Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shortest.
JOEL - OLD TESTAMENT - PROPHECY
29th book of the OT
29th book of the Bible
It starts with a straight announcement in the first verse stating that it is the word of the Lord through Joel.
So in other words "take heed" or "pay attention".
What is it?
The Book of Joel is one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament which means it is Prophecy.
How Long is it?
It has 3 chapters.
Who Wrote it?
Joel
The first verse tells us who Joel was
"The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel"
He was the son of someone called Pethuel but it gives us no indication who Pethuel was.
The Overview Bible tells us the following
"Joel is the second minor prophet, who ministered to the Southern Kingdom of Judah. We don’t know much about him, and we don’t know much about how his message was received."
When was it Written?
It is difficult to get a true timeframe for this book as there is very little information in it about Joel.
Who was it Written to?
Nothing is mentioned about the people Joel was prophesying to in the whole of the first 2 chapters.
We see in some verses in chapter 3 that it was to the people of Judah.
"Teach Sunday School" tells us the following
"The problem dating the book of Joel comes through the fact that the prophet has very little to say about himself. Many of the prophets name the kings under which they were serving, but Joel does not"
"The problem dating the book of Joel comes through the fact that the prophet has very little to say about himself. Many of the prophets name the kings under which they were serving, but Joel does not"
What destructive creature dominates the first part of this book?
The locust.
Why was it Written?
It was written because God want to send a distinct message to the people.
Verse 13 of chapter 2 tells us God wanted the people to repent
The Overview Bible tells us the following
"Joel explains to the people what the Lord wants from them: repentance. The Lord would soon have His day, both with Judah and the whole world. Joel’s message has two strong points:- God is judging Judah, but He will bless and restore them again when they repent.
- God will judge all the nations on Judah’s behalf."
- God is judging Judah, but He will bless and restore them again when they repent.
- God will judge all the nations on Judah’s behalf."
"Teach Sunday School" tells us the following
"Joel prophesied about destruction ............ He also prophesied about the Day of the Lord .......... and therefore some of his prophecies remain futuristic."
What does Joel state that is also good news?
The people can be glad because God has done marvelous things as this verse tells us.
The Overview Bible tells us the following
God disciplines His people, but He also defends them. Joel says that although Judah is under God’s wrath right now, in the future holds many exciting things for the people of God:
- The Lord will pour out His Spirit on all mankind.
- Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered.
- The Lord will avenge Judah of her enemies.
- Judah will again become a land of plenty.
What structure does this book take?
Chapter 1:
- Locusts
- Day of the Lord.
- Promised Deliverance
- Promise of the Spirit
Chapter 3:
- Judgement of the Nations
- Blessing of Judah
The Overview Bible gives us a quick outline
- God judges Judah (Joel 1–2)
- God sends a plague of locusts on Judah (Joel 1:1–2:11)
- God calls Judah to repent (Joel 2:12–17)
- God promises to restore Judah from the plague (Joel 2:18–27)
- God judges the nations (Joel 2:28–3:21)
- God promises to pour out His Spirit on all mankind (Joel 2:28–29)
- God provides opportunity to repent before the day of the Lord (Joel 2:30–32)
- God judges the nations on behalf of Judah (Joel 3)
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