JOEL
"Jehovah is God". Bible commentaries are reluctant to give a date for Joel's activities except to say that he preached only to Judah and therefore it was probably after the capture of Israel.
Some, however, place him as early as 835 BCE; this would actually put him about 100 years before Hosea and about 115 years before the fall of Israel in 720 BCE. If that date is right it is strange that Joel did not even mention Israel.
On the other hand, if he preached after the fall of Israel it seems strange that he did not use the captivity of Israel as a warning to the people of Judah.
That which the creeping locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten. And that which the swarming locust has left, the locust larvae has eaten. And that which the locust larvae has left, the stripping locust has eaten. Joel 1:4
In 1915 a devastating plague of locusts covered what is modern-day Israel and Syria. The first swarms came in March, in clouds so thick they blocked out the sun. The female locusts immediately began to lay eggs, 100 at a time. Witnesses say that in one square yard, there were as many as 65,000 to 75,000 eggs. In a few weeks they hatched, and the young locusts resembled large ants. They couldn’t fly yet, and got along by hopping. They marched along 400 to 600 feet a day, devouring every speck of vegetation along the way. After two more stages of molting they became adults who could fly - and the devastation continued. Guzik
For a nation has come up on My land, strong and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he has the jaw teeth of a lioness. He has laid My vine waste and splintered My fig tree. He has stripped it and cast it away; its branches grow white. 1:6-7. Scholars say that this nation refers to the army of locusts that invaded Israel. Gill allows that this may refer to the Babylonian army and the damage that they did to the land when they first arrived in Judah 606 BCE.
Those aren't the only problems Judah faced; there was a drought in their land that has completely destroyed all food sources.
According to biblical prophets, these things befall a nation because they have turned their back on the teachings of Jehovah. Yet, in spite of all of that Jehovah says turn to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.
Yes, tear your heart and not your robes, or, in other words, don't put on a show of religion, rather be genuinely repentant for your sins. This was Christ's continual beef with the Pharisees of His time - hypocritical religion! The psalmist wrote The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Psalm 51:17.
and turn to Jehovah your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness. 2:12. This is the prophets continuously repeated anthem: let Him heal your spirit and then, with His help, your lifestyle will also improve.
According to biblical prophets, these things befall a nation because they have turned their back on the teachings of Jehovah. Yet, in spite of all of that Jehovah says turn to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.
Is Your Faith Real
Yes, tear your heart and not your robes, or, in other words, don't put on a show of religion, rather be genuinely repentant for your sins. This was Christ's continual beef with the Pharisees of His time - hypocritical religion! The psalmist wrote The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Psalm 51:17.
And it shall be afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams; your young men shall see visions. Most Bible commentaries agree that this refers to the day of Pentecost when the holy spirit was poured out on the waiting disciples in the upper room. (See Acts ch. 2).
However, EBC has this slant, There follows ... the promise of a great outpouring of the Spirit on all Israel, (but only Israel) amid terrible manifestations in heaven and earth. There is some soundness in their thinking.
Notice that Joel speaks of Jehovah your God. To Joel that was the national God of Israel. Also, he distinctly says, your sons and your daughters, your old men and your young men; for Joel, the word your is a reference to the children of Israel.
Another point is that when the multitude, on the day of Pentecost heard the apostles speaking in tongues, they said, Behold, are not these who speak all Galileans? Acts 2:7. This would indicate that the spirit had been poured only on Jewish people. Furthermore, when Peter talked to his hearers that day he limited that promise to the Israelites, Men, Jews, and all who dwell at Jerusalem, 2:14 Again he said, Men, Israelites, hear these words. Act 2:22.
The Christian church loves to claim this promise for the present age but is it perhaps for a future time? Joel and Peter both associate it with prophecies for the last days:
“Valley of Decision” has been used in countless evangelistic meetings to show people that they stand in the “Valley of Decision,” and must decide for or against Jesus. Joel’s context is exactly the opposite. Man does indeed stand in the valley of decision, but it is God who does the deciding, not man. It is a valley of judgment.
Joel looks out upon the Valley of Jehoshaphat at the Battle of Armageddon, and sees multitudes facing their eternal fate - truly, it is a valley of decision, and those who fight against the LORD and His Messiah are in the wrong place in the valley of decision, ultimately fulfilled at the Battle of Armageddon. Guzik.
However, EBC has this slant, There follows ... the promise of a great outpouring of the Spirit on all Israel, (but only Israel) amid terrible manifestations in heaven and earth. There is some soundness in their thinking.
Notice that Joel speaks of Jehovah your God. To Joel that was the national God of Israel. Also, he distinctly says, your sons and your daughters, your old men and your young men; for Joel, the word your is a reference to the children of Israel.
Another point is that when the multitude, on the day of Pentecost heard the apostles speaking in tongues, they said, Behold, are not these who speak all Galileans? Acts 2:7. This would indicate that the spirit had been poured only on Jewish people. Furthermore, when Peter talked to his hearers that day he limited that promise to the Israelites, Men, Jews, and all who dwell at Jerusalem, 2:14 Again he said, Men, Israelites, hear these words. Act 2:22.
The Christian church loves to claim this promise for the present age but is it perhaps for a future time? Joel and Peter both associate it with prophecies for the last days:
- it shall be in the last days, says God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. ... And I will give wonders in the heaven above, and miracles on the earth below, blood and fire and vapor of smoke. Acts 2:20
- The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before that great and glorious Day of the Lord. Acts 2:17-20.
For, behold, in those days and in that time, when I will bring again the exiles of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat. Joel 3:1-2.
It is said that there is no valley in Israel called "The valley of Jehoshaphat" but the word Jehoshaphat means God will judge. So it is believed that the name "Jehoshaphat" alludes to the Har-Magedon where the battle of Armageddon will be fought. It is the scene of the final conflict between Christ and Antichrist. Easton Bible Dictionary.
It is said that there is no valley in Israel called "The valley of Jehoshaphat" but the word Jehoshaphat means God will judge. So it is believed that the name "Jehoshaphat" alludes to the Har-Magedon where the battle of Armageddon will be fought. It is the scene of the final conflict between Christ and Antichrist. Easton Bible Dictionary.
“Valley of Decision” has been used in countless evangelistic meetings to show people that they stand in the “Valley of Decision,” and must decide for or against Jesus. Joel’s context is exactly the opposite. Man does indeed stand in the valley of decision, but it is God who does the deciding, not man. It is a valley of judgment.
Joel looks out upon the Valley of Jehoshaphat at the Battle of Armageddon, and sees multitudes facing their eternal fate - truly, it is a valley of decision, and those who fight against the LORD and His Messiah are in the wrong place in the valley of decision, ultimately fulfilled at the Battle of Armageddon. Guzik.
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