Read the Passage: Joel 1-3

Authorship and Date – Little is known about the prophet Joel. While there are at least a dozen different men in the Old Testament named Joel, the prophet Joel only appears in the book that bears his name. Other than his self-description as being “the son of Pethuel” (Joel 1:1), we know almost nothing biographical about Joel. Jewish tradition holds that Joel was from the tribe of Reuben, whose land was on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. However, the content of this book indicates that Joel likely resided in or around Jerusalem, for he was very familiar with temple practices, while not being a priest or a Levite himself (cf. Joel 1:13–14; 2:17). Joel’s style and message are similar to that of Hosea and Amos, which indicates that Joel possibly wrote around 835 BC. Joel’s focus on Jerusalem and the temple indicates that his audience was the tribe of Judah. The leaders in Judah at this time were the boy-king Joash and the high priest Jehoida (cf. 2 Kings 11–12). If this date of writing is correct, then the book of Joel is one of the earliest of the twelve minor prophets—the book of Obadiah may have been written around 845 BC.

Theme and Purpose – The book of Joel is one of the shortest books in the Old Testament, as it consists of just 3 chapters, or 73 verses, or 2,033 words. Contextually, the land of Judah had recently experienced a devastating plague of locusts, which Joel understood to be either God’s judgment, or a symbol of God’s judgment, upon Israel. Joel uses this event to unfold his theme of the “Day of the Lord” and to exhort his readers to repent of their sins. “The Day of the Lord” refers to the arrival of God both to judge evil and to vindicate His people. While the phrase often sparks fear and trepidation, as Joel 2:18–32; 3:18–21 shows, the “Day of the Lord” can be a positive concept for God’s people, for God’s justice is good. The phrase occurs 27 times in the Old Testament, including 5 times in the book of Joel (1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14). The phrase “Day of the Lord” also occurs 5 times in the New Testament (cf. Acts 2:20; 1 Cor. 5:5; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:10). In his sermon on the day of Pentecost, Peter cites Joel 2:28–32 (cf. Acts 2:16–21), which is probably one of the most well-known passages from this book. The only other time that the book of Joel is quoted in the New Testament is at Rom. 10:13 where Paul cites Joel 2:32.

Structure and Outline – The book of Joel is logical in both content and structure, thus the book may be thematically outlined as follows:

• Survey of Destruction (1:1–20)
• Plea for Repentance (2:1–32)
• Promise of Restoration (3:1–21)

God’s Warning (1:1–20)

Joel begins his book with a personal introduction in Joel 1:1. Following this, in Joel 1:2–12 the prophet describes the total destruction wreaked by an infestation of locusts upon the Promised Land. Apparently, locusts of all types and at all stages of development had consumed all of the vegetation of the land. Interpreting this plague to be God’s hand of judgment, Joel called the religious rulers to lament “for the grain offering and the drink offering are withheld from the house of God” (Joel 1:13). Indeed, the natural result of the locusts consuming all of the vegetation was that there would be famine among the people and an inability to sacrifice to the Lord in the Temple, for there would be no firstfruits to offer to God. In light of this, the prophet called upon the rulers to “cry out to the Lord” (Joel 1:14). That which the priests were to cry out is the prayer recorded in Joel 1:15–20.

God’s Invitation (2:1–32)

Using the locust plague as an illustration, in Joel 2:1–11 the prophet describes another coming Day of the Lord that would entail a plague of soldiers from an invading army overwhelming the land. This plague, too, would result in the people being separated from the Temple, as they would be killed or deported. While it was a future invasion in Joel’s time, history records that the event(s) he is describing was the Babylonian invasions from 605–586 BC. Joel revealed that it was not too late as he called the people to repent “with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning” (Joel 2:12). In Joel 2:12–17 the prophet was not calling for superficial external repentance (i.e., garment rending) but for genuine internal repentance (i.e., heart rending). Such repentance would result in the land being refreshed (cf. Joel 2:18–27) and God’s Spirit being poured out (cf. Joel 2:28–32).

God’s Promise (3:1–21)

In Joel 2:18–32 the prophet had described what will happen when his people repent of the events that provoke the Day of the Lord. Again using the locust plague as an illustration, Joel writes that if the people repent “the Lord will be zealous for his land and pity his people. . . . [The Lord says] I will restore to you the years that the swarming locusts have eaten, the crawling locusts, the consuming locusts, and the chewing locusts, my great army which I sent among you” (Joel 2:18, 25). Following this, in Joel 3:1–21 the prophet details God’s promise of judgment upon evildoers and the restoration of the just. The justice that Joel writes about in this passage applies to: (1) contemporary justice related to the locust plague; (2) future justice related to the coming Babylonian invasion; and (3) ultimate justice that would be meted out in the end-times at the return of Jesus Christ.

Application Questions:

1. What do you know about the book of Joel? From past reading and study are you familiar with any verses or passages from this book?
2. How important is godly leadership among the followers of God? What are some characteristics of godly leaders?
3. How should Christians think about natural disasters such as floods, storms, droughts, and earthquakes?
4. What should be our reaction to suffering in general? Should our reaction be different if the suffering is warranted?
5. Is there ever a time when it is too late for God’s people to repent of their sins? Do you view God’s justice in a positive or a negative light?