The Twelve Minor Prophets Joel: The Day of the Lord Can we experience events in the present which foreshadow how our Lord will deal with humanity in the future? If so, can these events be interpreted with any degree of accuracy? Fortunately, the Word of God has given us all of the events for which mankind should be concerned. For the nation of Israel in Joel’s day, however, the Lord used the prophet to foreshadow His judgement through the lenses of a devastating event which triggered an economic loss in order to teach them the importance of following Him. Background and Setting Israel had experienced its enemies in various forms. More often it was in the form of bandits from the lands of Tyre, Sidon, and Philistia (3:2). Yet in this text, Joel refers to another enemy that Israel had seen before but was even more destructive –____________. Joel uses this enemy’s attack as an illustration to the Day of Judgment that will come form God himself; a day that will be worse that that of locusts. God will judge his enemies and bless the faithful. Although Joel did not mention specific ____________, he nonetheless urged all who heard his message to “rend your hearts and not your garments.” Even still, the message of this seemingly obscure prophet was the basis for Peter’s first sermon (cf., Acts 2:16­21) Author and Date Joel was a prophet to the southern kingdom, _____________. Although we know of twelve other persons mentioned in the OT as Joel, this prophet cannot with confidence be associated with any of these other individuals.1 Circumstances such as these may indicate that the prophet was well­known to his contemporaries enough that no other information of identity was needed.2 The date of this book is between 835 and 796 BC. This date, which is post­exilic, is derived because of what Joel does and doesn’t mention. While there may be some confusing factors, there is no dispute that Joel was a real prophet writing a real warning to the people of Judah. Key People in Hosea 1) Joel:​
The prophet to the people of Judah during the reign of Joash. 2) The People of Judah:​
The Southern Kingdom being punished for their sins by a locust plague. Outline of Joel3 I.
Plague of locusts as a _________ of the day Yahweh. 1:1­2:11 A. Tremendous devastation by the locust horde. 1:1­7 B. This invasion a prefiguration of the human invaders of the future. 1:8­20 (Assyrians and Chaldeans) C. Day of Yahweh as a day of reckoning. 2:1­11 Raymond B. Dillard and Tremper Longman, III, ​
An Introduction to the Old Testament​
, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 363. 2
Ibid., 363. 3
Gleason L. Archer, ​
A Survey of Old Testament Introduction​
(Moody Press: Chicago, 1994), 338. 1
II.
III.
IV.
Call to __________________. 2:12­19 A. External forms of contrition as well as sincere heart repentance. 2:12­15 B. Repentance on a nationwide scale, including all classes and ages. 2:16­17 C. Promise of the returning mercy of the Lord. 2:18­19 (apparently fulfilled in the reign of Joash) Promise of showers of _____________. 2:20­32 A. Terrible overthrow of Israel’s invaders from the north. 2:20 1. Sennacherib. 2. The world power of the last days. B. Rain from the Lord after the locust plague and drought. 2:21­27 C. This rain a prefiguration of outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days. 2:28­32 (beginning at Pentecost) (meteoric signs the final phase of the last days, cf., Matthew 24:29) Final ______________ of God in the day of Yahweh. 3:1­21 A. Final slaughter of unbelievers; divine judgement upon the final dictator. 3:1­16 1. Foreshadowing judgement upon Phoenicia and Philistia, now oppressing Judah. 3:1­13 2. Foreshadowing triumphs of the Maccabean age. 3:14­16 B. Millennial triumph and peace for Jerusalem, including the whole family of the redeemed. 3:17­21 Key Verses in Joel “Yet even now,” declares the ​
LORD​
, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 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 4
over disaster. Joel 2:12­13 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. “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the ​
LORD​
your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. Joel 2:25­26 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the ​
LORD​
shall be saved. Joel 2:32 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I am a 5
warrior.” Joel 3:10​
. ​
R. C. Sproul, ed., ​
The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version​
(Orlando, FL; Lake Mary, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2005), 1261. 5
​
John D. Barry et al., ​
Faithlife Study Bible ​
(Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2012), Joe 3:10. 4
6
But the ​
LORD​
is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel. Joel 3:16b 6
86. ​
Michael Bentley, ​
Opening Up Joel​
, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2009),