Joel
Book Type
The second book of the Minor Prophets; the twenty-ninth book of the Old Testament; the twenty-ninth book of the Bible.Introduction to the Book of Joel
The book of Joel is concerned with the Day of Yahweh, a coming time when God will judge the world and make all things right. Joel draws on a real-life catastrophe—a swarm of locusts devastating the land of Judah—to warn of the disaster that the Day of Yahweh will bring to those who do not repent. He also promises that God will save the people of Judah and Jerusalem who call on Him (Joel 2:32).When disaster strikes, we usually respond in one of two ways. We either turn to God and enter a new relationship with him shaped by a fuller understanding of his nature and character, or we turn away from God and blame him or others for our troubles. Some even deny God’s existence. The people of ancient Israel experienced disaster and were faced with this same decision. Would they turn away from God in their time of trouble or turn to him and seek his blessings?The book of Joel is one of the shortest in the Old Testament. The first part (1:1–2:17) describes a terrible locust plague concluding with a plea for confession of sins. The second part (2:18–3:21) proclaims hope for the repentant people coupled with judgment upon their enemies.Theme & Overview
Restoration and blessing will come to the people of Judah only after judgment and repentance.Many awestruck observers have written accounts of locust swarms, but none more graphically than the prophet Joel. In striking, polished imagery he describes the extent of their devastation. The NIV Student Bible says his people faced starvation, and Joel drew a verbal portrait of their grief and fear. For Joel, a plague of locusts led to deep insights into God’s universal plan. He had no doubt that God was behind the plague. Unlike many of the other prophets, Joel did not devote time to an analysis of Israel’s failings. He concentrated, instead, on a cure. Joel urged the priests to call a nationwide day of prayer and fasting to lead the people back to God. Then God would roll back the damage done by the locusts, and more: “You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you” (2:26). They would emerge from the experience with new, durable confidence in God’s love. So it has often proved for God’s people: A disaster has pressed them into a deeper relationship with him.The main theme of Joel is the approaching Day of Yahweh, which initially brings pain for God’s people (the first half of the book) but ultimately leads to their renewal and vindication (the second half). In a locust plague, Joel sees just how frail humanity is and just how chaotic the world really is—emphasizing how desperately we need God. In the plague, Joel also sees a glimpse of what it will be like when Yahweh’s heavenly army invades the world to bring about order and peace: It will be grim before it gets better, because the evil that pervades much of humanity must be removed.The forthcoming Day of Yahweh is meant to prompt God’s people to change their ways. The locust plague serves as a warning (e.g., Joel 1:14): People should turn to God with their whole hearts now, while there is still opportunity (Joel 2:12–13).Joel emphasizes that God’s mercy will only extend so far before He returns to make all things right. And on that day, like locusts eat a field, God’s judgment will consume the evil of the world (Joel 1–2; compare 2 Pet 3:10). God will have pity on repentant people and save those who call on His name, which is what all are called to do now (Joel 2:18–19, 32). Joel reminds us that God is present and active in the world, working toward a difficult, but beautiful end—the restoration of peace and justice throughout the world.The “day of the Lord” is the dominant theme of the book of Joel. Both the nations (3:2–3) and Israel (1:15; 2:1–2) experience this judgment. However, for the repentant community, the “day” also holds out the hope of restoration (2:12–14). Ultimately, the Lord’s covenant faithfulness is expressed in his promises of abundance and protection (2:23–26; 3:1), which evidence his dwelling in the midst of his people (2:27; 3:17, 21). This is epitomized in the great promise of “my Spirit” that would be poured out on “all flesh” (2:28, 29; cf. Acts 2:17–21).Author
Joel, specifically named in Joel 1:1. Recipients
Though little is known about the specific context of Joel's writing, he most likely wrote to Jewish people living throughout Judah during the reign of King Joash. They had witnessed the ungodliness of their leaders and neighbors, the military conquests of northern enemies, as well as God's judgments through natural means such as locusts. Joel referred to many of these events, using them to call people to repent and return to the Lord and His ways.Date
Most likely during the reign of King Joash, approximately 835 to 796 BC.Background
The Bible does not provide any biographical information about the prophet Joel (other than his father’s name, Pethuel; Joel 1:1). Since the book addresses a situation in Judah, Joel probably prophesied in this region rather than in the northern territory of Israel.The date of Joel is uncertain, but the book could have been written during the period when Judah was an independent kingdom, as early as the late eighth century BC. It also could have been composed after the Babylonian exile, during the fifth century BC, when Judah was a province of the Persian Empire. Based on Joel 1:13 and 2:17, the temple clearly was functioning when the book was written, but this could have been Solomon’s temple (before the exile) or Zerubbabel’s temple (after the exile).Joel prophesied to the people of Judah and Jerusalem in the midst of a catastrophe that threatened their very existence. A locust plague of unprecedented proportions had struck the land. Millions of voracious insects arrived in wave after wave to consume every green plant—vegetable gardens, grain crops, grapevines, fruit trees, and even the grass upon which their sheep and goats grazed. In the face of such a disaster, all human and animal life was at risk. In the ancient world, there were no insecticides to kill the locusts, no stocks of non-perishable food for emergencies, and no relief agencies to bring in food supplies. Such a plague brought with it the specter of death for thousands upon thousands, especially the very young and the very old.During such a perilous time, it was only natural that the people of Judah and Jerusalem would ask hard questions about the justice and mercy of God. Is God truly in charge of heaven and earth? Is he sovereign? Is he good? They also looked inward at their own sin and moral responsibility for the plague. Has God sent the locust plague to punish us for our failure to live in right relationship with him? Will God be merciful to us? Do we have a future? In response to such questions, the prophet Joel delivered the word of the Lord to his people.The Purpose & Audience (Reasons for the letter)
Throughout the book of Joel, we clearly see God’s sovereignty over all creation. He is Lord of both the natural world and human civilization. The locust plague was not merely a natural event; the army of insects came at God’s command (2:11). The Lord controls rain and drought, fertility and famine, blessing and destruction. All peoples, both Israelites and non-Israelites, are subject to his sovereign judgment, but divine sovereignty does not negate human responsibility. Because human sin has so negatively affected the natural world, Joel calls the people of Judah and Jerusalem to repentance.Joel can offer the Israelites the opportunity to repent because he knows that God is merciful and compassionate. It is God’s nature to forgive those who repent rather than to judge them, to restore rather than to destroy. Quoting an ancient text (Exod 34:6–7), Joel extends God’s gracious invitation to the Israelites: “Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love” (2:13).For Joel, the proper way to express repentance was through the official Temple worship presided over by the priests. This may seem surprising because several earlier prophets had denounced the official worship because of widespread corruption among the priests and leaders (see Amos 5:21–24; Isa 1:10–18), but Joel recognized the value in worship when it is performed with a sincere heart that is fully open to God (an attitude characteristic of postexilic prophets—see Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi). In worship, invisible eternal realities are represented by physical objects and actions. However, the prophet reminds the Israelites that religion is much more than outward display; true worship is founded on inward transformation (2:13). The solution to corrupt worship is not to abandon worship, but to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:23–24).To a people who faced disaster, Joel brought the message that their God was fully in control of the future. He assured them that on the day of the Lord (1:15; 2:1; see “The Day of the LORD” at 2:1–32, p. 1445), God would intervene in the world to judge the wicked and to establish peace and justice. Then he will pour out his Spirit on every class, gender, and age, making it possible for his people to live in accord with his law. The wrongs that all too often dominate our fallen world will only be righted when God fully and finally comes into his creation (2:28–3:21; see Matt 16:27; Acts 2:16–40; Col 2:13–22; Rev 21:1–22:21).What is striking about the book of Joel is that it has no indictment section listing the offenses of the people. The only clue as to what sins called forth the prophet’s message is found in the instruction of 2:12–13 to repent, that is, to “turn to me with all your heart” and “tear your hearts, not just your clothes.” All the other prophets (except Jonah, who does not use the prophetic genre) have at least some explicit indication of what behavior needed to be changed. Joel was concerned mainly with motivation, with messages of judgment and hope.There are many exhortations in the book, but they are almost all formal rather than ethical or moral. Joel calls readers to hear (1:2–3), to war (2:1; 3:9–13), to lament (1:5, 8, 11, 13–14; 2:15–16; though some interpreters understand these as indirect calls for repentance), and to celebrate (2:21–23). The only true instruction message in Joel occurs in 2:12–13, the call to repent.Joel’s message was concerned primarily with motivating repentance by proclaiming the day of the Lord, which is “at the same time one event and many events” and “refers to a decisive action of Yahweh to bring his plans for Israel to completion” (Duane A. Garrett). The locust plague is understood as judgment from God and a harbinger of the day of the Lord (1:2–20, esp. v. 15). Then Joel announced that a worse judgment was coming through a human army (2:1–11). This is also called the day of the Lord (2:1, 11).Joel insisted that the only hope for God’s people was through repentance (2:12–17). He assured Judah that repentance would be rewarded with physical (2:18–27) and spiritual (2:28–32) restoration associated with the day of the Lord (2:31). He concluded by promising a day of the Lord that would bring judgment against the nations opposing Yahweh and his people (3:14).LOCUSTSThe book of Joel contains four specific words translated as “locusts” in English. In both 1:4 and 2:25 “locust” is modified by four different adjectives: “devouring,” “swarming,” “young,” and “destroying.”Interpreters have long asked what relationship exists between the locusts and the army that is mentioned later in Joel. Are they distinct from each other? Is one a metaphor for the other? Or are they two aspects of God’s judgment against Israel and the nations? Are the locusts actual, metaphorical, or typological?It is important to note that both the army of invading locusts and the foreign army came as judgments of God. Also, locusts can be described as an invading army, and an army of men could aptly be called a plague of destructive locusts.THE DAY OF THE LORD The phrase “day of the LORD” figures prominently in the book of Joel. This describes the judgment day of God. That judgment could be directed both against the nation of Israel and against the “nations”; (see Is 13:6, 9; Ezk 13:5; Jl 1:15; 2:1, 11; 3:14; Am 5:18, 20; Ob 15; Zph 1:7, 14; Mal 3:2). The concept itself may also be found in Jr 46:10 and several other passages.The “day of the LORD” has several adjectives attached to it: “darkness and not light” (Am 5:18, 20), “great and terrible” (Mal 4:5), “great and glorious” (Ac 2:20). Associated with it are cosmic calamities; the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood (Ac 2:20; Rv 6:12).Extended descriptions of the day of the Lord are found in Isaiah 13; 34; Ezekiel 7; and Joel 2. In Ezekiel 7 we find that the Lord will send his anger against the land of Israel and judge it according to its ways. He will punish it for all its abominations. Disasters are coming, one after another. The judgment theme is prominent in Joel, as is the idea that the day is near when God will make himself known through his judgments. In a move that shocked the Hebrews, God brought the most evil of nations to take possession of Judah and Israel.CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIBLEThe book of Joel shows us the Creator and Redeemer God of all the universe in complete control of nature. Joel made clear that the God of judgment also is a God of mercy who stands ready to redeem and restore when his people come before him in repentance. Joel points to a time when the Spirit of God would be present upon all people. On the day of Pentecost, Peter proclaimed that the new day of Spirit-filled discipleship, foretold by Joel, had arrived (Ac 2:17–21).Key Verses (ESV)
Joel 1:4: "What the cutting locust left, \ the swarming locust has eaten. \ What the swarming locust left, \ the hopping locust has eaten, \ and what the hopping locust left, \ the destroying locust has eaten." Joel 2:25: "I will restore to you the years \ that the swarming locust has eaten, \ the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, \ 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 on all flesh; \ your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, \ your old men shall dream dreams, \ and your young men shall see visions."Key Passages (NLT)
Joe 1:13–15 Dress yourselves in burlap and weep, you priests! Wail, you who serve before the altar! Come, spend the night in burlap, you ministers of my God. For there is no grain or wine to offer at the Temple of your God. Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting.…Joe 2:1–2Sound the trumpet in Jerusalem! Raise the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the Lord is upon us. It is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick clouds and deep blackness. Suddenly, like dawn spreading across the mountains,…Joe 2:9–20They swarm over the city and run along its walls. They enter all the houses, climbing like thieves through the windows. The earth quakes as they advance, and the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine. The Lord is at the head of the column. He leads…Joe 2:27–3:6Then you will know that I am among my people Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other. Never again will my people be disgraced. “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will…Joe 3:14–21Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. There the day of the Lord will soon arrive. The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine. The Lord’s voice will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth will shake.…Structure & Outline 1
StructureThe first half of the book (Joel 1:1–2:17) focuses on disaster and judgment for Judah, while the second half (Joel 2:18–3:21) focuses on God’s restoration of Judah and judgment of Judah’s enemies. Each half can be divided into two sections.The first section (Joel 1) describes a plague of locusts that brings about a famine. In response, Joel calls the people to repent in preparation for the Day of Yahweh (Joel 1:13–16). The second section (Joel 2:1–17) warns of judgment on the Day of Yahweh. It portrays an attacking army as if it were a locust invasion; this is the army of Yahweh (Joel 2:11). Again, the section ends with a call to repentance and an affirmation of God’s mercy and love (Joel 2:12–14).In the book’s latter half, the third section (Joel 2:18–32) describes God restoring the land and bringing blessing—following the judgment and destruction described in the previous sections. God not only will restore the land’s fertility (Joel 2:19–27), but also will pour out his Spirit upon all people (Joel 2:28–29). The fourth section (Joel 3) describes God’s coming judgment on the nations that have been oppressing Judah. It ends with a portrayal of Judah’s future glory, with God dwelling on Mount Zion (Joel 3:17–21).Outline • The locust invasion (Joel 1:1–20) • Judgment on God’s people (Joel 2:1–17) • Consolation for God’s people (Joel 2:18–32) • Judgment on the nations (Joel 3:1–21)Outline 2
The brief book of Joel consists of three chapters and three main sections. The first section focuses on the experiences current to Joel's audience when he originally wrote the letter (Joel 1). He refers to the plague of locusts upon the land as a judgment from the Lord. The people were to view their judgment as a call to repentance to the Lord (Joel 1:13–20). This repentance was to begin with the priests (Joel 1:13). A fast was to be called, as well as a solemn assembly (Joel 1:14). Joel notes the day of the LORD is near (Joel 1:15). The second section transitions to spiritual themes beyond the immediate situation (Joel 2:1–17). Because the day of the LORD was near, they were to sound an alarm (Joel 2:1). An army would soon invade (Joel 2:2–11), and the people were to repent (Joel 2:12–17). Their repentance was to include fasting, weeping, and mourning (Joel 2:12). The themes ending chapter 1 repeat at the end of chapter 2, calling people to consecrate themselves before God.In the future, despite the bad things taking place in their time, the Lord would make all things right (Joel 2:18—3:21). This would include restoring physical blessings (Joel 2:21–27), spiritual blessings (Joel 2:28–32), and blessings upon the people of God (Joel 3:17–21). Chapter 3 also speaks of various judgments upon Israel's enemies (Joel 3:1–16). Judah and Jerusalem would have a glorious future (Joel 3:17–21). Verses 20–21 end with uplifting words: "But Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations. I will avenge their blood, blood I have not avenged, for the LORD dwells in Zion."