2005 Bible Reading

This page is not a commentary, nor an outline. It is something to bear in mind in this kind of reading. These materials I learnt from two books by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart (How to Read the Bible for All Its worth; How to Read the Bible Book By Book). You could consult these books if you are interested.

(Pastor Raymond)

Joel

Other than guessing from 2:23, 32 and 3:1 that Joel had the Southern Kingdom (Judah) in view, there was no indication who he was and when he appeared. Reading a prophetic book without being given the historical and political background is very difficult. Compounding this problem, the entire book gives very little evidence of the sins from which the people were called to repent. In 1:2 and 1:5, Joel called out to the “drinkers of wine,” perhaps suggesting that complacency was the main problem. It is quite possible that his contemporaries knew full well what the sins were but later readers had to guess.

Joel’s message revolved around “the Day of the LORD.” He used 4 scenes to describe it, and within each scene there are two parts:

Scene 1: Locust Plague (1:2-12) + call to repent (1:13-20)

Scene 2: Refined presentation of the Locust Plague (2:1-11) + call to repent (2:12-17)

Scene 3: God’s response to the Plague (2:18-27) + God’s promise of the Spirit age (2:28-32)

Scene 4: God’s judgment of the nations (3:1-16) + God’s blessings to His people (3: 17-21)

On the assumption that Joel came after the prophet Amos (Joel ministered to the Southern Kingdom of Judah which survived 150 more years than the Northern Kingdom of Israel which Amos prophesized against), a certain understanding of the concept “the Day of the LORD” can be reconstructed. There seemed to be a general optimistic outlook for a particular “Day of the LORD” when things would be even brighter. This could be what the people were hoping for when Amos (in 5:18-20) turned it into a sad day of judgment. All other prophets especially Zephaniah, followed this “pessimistic” view of the Day of the LORD. Isaiah and Jeremiah were key exceptions. Both saw that on the Day of the LORD, there would surely be judgment for those who deserved it, but at the same time, there would be salvation for God’s gathered remnant. Joel followed Isaiah and Jeremiah, viewing the locust plague as already ushering in the judgment phase on Jerusalem, which would last until the most severe judgment on the Day of the LORD. Then restoration of God’s people would follow.

The more we read the prophets, the more we should become aware how influential the Great Prophet Moses had on them and also how faithfully the prophets constantly called the people back to the covenant with God. Take the Book of Joel as an example. He used “locust” and “drought,” two of the curses for disobedience to the covenant mentioned by Moses in Deuteronomy 28:22, 38-42. Joel said (3:2) that the people would be “scattered among the nations,” another consequence of disloyalty prophesized by Moses in Deut 28:64. Just as Moses talked about the “heart” in Deut 30, Joel asked the people to “rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity” (2:13). Even the words in this verse that describe the character of the LORD are taken from the lips of Moses found in Exodus 34:6.

The Apostle Peter said in Acts 2 that The Day of the LORD in Joel 2-28-31 had arrived on Pentecost because the prophetic spirit of God’s people was a witness. On this day, all who called on the name of the LORD would be saved. The name was, in Acts 4:10-11, that of “Jesus Christ of Nazareth.”