Get Ready
Joel is a short book with one of the Old Testament’s most potent images: a plague of locusts, which most of his audience would identify with the exodus from Egypt. Locust were the eighth plague that God used to convince Pharaoh to release the Jews from slavery.
Author
There is general agreement that the prophet, Joel, wrote this book. He identifies himself in the first verse as the “son of Pethuel,” but that is all the direct information we have about him. He evidently was familiar with the temple in Jerusalem and its procedures, but he also demonstrates knowledge of farming and herding.
Context
The book provides no indication of when it was written. The author does not refer to any kings of either kingdom, nor to any events that might indicate its historical context. A possible reference to King Jehoshaphat of Judah [3:2] could point to a date shortly after his reign, around 850 BCE. On the other hand, Joel uses the same imagery of the “Day of the Lord” as Zephaniah, who worked near the end of the kingdom and capture of Jerusalem (587 BCE).
The prophet begins with a graphic description of an invasion of locusts that destroyed the country’s agriculture and brought the people very close to starvation, but there is no historical record of any specific plague as disastrous as Joel describes.
Structure
Joel is a short book with two major sections:
- In the first section [through 2:11] the prophet describes the plague of locusts and its consequences in very graphic detail and urges the people to repent and return to following the Lord. He closes this section with the warning that a hostile army, far worse than the locusts will invade the nation.
- The second section [2:12-3:21] is God’s direct warning of judgment and promise of restoration and prosperity if the people will repent.
Major Themes
Joel’s message is similar to many of the other prophets: God will judge Israel because the people refused to follow his commandments, but if the people repent God will restore Israel.
Joel uses the disaster of a locust plague sometime in the recent past as the basis of his warning about God’s coming judgment. He tells the Israelites: “If you thought the locusts were bad, they were nothing compared to the destruction God will bring on the nation.”
But the second section focuses on repentance and God’s promises in two different views:
- In the first view God describes what the people should do: Return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping and with mourning, [2:12] and: Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people, [2:15]. God then promises prosperity and protection.
- In the second view God tells the people to prepare for war: The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shake, [3:16]; but he also says he is a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel, [3:16]; and Judah will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations, [3:20].
Get into the Word:
1. Who wrote this book? What do we know about this prophet? What might have been his “day job?” When was this book written? Why is there such a range of possible dates?
2. How is this book organized? What are the primary sections of the book?
3. What is the major image in this book? Why do you suppose the prophet chose this image? How do you think his audience responded to the image? What other incidents in the Old Testament involved this image [see Notes]?
4. What is the prophet’s primary message? What does he warn the people about? What images does he use to describe this coming disaster?
5. What does God say the people should do? How should they deal with this situation? What does God promise he will do in response? Do you think the people believed this promise?
Bible Trivia . . .
Joel uses a well-known image from Isaiah – but in reverse: In Isaiah’s picture of God’s peace the Israelites will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, [Isaiah 2:4]; but Joel says God will call the people to prepare for war and beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears, [Joel 3:10]. It is likely that Joel was aware of Isaiah’s prophecy.
Notes . . .
The Day of the Lord . . .
The phrase “The Day of the Lord” appears throughout the Old Testament. In a few cases it refers to a specific historical event, but most of the uses point to the day of God’s judgment at the end of this present time.
Historical events include the Assyrian defeat of Israel [Amos 5], and Babylon’s victory over Judah and destruction of Jerusalem [Lam 2, Ezek 7]. Prophets also use the phrase in reference to the Medes’ defeat of Babylon [Isaiah 13:6] and Babylon’s defeat of Egypt [Jer 46].
In the future “The Day of the Lord” will involve extreme hardship and suffering for Israel [Zech 14:1-3], but also purification and restoration when the people repent [Isaiah 61:2, Mal 4:5].
Joel focuses on the future event when God will judge Israel and then the other nations and then restore Israel.
The New Testament adds more detail to “The Day of the Lord.”
- There will be a series of natural disasters, diseases and plagues
[Rev 6-9]. - Enemies will attack God’s people and cause great harm before God destroys them, a time of “great distress,” according to Jesus [Matt 24:21,
Rev 11-18].
- There will be a time of peace and blessing after Christ returns and defeats his enemies [the “Millennium,” Rev 20].
- God will destroy the current universe and replace it with a “new heaven and new earth,” [2 Peter 3:10, Rev 21].
Even though a number of prophets, and even Jesus, talk about “The Day of the Lord,” the Bible does not include a timeline or schedule for these events. Many people have tried to find a pattern or calendar of the end times, but Jesus had the definitive answer to such attempts: It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority,” [Acts 1:7].
And Locusts . . .
Locusts have been a sign of God’s anger since the exodus. They were the plague just before darkness and death: The locusts came upon all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever shall be again, [Ex 10:14]. Locusts were also part of God’s curse for disobedience: You shall carry much seed into the field but shall gather little in, for the locust shall consume it, [Deut 28:38].
40: The army of locusts – Joel 2:1- 32
Get Ready
What was the worst possible day of your life? What makes it the “worst possible” day? What makes it memorable for you? Was it bad because of what happened to you? Or to someone you know? Or did it happen to people you did not know? How did you deal with the situation at the time?
The Word . . .
2Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near —
2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old,
nor will be again after them in ages to come.
3 Fire devours in front of them, and behind them a flame burns. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,
but after them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them.
4 They have the appearance of horses, and like war-horses they charge.
5 As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble,
like a powerful army drawn up for battle.
6 Before them peoples are in anguish, all faces grow pale.
7 Like warriors they charge, like soldiers they scale the wall.
Each keeps to its own course, they do not swerve from their paths.
8 They do not jostle one another, each keeps to its own track; they burst through the weapons and are not halted. 9 They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls;
they climb up into the houses,
they enter through the windows like a thief.
10 The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble.
The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.
11 The Lord utters his voice at the head of his army;
how vast is his host! Numberless are those who obey his command.
Truly the day of the Lord is great; terrible indeed — who can endure it?
12 Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.
14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly;
16 gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy.
17 Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests,
the ministers of the Lord, weep.
Let them say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?'”
God’s response and promise
18 Then the Lord became jealous for his land, and had pity on his people.
19 In response to his people the Lord said: I am sending you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied;
and I will no more make you a mockery among the nations. . . .
God’s spirit poured out
28 Then afterward 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.
29 Even on the male and female slaves,
in those days, I will pour out my spirit.
30 I will show portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. 32 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. NRSV
Get into the Word:
1. How does the prophet begin this prophecy? Who is he talking to? What does he tell them to do? Why is this warning necessary?
2. How does the prophet describe what is coming? What symbol does he use? What will happen to the land? What will happen to the people?
3. How does the prophet describe the army that is coming? What will it do? How will it affect the earth? What will happen in the heavens? Who is leading this army? How big is it?
4. How should the people respond to this impending disaster? Who says so? What should the people do? Who all needs to be involved in repentance? What should the priests and ministers do?
5. What does God say he will do when the people repent? How will he act? What will he give the people? How will this change their reputation?
6. What will God do after the people are restored? Who will receive this gift? What will they do with it? How will
this affect their relationship with God?
Get Personal:
Nobody likes to admit that we have done something wrong, but God calls us to confess our sin and repent? How has God helped you “return to the Lord” after you have failed to follow him?
Notes . . .
2:1. The Day of the Lord — see Notes above.
2:2. Darkness and gloom — darkness is often linked with the Day of the Lord; it is also a symbol of sin and its destructive consequences.
Never been seen from of old — an echo of God’s description of the locust plague on Egypt – the coming “army” will be more disastrous than the Egyptian plague.
2:3. Fire devours — the army will devastate the land like a wildfire destroys a forest.
Nothing escapes — could be another echo of Exodus [10:5], or of God’s curse [Deut 28:49-51].
2:4. Appearance of horses — a locust’s head is shaped like that of a horse. Joel extends the comparison with soldiers in vv. 5-9.
2:11. Who can endure it — the prophet Malachi used a similar question: But who
can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? [3:2].
2:12. Yet, even now — the tone and voice shift as God calls on the people to repent [check Deut 4:30, Hosea 3:4-5, and Amos 4:6-11 for the same appeal].
2:13. Slow . . . abounding . . . — a common description of God [as in Exodus 34:6-7, Neb 9:17, Psalm 103:8, and Jonah 4:2].
2:28. Pour out my spirit — Peter used this passage to explain the phenomenon of Pentecost when the Apostles were speaking in a variety of languages [Acts 2:17-21].
2:32. Everyone who calls — Joel is referring to Jews, but Peter realizes that this promise applies to gentiles as well when he is called to Cornelius’ home [Acts 10:43].
Memory Verse
Then afterward 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 2:28].
Next Lesson
Amos 7: Locusts, fire and a plumb line
