Tag: Joel

Joel: JUDGMENT (V)

Why does the Bible associate certain events of life as being on a mountain and others being in the valley? What do the valleys in Joel 3 represent and why?

“Multitudes, Multitudes, In The Valley Of Decision” (3:1-21)

Neal Pollard

While the first two chapters center squarely on the sin, consequences, call for repentance, and restoration of God’s people, the final chapter is completely focused on God’s judgment upon the nations (2). They who have punished, harassed, and threatened Judah (see 17-21) will themselves be defeated and judged by the God who comes to the rescue of His people. The enemies will be put down, while His people would be raised up. 

Notice the five references to valleys in this chapter. Joel refers to the “valley of Jehoshaphat” (2,12), the “valley of decision” (14), and the “valley of acacias” (“valley of Shittim”)(18). Garrett explains, “The word ‘Jehoshaphat’ means ‘Yahweh judges’ and is most often identified with the famous valley of Jezreel extending from Mount Carmel past Megiddo and on to Bet Shean and the Jordan River” (NAC, 380). We more commonly refer to it as Armageddon. Battles are typically fought in valleys and not on high places. The battle takes place between God and the heathen nations (9-12). God is judge and army! 

The enemies are identified as Tyre, Sidon, and Philistia (4). They had mistreated Judah (6), but God was going to recompense them for that (7). He describes their fate in apocalyptic terms like the sun, moon, and stars being affected by Him (15), then ends with this thundering judgment: “The Lord roars from Zion And utters His voice from Jerusalem, And the heavens and the earth tremble. But the Lord is a refuge for His people And a stronghold to the sons of Israel” (16). 

What is so terrible for those on the wrong side of judgment is peace and promise for His faithful. Joel ends the book with five verses of hopeful promise to the righteous. As the result of His bringing judgment on the Gentiles, God expected that His people would recognize His power and identity (17), experience His profuse blessings (18), witness His vindication of them (19, 21), and enjoy perpetual habitation in God’s promised place (20). The ultimate fulfillment of such hopes stands in front of us, as God’s people in Christ. Saved from sin, we should acknowledge His power to accomplish it (Eph. 2:8-9), relish His spiritual blessings (Eph. 1:3), experience His judgment (1 Pet. 4:17; Mat. 25:31ff), and anticipate a dwelling with Him forever (John 14:1-4). 

Joel: JUDGMENT (II)

Can you think of other times when God issues what sound like unavoidable warnings of judgment and hopes for escape? Do you think Joel is describing locusts or a literal army? Why?

A Day Of Retribution And Return (2:1-17)

Neal Pollard

What Joel now describes is a plague worse than the all-consuming locusts of chapter one. He speaks of something to follow that will be more devastating. Instead of an army of insects, he shares the invasion of an army of soldiers. The first disaster has occurred, but this disaster is yet to come. Scholars debate whether Joel is just describing the locust plague in more graphic, poetic terms, but the better view–it seems to me–is that the prophet is describing a literal, northern army by comparing it to these voracious creatures. As to which northern army it is, we are not told. The point is that it is the Lord’s army (11). The first half of the chapter is divided into two parts: the coming invasion and the call to repent. 

A dreaded army (1-2). Joel calls for the people to sound an alarm in Jerusalem. The people should tremble because the day of the Lord is near. He describes it as a day of darkness, gloom, clouds, and thick darkness because the army would swarm over the Judean hills and the mountains of Zion. No one had seen anything like this, and neither would they see it again for many generations to come. You wonder if any Jews thought back on the book of Joel when the Roman army encircled the city, hundreds of years later.

A destructive army (3-6). The prophet indicates their bite is worse than their ferocious bark. They destroy with fire, transforming the land from a virtual Eden to a barren wilderness (3). With the fire, they come with horses and chariots (4-5). Imagine what they would see, hear, smell, and feel as this invader comes and sweeps over them. The dread is once again described in verse six, as the people are pale with anguish before them.

A disciplined army (7-10). They are a well-oiled machine, as orderly as they are overwhelming. Notice all the action verbs Joel uses to describe them, as they run, climb, march, do not deviate, do not crowd, march, burst through, do not break ranks, rush, run, climb, and enter (7-9). The reader can feel the intensity and intimidation of this undeterred foe. No wonder Joel uses the apocalyptic imagery his does in verse eleven, in light of their ferocity: “Before them the earth quakes, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness” (10). They are laser-focused on their goal, and their goal is the devastation and destruction of God’s people. 

A divinely-directed army (11). This is about judgment against the sin of His people. Suddenly, we see that God is the general of this army. It is His army! He is leading it with His word. No wonder it is a great and awesome day that no man could endure. God wants the people’s attention, to provoke in them the necessary question, “What shall we do?” This is not a hopeless situation, as frightening as the first chapter and a half have seemed. 

A deterrable army (12-17). These verses contain one of the most comprehensive Old Testament descriptions of repentance. Notice how God describes it:

  • Repentance is return (12,13; cf. Ezek. 33:11; Acts 3:19).
  • Repentance is wholehearted return (12,13; Deut. 4:29; cf. Acts 8:22). “Rend your heart and not your garments”
  • Repentance is a demonstrative, fruit-bearing return (12,15-17; Mat. 3:8; 2 Cor. 7:10-11)–“fasting, weeping, and mourning” 

The hope in the midst of warning centers on the character of God. Joel appeals to the oft-quoted, comprehensive description of God first seen in Exodus 34:6. His goodness and mercy balance out His justice and wrath. He is willing to relent and turn from punishment, if God’s people truly repent (13b-14). Joel urges the people to make that effort, from the inside out (15-16) and from the top down (16-17). He urges their emotional, heartfelt appeal to the God who can rescue them from calamity.

We should never lose sight of the reality of judgment. God does not want to render punishment on the pinnacle of His creation (2 Pet. 3:9), but in His purity and holiness He will (2 Pet. 3:10)! Yet, He pleads with us to believe this about Him and repent in the way He describes in Joel 2. The way He calls for us to live is for our own good and blessing. Let us give the inspired Ezekiel the last word on this matter, as this later successor of Joel writes down God’s plea: “Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’” (Ezek. 33:11). 

Joel: JUDGMENT (I)

Do you believe this invasion is literally locusts, represents an army, or is both? Why do you believe as you do?

“The Day Of The Lord Is Near” (1:1-20)

Neal Pollard

No other book of the Bible is more wholly devoted to the subject of the day of the Lord than Joel. While the book’s most prominent appearance in the New Testament is not in the context of the final Judgment Day and is rather concerning the day in which the gospel is first preached, the book of Joel is written to its primary recipients about coming, divine judgment. Apparently, there is a locust plague which the prophet asserts as both the judgment of God and a sign of judgment to come. 

It is hard to date the book because there just aren’t any clear contextual clues to alert us to whether this is pre-exilic or post-exilic, if the northern kingdom has already suffered Assyrian Captivity, or the like. Those historic markers have no bearing on the message or interpretation of this short book. It is the theme that is central. The book centers around three ideas–judgment (1:1-2:11), repentance (2:12-17), and salvation (2:18-3:21; salvation for God’s people meant judgment for the nations around them). Chapter one focuses on the judgment which faces God’s people.

This judgment is unprecedented (1:1-4).Out of the starting gate, the prophet describes an event unlike any they or their forefathers had experienced (2). It would be one they would talk about for generations to come (3). The crux of this judgment, coming through natural disaster, is described graphically: “What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; And what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten; And what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten” (4). 

These first few verses are considered Hebrew poetry, with verses three and four composed of three lines each. Duane Garrett asserts, “The heavy rhythm conveys a sense of being battered by successive waves of locusts, each one as bad as or worse than the previous” (NAC, 315). Joel likely is describing different stages of the locust and the final destruction brought by locusts hatched from eggs left by the earlier devourers. The point is that God brought this judgment and that it is unlike anything they had experienced. He will soon show that it is a response to the nation’s sin. 

This judgment is understandable (1:5). That there is a moral problem is demonstrated by the prophet’s address to the drunkards, apt symbols of national immorality as their vice depends on the successful growth of grapevines which the locusts would destroy. These creatures are being used to cut them off from their debauchery. They do not seem to be sorry for their sin, only that they are prevented from indulging in it. The farmers are the most directly impacted, but everyone in the land will suffer in the wake of this judgment. A call for repentance in the latter part of the chapter removes any doubt that this is merely a natural disaster. 

This judgment is unbearable (1:6-12) and upsetting (1:13-20). That fact is borne out by the description of invasion by this horde depicted as a nation described in frightening terms (6). It leaves nothing behind (7), but notice the reaction called for. “Wail like a virgin” (8), “be ashamed…wail” (11), “gird yourselves with sackcloth and lament” (13), “fast…and cry out to the Lord” (14,19). This judgment will effect man and beast (18,20). The judgment will be so comprehensive that the people will buckle under its weight and extensive impact. The impulse will be to plead, “To You, O Lord, I cry” (19). 

Something horrible is about to happen, and it is the result of judgment. It is Divine Judgment, coming with the omnipotence of God! Gone is “gladness and joy from the house of our God” (16). From the first word of the prophesy, Joel startles the reader with relentless descriptions of judgment. James Smith comments, “The prophet interpreted this disaster as an effort to move Israel to repentance. At the same time this plague was a harbinger of a worse judgment to come” (OT Survey Series, 61).  What the final day of judgment will be like will depend on whether or not we have made ready for it and what that judgment, for us, will be (Mat. 25:31-46). It can be a “bright day” or a “sad day.” If it is the latter, there will have been nothing before it in history to compare to the devastation of standing before the Lord unprepared for it. 

Calling On The Name Of The Lord

Carl Pollard

Growing up our parents had a hard time calling us. I’d be in the living room and dad would say, “Gary-Er Dale-I mean Carl!” This would happen almost every time they would call for us. I don’t think this is a problem unique to our family. This is a problem that almost every parent has, and I know that once our daughter is born I’ll get Rich and Amara mixed up. 

Similar to our parents calling for us, there’s a phrase used in scripture that sounds almost identical. In various texts throughout scripture you’ll come across the phrase, “call on the name of the Lord.” There’s a lot of confusion surrounding this phrase, so let’s take a few moments to figure out what it means, and what it looks like to call on the name of the Lord. 

In Acts 2:21 Peter uses this phrase, but to get a better idea of the context and meaning we need to start in the book of Joel. In this short book there are a few important facts we need to recognize. Not much is said about Joel, but many believe that he ministered to those in Judah. In this prophecy to Israel He speaks of a plague of locusts and tells the people that it represented the coming day of the Lord.

These locust would bring complete and total destruction. The day of the Lord was a time greatly anticipated by Israel because they believed that God would then judge the nations and restore Israel to her former glory. But Joel says that God would punish not only the nations but unfaithful Israel as well. This day of the Lord was going to be like nothing they were expecting. Joel urges everyone to repent, and told of a day when God would “pour out [his] Spirit on all flesh” (2:28). That day arrived on Pentecost (Acts 2:17). In the middle of the book Joel arrives at the peak of his writing and in verse 32 he says this, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 

Peter uses this exact quote In his sermon on the day of Pentecost. We read the same phrase in Romans 10:13 when Paul says, “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” We now know the origin of this phrase, but what does it mean? How do we call on the name of the Lord? Some believe that in order to be saved all you need to do is literally call out the Lords name. Others say that calling on the name of the Lord means praying a certain prayer in order to be saved.

In Acts 2, we can see an example of what it means to call on the name of the Lord.

It Requires a Proper Attitude. The Israelites thought that the Lord was theirs to control. They thought He would bend to their wills and wishes. They wanted the day of the Lord to be a day that would liberate Israel. And so they spun this phrase to fit their narrative, to the point that their meaning for the day of the Lord was the exact opposite of its true meaning. Joel and Peter clear up the air and explain who God really is. He’s not a gene, he’s not our puppet, He has a will of his own that we are to conform to. Calling on the name of the Lord requires a proper attitude. An attitude of submission to God and His will. An attitude of humility, recognizing our failures, and understanding Gods perfection. 

The Israelites had it all wrong, and sadly sometimes we are the same way. We want God to make us happy. To grant every request we bring to him. We go to Him in prayer with everything that is wrong in our lives and say, “Okay God, fix it.” If what we pray for doesn’t happen, we think God didn’t answer. God always answers us, but the answer is sometimes “no.” Jesus in the garden asked God to take away His responsibility of going to the cross, but He was still crucified. Paul asked God to remove the thorn in his flesh, and the answer was no. God knows just what we need, what is best for us in the long term. We should never treat prayer as a gene in a lamp. 

This is not what calling on the name of the Lord means. The Greek word for call is Kaleo, in this context it is the act of calling upon deity. The reason we call upon deity is because we understand our own imperfection. We need help seeing God’s will. Not our own like Israel did. 

Calling on the name of the Lord requires a proper attitude, one of humility and understanding. And now more than ever we need to call on the Lord in order to find salvation.