(Sources include The Wiersbe Bible Commentary and the ESV Study Bible.)
Name: “Yahweh (the LORD) is
God.” Primary audience: South Judah. Date: uncertain (no kings listed in Joel
1:1ff). Dates from the 9th century BC to the 6th have been proposed.
Setting: The land has
suffered from swarms of locusts that have devoured all the crops and from a
severe drought that has dried up all the water sources. Result: starvation and economic
decline.
Message: The locust attack
(1:1-20) foreshadows the invasion of a foreign army (2:1-27) and the ultimate
“Day of the Lord” (2:28—3:21). That Day will bring both judgment to the wicked
and deliverance to the faithful.
Past: Locusts – the eighth
plague in Egypt in Moses’ day. Ex 10:3-6, 12-20.
Future: Peter explained on Pentecost (Acts 2) that the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit fulfilled the inspired words of Joel’s prophecy.
Outline:
The Immediate Day of the Lord (1:1—2:27)
Joel
1 calls various groups to note from the locust plague and take action.
To the elders and citizens in general: “Hear this!” (1:2-4)
“Cutting,”
“swarming,” “hopping” and “destroying” – successive attacks of locusts.
To the drunkards: “Wake up and weep!” (1:5-7)
To the farmers: “Despair and wail!” (1:8-12)
The
Hebrew words for “be ashamed” and “dry up” sound alike. (1:10-12, 17)
To the priests: “Call a fast!” (1:13-20)
Fasting
would express repentance, as the people cried out to the Lord for deliverance.
Because
of the locusts and the drought, the priests had no offerings to present.
Joel
2 describes the locusts “like horses … a powerful army … warriors.”
“Blow the
trumpet!” (2:1-11)
“Earth-shaking,”
cosmic language is used to describe God’s judgment. (2:2, 10)
See
Isa 13:9-13; 34:4; Jer 4:23-26; Ezek 30:3; Amos 8:9. See also Matt 24:29-31;
Rev 6:12-13.
“Rend your
hearts!” (2:12-17)
Do
all you can possibly do to beg God to turn, relent, and leave a blessing.
“Believe His
promises!” (2:18-27)
God
would remove the locusts, send the rain, and restore all that was lost.
The Ultimate Day of the Lord (2:28—3:21)
Before
That Day: The Spirit Poured Out (2:28-32)
Telescoping:
Some OT prophecies have a partial fulfillment in the OT era, but they point
primarily to the coming of Christ and the blessings He would bring. This text
shows that God would bless OT Judah after her repentance, but it also points to
Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit would be poured out on the apostles. Acts
2:14-21
“I will pour
out My Spirit.” (2:28-29)
“I will show
wonders.” (2:30-31)
Again,
prophetic imagery uses “cosmic language” to paint a picture for heightened
effect.
“Whoever
calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” (2:32)
Acts
2:36-41 – We call on His name when we repent and are baptized. (See also Acts
22:16.)
During
That Day: Judgment Poured Out (3:1-16)
“Nations,
prepare for judgment!” (3:1-8)
When
God restores Judah, He will also judge the nations who oppressed her.
The
“Valley of Jehoshaphat” not an actual place. Name means, “Yahweh (the LORD)
judges.”
“Nations,
prepare for war!” (3:9-15)
Cosmic
imagery appears again in 3:15-16.
“Nations,
prepare for defeat!” (3:16)
After
That Day: Blessing Poured Out (3:17-21)
A holy city
(3:17).
A restored
land (3:18-19).
A cleansed
people (3:20-21a).
A glorious
King (3:21b).
Key
passages from Joel:
Joel 2:12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all
your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to
the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and
abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.
Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour
out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your
old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For
the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
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