"The Day of the Lord: Historic Experience"

Introduction to Joel.

As we begin our look into the Minor Prophets, we begin with the Prophet Joel.

Not much is known about this Prophet Joel, other than his father’s name as Pethuel (v. 1).

And that he was a prophet. We see it following the prophetic pattern: “The word of the Lord that came to Joel…”

It is quite hard to date when this book was written.

There are three usual possibilities:

Early Preexilic Date (9th Century BC)

Usually understood to be around the time of the Reign of Joash.

Late Preexilic Date (597-587 BC).

This is immediately prior to the Babylonian Captivity.

I am leaning towards this date. Because of Joel 3:1-3, looks to be implying that Babylon is coming against Judah, and has taken off their young men into captivity.

Also, Joel refers to the slave trade with the Greeks in 3:6, which was quite prevalent in the 7th and 6th Centuries BC.

Postexilic Date. After Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel had rebuilt Jerusalem, its walls, and the Temple.

Regardless of whichever date it was written, Joel’s doctrines remain timeless, and we can glean much truth out of these 3 short chapters.

Interesting fact, in some Bibles, there are 4 chapters to the book of Joel instead of 3.

This came about during the 16th Century when chapters and verses were being popularized in the printed text of Scripture.

Jewish Scholars adopted the Christian verse system, except for Joel and Micah.

When we break down this book, we are going to see several different themes develop.

This book is focused on “The Day of the Lord”.

You will see it in 5 places: Joel 1:15; 2:1; 2:11; 2:31; 3:14.

Being focused on The Day of the Lord, we understand that being the 2nd Coming of Christ.

Places like:

1 Thess. 5:2.

2 Peter 3:10.

What we will notice in Joel’s prophecy, however, is a near/far prophecy.

In chapter 1, he recalls a locust plague being God’s judgment.

In chapter 2, it seems to be a warning about the Babylonian invasion being the day of the Lord.

Ezekiel speaks similarly in Ezekiel 13:5.

In chapter 3, he looks far into the future, to the ultimate Day of the Lord, which is the 2nd Coming of Christ.

We’ll encounter another one of these near/far prophecy fulfillments when it comes to Joel 2:28-32, as the Apostle Peter quotes this in his day of Pentecost sermon, and yet it has a later fulfillment in the during the Tribulation.

We are going to see what healthy lament looks like.

Lament is a way of dealing with the difficulties of life in a way that turns your heart back to God, and causes change in your heart.

You see David do this in the Psalms A LOT. Psalm 11 and 13 are my favorite.

You see Joel begin, in verse, by saying “Hear this,” which is the Hebrew word “Shema” from Deut. 6:4.

He is wanting them to consider the great difficulties that they are facing, and to use them as teaching moments for their children, much like the Exodus was meant to be for the Israelites.

He commands them later to “lament…wail” in verse 13.

But they still cry out to the Lord: vv. 14, 19.

We are going to be confronted with the Lord’s faithfulness to His promise to His people.

We’ll see the Spiritual Resurrection of the Jewish People.

We’ll see the Resurrection of the Promised Land from its “locust plague.”

We’ll see the National Resurrection and defense.

(1) Locust Plague Devours 40,000 Tonnes of Vegetation | Earth's Tropical Islands | BBC Earth - YouTube

Let’s Read Joel 1.

Command to Contemplate the Devastation (1:2-3).

The prophet begins by saying “Shema” or “Hear this” and “Listen”. (v. 2, 3).

He intentionally begs them to pay attention to what is going on in their time so that they would be prepared to the correct action.

As we discussed before, it was meant to be passed down from generation to generation, so that they would not forget what was going on.

Similar to Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 20-25.

Deut. is a positive command. Look at what God did for us!

Joel is a negative command. Pay attention to why this happened to us.

It is quite ironic to, considering Exodus 10:4-6.

Completeness of Devastation (1:4-12).

It seems like each “generation” of locust has had their fill on the vegetation of the Promised Land.

Gnawing.

Swarming.

Stripping.

It may be that their are different species of locusts, or different stages of the locust swarm.

Like babies, just out of their next holes. (Gnawing)

The group of them as they “mate” and get ready to fly away. (Swarming)

The group as their are flying are stripping the crops as they fly. (Stripping)

The Drunkards cannot make their wine anymore (v. 5).

the vineyards were stripped bare.

The locusts are compared to a vast army (v. 6).

Compared to a lion with a teeth that scrip a carcass bare.

cf. Revelation 9:8.

God’s people have become a waste (v. 7).

Notice the personal pronouns here. He is calling the fig tree and the vine his own.

God has used both of these analogous to Israel.

Isaiah 5.

Luke 13:6-9.

The People have been cut off from the Covenant (vv. 8-10).

Verses 9, 10 point out that the fields have been stripped bare, so they can no longer offer the morning and evening grain and drink offering before the Lord.

Joel is borrowing imagery from Isaiah and Jeremiah, where Israel is called the wife of the Lord.

Isaiah 54:5-8.

Jeremiah 31:32.

If they do not repent, they are going to be like that of a young widowed virgin.

Joy is gone from the entire society (vv. 11-12.

The farmers in this agrarian society have utterly failed and producing a crop.

This trickles down.

Feeding cattle. (vv. 16-18, 20)

Food for people.

Call to Repent in light of the Devastation (1:13-20).

The priests led in the repentance (v. 13).

Sackcloth is the clothing of humiliation.

The priests were to call the nation to repentance (v. 14).

To Cry out to “the LORD”. They were to call on the name of the Lord to remember them.

Covenant Name Yahweh, that brought to mind His faithfulness.

They were to do this because of the “Day of the Lord” (v.15).

Joel recognized that this destruction wasn’t merely a swarm of locusts, but from God Almighty.

Literally “Shaddai”.

How terrifying is it to stand in the midst of the destruction brought on by the Omnipotent one?

Thereby a foreshadow of the coming Judgment of God upon this world (v. 19).

Application Discussion:

How can we apply this terrifying work of God to the way we live and minister at this present time?