Last month, we began to examine the key prophetic Book of Joel.
We continue our introduction.
Summary of Joel
It starts off with catastrophe. A plague of
locusts followed by severe drought, which can be disastrous for a nation whose
primary industry is agriculture. Yet, these things, allowed by Almighty God,
serve a noble purpose: like an alarm clock, to help the people of God wake up
to righteousness and respond with repentance and faith. Such action can spawned
a much needed revival.
In practical terms, Judah was called to convene
a solemn assembly (1:14; 2:15-16), repent, and come back to God with weeping,
mourning, and prayers of mercy (2:12-17). In all this, we are introduced to ‘The
Day of the Lord,’ mentioned (5x) in Joel: 1:15; 2:1, 11, 30;
3:14. For the unrighteous, this Day is bad news but for the righteous, it is
the Perfect Day. Part of that great blessing will be a universal outpouring of
the Holy Spirit, accompanied by great signs and wonders.
The plagues in chapter 1 are just the warm-up for the ultimate
event at the end of the age. God then gathers the nations at the end in an
Armageddon scenario and they will pay dearly for their sins. The rebels will be
defeated and unsaved nations humiliated; but Jerusalem and Judah will prevail
because ‘the LORD dwells in Zion’ (3:21).
Timing
Hard to pinpoint because there is no mention of kings,
Babylon, Assyria, or the Northern Kingdom. This lack of historic reference
point means it could be in the 9th Century BC during the reign of King Joash
(835-796 BC) or even post-exilic, meaning the 6th Century BC. Joel and Amos
have some common material (Joel 3:16 and Amos 1:2; Joel 3:18 and Amos 9:13) and
a similar style to Isaiah and Micah. The locust invasion of Judah, where the
sky turned black and the land was denuded of all greenery, was the catalyst for
the prophecy.
Distinctive
of the Book of Joel
1. God’s
Sovereignty: Links events in history like invasions or natural disasters
as God’s means of bringing His people to repentance.
2. Pentecost: It gives the
most profound prophecy about the last day outpouring of the Holy Spirit,
fulfilled in the Book of Acts and also in our day.
3. Natural
Disasters: Locusts, drought, famine, fires, foreign invasions,
heavenly signs are all seen as signs of God’s judgment against spiritual and
moral decadence.
4. Effective
prophet: Joel
is a Godly man and role model who succeeds to bring God’s people into
repentance and thus reap the positive fruit it brings.
5. Masterpiece:
The
Book of Joel is considered a masterpiece of Hebrew literature.
New
Testament References to Joel
A.
Acts 2:16-21: Peter quotes Joel in
his Pentecost Day sermon; 3,000 people were saved that day;
B.
Matthew 24:29: Jesus speaks of a time
where the sun and stars loose their brightness during the Day of the Lord (Joel
2:10);
C.
Romans 10:13: Paul uses Joel 2:32
saying whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved;
D.
Revelation 8:12: John uses Joel 2:10
in describing event of the tribulation.
E.
Revelation 9: One of the most
disturbing chapters in the Bible, it derives its locust invasion to Joel’s own
experience.
Old
Testament Key Words:
Judah (6x): 3:1,
6, 8, 18, 19, 20
Jerusalem (4x): 3:1,
6, 17, 20
Israel (3x): 2:27;
3:2, 16
Zion (7x): 2:1,
15, 23; 32; 3:16; 17, 21. Zion means Mount Zion, Jerusalem, the land of Israel,
or the Jewish people, depending on the context. The Book of Joel ends with the
statement that the Lord dwells in Zion (3:21).
Fig tree (3x): 1:7,
12; 2:22
Day of the
Lord (5x):
1:15; 2:1, 11, 30; 3:14
Outline of
Joel
I.
Day of the Lord in Joel’s Day (1:1-20)
A. Day of
Locusts (1:1-12)
B.
Day of Drought (1:13-20)
II.
Day of
the Lord in the Last Days (2:1-3:21)
A. Imminent Day
of the Lord (2:1-27)
1. Prophecy of
Judah’s Imminent Invasion (2:1-11)
2. Promise of
Judah’s Salvation (conditional) (2:12-27)
B. Ultimate Day
of the Lord (2:28-3:21)
1. Final Events
before the Day of the Lord (2:28-32)
2. Events at
the Day of the Lord (3:1-21)
a. Gentiles
judged (3:1-15)
b. Judah
restored (3:16-21)
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