Joel

Joel was written by the prophet Joel to the people of Judah around 835 BC during the reign of King Joash and during a time of wealth and complacency. Joel describes a locust plague, symbolizing God's judgment, and Joel calling for repentance. He calls for people to turn back to God, fast, and pray because the day of the LORD is near. Joel describes God's mercy and promise of restoration for those who repent. He prophesies God's ultimate judgment on the nations and the final deliverance and blessings for His people.

An Invasion Of Locusts - Chapter 1

Joel calls for the people of Judah to acknowledge the unprecedented disaster of locusts that have consumed everything. Joel urges the people to mourn. Fields, vines, and trees are ruined, prompting despair among farmers and vine growers. The locusts' destruction symbolizes divine judgment, leading to a loss of joy.

A Call To Lamentation

Joel calls for the priests to mourn, wear sackcloth, and lament the withheld offerings. He instructs the people to declare a holy fast and assemble in the house of the LORD to cry out to Him. The day of the LORD is near, which will bring destruction. Food, joy, and gladness have vanished, seeds have shriveled, and storehouses are in ruins. Cattle and sheep suffer from the lack of pasture, and wild animals pant for water as fire devours the land. Joel cries out to the LORD for help.

An Army Of Locusts - Chapter 2

Joel describes an invasion of locusts. He calls for the trumpet to be blown in Zion to warn the people. The locust army, depicted as a vast and mighty force, brings a day of darkness that transforms the land into a desert waste. Joel emphasizes the overwhelming power of the LORD's army, posing the question, "Who can endure it?"

Rend Your Heart

The LORD calls for a heartfelt return to Him, urging repentance through fasting, weeping, and mourning. God is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love. Joel expresses hope that God may bless the people if they repent. Joel instructs to blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, and assemble everyone, including elders, children, and newlyweds. Priests are to weep and pray, asking God to spare His people.

The LORD's Answer

The LORD responds with compassion and promises restoration for His people. The LORD says that He will send them grain, new wine, and olive oil to satisfy them fully. God promises to never make them an object of scorn (i.e. contempt or disdain) to the other nations. The northern enemy will be driven away, and the land will flourish again. God encourages the land, animals, and people to rejoice, for He has done great things. He will provide abundant rain and restore the years the locusts devoured. The people will have plenty to eat and will praise God's name.

The Day Of The LORD

God promises to pour out His Spirit on all people and states that His sons and daughters will prophesy, old men will dream dreams, and young men will see visions. His Spirit will be given to all, regardless of status. God will display wonders in the heavens and on the earth. The sun will turn to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and dreadful day of the LORD. Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved. Deliverance will come from Mount Zion and Jerusalem, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.

The Nations Judged - Chapter 3

Joel delivers a prophecy from God that He will restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem and gather all nations in the Valley of Jehoshaphat to judge them for their treatment of Israel. These nations scattered His people and divided His land. The other nations traded boys for prostitutes and sold girls for wine. God will repay these nations for their actions and reclaim His people. He calls the nations to prepare for war, transforming agricultural tools into weapons, and summoning warriors. In the Valley of Jehoshaphat, the nations will face God's judgment. God will be a refuge and stronghold for Israel.

Blessings For God's People

In that time, God will dwell in Zion, making Jerusalem holy and free from foreign invasion. The land will be abundantly fruitful, with mountains dripping with new wine, hills flowing with milk, and ravines running with water. However, Egypt and Edom will become desolate due to the violence they inflicted on Judah. Judah and Jerusalem will be inhabited forever, and the LORD will ensure that innocent blood will not go unavenged.