Joel and Amos
Notes
Transcript
The Prophet Joel
The Prophet Joel
Theme: The day of the Lord
Date written: 835–796 B.C.
Author: Joel
Setting: Judah/Jerusalem
“The Day of the Lord”
The theme of Joel is the Day of the Lord. It permeates all parts of Joel’s message, making it the most sustained treatment in the entire OT (1:15; 2:1; 2:11; 2:31; 3:14). The phrase is employed 19 times by 8 different OT authors (Is. 2:12; 13:6,9; Ezek. 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1,11,31; 3:14; Amos 5:18 [2x],20; Obad. 15; Zeph. 1:7,14 [2x]; Zech. 14:1; Mal. 4:5). The phrase does not have reference to a chronological time period, but to a general period of wrath and judgment uniquely belonging to the Lord. It is exclusively the day which unveils His character—mighty, powerful, and holy, thus terrifying His enemies. The Day of the Lord does not always refer to an eschatological event; on occasion it has a near historical fulfillment, as seen in Ezek. 13:5, where it speaks of the Babylonian conquest and destruction of Jerusalem. As is common in prophecy, the near fulfillment is an historic event upon which to comprehend the more distant, eschatological fulfillment.
The Day of the Lord is frequently associated with seismic disturbances (e.g., 2:1–11; 2:31; 3:16), violent weather (Ezek. 13:5ff.), clouds and thick darkness (e.g., 2:2; Zeph. 1:7ff.), cosmic upheaval (2:3,30), and as a “great and very terrible” (2:11) day that would “come as destruction from the Almighty” (1:15). The latter half of Joel depicts time subsequent to the Day of the Lord in terms of promise and hope. There will be a pouring out of the Spirit on all flesh, accompanied by prophetic utterances, dreams, visions (2:28,29), as well as the coming of Elijah, an epiphany bringing restoration and hope (Mal. 4:5,6). As a result of the Day of the Lord there will be physical blessings, fruitfulness, and prosperity (2:21ff.; 3:16–21). It is a day when judgment is poured out on sinners that subsequently leads to blessings on the penitent, and reaffirmation of God’s covenant with His people. See note on 1 Thess. 5:2.
Theme Verse:
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, And turn unto the Lord your God: For he is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness, And repenteth him of the evil.
Chronological Order and
Approximate Dates
of the Minor Prophets
Obadiah 840
Joel 835
Jonah 760
Amos 755
Hosea 740
Micah 730
Nahum 660
Zephaniah 625
Habakkuk 607
Haggai 520
Zechariah 515
Malachi 430
Introduction:
Because there are no specific events recorded in the book of Joel other than the invasion of locusts, it is difficult cult to determine when this book was written. Joel, however, appears to be one of the earlier prophets in Judah. He lived and ministered in Judah about the same time as Elisha and Jonah ministered in the northern kingdom of Israel. Joel predicts that the land will be invaded by a dreadful army that will make a recent locust invasion seem mild by comparison. On behalf of God, Joel appeals to the people to repent and avert the coming disaster.
The Skeleton
Chapter 1 The Plague of Locusts Israel experiences a plague of locusts that brings desolation to the land. Joel explains that this is a foretaste of the coming “day of the LORD” (verse 15). In view of this
catastrophe, Joel calls for humility and repentance.
An extended drought and massive invasion of locusts had stripped every green thing from the Land and brought severe economic devastation (1:7–20), leaving the southern kingdom weak. This physical disaster gives Joel the illustration for God’s judgment. As the locusts were a judgment on sin, God’s future judgments during the Day of the Lord will far exceed them. In that day, God will judge His enemies and bless the faithful. No mention is made of specific sins, nor is Judah rebuked for idolatry. Yet, possibly due to a calloused indifference, the prophet calls them to a bona fide repentance, admonishing them to “rend your heart, and not your garments” (2:13).
Imperatives - Hear! Give Ear! Tell! Awaken! Weep! Howl! Lament!
1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.
2 Hear this, ye old men, And give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, Or even in the days of your fathers?
3 Tell ye your children of it, And let your children tell their children, And their children another generation.
4 That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; And that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; And that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.
5 Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; And howl, all ye drinkers of wine, Because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.
8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.
Weep like a Bride mourning her husbands death
13 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: Howl, ye ministers of the altar: Come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: For the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.
14 Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land Into the house of the Lord your God, And cry unto the Lord,
Gird! Lament! Howl! Lie all Night! Sanctify a fast! Cry unto the Lord!
15 Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, And as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
Chapter 2 The Day of the Lord Joel spells out the events of the coming day of judgment, when an army will invade from the north and a great struggle will occur. For those who repent, it is promised that the Spirit of God will be poured out.
1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: For the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
Blow Trumpet! Sound the Alarm!
The Day of the Lord!
12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, Turn ye even to me with all your heart, And with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, And turn unto the Lord your God: For he is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness, And repenteth him of the evil.
14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, And leave a blessing behind him; Even a meat offering and a drink offering unto 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 elders, Gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: Let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, And give not thine heritage to reproach, That the heathen should rule over them: Wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
18 Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, And pity his people.
19 Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, And ye shall be satisfied therewith: And I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, And will drive him into a land barren and desolate, With his face toward the east sea, And his hinder part toward the utmost sea, And his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, Because he hath done great things.
23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: For he hath given you the former rain moderately, And he will cause to come down for you the rain, The former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
The Lords promise of His Spirit
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, That I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids In those days will I pour out my spirit.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, Blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, Before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: For in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, As the Lord hath said, And in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.
Chapter 3 Judgment and Blessing The Lord will judge the nations, especially those which have mistreated His chosen people. Israel will receive a special blessing and be revived and restored.
1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, When I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will also gather all nations, And will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, And will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
3 And they have cast lots for my people; And have given a boy for an harlot, And sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.
4 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, And all the coasts of Palestine? Will ye render me a recompence? And if ye recompense me, Swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;
5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, And have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:
8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters Into the hand of the children of Judah, And they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: For the Lord hath spoken it.
9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
10 Beat your plowshares into swords, And your pruninghooks into spears: Let the weak say, I am strong.
11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, And gather yourselves together round about: Thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord.
12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: For there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: Come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; For their wickedness is great.
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
Putting Meat on the Bones A single bomb can destroy a large city. A single quake or hurricane can destroy whole civilizations. We stand in awe at the power and might of both natural and man-made power. But these forces cannot touch the power of Almighty God. Ever since the first sin was committed in the Garden of Eden in Genesis, man has been in rebellion against God. Judah has now taken its turn in disregarding God’s laws. Because the people do not repent, they will surely have their day of judgment, their “day of the LORD.” Rebellion continues to be allowed by God, but a future day is coming when all rebellion will be punished.
Fleshing It Out in Your Life God—not foreign invaders, nature, or the economy—is the one with whom all must reckon. One cannot ignore or offend God forever. You must pay attention to His message from His Word. If you don’t, you will face “the day of the LORD” later. Where do you stand with God and His coming judgment? Where does Joel’s message find you today? It’s not too late to ask for and receive God’s forgiveness. God’s greatest desire is for you to come to Him.
Life Lessons from Joel
God always gives a warning before He sends judgment.
God brings judgment if there is no repentance.
Humility and repentance are necessary to restore your relationship with God.
Sin brings God’s day of reckoning.
Where to Find It
Judah’s invasion and destruction by locusts Chapter 1
Judah’s desolation by Assyria Chapter 2
Judah and Israel’s restoration by God Chapter 3
“The day of the LORD” is mentioned 19 times in the Old Testament (5 times in Joel) 4 times in the New Testament.
The Big Idea for Joel:
Using what was at that time the well-known locust plague in Judah, Joel capitalized on a recent tragedy to dispense the Lord's message of judgment and the hope of repentance. In referring to the terrible locust plague, Joel was able to speak into the lives of his listeners and imprint the message of judgment into their minds, like a brand sears the flesh of an animal.
One commentator notes that the day of the Lord, which is a reference not to a single day only but to a period of judgment and restoration, consists of three basic features:
The judgment of God's peopleThe judgment of foreign nationsThe purification and restoration of God's people through intense suffering
Amos Seek good and not evil, that you may live; so the LORD God of hosts will be with you…. (5:14)
Theme: Punishment
Date written: 790 B.C.
Author: Amos
Setting: Bethel, the northern kingdom Amos is a shepherd and a cultivator of sycamore trees from a rural area south of Jerusalem. He is gripped by God and divinely commissioned to leave his homeland and preach a harsh message of judgment to the northern kingdom of Israel. He offers eight pronouncements— three sermons and five visions—warning of coming disaster because of complacency, idolatry, and the oppression of the poor. But because of the peace and prosperity of Israel during this period, his message falls on deaf ears.
The Skeleton
Chapters 1–2 Pronouncement of Judgment
The prophet Amos names specific sins of various nations and pronounces eight judgments upon the nations. Then Amos describes the transgressions of the people of Israel and Judah and warns of future destruction and condemnation from the Lord. Among the sins of the nations and the Jewish people is idolatry—the worship of false gods.
1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
2 And he said, The Lord will roar from Zion, And utter his voice from Jerusalem; And the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, And the top of Carmel shall wither.
God’s Judgment on the surrounding nations of Israel
3 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Damascus, And for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; Because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:
4 But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, Which shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.
5 I will break also the bar of Damascus, And cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, And him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: And the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the Lord.
6 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Gaza, And for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; Because they carried away captive the whole captivity, To deliver them up to Edom:
7 But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, Which shall devour the palaces thereof:
8 And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, And him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon, And I will turn mine hand against Ekron: And the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord God.
9 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Tyrus, And for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; Because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, And remembered not the brotherly covenant:
10 But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, Which shall devour the palaces thereof.
11 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Edom, And for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; Because he did pursue his brother with the sword, And did cast off all pity, And his anger did tear perpetually, And he kept his wrath for ever:
12 But I will send a fire upon Teman, Which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.
13 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, And for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; Because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, That they might enlarge their border:
14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, And it shall devour the palaces thereof, With shouting in the day of battle, With a tempest in the day of the whirlwind:
15 And their king shall go into captivity, He and his princes together, saith the Lord.
Chapters 3–6 Reasons for Judgment In these chapters, Amos delivers three sermons expos- ing Israel’s sin. Among the problems in Israel are greed, excessive taxation, and cruel oppression of the poor. God condemns those who “crush the needy” (4:1), take bribes, and deprive the poor of justice (5:12). Though the people profess to follow God and offer sacrifices to Him, their hypocrisy is evident in their excessive lifestyle. There is a total absence of social justice and morality.
1 Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, Against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,
2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?
5 Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? Shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?
1 Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, Which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, Which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.
2 The Lord God hath sworn by his holiness, That, lo, the days shall come upon you, That he will take you away with hooks, And your posterity with fishhooks.
3 And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; And ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord.
4 Come to Beth-el, and transgress; At Gilgal multiply transgression; And bring your sacrifices every morning, And your tithes after three years:
5 And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, And proclaim and publish the free offerings: For this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God.
6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, And want of bread in all your places: Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
10 They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, And they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.
11 Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, And ye take from him burdens of wheat: Ye have built houses of hewn stone, But ye shall not dwell in them; Ye have planted pleasant vineyards, But ye shall not drink wine of them.
12 For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: They afflict the just, they take a bribe, And they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.
13 Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; For it is an evil time.
14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: And so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.
15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: It may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
Chapters 7–9 Visions of Judgment and Restoration Amos has five visions that depict what God will do to punish Israel. Yet in spite of all the people have done wrong, God still loves them and promises there will come a future day of restoration and blessing.
The Five Visions of Amos
1. Vision of the locusts (7:1-3)
1 Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings.
2 And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord God, forgive, I beseech thee: By whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.
3 The Lord repented for this: It shall not be, saith the Lord.
2. Vision of the fire (7:4-6)
4 Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord God called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.
5 Then said I, O Lord God, cease, I beseech thee: By whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.
6 The Lord repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord God.
3. Vision of the plumb line (7:7-9)
7 Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.
8 And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:
9 And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, And the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; And I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
4. Vision of the summer fruit (8:1-14)
1 Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.
2 And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the Lord unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.
3 And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord God: There shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.
4 Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, Even to make the poor of the land to fail,
5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? And the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, Making the ephah small, and the shekel great, And falsifying the balances by deceit?
6 That we may buy the poor for silver, And the needy for a pair of shoes; Yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?
7 The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.
8 Shall not the land tremble for this, And every one mourn that dwelleth therein? And it shall rise up wholly as a flood; And it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.
9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, That I will cause the sun to go down at noon, And I will darken the earth in the clear day:
10 And I will turn your feasts into mourning, And all your songs into lamentation; And I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, And baldness upon every head; And I will make it as the mourning of an only son, And the end thereof as a bitter day.
11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, That I will send a famine in the land, Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord:
12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, They shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.
13 In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.
14 They that swear by the sin of Samaria, And say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; And, The manner of Beer-sheba liveth; Even they shall fall, and never rise up again.
5. Vision of the Lord (9:1-10)
1 I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: And cut them in the head, all of them; And I will slay the last of them with the sword: He that fleeth of them shall not flee away, And he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.
2 Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; Though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down:
3 And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; And though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, Thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:
4 And though they go into captivity before their enemies, Thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: And I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.
5 And the Lord God of hosts is he that toucheth the land, and it shall melt, And all that dwell therein shall mourn: And it shall rise up wholly like a flood; And shall be drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.
6 It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, And hath founded his troop in the earth; He that calleth for the waters of the sea, And poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name.
7 Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the Lord. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? And the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?
8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, And I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; Saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord.
9 For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, Like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.
10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, Which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
Putting Meat on the Bones
Amos is not a professional prophet. He has not been to “prophet school.” He says, “I was no prophet, nor was I a son of a prophet, but I was a sheepbreeder and a ten- der of sycamore fruit” (7:14). He is a simple country boy. What is it then that makes him such a powerful spiritual force? In his testimony he gives us the answer: “Then the LORD took me…and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel’ ” (verse 15). Amos fearlessly prophesied by the Spirit of God within him (3:8).
Fleshing It Out in Your Life Amos provides an excellent example for you today. He reminds you that you don’t have to be professionally trained to speak up for God when you see human injustice or sinful behavior, especially by those who claim to be Christians. Amos was a fiery spokesman for God not be- cause of education or birth, but because he was obedient when the call of God came. You too can be God’s person. Listen for His call and do what He asks. Then watch as
the power of God works through you as you serve Him.
Life Lessons from Amos
God cares about the poor and those in need, and so should you.
Whenever you have the opportunity to show compassion, you should act upon it.
It is wrong to enrich yourself at the expense of others.
If your heart is far from God and you are living in disobedience, then your words and actions mean nothing.
Complacency happens almost without notice. Check and renew your heart daily.
Judgment is certain for those who ignore God.
Where to Find It
Prophecy of Israel’s coming destruction Chapter 3
Israel’s reproof and disregard Chapter 4
Amos’s call to repentance Chapter 5
Scattering and restoration of Israel Chapter 9
The Five Visions of Amos
1. Vision of the locusts (7:1-3)
2. Vision of the fire (7:4-6)
3. Vision of the plumb line (7:7-9)
4. Vision of the summer fruit (8:1-14)
5. Vision of the Lord (9:1-10)