Joel was a minor prophet. This devotion looks at who Joel was and the days about which he was prophesying.
Nuggets
- We don’t know a lot about Joel because he wasn’t the focus.
- Days like Joel prophesied had not happened previously.
- God will use things in nature to extract punishment for sins.
Devotions in The Days According to Joel series
Joel is one of the minor prophets. He prophesied about the judgment God had for the southern kingdom of Judah.
The book focused on temple worship and repentance. Joel’s overarching message was God’s eventual deliverance of His people.
To gain that deliverance, the Israelites must learn to obey God. God does not accept disobedience.
So, how do the Israelites get from judgment to deliverance? God’s people must pray and fast.
This is important because the day of the Lord is coming. Joel also prophesied Judgment Day.
Let's Put It into Context #1
Here is a running list of nuggets for the series.
Let's Put It into Context #2
Joel wrote his book around 800 BC. The most conservative estimate is 835 BC.
One reason we don’t know when it was written is because it doesn’t date itself. No king is mentioned. Neither are invading nations identified.
If the book was written about 835 BC, when most think it was, then Joash was on the throne. The story of Jonah would have been occurring around this time.
If Joel prophesied from 715 to 687 BC, Hezekiah would have been on the throne of Judah. Nahum would also be prophesying.
Apparently, we do not need to know the context of when the book was written. We know that this passage is probably talking of a couple of time this prophecy is applicable.
Boyd-Carpenter said it an excellent way. He wrote, “The spiritual value of many things is independent of chronology.”
Resource
A short book of only 73 verses, it is a book of hope even through the destruction of a locust swarm and prophesied future judgment.
Who Was Joel?
“The word of the Lord that came to Joel son of Pethuel” (Jl. 1: 1 ESV)
We don’t know a lot about Joel because he wasn’t the focus.
All Scriptures tell us is that Joel, whose name means “Yawheh is God,” is the son of Pethuel. His father’s name means “mouth or persuasion of God.”
Nothing is known about Joel himself – his age or anything. But isn’t that the way it should be? The message isn’t the most important thing – the message is.
See what the verse said. “The word of the Lord that came to Joel son of Pethuel” (Jl. 1: 1 ESV emphasis added).
Isn’t that how a lot of the Old Testament books began? No, the men did not go hunting for God. They didn’t create their resume and make a sales pitch.
God came looking for them. He knew that He could and would use them.
God didn’t send an angel to give Joel a message to write. He didn’t even send the Holy Spirit, as He did with the New Testament.
Like his father, Joel was used as the mouthpiece of God. What a message God entrusted to him!
Boyd-Carpenter told us that Joel was successful in accomplishing a moral revolution. His goal was to call the Israelites to repentance.
One way in which Boyd-Carpenter said Joel reached his goal was because he helped the Israelites guide their thoughts. He helped them interpret the importance of what was happening.
Resource
Our thoughts are very important. It isn’t just that we talk ourselves into being upbeat and confident.
We have to determine how God is using the situation to teach us. That means we have to pay attention and think about it correctly.
No, that would not have been an easy job. More than likely, Joel would have been the only human proclaiming God’s message.
No one knew this message until God came to Joel and told him. We couldn’t know it on our own. We had to be told by God.
We don’t know how God gave the message to Joel. Again, the vehicle shouldn’t be the focus. Nothing should take the focus away from the message itself.
Past Days
“Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors? Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation” (Jl. 1: 2-3 ESV)
Days like Joel prophesied had not happened previously.
Joel’s message was one of preparation. He warned the Israelites that nothing had previously happened to the scale that it would happen.
What we have to realize is that the judgment is proportional with the sin. Little sin, little judgment. Great sin, great judgment.
Growing up, I heard about fire and brimstone preachers. They would talk about hell being a fiery furnace. They would also equate it to the sulfur of the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah.
- “Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20: 14-15 ESV).
- “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death” (Rev. 21: 8 ESV).
- “Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven” (Gen. 19: 24 ESV).
Joel wanted to make sure the Israelites heard this message loud and clear. He didn’t want just the adults to hear it. He wanted to make sure even the kids heard, too.
Think about it. Isn’t it easy to question the reality of Heaven and hell — especially for non-believers? We have no actual experience on which to make it our point of reference.
But Exell was correct in saying it shows us two things.
- God is in control of the world.
- God will judge that which He hates.
Resource
One day, God is going to judge everyone. It isn’t just going to be those that believe in Him. Everyone means everyone — living and dead.
“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done” (Rev. 20: 12-13 ESV).
God is giving us ample time to turn to Him. He wants everyone to be saved (I Tim. 2: 4).
The Day of the Locust
“What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten” (Jl. 1: 4 ESV)
God will use things in nature to extract punishment for sins.
We knew God had used locusts before to punish a nation. That had been the Egyptian nation. God had been showing His might when He was punishing the Egyptians for their treatment of the Israelites (Ex. 10: 1-19).
In Joel’s day, God was using the locust to punish the Israelites. There is some question as to whether there were four different types of locust or four different animals.
Farrar noted that there was “… the gnawer, the swarmer, the licker, and the consumer.” Hutcheson called them “… the palmer-worm, the locust, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar …”
Resources
In other words, God will use what is on hand to mete out His punishment.
But think about it. Mankind is so much bigger than the little locust. Shouldn’t we easily be able to best them in a battle?
Not when God is on their side and using them!
What I read here is that those little locusts continuously kept up their munching until there was total destruction.
Again, the locusts shouldn’t be the focus here. The focus should be they were being punished for something they did wrong.
Making the Connections
God is going to fit the punishment to the sin. The bad part is it is nation-wide punishment.
Think about it. There had to be some people who were trying to follow God’s Will.
First Chronicles 21: 5 put Judah’s population at 470,000. That was in David’s time, so that was 200 years earlier.
All 470,000 couldn’t have turned away from God. He has always said He would keep a remnant of those faithful to Him.
But even they felt the effects of the locust feast.
There are some judgments that will be for us individually. There will be some for us as nations. There are some judgments for all mankind.
But how many times do we think the bad things will never happen to us? Do you know of someone who refuses to believe there is a hell?
They want to bank on God being a loving God, so He would never — in their hopes — banish someone to such a horrible-sounding place.
It won’t be God sending them there. It will be of their own choosing. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20: 15 ESV).
Don’t let the last tense of the verb fool us. This hasn’t happened yet in real time. This was some type of enactment playing out to show John so he could warn us.
How Do We Apply This?
- Do the work that God calls us to do.
- Choose to follow God’s Word before time runs out.
- Focus on God, not ourselves.
Resource
Father God. We know mankind constantly sins against You. Forgive us. Lord, we know we deserve the judgments You bring to us – and much more that You, in Your mercy, forgive us. Thank You for sending Your Son to redeem us. Amen.
What do you think?
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