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HIS
SERVANTS' MINISTRY
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The Book of Joel
Introduction
Commentary
On The Book of Joel
I will do the Joel
Commentary similar to my other Commentaries . . . in that
I will bring the verse or verses in the KJV, followed by what
it is saying to me. What I write will be a personal comment,
it is NOT Scripture.
The author is Joel, a prophet
of Judah. Not much is known about him (Joel 1:1). Joel means "Jehovah
is God."
As to why it was written;
to warn of God's imminent judgment on a sinful people.
To whom it was written, since
Joel was a resident of Judah, the Southern kingdom, it makes sense
that he writes to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, of whom he
makes frequent mention (Joel 1:14; 2:1,15,32; 3:1,12,17,20,21)
Joel probably lived in the
time of King Uzziah (about 800 BC), so that is probably the time
it was written, although this is uncertain. If so, Amos and Isaiah
were his contemporaries.
What Joel writes about is:
- A prophecy of a great
public calamity, consisting of drought and a horrible locust
plague (Joel 1:1-2:11).
- An urgent cry to repent to his fellow
country men, assuring them God was willing to forgive (Joel 2:12-17).
- Prophecy of the land being restored to
fruitfulness (Joel 2:18-26).
- A Messianic prophecy, quoted by Peter
(Acts 2:39)
- .Prophecy fortelling judgments that would
fall on God's enemies (Joel 3).
Brief Outline of Joel
#1 Judgments on the people
for their sins:
- A. Plague of locusts (Joel
1:4-9).
- B. Severe drought (Joel 1:10-20).
- C. Enemy invasion (Joel 2:1-10).
#2 Calls to repentance and prayer (Joel 2:12-17).
#3 Deliverance promised (Joel 2:18-20)
#4 Prophecy of a great refreshing season:
- In nature (Joel 2:23-24).
- Outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-30).
#5 A valley of decision:
- Prophecy of Gentile nations judged (Joel3:1-16).
- Prophecy of Zion to receive glorious blessing
(Joel 3:17-21).
The prophecy of Joel may not seem important
to you, for it has only three brief chapters. But, this little
Book is like an atomic bomb . . . not very big, but very potent
and extremely powerful.
We know very little about the prophet Joel.
All we are told about him is in Joel 1:1, “The word
of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.”
Joel means “Jehovah is God,” and it was a very common
name. Some people think that the prophet Joel was a son of Samuel
because 1 Samuel 8:1–2 says, “And
it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges
over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel ….”
But if we read further, . . . the next verse tells us, “And
his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre,
and took bribes, and perverted judgment” (1 Sam. 8:3).
Samuel’s son could NOT have been the same
man as God's prophet Joel.
Joel prophesied in Jerusalem and the surrounding
area. All through his prophecy he refers to “the house
of the Lord.” (Joel 1:9,14; 3:18). Joel also mentions
Jerusalem in Joel 3:20, “But Judah shall dwell for ever,
and Jerusalem from generation to generation.” In Joel
3:17, it states, “So shall ye know that I am the Lord
your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem
be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.”
So we know that Joel was a prophet in the southern kingdom of
Judah.
Joel prophesied as one of the early prophets.
It is thought by some scholars that Joel prophesied about the
time of the reign of Joash, king of Judah. That would mean that
he was contemporary with and probably knew Elijah and Elisha.
Others think Joel probably lived in the time of King Uzziah, so
that is probably the time it was written. If so, Amos and Isaiah
were contemporaries.
Joel’s theme is “the day
of the Lord.” He makes specific reference to it five
times: Joel 1:15; 2:1–2; 2:10–11; 2:30–31; and
3:14–16. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel all refer
to the Day of the Lord. Sometimes the prophets call it “that
day.” Zechariah particularly emphasizes “that
day.” Just what is “that day”?
It is the Day of the Lord, or the Day of Jehovah. Joel is the
one who introduces the Day of the Lord in prophecy. Way back in
Joel’s time, he saw further than any other prophet saw .
. . he saw the Day of the Lord.
The Day of the Lord includes the Millennial Kingdom which will come at the Second Coming of Christ, but
Joel makes it very clear that it begins with the Great Tribulation Period, the time of great trouble. If you want
to set a boundary at the end of the Day of the Lord, it would
be the end of the Millennium when the Lord Jesus puts down
all unrighteousness and establishes His eternal Kingdom here on
the Earth. . . . . . . . . . . . http://www.lastdaysprophecy.org/L_D_millennial_kingdom.htm . . . http://www.lastdaysprophecy.org/L_D_tribulation_what.htm . . . http://www.lastdaysprophecy.org/L_D_tribulation,_why.htm
The Day of the Lord does not include the
period when the church is in the world. The prophets neither spoke
about nor wrote about the church.
There are several special features about
the prophecy of Joel which I would like to point out. Joel was
the first of the writing prophets, and as he looked down through
the centuries, he saw the coming of the Day of the Lord. He did
not see the church, none of the prophets did. When the Lord Jesus
went to the top of the Mount of Olives, men who were schooled
in the Old Testament came and asked Him, “What is the
sign of the end of the age?” Our Lord didn’t
mention His cross to them at that time, nor did He tell them then
about the coming of the Holy Spirit. He didn’t tell them
about the church period or mention the Rapture to them. Instead,
the Lord went way down to the beginning of the Day of the Lord.
The events He predicted will identify it for the people who will
be there when the Day of the Lord begins: “When
ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of
by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth,
let him understand:)” (Matt. 24:15).
That is how we are to know the beginning of the Day of the Lord.
Joel will make it clear to us that it begins with night,
meaning it begins as a time of trouble. The Hebrew day begins
at sunset. Genesis tells us, “And the evening and the
morning were the first day” (Gen. 1:5). We today begin
at sunup, but God begins at sundown. The Day of the Lord,
therefore, begins with night (trouble).
Unlike Hosea, Joel says practically nothing
about himself. Hosea brings out the scandal in his home, and his
unfaithful wife. We do not know whether Joel had a wife or not.
Unlike many of the other prophets, Joel does not condemn Israel
for idolatry. Earlier in their history, at the time Joel prophesied,
idolatry was not the great sin in Israel. Joel will mentions only
one sin, drunkenness.
Joel opens his prophecy with a unique description
of a literal plague of locusts. Then he uses that plague of locusts
to compare with the future judgments which will come upon this
Earth. The first chapter is very dramatic and literary gem. It
is a remarkable passage of Scripture, unlike anything you will
find any where else in literature.
Finally, Joel’s prophecy contains
the very controversial passage in which he mentions the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit which was referred to by the apostle Peter
on the Day of Pentecost (Joel 2:28–29). There are different
interpretations concerning the pouring out of the Holy Spirit,
which we will look at in detail when we come to it.
Acts 15:16 After this
I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which
is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and
I will set it up: (KJV) “After this”.
. . after what? After He calls out the church
from this world, God will again turn to His program with Israel,
which is the time that the Day of the Lord refers. Acts
15:17 That the residue of men might seek after the
Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith
the Lord, who doeth all these things. (KJV) Today God is
calling out of the Gentiles a people (the church); in that day,
all the Gentiles who enter the Kingdom will see God rightly, and
seek the Lord.
Book Of Joel
Ch.1 . Ch.2 . Ch.3. Home Page
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