JOE 3Joel 3

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NLT

English Standard Version (ESV)

New Living Translation (NLT)

3 “At the time of those events,” says the LORD, “when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather the armies of the world and for dividing up my land. 3 They threw dice to decide which of my people and sold girls for enough wine to get drunk. 4 “What do you have against me, Tyre and Sidon and you cities of Philistia? Are you trying to take revenge on me? If you are, then watch out! I will strike swiftly and pay you back for everything you have done. 5 You have taken my silver and gold and all my precious treasures, and have carried them off to your pagan temples. 6 You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, so they could take them far from their homeland. 7 “But I will bring them back from all the places to which you sold them, and I will pay you back for everything you have done. 8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the people of Arabia, a nation far away. I, the LORD, have spoken!” 9 Say to the nations far and wide: Let all your fighting men advance for the attack. 10 Hammer your plowshares into swords Train even your weaklings to be warriors. 11 Come quickly, all you nations everywhere. And now, O LORD, call out your warriors! 12 “Let the nations be called to arms. to pronounce judgment on them all. 13 Swing the sickle, with the wickedness of these people.” 14 Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. There the day of the LORD will soon arrive. 15 The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine. 16 The LORD’s voice will roar from Zion a strong fortress for the people of Israel. 17 “Then you will know that I, the LORD your God, and foreign armies will never conquer her again. 18 In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, watering the arid valley of acacias. 19 But Egypt will become a wasteland and killed innocent people in their land. 20 “But Judah will be filled with people forever, and Jerusalem will endure through all generations. 21 I will pardon my people’s crimes, in Jerusalem with my people.”

Introduction to Joel

Background of Joel

What Is the Book of Joel About?

Time: 4 Minutes

We ought to dust off the book of Joel and crack it open. It’s been ignored, probably because people view it as an expired prophecy about a famine in Israel caused by locusts long ago.

But if we read it carefully, we will hear its own testimony to its timelessness. No one can date the prophecy, and any indication of the date of its authorship is absent—maybe intentionally.

In the center of the book, we read, “‘Even now,’ declares the Lord…” (Joel 2:12 NIV, emphasis added) as though the book’s message lives on.

Unlike other prophetic books, Joel doesn’t list Israel’s sins and indict her for them. Instead, like the long blast of an ancient trumpet, we hear the recurring refrain, “the day of the Lord is coming” (Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14 ESV).

The day of the Lord meant judgment—“destruction from the Almighty… a day of darkness and gloom… who can endure it… a great and awesome day… [when] the stars withdraw their shining” (Joel 1:15; 2:2, 11, 31; 3:15 ESV). Spooky, right? Joel describes this day as one that will cause trembling (Joel 1:15; 2:1, 10-11).

Joel’s audience likely witnessed locusts lay waste to Israel’s crops. Severe famine awakened them to God’s disfavor and summoned them to seek him. It was a day of the Lord’s judgment. Joel uses this event to warn Israel, through a hazy vision, of a different sort of locust—a terrifying sort of locust accompanied by fire, and perhaps not creaturely, but human. An army of sorts marches forth in judgment (Joel 2:2-5).

Maybe this hazy image referred to foreign powers that laid waste to Israel, dragging them into exile. We find a few clues elsewhere in the Bible, however, that remind us that Joel’s prophecy hasn’t expired. It’s a weighty warning for us today.

In Revelation 9, we find a prophecy eerily similar to the second chapter of Joel. Joel’s prophecy is the shadow of a coming judgment, the Day of the Lord.

In the book of Joel, locusts devour the food and the land. Considering the whole Bible story, we see that this is a mercy. On the day of the Lord described in Revelation, an army of locusts will not harm food and land as a symbol of judgment, they will harm unrepentant people during one scene in the last act of final judgment (Revelation 9:3-11). Instead of serving as a warning to repent, these locusts will be an act of judgment on those who did not repent. Unlike the people in Joel’s day, the Bible says the people in the last days will refuse to repent (Revelation 9:20-21).

God’s wrath is still pending—the end has not yet come. Locusts are still on their way—exactly what this looks like we’re not sure. Joel’s prophecy, as we said before, has not expired. We know that God’s wrath will be poured out in the last days on those who don’t repent (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9).

Jesus Christ bore the wrath we deserved for our sins so that, if we put our trust in him, we will escape the wrath of God.

Joel’s message still echoes into our generation: “‘Yet even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart'” (Joel 2:12 ESV, emphasis added). Until the final Day of the Lord, we can repent of our sins and turn to the Lord, entrusting our lives to him. The Lord “is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster” (Joel 2:13 ESV, emphasis added).

There was a day, between Joel and Revelation when the sun did go dark (Joel 2:30-32), and the Lord opened a way of escape from his wrath. Jesus Christ bore the wrath we deserved for our sins so that, if we put our trust in him, we will escape the wrath of God. For those who turn from their sin and call upon Jesus for forgiveness, God will pour out his grace, rather than his wrath. Joel’s prophecy was partially fulfilled: “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. …the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel” (Joel 2:32; 3:16 ESV).

To all who turn from sin to God, he will pardon their crimes (Joel 3:21), and then pour out his Spirit on them to bring them the blessing of his presence along with salvation (Joel 2:28).

In simple terms, Joel is a timeless trumpet blast calling you to repent—to turn away from your sins and turn to God. God’s wrath is worthy of our fear—it’s his unavoidable justice on those who fail to ever bow the knee to him. But “he is eager to relent and not punish” (Joel 2:13 NLT).

Even now you can find refuge in the Lord! He’s ready to receive and bless all who trust in him (Joel 2:14). Are you ready for the day of the Lord? Will it be devastating to you, or will you be one of those who enjoy the oil and wine when the blast of his judgment has passed, because you were hidden safe in Jesus (Joel 2:18-27, 32)?

What Is the Background of Joel?

Time: 15 Minutes

Background of Joel

1

Author and Date

Little is known about Joel, a prophet from Judah (perhaps Jerusalem). Most scholars date the book after the exile to Babylon (586 BC).

2

Background

Joel calls the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem to lament and return to the Lord during a time of national disaster. A locust plague has destroyed both wine (Joel 1:5, 7, 12) and grain (Joel 1:10). This threatens the people’s ability to present offerings in the temple (Joel 1:9, 13, 16).

3

Key Themes

1. Day of the Lord

The dominant theme of the book is the “day of the Lord.” This describes a time when the presence of the Lord brings judgment and/or deliverance and blessing, depending on the circumstances. Therefore, although the “day” results in destruction for the nations, it can also be seen as a time of salvation for God’s people. The Lord remains a refuge in the chaos of judgment (Joel 3:15–16).

2. Repentance

If the whole community would cry out to the Lord (Joel 1:13–20) and look to him—not merely with external actions but in sincerity and commitment (Joel 2:12–13)—then judgment may be prevented. However, the Lord is not bound by the acts of the community (Joel 2:14). It is his decision to either send or withhold the destruction by the locusts (Joel 1:15), just as the army is his to command (Joel 2:11).

3. The Lord in Their Midst

The reason the Lord will turn from judgment to blessing is to express his covenant-keeping character (Joel 2:13, 18–26; 3:18). His promise to dwell in the midst of his people is prominent not only in Joel (Joel 2:27; 3:17, 21) but also throughout the Old Testament (Numbers 35:34; Isaiah 12:6; Zephaniah 3:15, 17; Zechariah 2:10–11). God restores what the locusts have destroyed (Joel 2:27) and protects Israel as the world crumbles (Joel 3:16–17) so that the people will know his presence. This theme is restated at the end of the book (Joel 3:21), showing how important it was for Joel.

4. These Three Themes Come Together in the Promise of the Future Outpouring of the Spirit (Joel 2:28–32)

This outpouring is associated with the day of the Lord (Joel 2:31) in both its judgmental (Joel 2:30–31; see Joel 2:10; 3:15) and its saving (Joel 2:32) roles. The outpouring of the Spirit is also related to repentance: those who are saved call “on the name of the Lord” (Joel 2:32). The giving of the Spirit is the ultimate evidence of God “in the midst of” his people (Isaiah 63:11; see Haggai 2:5).

4

Outline

I. The Judgment against Judah and the Day of the Lord (1:1–2:17)
A. Locust invasion: forerunner of the day of the Lord (1:1–20)
B. Army invasion: the arrival of the day of the Lord (2:1–17)

II. The Mercy of the Lord and Judgment against the Nations (2:18–3:21)
A. Mercy: the Lord responds by restoring his people (2:18–32)
B. Judgment: the Lord’s judgment against the nations and his dwelling with his people (3:1–21)

5

The Setting of Joel

Background of Joel

The Global Message of Joel

The central message of Joel, as is so often the case in the prophets, is that of salvation amid judgment. And in Joel both judgment and salvation are worldwide in nature. Judgment is global in the sense that, throughout Joel, judgment will come upon Israel (Joel 1:15; 2:2, 11) as well as upon the nations of the world (Joel 3:2–3). Salvation is global in the sense that God will one day pour out his Spirit “on all flesh” (Joel 2:28), so that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Joel 2:32).

1

Joel in Redemptive History

The Memory of Eden

In Eden, God brought forth a flourishing, vibrant paradise. Food and drink were plentiful. Plants thrived. Mankind and animals dwelt in happy unity. Above all, God dwelt in perfect fellowship with his people. After the fall, in which this flourishing shalom was broken on every level, God began the great historical work of restoring his people. When the Lord describes the Promised Land as “flowing with milk and honey,” for example (Exodus 3:8, 17), these are terms that would have been understood by the Jews as describing a restoration of Eden (see Joel 2:3; 3:18).

The Undoing of Creation

Accordingly, time and again throughout the prophets divine judgment is described as an undoing of what flourished in Eden. Joel’s prophecy is filled with this kind of imagery. Joel 1 describes an invasion of locusts as undoing precisely what had been done in creation: “The fields are destroyed, the ground mourns, because the grain is destroyed, the wine dries up, the oil languishes” (Joel 1:10). The cattle and the sheep are starving (Joel 1:18, 20). And just as light dawned on the world in creation, so blackness covers the earth in this undoing of creation: “The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining” (Joel 2:10; compare Joel 2:2; 3:15).

The Day of the Lord

All these signs of judgment are summed up in Joel’s repeated reference to “the day of the Lord” (Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14). Joel identifies the day of the Lord with the invasion of locusts, which utterly destroy everything in their path. This is the judgment coming upon Israel due to their sin. Yet even amid this sin, God will spare those who repent and turn to him (Joel 2:12–14). God “will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten” (Joel 2:25).

Eden Regained

This promise of divine restoration culminates in Joel’s prophecy that God will pour out his Spirit at some future time “on all flesh” (Joel 2:28–32). This prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, when God poured out his Spirit on a multitude of different nations (Acts 2:16–21). The prophecy will be brought to final completion and will achieve its ultimate purpose when the saints worship Christ in heaven, the “ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). There, Eden will be regained once and for all (Revelation 22:1–5), this time without any possibility of corruption.

2

Universal Themes in Joel

Judgment on Godless Nations

After recounting the swarms of locusts that will plague Israel in Joel 1, and then promising final restoration for Israel in Joel 2, the prophecy turns its focus in the third chapter to the nations. The theme throughout Joel 3 is God’s righteous judgment on the godless nations of the world. “I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there” (Joel 3:2). Whatever injustices the nations of the world got away with then or are getting away with today, especially injustice toward his own people, God promises to bring such evil into judgment.

God’s Far-Reaching Grace in the Midst of Judgment

In Exodus 34, God revealed himself to Moses as “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love” (Exodus 34:6). This foundational description of the Lord is picked up throughout the rest of the Old Testament, including at Joel 2:13: “Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.” The promise of restoration in Joel 2 then culminates in the prophecy that God will pour out his Spirit on all flesh and that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Joel 2:32). Centuries later, the apostle Paul quoted Joel 2:32 in Romans to emphasize the universal scope of the gospel of grace (Romans 10:12–13).

True Repentance

As has happened so often down through the history of God’s people, Israel in Joel’s day was performing the appropriate actions for worship externally, but their hearts were far from God. “‘Yet even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments’” (Joel 2:12–13). The tendency to try to get by on mere ritual is common to fallen human nature, and wherever the church exists in the world it must guard against this.

3

The Global Message of Joel for Today

Joel’s prophecy has much to say to the global church today. Indeed, in Joel we find the message of the whole Bible in a nutshell: salvation amid judgment.

Judgment is inevitable. Indeed, in light of God’s justice and holiness, it would be wrong of God not to judge. Judgment will come both upon all those who reject God outright as well as on those who claim to know him yet who have resisted true repentance, choosing instead to worship him in a merely formal, external, and hollow way. Divine justice will overtake every unrepentant sinner, regardless of class, ethnicity, or culture. Injustice will be defeated, and the Lord will establish his righteous reign.

Yet salvation awaits all who sincerely call upon the Lord. He welcomes into his family those who truly cry out to him, whether they come from the most religious or from the most ungodly background. To all those around the world who trust in the Lord and what he has done in Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinners, God will grant full and free forgiveness of sins. More than this, he will pour out his own Spirit on them. And one day God will finally bring all his people into a restored new creation, a return to Eden: “And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streambeds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord” (Joel 3:18).

3:1-3:16 Joel here foretold divine judgment on the nations, particularly those that had oppressed God’s people.

3:2-3:3 The Lord would assemble the armies of the world (literally all the nations) in the valley of Jehoshaphat. This valley was not connected with King Jehoshaphat of Judah (1 Kgs 22:41); rather, this description, which means “the valley where the Lord judges,” identifies the site as the place where God would render his decision (see Joel 3:14) regarding the fate of the nations. • The sins of the nations include exiling God’s covenant people and victimizing helpless boys and girls in an inhuman slave trade (cp. Ezek 27:13; Rev 18:13).

3:4-3:6 The Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon and the cities of Philistia were guilty of looting the precious treasures of Jerusalem and selling its people as slaves to the Greeks (see Amos 1:6, 9).

3:7-3:8 The people of Tyre, Sidon, and Philistia had enslaved Israelites, so the Lord would punish them by selling their sons and daughters into slavery.

3:9 The nations are mockingly called to a futile war against the Lord that would end in their destruction and judgment.

3:10 Hammer your plowshares into swords: Deliberately reversing an image from Isa 2:4 and Mic 4:3, Joel ordered the nations to mobilize every resource for the forthcoming battle. Even those unfit for war, the weaklings, must become soldiers.

3:12 The battle would take place in the valley of Jehoshaphat (see study note on 3:2-3), where the Lord would pronounce judgment on them all.

3:13 God would defeat the nations like a sickle that mows down stalks of grain and like workers who tread grapes in the winepress (see Isa 63:2-3; Rev 14:14-20).

3:14 Thousands upon thousands (literally roaring, roaring; or crowds, crowds): The repetition of the Hebrew word captures the chaotic noise made by an immense crowd. • valley of decision: The name of the valley is changed (cp. 3:2-3, 12) because now the Lord’s judgment had been decided.

3:16 The Lord’s voice, like that of a lion, would roar from Zion, shaking heaven and earth and terrifying sinners (see Amos 1:2). Yet this same ferocious lion is also a refuge for his people.

3:17 Then you will know: God’s ultimate purpose is that his people should know him and share his holy character. They must learn that he alone is God and that he reigns over all creation from Zion, his holy mountain (see also 2:27). The only true security in the present, and the only hope for the future, comes from God’s presence.

3:18 Blessings would flow from the Lord’s sovereign presence in Zion (see also Ezek 47:1-12; Amos 9:13). There would be a superabundance of sweet wine and milk. The Temple, God’s own dwelling on earth, would be the source of a spring that would forever water the arid landscape (see Zech 14:8; Rev 22:1-2).

3:19 Even as Judah is restored, her ancient enemies Egypt and Edom would experience God’s judgment for their crimes against his people.

3:20-3:21 The conclusion of Joel’s prophecy is the antithesis of its beginning. In 1:1-20, Judah’s future seemed in grave doubt. Plague and drought, the signs of divine judgment, threatened Judah’s existence. Now Joel ends with the divine assurance that Judah . . . and Jerusalem will endure through all generations. God’s people in every generation rest secure in the hope that his kingdom will reign over heaven and earth (see also Isa 9:6-7; Dan 2:44; 7:13-14).

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