedented calamity, the kind of event that naturally causes us to ask why it happened and what it might mean. But Joel has a couple of other points to make before discussing these aspects of the event. He first calls them to remember what has happened, and to pass it on to their children and grand-children, so that it will remain in the memory of God’s people. In other words, there is no doubt that God will use this locust swarm to say something, and he wants his people to listen to him, not merely to try to live through the current problems and then forget about them.

In Joel 1:4, Joel describes the swarm as one wave of locusts after another. The terms for the different types of locusts vary somewhat from one Bible translation to another, but the specific terms are not the point: he is establishing an image of trouble upon trouble, a series of ills that never seems to stop. While we may not have lived through a locust plague, most of us know quite well how it feels to be plagued by one difficulty after another.

Joel then turns to the effects of the locust swarm (Joel 1:5-12). He first addresses drunkards, telling them to wail because the locust swarm has ruined the crop that would have produced new wine. In doing so, he is not referring exclusively to literal drunks, but to all those who have been living for pleasure. The locust swarm not only destroyed many of the essentials of life, it also took away everything "fun", leaving each person to rely solely on his or her relationship with God - if indeed he or she had one strong enough to last.

Next, Joel gives us some images of the swarm, comparing it at one point to an invading army. This provides an obvious parallel to the times in Old Testament history when God would allow foreign armies to invade Israel* because of his people’s sin and idolatry. Indeed, early Christian commentators invariably pointed out this parallel**, and pointed out the emphatic reminder of human helplessness before God’s judgment. Locust swarms and armies are fearsome opponents, but they are nothing compared to the full power of God - thus we are reminded of how nonsensical it is ever to oppose God.

• ·    If Joel was indeed written in the 9th or early 8th century BC, then these invasions were yet to come, making the locust plague a sobering warning of what would come later if they did not repent.

• ·    Yet another interesting parallel was raised by the late 4th century commentator John Chrysostom, who spoke out repeatedly against what he considered to be the spiritual indifference of the church in his era. Chrysostom pointed out that worldly or sinful desires can ravage the church, just as the locusts ravaged Israel in Joel’s day.

Joel then returns to his discussion of the consequences of the locusts. Harvests of all kinds have been ruined, so that the farmers despair, and the rest of the people go without the things they need. Beyond the devastating physical and monetary losses is the sense of despair and helplessness, for as Joel says, "the joy of mankind has withered away".

We can best apply the lessons that Joel is going to teach us if we first think about how it must have felt to live through this disaster. When faced with problems and trials (whether on a large scale or a small one), we can ask questions of God ("why did this happen"), we can struggle with emotions such as fear or anger, and we can often find it a temptation to respond to our struggles in an ungodly way. It is interesting to keep in mind some of the more uplifting verses later on in Joel, especially his wonderful promise that the Spirit would be poured out, and his encouraging description of spiritual living. Clearly, there are some lessons ahead that are meant to get the people to move from Joel 1:4 to Joel 2:28.

For Discussion or Study: What kinds of events or worries might cause us to feel like those who experienced this locust swarm? Consider more fully some of the ways that we respond to such trials, and the feelings that they produce. See if you can find any further parallels to Joel’s descriptions in Joel 1:5-12. What kinds of lessons might you now expect Joel to teach, in light of the initial situation?

For Further Study

As Joel is such a short book, commentaries on Joel are generally portions of volumes that also cover one or more of the other shorter prophetic books. Some suggested sources are listed below. Each of them has its strengths and weaknesses, so if you would like to study Joel on your own, and you want some suggestions on which references to use, just let me know.

Elizabeth Achtemeier, Minor Prophets 1 (New International Biblical Commentary)

Leslie Allen, The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah (New International Commentary) Alberto Ferreiro (editor), The Twelve Prophets (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture) Frank Gaebelein (editor), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 7: Daniel-Minor Prophets David Hubbard, Joel & Amos (Tyndale Commentary)

- Mark Garner, March 2004

IN THE VALLEY OF DECISION:

LESSONS FROM THE PROPHET JOEL

Week Two: Preparing For the Day of the Lord

(Joel 1:13 to Joel 2:11)

After his description of the catastrophic swarm of locusts, Joel now turns to the lessons that his hearers should learn from this disaster. He also introduces one of his key topics, the "day of the Lord", and he exhorts God’s people to prepare themselves.

Calling Upon the Lord (Joel 1:13-20)

Joel indicates that the first and most vital response to the locust swarm should be to call upon God. His appeal is vivid and urgent, suggesting that the people must not only heed his advice, but heed it quickly. There are a number of important points in this passage. In particular, it sheds some important light on the ideas of "calling on the Lord" and "the day of the Lord".

Joel first calls for a fervent response to recent events (Joel 1:13-14). Certainly, the people should not indulge in complaining, anger, or resentment because of their misfortunes, but Joel also teaches them that God is hoping for more from them than mere endurance or patience. God wants them to turn to him, and even to put on sackcloth and to fast, as a demonstration that they realize their complete dependence on God. Their situation has become so desperate (Joel mentions that there is hardly even anything left for the priests to sacrifice) largely for this reason: that they should now focus completely on God, having had all distractions removed.

They are then to use this time to cry out to the Lord together. Even individually, crying out to the Lord is a significant act of belief and submission. In doing so together, God hopes that they will more clearly see and appreciate their identity as his people, so that they can help and encourage each other to draw closer to God. Later in the passage, Joel will use a similar phrase, when he says that he will call on God.

Joel next presents a fearful picture for the people to contemplate (Joel 1:15-18). He tells them that "the day of the Lord" is near, the first of several times that he will use that phrase*. Other Old Testament prophets also used this phrase**, and to them it meant something more all-encompassing than the exclusive application to the final coming of Christ, as the phrase is usually interpreted today. The prophets used "the day of the Lord" to refer to any time that God `came’ to earth, whether to render judgment, justice, or reward. This definition of "day of the Lord" includes, naturally, the final coming of Christ, as the complete and permanent fulfillment of all of God’s promises and warnings. The prophets tell us, though, that there have been many other `days’ when God has actively intervened on behalf of his truths and his people.

• ·    For reference, here is a complete list: Joel 1:15; Joel 2:1; Joel 2:11; Joel 2:31; Joel 3:14.

• ·    Here are some selected passages from other prophets: Isaiah 13:6; Isaiah 13:9; Ezekiel 13:5; Ezekiel 30:3; Amos 5:18; Amos 5:20; Obadiah 1:15; Zephaniah 1:7; Zephaniah 1:14. See if you can find others, and also look at these passages with slightly different wordings of the phrase: Isaiah 2:12; Isaiah 22:5; Isaiah 34:8; Jeremiah 46:10, Micah 7:4.

In the particular `day’ that Joel pictures here, there is no joy or gladness, because this time God’s visit is one of judgment and discipline. Joel follows this with more images of want and need. Again, in his great love for his people, God is forced to make them go through painful trials and deprivations so that they return their focus and devotion to him, not to things of the world. When our hearts wander from God, and become too strongly attached to the world, we can become so unaware of our condition that, to bring us back, God must deprive us of the things that have distracted us from him - even if these things originated as blessings from him.

All of this leads up to Joel’s crucial point: our need For God (Joel 1:19-20) . We need God all of the time, in every circumstance, in every area of our lives. He cares for us in ways so numerous that we could never notice them all. What he does ask, though, is that we acknowledge him and call to him, and so the prophet says, "To you, O Lord, I call". Seeing this idea in context helps us better to see what the Bible means by "calling on the Lord". It has nothing to do with a ritual or a mere verbal act, but rather is an expression of dependence, devotion, and submission. The Hebrew verb can mean, in English, to cry out, to shout, or to appeal - all indicating an active turning. To call on the name of the Lord, then, means to appeal to God by name, or to cry out to him by name. The prophets use this phrase to convey an attitude that acknowledges God as not just one source for help, but as our only true and certain source of lasting hope, peace, and security.

Here, Joel says that the present crisis has brought out this need for God so clearly that even the wild animals "pant for (God)". God takes no delight in seeing his creations reduced to such a desperate state, but he knows how important it is for us to acknowledge him and to call to him, in the truest sense of the word. Thus he will allow us, when needed, to be brought into a condition that gives us little rational choice but to turn to him.

We should thus apply this passage to our recognition of our own need for God. We can either ignore his many ways of caring for us and his numerous attempts to communicate with us, or we can learn to be more aware of his hand at work all around us. We can look at the things he created and take them for granted, or we can develop an appreciation for his indescribable majesty and wisdom. We can live our lives caught up in our day-to-day affairs, or we can call on God constantly, whether or not our need for him is obvious in worldly terms.

Questions For Discussion or Study: How does God want his people to respond to the locust swarm? When might we have to heed this kind of plea? Describe in your own words what the prophet means by "the day of the Lord". What does the prophet mean by calling to God or calling on the name of God? How do all of these ideas help us to see our need for God? When we see our need for God, in what ways should it affect us?

Here’s What’s Coming (Joel 2:1-11)

With the people’s attention now focused on God, Joel wants them to understand an important lesson from the locust plague. The images in these verses can be applied both to the locust swarm, which they have just seen, and also to the invasions of foreign armies, which God would later use when needed to discipline his people. And yet neither of these, fearful as they may be, can compare with the full power and might of God.

Joel tells the people that they must sound the alarm (Joel 2:1-2), because the day of the Lord is coming. It will bring a fearful display of God’s power, in the skies and on the earth, so that the people should tremble in anticipation. He warns them that it will be like nothing they have ever seen before. This, and the description of the `day’ that follows, can be applied on several levels.

Most obviously, it describes (from another perspective) the locust swarm that the land has just endured. Then, as Joel’s images demonstrate even more clearly, the descriptions can apply to the invading armies that God would use from time to time to discipline his people, throughout their history. Finally, the imagery is meant to teach us that such displays of earthly force are only a small taste of the full power that God has in himself. Most of us can hardly bear to contemplate the fearful power displayed in catastrophes such as war or natural disasters, but no person can even begin to stand up against the power of God. This force can either be exerted on our behalf, if we call on God, or it can be exerted against us, if we oppose him.

The prophet now describes several images of destruction and fear (Joel 2:3-9). He describes a force that consumes and devours everything in its path, like an uncontrolled fire. He describes its power and strength, like a herd of horses, a mighty army, able to break through any obstacle. He describes a force with swiftness and cunning, faster than horses or chariots, and able to enter any building or location. This are unpleasant thoughts, and yet there is a crucial point. We simply cannot have a healthy relationship with God unless we fully understand and accept the awesome power and might that he can summon forth at any moment.

Joel says, therefore, that the day of the Lord is a day that most should dread (Joel 2:10-11) . He draws a picture of upheaval in the heavens, a common prophetic device that he uses again in Joel 2:30-31. This imagery can, of course, be applied literally to the end of the world, but it also applies in a figurative sense to any time when God chooses to use his power to overturn human agendas and to call his people to refocus their lives on him. God is pictured as thundering at the head of his forces, so that no one can stand against him. As Joel says, "the day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?"

In applying this passage, we should use it to deepen our appreciation of the full power of God. Even most Christians speak quite casually about God’s power, and are only able to see some of the smaller ways in which it is expressed. Just because God’s extraordinary patience with us leads him to withhold almost all of his potential power, this is no reason for us not to respect and honor him. The fear of the Lord is not a popular concept nor a trendy topic, but it is a biblical teaching. The Scriptures frequently tell us of the importance of developing the right kind of fear of the Lord: not a terror or a cringing fear, but a deep reverence and respect, an awareness that God has power on a level far greater than any force in the physical universe. To those who oppose God, his power guarantees their doom. To those who love him and honor him, his strength is a source of security, assurance, and hope.

Questions for Discussion or Study: Why does Joel give such graphic, fearful images to illustrate God’s power at work? In what less dramatic ways can we look for God’s strength at work, that we can appreciate it more fully? What effect would it have on our lives and ministries if we would grow in our understanding of God’s power? How does all this connect with Joel’s earlier point about seeing our need for God?

- Mark Garner, April 2004

IN THE VALLEY OF DECISION:

LESSONS FROM THE PROPHET JOEL

Notes For Week Three: God’s Call to His People

(Joel 2:12-27)

Joel has now taught the people two vital lessons to be learned from the locust swarm: their need for God, and God’s extraordinary power. He now moves on to tell them about the response that God wants from them. God’s call through the prophet is also accompanied by a set of promises.

Return to Me (Joel 2:12-17)

We now hear in detail about the response that God wants from his people. With expressive language, God appeals to them to restore their relationship with him. He wants them to use the lessons of the locust swarm to shift their attention to things of spiritual importance. These verses emphasize the heart and the relationship that we have with our God.

The prophet tells the people that "even now" (Joel 2:12) they can simply return to God, if they do so from the heart. Joel emphasizes that God wants their hearts, and not simply an outward proclamation of faith. He even calls them to return with fasting and weeping, which is meant not so much to emphasize these actions in themselves (which can be done either sincerely or insincerely), as to indicate the depth of conviction that God seeks from his people.

Many of the topics that we are studying bring up an interesting question: what, specifically, caused the locust plague? Joel has never identified a specific sin, or a specific act of neglect, or any other precise cause of the locusts. What we now see here is that God is not interested in pinpointing specific wrongdoings or omissions, but rather wants them to return to him in their hearts. While our natural response to misfortune is to wonder why it happened, God is usually much more concerned with what will come out of it, rather than with what preceded it.

A New Testament illustration is found in John 9, when Jesus and his disciples meet a man who had been blind since his birth. While the disciples wonder whether the man or his parents were most to blame, Jesus tells them not to analyze, but rather to see this, like any instance of suffering or pain, as an opportunity for God to work and for us to participate in God’s work.

There are, of course, instances when something bad does happen to someone specifically because that person disobeyed God in some way. But here is the important point: when that happens, then the reason is usually clear to anyone with open eyes and an open heart. When, instead, there is no discernible specific reason for our struggles, we ought to take Joel’s counsel, and simply turn to God in our hearts, rather than analyzing and searching for a "reason". This will be more pleasing to God, and more beneficial for us. It is quite natural for humans to search desperately for explanations whenever hurtful or frightening things occur, but much of the time this is not the most fruitful way to respond.

This is a broad and important topic, and we do not, of course, have time to cover it in depth in our present study. This is a good topic for individual study, using some of the ideas we have introduced. John 9 teaches us that even the worst misfortunes can be the fault of no one at all, and should be viewed as opportunities for us to glorify God by helping in any way that we can. A different kind of example is found in Jonah 1, when all of the sailors experience terror (and financial loss because of the lost cargo) because of one man’s disobedience to God. Here in Joel, on the other hand, most of the people are at "fault" for the locusts coming, though not because they committed one serious sin, but rather because of a general loss of spiritual focus and sincerity. Finally, there are many other examples of specific sins leading to specific consequences. With some thought, you can find many other examples of all these kinds, and such a list can serve as a starting point for further study.

To make sure that the people understand what God wants, Joel elaborates on the need to respond from the heart (Joel 2:13-14). At many times during Israel’s history, they went through periods of devoted outward observance of the various rituals, sacrifices, and other worship activities, but without any real devotion, and without placing any real value on it. They would often fall into the habit of viewing their worship as something that had to be checked off the list as painlessly as possible, rather than as a worthwhile expression of reverence and honor to their God.

One of the common rituals was the rending (tearing) of garments, sometimes followed by putting on sackcloth, as an acknowledgment of having committed a sin (or of having witnessed a grievous sin). Like other rituals, this could be done sincerely or insincerely, and often the latter was the case. But Joel tells them that if they "rend" their hearts, then there can be no doubt of their sincerity. He calls them to pour out their hearts to God, and to realize that their sin has harmed their relationship with him more than anything else.

In doing this, the people can be assured that God is slow to anger and abounding In love*. He wants them to come back to him, and he wants to see them happy and secure. But this must happen for the right reasons. They must take advantage of the opportunity provided by the locusts, but if they do, they can be assured of a compassionate response from God. Joel uses an interesting expression when he says, "Who knows*? He may turn and have pity . . . ". To the prophet, who understands God’s nature, it is clear that God would never turn away anyone who sincerely calls on him. But those who have just become convicted of sin are usually afraid of God, because they know that they deserve his wrath. Joel’s simple, humble message is, essentially, why not turn to him and see what happens? What you’ve heard about his grace and his love might really be true!

• ·    It is interesting to compare Joel 2:13-14 with the ways that some of the identical phrases are used in different contexts in the book of Jonah. See, in particular, Jonah 3:9-10; Jonah 4:1-2.

With all of these ideas in mind, Joel calls for the people to gather in a sacred assembly (Joel 2:15-17). This will only be of value, of course, if the people have individually determined to change in their hearts. But Joel is also teaching us that God does ask for more than individual conviction or commitment: it is also important for them to turn back to God together. In fact, it is so important that the prophet tells them to drop whatever they are doing, even if they are nursing children or getting married.

In calling on God together, the people are encouraged to appeal to him, through their priests, that he "not make your inheritance an object of scorn". Part of the prophet’s concern is the way that other nations will look at Israel’s God. Joel knows that the locust disaster - as well as the other such crises that happened to God’s people in the Old Testament - brought necessary spiritual discipline that could produce good fruit. But unbelievers would not see it this way. Rather, they might scorn both Israel and its God, who (from their perspective) was incapable of protecting his people.

The parallel, of course, is that sometimes others can also see today when God must bring discipline upon his people. In such cases, all we can do is to be humble and to admit that God is giving us the discipline we need. It is painful to admit our faults to others, but it is much better to allow them to think less of us than for them to think less of God.

Although the specific situation may be different, there are some important (and fairly obvious) applications of these verses for us. God has always desired our hearts above all else, and has always preferred to bless us rather than to discipline us. He loves us too much to allow our hearts to become dull, and there will be many times when he must discipline us, both as individuals and as a church. Whenever this happens, may we always have the proper, sincere response that Joel describes here.

Questions For Discussion & Study: How does thinking about what "caused" the locust swarm help us understand unpleasant things that happen to us? As you have time, consider also the study suggested above, beginning with a search for various examples in the Bible of how to respond to suffering (both our own and others’). In such situations, should we follow Joel’s directives literally, or apply them in some other way? What would be the parallels for us of the kind of assembly that Joel describes in Joe 2:15-17?

Promises of Protection & Healing (Joel 2:18-27)

We now see the first series of promises in the book of Joel. They are conditional, in that they accompany the response for which Joel has just called. Having these promises will make it much easier for Joel’s listeners to choose the path that God wishes them to take. He promises to protect them, to meet their needs, and to heal them. This set of promises will then lead into the far greater promises in Joel 2:28 to Joel 3:2.

Through Joel, God promises to protect his people and to meet their needs (Joel 2:18-24). Not only will he make sure to meet their basic needs, but he promises "enough to satisfy you fully". There are many images in these verses that are meant to paint an attractive picture of plenty and security. The prophet details such things as the ways that God will provide essentials like oil, grain, and pasture for livestock. He also depicts God using such natural processes as the seasons and the weather to bless them.

He also promises to drive out the invaders (in the immediate context, the locusts; later in their history, foreign oppressors) once his people have returned to him. Once these invaders have fulfilled God’s purpose, they will be swept aside. Therefore God’s people do not have to be afraid of them, and the overall picture in these verses is one of abundance and rejoicing.

Even beyond these blessings, God promises them a time of healing (Joel 2:25-27). He knows that the people need healing, even beyond the resumption of normal habits and the restoration of basic staples. God promises to make up for all of the devastation that they have been through, and he promises that (again, as long as they return to him), they will no longer be shamed; they will no longer be objects of pity and scorn from others who see their misfortune.

Most important of all, though, is the realization of God that they will regain. They will now know that he is God, and they will know this much more deeply than they did before the locusts came. From God’s perspective, this is the best and most valuable blessing of all. Of the immediate blessings that will come out of the locusts, it is the one he most wants to give them. It will now be up to them to appreciate this blessing as much as they should.

There are some powerful implications to the combination of call and promise in Joel 2:12-27. If the people will merely concentrate on returning to God, and giving God their hearts instead of mere outward things, then they have assurances that everything they truly need will be theirs. They will have the assurance that no one can do them any real harm, and that no one can ever overcome God or separate them from God. While stated in a much different style and context, Joel’s message in this passage is very similar to what Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-34 and other passages. We should not worry about the things we need or desire in this world, but rather we should seek first the kingdom of God, and put our trust and hope in God to care for us while we seek him first.

Questions For Discussion or Study: How would the promises God makes in these verses apply to us? (That is, what parallel promises do we have?) What similarities are there between this passage and Matthew 6:25-34? What reasons might there be for teaching similar lessons in such different styles and settings?

- Mark Garner, April 2004

IN THE VALLEY OF DECISION:

LESSONS FROM THE PROPHET JOEL

Notes For Week Four: God’s Promises to His People (Joel 2:28 to Joel 3:2)

We have now reached the most well-known part of the book of Joel. The prophet has already called the people’s attention to the lessons that can be learned from the locust disaster, and he has explained the appropriate response that God wants from them. He has also given them some promises about the care that God will provide for them. Now, he will give them some added promises that, from a spiritual perspective, are even more important.

I Will Pour Out My Spirit (Joel 2:28-31)

Joel’s prophecy about the pouring out of the Spirit is best known from Peter’s use of it on the day of Pentecost (in Acts 2). While you are probably familiar with the ways it was fulfilled in Acts 2, it is still a passage that will repay careful study. The details of Joel’s imagery are both memorable and illuminating.

The passage starts with the promise of the Spirit (Joel 2:28-29)*. To Joel’s original audience, this would have been an attention- getter, since they were accustomed to only a few persons (such as Joel himself) having the Spirit come upon them. But God’s promise here is that the Spirit would be given to everyone. To emphasize this, he details that both men and women, old and young will be given the Spirit. In fact, the old will dream as if they were still young, and the young will see visions**, as if they were old and wise. God says that he will pour out the Spirit "even on my servants", using the "servant" image that is prevalent in Isaiah.

• ·    It is interesting to note that in the Hebrew Scriptures Joel 2:28-32 is a separate chapter (chapter three). Our chapter Joel 3 is thus Joel 4 in the Hebrew Scriptures.

• ·    The phrase "see visions" is meant to carry the suggestion of seeing things as they really are. When the prophets are described as seeing "visions", we are meant to understand that they are being given a look at the full and complete truth of things. This can, of course, apply to the past, the present, or the future.

Numerous passages in the New Testament teach us that the Spirit was promised as a seal of God’s ownership, as a deposit in our hearts that guarantees our inheritance, as a Counselor who guides us into all truth, and as an assurance of many other spiritual promises. It was the Spirit who conferred miraculous powers on the apostles and others. His spiritual gifts to us, though, are even greater than the ability to do miracles, if we look at them through spiritual eyes.

The promise of the Spirit is followed by a series of images of upheaval (Joel 2:30-31) that will characterize the day of the Lord. Joel foretells wonders in both the heavens and the earth, taking the form of powerful forces. On the earth, Joel foresees "blood and fire and billows of smoke". On a literal level, these represent the effects of war and other devastations that often came on "the day of the Lord" that the prophets foretold. In a more figurative sense, they represent the turmoil that the gospel brings to the hearts and minds of those who hear it. The gospel forces us either to allow God drastically to transform our way of thinking and living, or else to harden ourselves in a fruitless battle against God’s will.

In the heavens, the sun will be darkened and the moon turned to blood. The first part can be compared with Amos’s prophecy (Amos 8:9) of the sun turning dark at noon, which happened at the crucifixion. But both are also meant to have a more spiritual application. The sun and moon are constants to us, bodies far away and beyond our control, objects that are always there and that we count on to behave in a predictable fashion. We even get our calendars and our understanding of time from the sun and the moon. Joel says that even these will be overpowered on the day of the Lord*: in a literal sense, certainly, at the final judgment, but also in a spiritual or figurative sense. God’s power, seen through Jesus, turns all fleshly wisdom upside down, and challenges us to see past the physical universe into a more majestic and permanent realm. Other prophets**, especially Isaiah, use similar images of turmoil in the universe, as a way of expressing the upheaval in our minds and hearts that comes with learning the truths of God.

• ·    Astrology, in many forms, was just as popular in the Roman era as it is today. So, some early Christian writers also referred to these verses to combat the belief that the sun, moon, and stars had power to predict the future. These verses remind us that God created the heavenly bodies, and they are under his power at all times.

• ·    Here are a few passages to compare with Joel 2:30-31 : Isaiah 13:9-13; Isaiah 24:21-23; Isaiah 60:19-22; Ezekiel 32:3-8; Joel 2:10. There are also passages such as Isaiah 34:8-17 that use different images to convey a similar message about God’s judgment and justice, and how they bring upheaval, both physically and spiritually.

In applying this passage, we should use it to help us better to appreciate the gift of the Spirit that we as Christians have been given. Long before the final judgment comes, the Spirit will bless us in many ways, guiding our ministries and keeping us close to God. Just a brief survey of the promises Jesus gave about the Spirit’s work will open our eyes to the priceless blessing that he is in our lives. Christians need to learn to look past their fleshly desires, activities, and identities, and learn to rejoice in becoming new, spiritual, holy creations. This comes at a cost: denying our flesh. When we allow God to transform us as he wishes to, our flesh will sometimes feel as if it was going through the kind of upheaval that Joel describes here.

Questions for Discussion or Study: How does this passage help us to understand the significance of the Spirit in Christianity? How does the kind of imagery that Joel uses illustrate the spiritual effects of "the day of the Lord"? What is the connection between the pouring out of the Spirit and this upheaval in the heavens and the earth?

Deliverance & Restoration (Joel 2:32 to Joel 3:2)

While there will be great upheaval whenever God comes, God promises safety to his own people. To all who have responded from the heart, and have accepted God’s word and will, these verses offer some powerful promises. If we learn to understand and appreciate these promises, they can help us develop patience to deal with the troubles of this world, and they can help us develop a sense of eager anticipation as we look forward to our eternal inheritance.

The prophet promises that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Joel 2:32)". Besides Peter’s use of it in Acts 2, this phrase is also quoted in Romans 10:13. Comparing these New Testament references with the original context in Joel helps us to understand what the phrase really means. Calling on the name of the Lord means, of course, much more than a physical or verbal action. In the context of Joel, set amidst the turmoil that is described in verses 30-31, it is clear that those who are calling to God are doing so as an expression of their need for him and their dependence on him. They are aware of their own weakness in the face of these overwhelming forces in the earth and the heavens, and they know that turning to God is their only hope of salvation*. They are turning from the heart, just as Joel has already urged.

• ·    Acts 22 has an interesting parallel. When Paul tells of his conversion, he recalls how the vision of Christ left him dazed, blinded, and convicted. Ananias then came to preach the gospel to Paul, ending with the exhortation, "... what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name."

Those who do this, then, are promised deliverance. Joel uses an interesting expression when he says that they are "among the survivors whom the Lord calls". This is similar to the concept of the remnant that is used prominently in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah. Both expressions encourage us to think of the faithful as having survived a dangerous ordeal, which in fact we have. Every believer has to face the challenge of remaining faithful to God, while living a lifetime in a hostile world that worships sin and self.

The prophet also says that, as part of the sweeping changes that will accompany the "day of the Lord", God will restore the fortunes of his people (3:1-2). In promising restoration for Judah and Jerusalem, Joel is talking about more than simply restoring the nation physically. In the first covenant, God promised that, in the long run, blessings would follow faithfulness and disasters would follow disobedience. But in the new covenant, God wants us to move beyond the physical level, promising instead to give us spiritual blessings in greater measure as we grow in the faith. Amos made a very similar prophecy in Amos 9:11-12, and in Acts 15, James explicitly applies Amos’s prophecy to the church.

The second verse of chapter three leads into the climactic portion of Joel. The prophet describes the nations of the world being brought into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, where they shall answer for their offenses against God and his people. God, of course, frequently judged other nations in a literal way in the Old Testament. Even those nations which he used to discipline his people were themselves later disciplined. He now looks ahead to a more complete expression of judgment. The Valley of Jehoshaphat is not meant as a reference to a literal place (Jehoshaphat is the name of one of the kings of Judah, but it does not refer to him either). The name Jehoshaphat means "God (Yahweh) judges". This idea comes up again in verse 14, which describes the valley of decision. That will be our next and final topic in our study of Joel.

These verses should encourage us to grow in our patience and our anticipation. We are absolutely assured that the day will come when God brings all things to light, and repays us all for the spiritual decisions we have made in this world. Christians should learn to yearn for heaven more than any earthly blessing, and to be patient, knowing that the sins, injustices, and tragedies of the world will all end one day.

Questions for Discussion or Study: How does Joel 2:32 help us to understand what it means to "call on the name of the Lord"? What New Testament verses also help us to see what this means? In what ways has God "restored the fortunes" of his people since the time of Joel? How does this apply to us? In what ways should we apply God’s assurance that he will judge those who harm his people?

- Mark Garner, April 2004

IN THE VALLEY OF DECISION:

LESSONS FROM THE PROPHET JOEL

Notes For Week Five: Decision & Judgment (Joel 3:3-21)

This passage is the climax of Joel. The prophet has now explained the lessons to be learned from the catastrophic locust swarm, and he has detailed both God’s call and God’s promises. It is therefore time for the people to decide how they are going to respond to all of this.

Time For a Decision (Joel 3:3-16)

God has great patience, and he gives each person every possible chance to turn to God. He allows us to consider his call and his promises, and he teaches us gently through many means. There are times, though, when we must make definite, final decisions about important spiritual matters. Joel tells his listeners that this time will come both for them and for their enemies. He appeals to them to decide now, once and for all, to turn to God with all their hearts.

The prophet has just spoken of all the nations being gathered together into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, that is, the "valley" where God judges*. He now turns first to those nations that have committed offenses against God’s people (Joel 3:3-8). As we can read in detail throughout the Old Testament, these offenses took two primary forms: corruption and oppression. Here Joel mentions both: they led God’s people into drunkenness and immorality (corruption); they enslaved them and looted the temple (oppression). God will thus deal with them in kind, scattering the oppressors and bringing his own scattered people together.

* See Joel 3:2, and the explanation in last week’s notes.

Then, with this assembly in the "valley" in mind, God calls his own people to prepare for war (Joel 3:9-13). They are told to "beat your plowshares into swords"*, that is, to set aside their normal activities and get ready to do battle. His people are, specifically, told to advance into the same Valley of Jehoshaphat (God judges). Unlike the other nations, who were brought there unwillingly, God’s people advance of their own accord into this valley. They are to go there because the harvest is ripe; it is time for judgment. As we see below (verse 14), this is "the day of the Lord". As in other instances in Joel, this applies both in the present (the locust swarm and the response to it that God desires), the near future (God’s dealings with his own people and the pagan nations throughout history), and the distant future (applications in Christianity).

• ·    Contrast this verse with Isaiah 2:4. Consider the different contexts, and see if you can determine why these two prophets use similar imagery in two different (in fact, opposite) ways.

The prophet then foretells the day of the Lord in the "valley of decision" (Joel 3:14-16). Moreover, the day is near. Joel’s original hearers were being called to delay no longer in returning to God with all their hearts. When we read this today, we are being urged to prepare ourselves for the day of the Lord, by deciding once and for all to set aside worldly perspectives and see things with spiritual eyes.

Joel describes this day with the same kind of imagery he used previously. The sun, moon, and stars will be darkened, and the earth and sky will tremble. He describes God as roaring and thundering, bringing terror to all who have failed to acknowledge him and accept him. The revelation of even a small amount of God’s power will be absolutely unbearable to those who are not devoted to him. At the same time, though, God’s own people will have a much different feeling. Even as he renders judgment on the worldly and the ungodly, God will provide a refuge and a stronghold for his people. Our response to the display of God’s power will depend entirely on how we have responded to him in our hearts and minds.

Questions For Discussion or Study: Summarize the applications of these verses for Joel’s original hearers, and for us. In what ways did Joel want his listeners to "prepare for war"? In what ways should we? What is our "valley of decision"? In what forms might we see the imagery of verses 15-16 take place?

Closing Promises & Blessings (Joel 3:17-21)

As is so often the case, God’s call and exhortation are followed by a series of blessings and promises. In these verses, God promises them the kind of short-term, physical relief from their sufferings that the people most desired to hear. At the same time, he also promises them some spiritual blessings that are even more valuable.

He first promises that Jerusalem will be made holy (Joel 3:17). The physical Jerusalem was attacked and defiled numerous times throughout the Old Testament era. But always, until everything was fulfilled through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, God would restore and purify Jerusalem once his people turned back to him. Spiritual Jerusalem, the church, has likewise faced many periods of defilement, persecution, oppression, and desolation. But we can look forward to a day when the church of Christ will be made perfect once and for all.

God also promises his people a land flowing with plenty (Joel 3:18). This was a long-running promise to the Israelites, beginning with the generation of the Exodus. Throughout the Old Testament, God’s people were promised peace and prosperity as long as their hearts remained with God. The promise that we have inherited is similar, but more spiritually-focused. While God loves to bless his people in earthly ways, we are no longer promised that obedience and faithfulness will guarantee earthly safety, prosperity, or peace. We are, though, promised that our faithfulness will always result in the corresponding abundance of spiritual blessings such as peace, grace, love, hope, and mercy. Note also Joel’s image of the flowing fountain*, which is itself a look ahead to the spiritual blessings that would flow through Christ.

• ·    The image of flowing water or living water is also used by other prophets to look ahead to the blessings that would come through Christ, or sometimes simply to describe spiritual blessings in general. See, for example, Isaiah 12:2-3; Isaiah 41:17-20; Isaiah 58:11; Jeremiah 17:13; Zechariah 13:1; Zechariah 14:8-9.

The prophet now has a final word about God’s people and their enemies (Joel 3:19-20). The guilty will experience eventual desolation. This proved true in a literal sense in regards to those who corrupted or oppressed ancient Israel. Every one of the neighboring pagan nations that corrupted the ancient Jews has long since disappeared, and all of the ancient empires that at one time or another invaded or enslaved the ancient Jews were eventually themselves conquered and brought low.

On the other hand, God promises security for his own people. In assuring them that Judah and Jerusalem would be populated in perpetuity, God is assuring them that he is faithful to his promises, and that his people can be secure in knowing that, no matter how firmly he must discipline them, they will never be wiped out. In the Old Testament, no matter how badly things went for the nation as a whole, God always preserved a remnant, in looking to the future. As Christians, we and our church must also experience times of discipline and testing. But we also can be assured that, even when things go poorly, God will never allow his people to be destroyed. We must simply stand firm and endure such times, knowing that times of renewal and rebuilding are in God’s future plans.

The book of Joel concludes with the promise that the bloodguilt of God’s people will be pardoned (Joel 3:21). As the prophet says in this verse, God had not yet (at the time that Joel wrote) pardoned the guilt of his people once and for all: he had simply allowed them periodically to atone for it through the Levitical sacrifices. Joel is, of course, looking ahead to the time when the blood of Christ would finally enable us to obtain complete forgiveness for sins, through a once-for-all sacrifice. This, the most crucial of all of God’s promises, is Joel’s final promise.

The book of Joel is a call to examine our hearts and consider our blessings. We should learn to use the "locusts" in our lives as an opportunity to pull our eyes off of worldly things, and focus instead on our spiritual needs. We must appreciate all of God’s blessings and promises, but we must also learn to put them into perspective. God blesses us in many visible, obvious ways, in order to get our attention and to help us see the value of the more important spiritual blessings (grace, peace, eternal hope, and the like) that he has in store for us. His greatest blessings, the ones he most wants to give us, are waiting for those who accept the prophet’s call to make the right choice when they find themselves in the valley of decision.

Questions For Discussion or Study: For each of these final blessings and promises, indicate how they applied to Joel’s original audience, and how they apply to us. Which are the most important? Which ones do we really appreciate or desire the most? How can we learn to place the highest value on the blessings that are truly the most valuable?

- Mark Garner, April 2004

The Day of the Locusts, the Day of the Lord

Joel 1:1-3:21

Open It

1. If you lived in an area known for natural disasters—earthquakes, brush fires, flooding, or the like—how would this knowledge affect you?

2. When have you most enjoyed the world of nature?

Explore It

3. Who was Joel? (Joel 1:1)

4. What was the prophet’s opening appeal? (Joel 1:2-4)

5. What was the nature of Joel’s call to mourn? (Joel 1:5-13)

6. What specific instructions were to be given to all the people? (Joel 1:14)

7. Why was the locust plague meaningful? (Joel 1:15-20)

8. What was significant about the coming Day of the Lord? (Joel 2:1-11)

9. What was the nation’s only hope against utter destruction? (Joel 2:12-14)

10. Why were the people told to congregate? (Joel 2:15-17)

11. In response to real repentance, what did God promise to do immediately? (Joel 2:18-27)

12. What future deliverance would God provide? (Joel 2:28-32)

13. How would God judge the nations? (Joel 3:1-16)

14. How would Israel respond to God’s incredible display of power? (Joel 3:17)

15. What would mark Israel’s ultimate restoration? (Joel 3:18-21)

Get It

16. When natural disasters strike people and places throughout the world, what bothers you most?

17. If a family in your community lost all their belongings to a house fire, what would you do?

18. If you were unexpectedly faced with economic hardship, to whom would you turn for help?

19. How does your church band together to fight spiritual battles?

20. If Joel were to preach an ominous sermon about the impending Day of the Lord, how would your congregation likely respond to his words?

21. In terms of Joel’s imagery, how would you describe the spiritual condition of your church: about due for an invasion of locusts? prepared to fast, mourn, and wear sackcloth? ready for a ripe harvest and an outpouring of the Lord’s Spirit?

22. When is it appropriate to fast and mourn?

23. What is true repentance?

24. How have God’s blessings healed wounds in your life?

Apply It

25. How can you provide emergency assistance to a family or group facing unexpected personal loss and hardship?

26. When can you take time to fast and pray for your church?

27. What is one creative way you can acknowledge your dependence on the Lord this week?

Joel

Ralph Starling

A Prophet to the Kingdom of Judah and Israel

Describing conditions that lay ahead of them

Pictured in words that may be symbolic

Leaving little doubt, whatever you may call it

God is telling them and the nations around them

What is to happen because their sins offend Him

A fearful scene is painted for them to conceive

An army of Locusts devouring the land clean

There will be a famine, unlike any before

Even animals seem to wonder what is in store

Pastures dry up, the trees lose their leaves

The rains fall and there is no water in streams

But there is a remedy for all of this pain

They have only to repent and serve God again

In great detail they are told what they should do

If only they’d repent and follow through

God promises that Heaven will bring them rain

Trees and pastures will turn green again

For God is longsuffering and full of great kindness

Listen to Him and He will clean up the mess