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Minor prophets · Old Testament · 3 chapters

The book of Joel

The day of the LORD and the promise of the Spirit

Author
Joel, son of Pethuel
Written
Probably around 835 BC (date debated)
Time covered
A locust invasion in Judah, read as the announcement of the day of the LORD, up to the final judgment of the nations
Key word
Day of the LORD

An unprecedented locust invasion ravages Judah: vines, wheat and temple offerings disappear. Joel sees in it an alarm: the day of the LORD is near. He calls the whole people to fasting and sincere repentance: “Rend your heart, and not your garments.” God answers with compassion: he drives out the enemy, gives back the rain and restores “the years that the locust hath eaten.” Then he announces far more: his Spirit poured out on all flesh, fulfilled at Pentecost. The book ends with the judgment of the nations in the valley of Jehoshaphat and the blessing of Zion, where the LORD dwells.

Main theme

A plague of locusts becomes the announcement of the day of the LORD: God calls his people to return to him with all their heart, promises to restore everything and to pour out his Spirit on all flesh, before judging the nations.

Outline

  1. Joel 1 — The locust catastrophe

    The land is ravaged; Joel calls each group to mourning, fasting and crying out to the LORD.

  2. Joel 2 — The day of the LORD and the call to return

    A terrible army announces the day of the LORD, but God pleads: “Turn ye even to me with all your heart” (2:1-17).

  3. Joel 2 — Restoration and the outpouring of the Spirit

    God spares his people, restores abundance and promises his Spirit on all flesh (2:18-32).

  4. Joel 3 — The judgment of the nations and the glory of Zion

    The nations are judged in the valley of Jehoshaphat; Jerusalem becomes holy and the LORD dwells in Zion.

Key points

  • Four kinds of insects, the palmerworm, the locust, the cankerworm and the caterpillar, devastate the land: a catastrophe to be told to future generations (1:3-4).
  • The expression “the day of the LORD” appears five times and forms the red thread of the book (1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14).
  • The plague is described as a perfectly disciplined army, with the LORD himself at its head (2:2-11).
  • God demands inward repentance, not ritual: “rend your heart, and not your garments” (2:12-13).
  • Jealous for his land, God spares his people and promises to restore the devoured years (2:18, 25).
  • The Spirit will be poured out on all flesh, regardless of age, sex or rank: a promise fulfilled at Pentecost (2:28-29; Acts 2:16-18).
  • Salvation is offered to all: “whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be saved” (2:32; Rom 10:13).
  • The nations that mistreated Israel are judged in the valley of Jehoshaphat, and then the LORD dwells in Zion (3:2, 12-17, 21).
Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 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.
Joel 2:12–13 — The heart of the book: God wants a sincere return and reveals himself as gracious, slow to anger and of great kindness.
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
Joel 2:25 — God can give back what sin and judgment have devoured.
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: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
Joel 2:28–29 — The announcement of the Spirit poured out on all, quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:17-18).

Jesus in Joel

Joel announces the day when the Spirit would be poured out on all flesh; Peter declares it fulfilled at Pentecost, because Jesus, exalted to the right hand of God, received the promised Spirit from the Father and poured him out (Acts 2:16-21, 33). “Whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be saved” becomes, in Paul’s hands, the summons to call on the Lord Jesus (Rom 10:9-13). Finally, the sickle and the winepress of the valley of decision foreshadow Christ the reaper and judge of Revelation (3:13; Rev 14:14-20).

Did you know?

  • The name Joel joins the two Hebrew names of God, Yah and El: it means “the LORD is God.”
  • In the Hebrew Bible, Joel has four chapters: the promise of the Spirit (2:28-32 in English Bibles) forms chapter 3 by itself there.
  • Joel ends and Amos begins with the same cry: “the LORD shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem” (3:16; Amos 1:2).

Quiz on Joel

What plague ravages Judah at the beginning of the book of Joel?

Complete: “Rend your heart, and not…”

Which apostle quotes Joel on the day of Pentecost?

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