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JOEL
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:1-11 1 BLOW THE trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on My holy Mount [Zion]. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of [the judgment of] the Lord is coming; it is close at hand — [Ezekiel 7:2-4; Amos 5:16-20.] 2 A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and of thick mists and darkness, like the morning dawn spread upon the mountains; so there comes a [heathen, hostile] people numerous and mighty, the like of which has never been before and shall not be again even to the years of many generations. 3 A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns; the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yes, and none has escaped [the ravages of the devouring hordes]. 4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like warhorses and horsemen, so do they run. 5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of the mountains they leap — like the noise of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a mighty people set in battle array. [Revelation 9:7,9.]
6 Before them the peoples are in anguish; all faces become pale. 7 They run like mighty men; they climb the wall like men of war. They march each one [straight ahead] on his ways, and they do not break their ranks. 8 Neither does one thrust upon another; they walk every one in his path. And they burst through and upon the weapons, yet they are not wounded and do not change their course. 9 They leap upon the city; they run upon the wall; they climb up on and into the houses; they enter in at the windows like a thief. 10 The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened and the stars withdraw their shining. [Revelation 9:2-4; 16:14.] 11 And the Lord utters His voice before His army, for His host is very great, and [they are] strong and powerful who execute [God's] word. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible, and who can endure it? [Isaiah 26:20,21; 34:1-4,8; Revelation 6:16,17.] AMP
[General Information - 2:1-11 on the mighty army of the Lord.] Military imagery is pervasive in this section; in this context, the army is a personification of the locusts (see Proverbs 6:6-7); this is made explicit in (2:25). [Jewish Study Bible]
2:1: (Cf. 1:15 and 2:15; Hosea 5:8). Sound an alarm, usually the task of the guards on the wall. [JSB]
2:2: (Cf. Zephaniah 1:14-15; Zechariah 8:22). [Jewish Study Bible]
2:3: (Cf. Isaiah 51:3; Ezekiel 36:35). 6: (Cf. Nahum 2:11). [Jewish Study Bible]
2:2 The Imminent Day of the Lord (Joel 2:1-27) Now that he had their attention. Joel told the people to stop looking around at the locusts and to start looking ahead to the fulfillment of what the locust plague symbolized: the invasion of a fierce army from the north (v. 20). Unless Joel had some other attack in mind, about which we know nothing, he was probably referring to the Assyrian invasion, during the reign of King Hezekiah, which took place in 701 B.C. (Isaiah 36-37). God allowed the Assyrians to ravage the land, but He miraculously delivered Jerusalem from being taken captive. The prophet gave the people three timely instructions.
1 "Blow the trumpet!" (Joel 2:1-11) This was real war, so Joel commanded the watchmen to blow their trumpets and warn the people.
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:2 The Jews used trumpets to call assemblies, announce special events, mark religious festivals, and warn the people that war had been declared (Numbers 10; Jeremiah 4:5; 6:1; Hosea 5:8). In this case, they blew the trumpet to announce war and to call a fast (Joel 2:15). Their weapons against the invading enemy would be repentance and prayer; the Lord would fight for them.
Twice in this passage. Joel tells us that invasion is "the Day of the Lord" (vv. 1, 11), meaning a very special period that God had planned and would direct. "The Lord thunders at the head of His army" (v. 11, NIV). It was God who brought the locusts of the land and God would allow the Assyrians to invade the land (Isaiah 7:17-25; 8:7). He would permit them to ravage Judah just as the locusts had done, only the Assyrians would also abuse and kill people.
"Woe to Assyria, the rod of sly anger and the staff in whose hand are My indignation. I will send him against an ungodly nation ... to seize the spoil, to take the prey, and to tread them down like mire in the streets" (Isaiah 10:5-6). In his vivid account of the invading army, Joel sees them coming in great hordes, "like dawn spreading across the mountains" (Joel 2:2, NIV). Once again, he uses the locusts to describe the soldiers. Just as the locusts had destroyed everything edible before them, so the army would use a "scorched earth policy" and devastate the towns and the land (Isaiah 36:10; 37:11-13,18).
The locusts looked like miniature horses, but the Assyrians would ride real horses and conquer the land. The prophet makes it clear that the Lord will be in charge of this invasion; this is His army fulfilling His Word (Joel 2:11). God can use even heathen nations to accomplish His purposes on this earth (Isaiah 10:5-7; Jeremiah 25:9). The awesome cosmic disturbances described in Joel 2:10 are Joel's way of announcing that the Lord is in charge, for these signs accompany "the Day of the Lord" (3:15; see Zephaniah 1:14). (From The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament © 2001-2004 by Warren W. Wiersbe. All rights reserved.)
The Scourge As the Forerunner of the Judgment Day 2:1-17 The prophet visualizes a more terrible plague coming. In highly poetical terms he depicts the swarms of locusts like a hostile army, coming as the army of the Lord for judgment (Joel 2:1-11). But the door of mercy, he says, is still ajar! If the people will turn to their God with contrite hearts, the calamity may be averted (2:12-14). The prophet summons the whole community to assemble for prayer and fasting in the house of the Lord (2:15-17). (From The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1962 by Moody Press)
A Vivid Picture of the Coming Judgment 2:1-11 Joel 2:1 Verse 1. Blow the trumpet. An announcement of danger (see Jeremiah 6:17; Ezekiel 33:3; Hosea 8:1). Tremble. It is high time to awake from careless indifference. The summons is to acts of penitence in face of the scourge. (From The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1962 by Moody Press)
Joel 2:1
2 A more terrific judgment than that of the locusts, foretold under imagery drawn from that of the calamity then engrossing the afflicted nation. He therefore exhorts to repentance, assuring the Jews of Yahweh's pity if they would repent.
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:1 Promise of the Holy Spirit in the last days under Messiah, and the deliverance of all believers in Him.
Blow ye the trumpet - to sound an alarm of coming war (Numbers 10; Hosea 5:8; Amos 3:6); the office of the priests. Joel 1:15 is an anticipation of the fuller prophecy in this chapter. (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
Note: mankind had a hard time with the human nature with its lusts etc fighting against the laws of a Holy God. In the Old Testament God would put His spirit on different people to accomplish His purpose, now God will fill believers with His Holy Spirit to give them help in overcoming the flesh that wars against the spirit. See Jeremiah 31:31-34 and John Chapter 3. Paul the Learner
2:2 morning = blackness, or darkness. The Hebrew word here is shahar. This is a Homonym with two meanings: 1. To be black or dark (Job 30:30). Hence put for seeking in the early morning while yet dark (See Psalms 78:34; 63:1; Proverbs 1:28; Isaiah 26:9; Hosea 5:15). 2. Dawn or morning (Genesis 19:15; 32:24, 26; Joshua 6:15; Hosea 6:3; 10:15). The Companion Bible Joel 2:2-3 A more effective portrayal of the terror of The Day as indicated by the present calamity. (a) A day of darkness ... gloom ... clouds ... thick darkness. Four synonyms used for emphasis, signifying intense, impenetrable darkness (cf. Zephaniah 1:15; Ezekiel 34:12). (b) Three of the words are used in Deuteronomy 4:11 of the darkness which enveloped Sinai when the Lord descended upon it in fire. (c) The fourth word is applied in Exodus 10:22 to the plague of darkness.
Dawn dispersed upon the mountains (AV, the morning spread upon the mountains). The locust hosts are compared to the dawn, either because of its ruddy appearance, or because the dawn is engulfed by masses of cloud and mist, and so day is shut out. One traveler tells of seeing a swarm of locusts that extended a mile in length and half a mile in width, and appeared in the distance like a black cloud. Fire devours. All is lost; the beautiful country has become a wasted desert. The country looks as if it has been scorched, burned up, or reduced to brown ash.
Garden of Eden. This and Ezekiel 36:26-35 are the only references to the Garden outside the book of Genesis. Before the destruction, the land was rich in vegetation, pleasant to behold; now it is a desolate wilderness, like Egypt and Edom. (From The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
Joel 2:2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness. Accumulation of synonyms, to intensify the picture of calamity (Isaiah 8:22, "Behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish: and they shall be driven to darkness"). Appropriate here, as the swarms of locusts intercepting the sunlight suggested darkness as a fit image of the coming visitation. (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
3 JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:2 As the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong. Substitute a comma for a colon after mountains: as the morning light spreads itself from height to height over the mountains, until the whole horizon is covered with light, so a people numerous (Maurer) and strong shall spread themselves far and wide; but it shall be a wide spreading of darkness, not of light as "the morning." The suddenness of the rising of the morning light, which gilds the mountain-tops first, is, less probably, thought by others to be the point of comparison to the sudden inroad of the foe. (Maurer) refers it to the yellow splendor, which arises from the reflection of the sunlight on wings of the immense hosts of locusts as they approach. This is likely; understanding, however, that the locusts are only the images of human foes. The immense Assyrian host of invaders under Sennacherib (cf. Isaiah 37:36) destroyed by God (Joel 2:18,20-21) may be the primary objects of the prophecy:
"The angel of the Lord ... smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they (the Jews) arose early in the morning, behold, they (the Assyrians) were all dead corpses;" but ultimately the last anti-Jewish confederacy, destroyed by special divine interposition, is meant (note, Joel 3:2).
There hath not been ever the like, neither shall be anymore after it, even to the years of many generations - a proof that no mere ordinary plague of locusts is the final and exhaustive fulfillment of the prophecy (cf. Joel 1:2, and Exodus 10:14, "Before them there were no such locusts, neither after them shall be such"): which is best reconciled with the statement here by the view that literal locusts were meant there, but that here figurative locusts are meant. (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary)
Note: The use of figurative language is quite common even in the New Testament:
‘And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 11. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.’ Revelation 9:7-11 KJV
Joel 2:3 A fire devoured before them, and behind them - i.e., on every side (1 Chronicles 19:10).
Fire ... flame - destruction ... desolation (Isaiah 10:17).
The land is as the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness - conversely, Isaiah 51:3, "The Lord shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord" (Ezekiel 36:35). (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
4 2:1 Blow a horn in Zion, sound an alarm on My holy mount! Let all dwellers on earth tremble, for the day of the Lord has come! It is close –
JOEL CHAPTER TWO 2:2 A day of darkness and gloom, a day of densest cloud spread like soot over the hills. A vast, enormous horde – nothing like it has ever happened, and it shall never happen again though the years and ages.
2:3 Their vanguard is a consuming fire, their rear guard a devouring flame. Before them the land was like the Garden of Eden, behind them, a desolate waste: nothing has escaped them. Tanakh Hebrew Text
Note: We have three possible things mentioned here: 1. The destruction of Shalmaneser who took Samaria by force, and how he transplanted the Ten Tribes into Media, and brought the nation of the cutheans into their country [in their room]. 2. How Sennacherib made an expedition against Hezekiah at Jerusalem. 3. The great destruction that takes place on the whole earth in the “Day of the Lord” in Revelation.
(1). Shalmaneser the king of Assyria made an expedition against Samaria in the 7th year of the reign of Hoshea and he besieged Samaria for three years and so took it in the 9th year of king Hoshea, and in the 7th year of king Hezekiah, of Jerusalem. So Shalmaneser quite demolished the government of the Israelites, and transplanted all the people into Media and Persia, among whom he took king Hoshea alive; and when he removed these people out of this their land, he transplanted other nations out of Cuthah, a place so called (for there is [still] a river of that name in Persia), into Samaria, and into the country of the Israelites. So the Israelites were removed 947 years after coming from Egypt. Josephus The Antiquities of the Jews Chapter 14 Pages 264, 265 [No great destruction spoken of]
(2). Sennacherib came against Jerusalem and the tribes of Judah in the 14th year of the government of king Hezekiah, king of the two tribes. Sennacherib took all of the cities of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin by force. Sennacherib made threatening through his commander Rabshakeh when he was gone against the Egyptians and failed of success. So Sennacherib returned to Jerusalem and we find that God [had not authorized this attack] and so God sent one angel and 185,000 died of the enemy. You can read about this in Isaiah. Josephus -The antiquities of the Jews Book 10 [no great destruction]
(3). I believe that the day of the Lord is yet future. Paul the Learner
Joel 2:4-6 The prophet vividly describes the appearance of the hosts and their terrible advance. As ... horses. "In the locust is ... the face of a horse, the eye of an elephant, the neck of a bull, the horns of a deer, the chest of a lion, the belly of a scorpion, the wings of an eagle, the thighs of a camel, the feet of an ostrich, the tail of a serpent" (an Arab saying, quoted in Pusey's The Minor Prophets, I, 174).
2:5 the noise which accompanies the advance of innumerable horses is compared to the rattling of chariots-low two-wheeled vehicles used for military purposes. The amazing noise of the locusts can be heard six miles off. It is comparable to the sound of a cataract, a torrent, a rushing wind, or a raging flame. (From The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
5 Joel 2:4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses. Not literal, but figurative locusts. The fifth trumpet, or first woe, in the parallel passage (Revelation 9) cannot be literal; for in Revelation 9:11 it is said,
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:4 "They had a king over them, the angel of the bottomless pit-in the Hebrew Abaddon (Destroyer), but in the Greek Apollyon;" and (Revelation 9:7) "The shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle, and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men."
Compare Joel 2:11, "The day of the Lord is great and very terrible;" implying their ultimate reference to be connected with Messiah's second coming in judgment.
The locust's head is so like that of a horse that the Italians call it cavallette. Compare Job 39:20, "the horse ... as the grasshopper," or locust.
Run - the locust bounds, not unlike the horse's gallop, raising and letting down together the two front feet.
Joel 2:5 Like the noise of chariots - referring to the loud sound caused by their wings in motion, or else the movement of their hind legs.
On the tops of mountains. (Maurer) connects this with "they," i.e., the locusts, which first occupy the higher places, and thence descend to the lower places, while they are on the former, which no chariots can reach, shall yet be "like the noise of chariots."
It may refer (as in the English version) to "chariots," which make most noise in crossing over rugged heights. But I prefer taking it, "like the noise of chariots, on the tops of mountains shall they (the locusts) leap."
Joel 2:6 Before their face the people shall be much pained - namely, with terror. The Arab proverb is, 'More terrible than the locusts.'
All faces shall gather blackness - (Isaiah 13:8, "Their faces shall be as flames;" Hebrew, 'faces of the flames;' Nahum 2:10, "The faces of them all gather blackness"), which passage seems derived by Nahum from Joel; implying that the Assyrians shall themselves in turn, by a just retribution, experience the blackness of face which they formerly caused to Israel and Judah.
(Maurer), after Aben Ezra, [Jewish sage] translates [qibªtsuw paa'ruwr (OT: 6289)], 'withdraw their brightness' [paa'ar (OT: 6286), to glow with heat, hence, to be bright] - i.e., wax pale, lose color (cf. Joel 2:10, and Joel 3:15, and Jer 30:6, "All faces are turned into paleness").
But the Hebrew verb means gather, rather than withdraw (Kimchi Jewish sage), therefore the English version is best. (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
6 2:4 They have the appearance of horses, they gallop just like steeds.
JOEL CHAPTER TWO 2:5 With a clatter as of chariots they bound on the hilltops, with a noise like a blazing fire consuming straw; like an enormous horde arrayed for battle.
2:6 Peoples tremble before them, all faces turn ashen. Tanakh Hebrew Text
Note: Revelation 9:7-10 7 The locusts resembled horses equipped for battle. On their heads was something like golden crowns. Their faces resembled the faces of people. [Joel 2:4.] 8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. [Joel 1:6.] 9 Their breastplates (scales) resembled breastplates made of iron, and the [whirring] noise made by their wings was like the roar of a vast number of horse-drawn chariots going at full speed into battle. [Joel 2:5.] 10 They have tails like scorpions, and they have stings, and in their tails lies their ability to hurt men for [the] five months. AMP
Joel 2:7 Joel begins his comparison of this host with a well equipped army. The advance is irrestible; there is no confusion in the warriors' ranks; they scale the highest walls; they penetrate the inmost recesses of the houses. They run to the assault, ready to charge. Break their ranks. Literally, change not their caravans; each squadron remains compact, like a regiment in an army. (Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
Joel 2:7-9 Depicting the regular military order of their advance, 'One locust not turning a nail's breadth out of his own place in the march' (Jerome). Compare Proverbs 30:27, "The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands."
Verse 8. Neither shall one thrust another - i.e., press upon so as to thrust his next neighbor out of his place, as usually occurs in a large multitude.
When they fall upon the sword - literally, among the darts or missiles.
They shall not be wounded - because they are protected by defensive Armour (Grotius). They had a kind of gorget round their neck, and a soldier-like helm on their heads.
(Maurer) translates, 'Their (the locusts') ranks are not broken [yibtsaa`uw (OT: 1214)] when they rush among missiles' (cf. Dan 11:22, "They shall be broken").
Verse 9. They shall run to and fro in the city - greedily seeking what they can devour. "The city" is Jerusalem, which implies that human foes, not mere insects, are meant.
They shall run upon the wall - surrounding each house in Eastern buildings.
They shall enter in at the windows - though barred.
7 Like a thief - the symbol of the coming Antichrist (John 10:1; cf. Jer 9:21, "Death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces"). As these symbolical locusts, the precursory instruments of God's judgments, come unawares as a thief, so Christ, the judge, Himself saith, "Behold, I come as a thief" (Revelation 16:15; cf. Revelation 3:3; Matthew 24:33; Luke 12:39; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10). (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:8 Swords or missile. Locusts defy all weapons that men may array against them. They are so numerous that even after millions have been destroyed, the swarms advance as though nothing had happened. It is only through the destruction of their eggs that locusts can be eliminated. (Wycliffe Bible Comm.)
Joel 2:9-10 Like a thief. The doors are shut, but the invaders pour through the unglazed windows. This image reveals that the prophet is not thinking of an attacking army, but only of the actual locusts. The same image is used in the NT for our Lord's coming (Matthew 24:43-44; Luke 12:39; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10). (From The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
Question why do you use so many different commentaries with different opinions? Answer: 1. There is a possibility that those who read this commentary will not be able to purchase commentaries. 2. If you were to purchase a commentary such as Adam Clarke you will find that he is a historist and believes that many of the scriptures have already come to pass, even though prophecy has a tendency to repeat itself, and also he doesn’t always go into every verse. 3. What I have done is to expose to you different views from some of the leading commentaries and also added archeology and a historical viewpoint along with the Jewish interpretation of the verses and also their Hebrew text the Tanakh. 4. All of this gives you a better view of the text, even if you don’t believe in what is written it will at least make you think of what the text is saying. 5. I have also given you my perspective of the text as I see it. Paul the Learner
2:7 They rush like warriors, they scale a wall like fighters. And each keeps to his own track. Their paths never cross;
2:8 No one jostles another; each keeps to his own course. And should they fall through a loophole, they do not get hurt.
2:9 They rush up the wall, they dash about in the city; they climb into the houses, they enter like thieves by way of the windows.
2:10 Before them earth trembles, heaven shakes, Sun and moon are darkened, and stars withdraw their brightness.
2:11 And the Lord roars aloud at the head of His army; for vast indeed in His host, numberless are those that do His bidding. For great is the day of the Lord, most terrible – who can endure it? Tanakh Hebrew Text
Note: does these verse sound like:
8 1. A simple statement of the destruction of the armies of the Assyrians? 2. A look into the future found in the book of Revelation? 3. Or what?
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Revelation 9:4-6 4 They were told not to injure the herbage of the earth nor any green thing nor any tree, but only [to attack] such human beings as do not have the seal (mark) of God on their foreheads. [Ezekiel 9:4.] 5 They were not permitted to kill them, but to torment (distress, vex) them for five months; and the pain caused them was like the torture of a scorpion when it stings a person. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it; and they will yearn to die, but death evades and flees from them. [Job 3:21.] AMP
Matthew 24:29-31 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. [Isaiah 13:10; 34:4; Joel 2:10,11; Zephaniah 1:15.] 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and beat their breasts and lament in anguish, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory [in brilliancy and splendor]. [Daniel 7:13; Revelation 1:7.] 31 And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect (His chosen ones) from the four winds, [even] from one end of the universe to the other. [Isaiah 27:13; Zechariah 9:14.] AMP
Joel 2:10 The earth shall quake before them - i.e., the inhabitants of the earth quake with fear of them.
The heavens shall tremble - i.e., "the powers of the heavens shall be shaken" (Matthew 24:29); its illumining powers are disturbed by the locusts, which intercept the sunlight with their dense flying swarm. These, however, are but the images of revolutions of states causal by such foes as were to invade Judea. (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
2:10 the sun and the moon shall be dark. Here are two possibilities here: 1. Another proof of what is signified; and that this prophecy concerns what is future. The Companion Bible
2. ‘…Behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars …’ (Genesis 37:9) Judah’s future judgment
Joel 2:11 His voice. In the terrific storm depicted in Joel 2:10, the prophet hears the voice of God (cf. 1 Samuel 12:18; Psalms 18:14; 46:8). Who can endure it? (RSV) Behind and beyond the locusts' ravages, the earthquake, and the storm looms the Day of the Lord, bringing a camp more impregnable, a host more irrestible, and a punishment great and terrible. Who can abide the day of his coming? Apparently no one! But there is still hope. The door of mercy is open! If the people will turn to God in a true spirit of repentance, he may yet pardon! (From The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
Joel 2:11
9 And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army - so among Mohammedans, 'Lord of the locusts' is a title of God.
His voice - His word of command to the locusts, and to the antitypical human foes of Judea, as "His army."
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:11 He is strong that executeth his word - (Rev 18:8 "Strong is the Lord God who judges her"); language evidently taken from Joel, so entirely at unity are the prophets. (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
Revelation 19:11-16 11 After that I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse [appeared]! The One Who was riding it is called Faithful (Trustworthy, Loyal, Incorruptible, Steady) and True, and He passes judgment and wages war in righteousness (holiness, justice, and uprightness). [Ezekiel 1:1.] 12 His eyes [blaze] like a flame of fire, and on His head are many kingly crowns (diadems); and He has a title (name) inscribed which He alone knows or can understand. [Daniel 10:6.] 13 He is dressed in a robe dyed by dipping in blood, and the title by which He is called is The Word of God. 14 And the troops of heaven, clothed in fine linen, dazzling and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth goes forth a sharp sword with which He can smite (afflict, strike) the nations; and He will shepherd and control them with a staff (scepter, rod) of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath and indignation of God the All-Ruler (the Almighty, the Omnipotent). [Psalms 2:9.] 16 And on His garment (robe) and on His thigh He has a name (title) inscribed, King Of Kings And Lord Of Lords. [Deuteronomy 10:17; Daniel 2:47.] AMP
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (See John 1:1-3, 14; Colossians 1:15, 16; Hebrews 1:2 – The Word of God)
Today we know His name and it is called Jesus Christ our Savior. Paul the Learner
Joel 2:12-19 12 Therefore also now, says the Lord, turn and keep on coming to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning [until every hindrance is removed and the broken fellowship is restored]. 13 Rend your hearts and not your garments and return to the Lord, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness; and He revokes His sentence of evil [when His conditions are met]. 14 Who knows but what He will turn, revoke your sentence [of evil], and leave a blessing behind Him [giving you the means with which to serve Him], even a cereal or meal offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; set apart a fast [a day of restraint and humility]; call a solemn assembly.
16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation; assemble the elderly people, gather the children and the nursing infants; let the bridegroom [who is legally exempt from attending] go forth from his chamber and the bride out of her closet. [None is exempt from the humiliation.] 17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar; and let them say, Have pity and spare Your people, O Lord, and give not Your heritage to reproach, that the [heathen] nations should rule over them or use a byword against them. Why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God? 18
10 Then was the Lord jealous for His land and had pity on His people. 19 Yes, the Lord answered and said to His people, Behold, I am sending you grain and juice [of the grape] and oil, and you shall be satisfied with them; and I will no more make you a reproach among the [heathen] nations. AMP
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:17 Locust Army and Repentance 2:17. between the temple porch and the altar. The area between the porch and the altar is a place of limited access. Only the priest would have reason to proceed beyond the altar toward the temple. But it was also used to stage important public acts. In Ezekiel 8:16 this is the area where syncretistic sun worship was being carried out by twenty-five men. In 2 Chronicles 24:21 this is the area in which the prophet Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, was stoned to death (see Matthew 23:35). (IVP)
[General Information - 2:12-17 on the need to turn back to the Lord, and for a communal lamentation.] This must be done before the arrival of the Day of the Lord, which is near or close (1:15; 2:1), otherwise Israel too will be the victim of God’s power. [Jewish Study Bible]
2:13: (Cf. Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Jonah 4:2; Nahum 1:3; Psalms 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Nehemiah 9:17, 31; 2 Chronicles 30:9). Some of these have a more complete list of God’s attributes, which include intergenerational punishment. As in Jonah 4:2, this is lacking here. Also (cf. Talmud m. ‘Avot 2:13). [Jewish Study Bible]
2:14 (Cf. Jonah 3:9). The verse implies uncertainty about divine response to human repentance; this idea was disturbing to many classical readers of the text, who filled it in to read, “He [who] knows [that he has sins], he should return and repent” (so Targum and Rashi, but not Ibn Ezra). [JSB]
2:15: Blow a horn: The same phrase used to give the alarm of war in (verse 1) is here used to call the people for a communal lamentation. The latter here, and elsewhere, includes calls to repentance and requires their repentance to be effective (cf. Jonah 3:5-10). [Jewish Study Bible]
2:16: The entire community must assemble. 17: (Cf. Psalms 79:10). Similar arguments are made in the Torah, e.g. (Exodus 32:12). The emphasis is on God’s concern for His image rather than Israel’s guiltlessness. [Jewish Study Bible]
Joel 2:12-17 "Rend your hearts!" (Joel 2:12-17) Once again, Joel called for a solemn assembly where God's people would repent of their sins and seek the Lord's help. The nation didn't know when this invasion would occur, so the important thing was for them to turn to the Lord now. But they must be sincere. It's easy to participate in a religious ceremony, tear your garments, and lament, but quite some-thing else to humbly confess your sins and bring to God a repentant heart (Matthew 15:8-9). "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart these, O God, You will not despise" (Psalms 51:17, NKJV).
The one thing that encourages us to repent and return to the Lord is the character of God. Knowing that He is indeed "gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (Joel 2:13, NIV) ought to motivate us to seek His face. This description of the attributes of God goes back to Moses' meeting with the Lord on Mt. Sinai, when he interceded for the sinful nation of Israel (Exodus 34:6-7). You find echoes of it in Numbers 14:18 (another scene of Moses' intercession); Nehemiah 9:17;
11 Psalms 86:15; 103:8, and 145:8; and Jonah 4:2. Such a gracious God would "turn and have pity" (Joel 2:14. NIV). Note that Joel's concern was that the people would once again have offerings to bring to the Lord, not just food on their tables.
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:12-17 But all the people must assemble and then turn to the Lord (vv. 15-17). This includes elders and children, nursing babies and priests, and even the newlyweds who were not sup-posed to be disturbed during their first year of marriage, not even because of war (Deuteronomy 24:5). The prophet even gave them a prayer to use (Joel 2:17) that presents two reasons why God should deliver them:
(1) Israel's covenant privileges as God's heritage and (2) The glory of God's name before the other nations. Moses used these same arguments when he pled for the people (Exodus 32:11-13; 33:12-23).
The Jews are indeed God's special treasure and heritage (Exodus 15:17; 19:5-6; Psalms 94:5; Jeremiah 2:7; 12:7-9). To Israel, He gave His laws, His covenants, the temple and priesthood, a special land, and the promise that they would bless the whole world (Genesis 12:1-3; Romans 9:1-5). From Israel came the written Word of God and the gift of the Savior (John 4:22). Israel was called to bear witness to the other nations that their God was the only true God. How could God be glorified if His people were destroyed and the pagans could gleefully ask, "Where is their God?" (See Psalms 79:10 and 115:2; also Micah 7:10.) The nation had to choose between revival (getting right with God) and reproach (robbing God of glory). (From The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament)
An Exhortation to Repentance 2:12-17 Joel 2:12 Yet even now (RSV). At the eleventh hour, when destruction appears imminent! Return to me (RSV). Forsake your self-chosen paths of rebellion; come to your senses; recognize Me as your God; and follow My instructions. This is the appeal of all the great prophets (e.g., Hosea 14:1; Isaiah 1:2; Amos 4:6). Return emphasizes the idea of conversion.
With all your heart. The seat not only of the emotions, but also of all the powers of personality, intellect, sensibility, and will. All of the activities of the human spirit (all thoughts, all affections, and all volitions) are to be centered upon the Lord. The inward change (heart turning) will manifest itself in the outward change of actions. (Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
Joel 2:12 Therefore. With such judgments impending over the Jews, Yahweh Himself urges them to repentance.
Also now, saith the Lord - even now, what none could have hoped or believed possible, God still invites you to the hope of salvation. What pathetic tenderness marks this sudden turn from threatening to loving invitation!
Turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning. Their sin being most heinous needs extraordinary humiliation. The outward marks of repentance are to signify the depth of their sorrow for sin.
12 Mourning - literally, with beating on the breast; as the publican smote on his breast, crying, "God be merciful to me a sinner" [bªmicpeed (OT: 4553)], and as the people who beheld the crucifixion of Jesus smote their breasts (Luke 18:13; 23:48). (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:13 Rend your heart, and not your garments. A demand for moral and ethical religion. Penitence must be heartfelt; it must not be a matter of mere ritual. Joel, like all the true prophets, demands "heart sorrow and a clean life following" (cf. Ezekiel 36:26; Psalms 51:19). Penitence is not an opus operatum ("a work performed," i.e., a meritorious work), a tearing of the garment (cf. this expression of grief in Leviticus 13:45; Jeremiah 36:24), but an inward sorrow, yearning, anguish, and a tearing of the heart!
1. Gracious. Literally, inclined to pardon the repentant sinner.
2. Merciful. Possessing mercy in abundance -equivalent to "full of compassion."
3. Slow to anger. Literally, long as to the breathing of the nostrils in anger. The Lord does not permit his anger to break forth immediately as an avalanche upon the discovery of sin, but he waits to see if the sinner will repent.
4. Abounding in loving kindness. The Hebrew word hesed used of (1) the love of God toward man, (2) the love of man toward man, and (3) the love of man toward God. (Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
Joel 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments - let there be the inward sorrow of heart, and not the mere outward manifestation of it by 'rending the garment' (Joshua 7:6).
He is gracious and merciful. The Hebrew words are intensive, very gracious and very merciful. The attributes of God here are taken from the Pentateuch (Exodus 34:6-7, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin").
Of great kindness - elsewhere rendered, as in Exodus 34:6, "abundant in goodness" [rab (OT: 7227) checed (OT: 2617)].
He ... repented him of the evil - the calamity which He had threatened against the impenitent. (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
Joel 2:14 Who knows. Perhaps he might return and repent. God is not man that he should repent; Yet he cannot turn or be converted like a man. Yet he has his own Divine ways of both repenting and turning. Although changeless in his attitude toward sin, God may still show mercy on his sinful people.
A blessing. A new harvest, which will make the meal and drink offerings again possible. (From The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
13 Joel 2:14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meat offering and a drink offering - i.e., Who knows but He will still give plentiful harvests, out of the first-fruits of which we may offer the meat and drink offering, now "cut off" through the famine? (Joel 1:9, 13, 16.)
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:14 So the king of Nineveh reasoned, "Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger that we perish not?" (Jonah 3:9.)
Leave ... behind him - as God, in visiting His people now, has left behind Him a curse, so He will, on returning to visit them, leave behind Him a blessing. (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
2:12 “Yet even now” – says the Lord – “Turn back to Me with all your hearts, and with fasting, weeping, and lamenting.”
2:13 Rend your hearts rather than your garments, and turn back to the Lord your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, and renouncing punishment.
2:14 Who knows but He may turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind for meal offering and drink offering to the Lord your God? [When the locusts depart, there will again be yield enough for offerings; see 1:9]. Tanakh Hebrew Text
Joel 2:15-16 A solemn assembly. Called first in terror in Joel 1:14 and 2:1, it is now summoned in the hope of Divine mercy. All classes and ages of the population are summoned to this great expectant party of repentance! Even the bride and the bridegroom, to whom a year's exemption from public service was allowed, are included (cf. Deut 24:5). (From The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
Joel 2:15 Blow the trumpet - to convene the people (Numbers 10:3: cf. Joel 1:14). The nation was guilty, and therefore there must be a national humiliation. Compare Hezekiah's proceedings in proclaiming a solemn Passover, to which he invited Israel as well as Judah, before Sennacherib's invasion, saying, 2 Chronicles 30:6, 8-9,
"Ye children of Israel, turn again to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and He will return to the remnant of you that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria ... yield yourselves unto the Lord ... that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you ... for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away His face from you, if ye return unto Him."
Joel 2:16 Sanctify the congregation - namely, by expiatory rites and purification of their persons and of their clothes with water (Calvin). (Exodus 19:10, 22.)
(Maurer) translates, 'appoint a solemn assembly,' which would be a tautological repetition of Joel 2:15.
Assemble the elders, gather the children - no age was to be excepted (2 Chronicles 20:13).
14 Let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber - ordinarily exempted from public duties (Deuteronomy 24:5: cf. 1 Corinthians 7:5, 29).
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:16 And the bride out of her closet - [chupaah, or nuptial bed], from a Hebrew root [chaapap, to cover], referring to the canopy over it. (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
Joel 2:17 Priests ... ministers. The mediators between God and the people. Weep. In sorrow and repentance as they lead the people. Between the porch and the altar. The inner part of the court of the priests (cf. Ezekiel 8:16). Here Zechariah was standing when he was martyred (2 Chronicles 24:20-22; Matthew 23:35).
Spare have mercy and withhold future judgment. Thy people ... thy heritage. The basis of the appeal (cf. Deuteronomy 9:25, 29). The Lord is intensely interested in their welfare.
Reproach. Again and again the Almighty is reminded that, if he should forsake Israel and permit her to be destroyed, his power would be questioned. Where is your God? A sneer at the covenant relation between the Lord and his people. The only way to avoid the mocking is for God to avert the calamity (cf. Exodus 32:12; Psalms 79:10). (From The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
Joel 2:17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar - the porch of Solomon's temple on the east (1 Kings 6:3). The altar of burnt offerings outside, in the court of the priests, before the porch (2 Chronicles 8:12: cf. Ezekiel 8:16; Matthew 23:35, "between the temple and the altar"). The suppliants thus were to stand with their backs to the altar, on which they had nothing to offer, their faces toward the place of the Shechinah-presence.
Give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them. This shows that not locusts, but human foes, "the pagan," are intended. The, margin translation, 'use a byword against them,' is not supported by the Hebrew.
Wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? - i.e., do not, for thine own honor’s sake, let the pagan sneer at the God of Israel, as unable to save His people-a phrase derived from the Psalms (Ps 79:10; 115:2). (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
2:18-3:21 CONSEQUENCES M-1 2:18, 19. Good bestowed. Land and People. N-1 2:20. Evil removed. Enemy cut off. M-2 2:21-32. Good bestowed. Land and People. N-2 3:1-16-. Evil removed. Enemy cut off. M-3 3:-16-18. Good bestowed. Land and People. N-3 3:19. Evil removed. Enemies cut off. M-4 3:20, 21. Good bestowed. Land and People.
15 2:18 jealous for His land, &c. These remind us of the concluding words of the “Song of Moses,” and sum up the object and outcome of all the events which go to make up “The Day of the Lord.” The Companion Bible
JOEL CHAPTER TWO 2:15 Blow a horn in Zion; solemnize a fast, proclaim an assembly!
2:16: Gather the people, bid the congregation purify themselves [Cf. Exodus 19:10; Zephaniah 1:7], bring together the old, gather the babes and the sucklings at the breast; let the bridegroom come out of his chamber, the bride from her canopied couch.
2:17 Between the portico and the altar let the priests, the Lord’s ministers, weep and say: “Oh, spare Your people, Lord! Let not Your possession become a mockery, to be taunted by nations! Let not the peoples say, “Where is their God?”
2:18 Then the Lord was roused on behalf of His land and had compassion upon His people.
2:19 In response to His people the Lord declared: “I will grant you the new grain, the new wine, and the new oil, and you shall have them in abundance. Nevermore will I let you be a mockery among the nations.
2:20 I will drive the [northerner – I.e. the locust. “My multitude;” cf. “nation” (1:6), “horde,” “army,” and “host” (2:2, 5, 11 and 25).] Far from you, I will thrust it into a parched and desolate land – Its van to the [Eastern Sea, -The Dead Sea] and its rear to the [Western Sea – The Mediterranean Sea]; and the stench of it shall go up, and the foul smell rise.” For [the Lord] shall work great deeds. Tanakh
THE DAY OF THE LORD 1. ‘And he said unto Abraham. Know of a surety that they seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;’ Genesis 15:13 We find that God came down and delivered Israel from the Egyptian bondage, using the different gods of the Egyptians to prove the point that there is only One God. We could now classify this as the 1st day of the Lord that was judgment against Egypt. 2. ‘And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? Joshua 5:13 Now we find in this day of the Lord that Jehovah [Memra, Logos, Word] came in person as the captain of the host of God to direct the battle against Jericho, again a Gentile nation. 3. Now in our next section we find that the day of the Lord is Jehovah fought against Israel using the Gentile nations during there stay in the promise land: (a) From the entry into the land (1351 BC) to the end of the reign of Samuel as Judge and the beginning of the Kingdom age there were 5 Lo-Ammi periods [See Hosea 1:9 ‘you are not My People’]. (b) Mesopotamia -8 years, Moab – 18 years, Canaan – 20 years, Midian – 7 years, and Philistines – 40 years. 4. ‘In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the
16 Medes.’ 2 Kings 17:6 So what you have here is that Israel got so bad that God sent them out of the land for good. This was indeed the Day of the Lord in judgment against Israel. 5. ‘And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it.’ 2 Kings 24:11 Now because of the wickedness of Judah, God sent them into exile for 70 years. Again the Day of the Lord when God uses Babylon to destroy Judah and separate them from the land.
JOEL CHAPTER TWO 6. ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which kill the prophets, and stone them that are sent unto you; how often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen does gather her brood unto her wings, and you would not! 35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: …’ Luke 13:34, 35 Now we find that God sent His son into the land to redeem them and they refused Him and had Rome kill him for them. So God waited for a period of 40 years to give them time to repent and for the gospel of Jesus Christ to get established, then came ‘The Day of the Lord’ and using the empire of Rome God brought judgment on His people and then removed them from the land for over 2,000 years. 7. Now the last day of the Lord will come against all of the nations of the world. For reference see our study on the Book of Revelation. Paul the Learner
Joel 2:20-27 20 But I will remove far off from you the northern [destroyer's] army and will drive it into a land barren and desolate, with its front toward the eastern [Dead] Sea and with its rear toward the western [Mediterranean] Sea. And its stench shall come up [like that of a decaying mass of locusts, a symbol and forecast of the fate of the northern army in the final day of the Lord], and its foul odor shall come up, because He has done great things [the Lord will have destroyed the invaders]! [Isaiah 34:1-4, 8; Jeremiah 25:31-35; Joel 2:11.] 21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things! [Zechariah 12:8-10.] 22 Be not afraid, you wild beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness have sprung up and are green; the tree bears its fruit, and the fig tree and the vine yield their [full] strength.
23 Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord, your God; for He gives you the former or early rain in just measure and in righteousness, and He causes to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain, as before. 24 And the [threshing] floors shall be full of grain and the vats shall overflow with juice [of the grape] and oil. 25 And I will restore or replace for you the years that the locust has eaten — the hopping locust, the stripping locust, and the crawling locust, My great army which I sent among you. 26 And you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord, your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you. And My people shall never be put to shame. 27 And you shall know, understand, and realize that I am in the midst of Israel and that I the Lord am your God and there is none else. My people shall never be put to shame. AMP
Joel 2:20 2:20 northern army. The north was often a symbol of dark powers. Enemies often had little choice but to come at Jerusalem from the north because of the way the major routes went. (IVP)
2:20 eastern and western sea. The eastern sea would be the Dead Sea that served as a border on the east side of the land. The boundary on the west side was the Mediterranean. (IVP)
2:23 autumn and spring rains. Israel has a rainy season (winter months) and a dry season (summer months). The rainy season begins with the autumn rains ("early rains," October-November) and ends
17 with the spring rains ("latter rains," early April). These are important for what they contribute to the overall moisture levels in the earth and for softening the ground for plowing. Grain is harvested in the spring (barley in May, wheat in June), and the summer months (July and August) are for threshing and winnowing. Grapes are harvested in the fall, while the olive harvest stretches into the winter. (From IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament)
JOEL CHAPTER TWO [General Information - 2:18-4:21 Forgiveness and restoration for Judah, divine judgment against their enemies.] [Jewish Study Bible]
2:19 (Cf. 1:10; Deuteronomy 7:13; 11:14; 14:23; 33:28; Jeremiah 31:12; Hosea 2:10).
2:20: Parched and desolate: The description of the land to which the northerner will be driven may be compared to that in (Zephaniah 2:13 there “arid,” Hebrew “parched”). The reference points on the surface to the locust, but also to a mighty invading army sent by the Lord, evoking the common imagery of a powerful and at times mythic enemy coming from the north (see, among others, Jeremiah 1:13-15; 4:6; Ezekiel 38:6, 15; 39:2; cf. Isaiah 5:26-30). [Jewish Study Bible]
The Targum reads: “I will remove the people who come from the north far from you…for they have done much evil.”
1. The first portion of the quoted text points to the Targums understanding of the “northerners” as referring to an enemy army. 2. The second portion reflects on of the two possible understandings of the Hebrew text. The text does not specify the subject of the Hebrew verb work or “do.” The most likely subject is the northerner, in which case the Targum adds the obvious, that the northerner has done great evil, perhaps overstepped its bounds by inflicting too great a punishment (see Isaiah 10:5-11).
But, particularly in the light of (verse 21), it is possible to understand a secondary connoted meaning in this phrase, “the Lord has done great deeds,” namely that God has restored the land’s vegetation. This “turning point” verse in Joel carries to instances of multiple meanings conveyed by a careful choice of words or their omission at critical places in the text.
A later, Talmudic interpretation is based on a slight revocalization of the term for northerner and sets the verse in a different sphere. According to (Talmud b. Sukkah 52a), the relevant section of the verse reads “but I will remove far off from you the hidden one” (i.e. instead of “northerner”) and then it goes on and explains that this hidden one is “yetzer ha-ra’,” that is, “the evil inclination” which is constantly hidden in the heart of humans. The verse is thus understood as stating that in an ideal future, God will drive this inclination away from humanity into a land barren and desolate. Jewish Study Bible
Joel 2:18-27 "Believe his promises!" (Joel 2:18-27) Joel now looks beyond the invasion to the time when God would heal His land and restore his blessings to His people. Just as He blew the locusts into the depths of the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea (eastern and western seas), so He could drive the invading army out of the land. In one night, God killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, and Sennacherib went home a defeated king (Isaiah 37:36-38). The corpses must have created quite a stench before they were buried. Some Bible scholars believe that Psalms 126 grew out of this event, for it describes a sudden and surprising deliverance that startled the nation. (Judah's return from Babylonian Captivity was neither
18 sudden nor surprising.) "The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad" (v.3) is echoed in Joel 2:21, "Be glad and rejoice; for the Lord will do great things."
Both Joel 2:23-27 and Psalms 126:5-6 describe the restoration of the ravaged earth and the return of the harvests. This fulfilled what Isaiah promised to King Hezekiah (Isaiah 37:30).
JOEL LESSON TWO Joel 2:18-27 Without the former rain (March-April) and the latter rain (October-November), the land could not hear its crops: and one way God disciplined His people was to shut off the rain (Deuteronomy 11:13-17). But the Lord promised to give such bumper crops that the harvest would more than compensate for all the people lost during the locust plague and the drought. "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten" (Joel 2:25, NIV) is a word of promise to all who return to the Lord with sincere and broken hearts.
"You cannot have back your time," said (Charles Spurgeo), "but there is a strange and wonderful way in which God can give back to you the wasted blessings, the unripened fruits of years over which you mourned... It is a pity that they should have been locust-eaten by your folly and negligence; but if they have been so, be not hope-less concerning them." And why will God do this for His deserving people? So that they will praise His name and never again be shamed before the heathen. "Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other, never again will my people be shamed" (v. 27, NIV). As never before, our lands today need healing. They are polluted by the shedding of innocent blood and the exploiting of both resources and people. We can claim God's promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14 because we are "His people." (Bible Exposition Commentary)
The Averting of Judgment and Bestowal of Blessings 2:18-3:21 The Blessings in the Immediate Future 2:18-27 This is the turning point of the book. Evidently the people responded to the prophet's invitation. The solemn convocation was convened, the people repented, and the Lord forgave them. Consequently, he now promises to remove the locusts and restore the prosperity of the land. Now all will know that God himself dwells with his people. (From The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
Joel 2:18-19 Then. The time is not definitely stated, but it is implied that the people turned to the Lord in penitence of heart. Jealous ... compassion. The jealousy of God is founded upon the covenant (cf. marital relationship between the Lord and his people in Isaiah 54:5; 62:5; Hosea 2:19). His jealousy is aroused when his people spurn his love. (From The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
Joel 2:18 Then - when God sees His people penitent will the Lord be jealous for his land - as a husband jealous of any dishonor done to the wife whom he loves, as if done to himself. The Hebrew [qaanaa' (OT: 7065)] comes from an Arabic root, to be flushed in face through indignation.
Will ... be jealous. The Hebrew is rightly rendered future, as the time that proceeds is future-literally, the Lord is jealous; to imply the present instantaneousness with which God will answer His people's penitent prayer (Isaiah 65:24, "Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear"). (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
19 Joel 2:19 The Lord will answer ... his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil - rather, as Hebrew, 'the grain ... the wine ... the oil'-namely, which the locusts have destroyed (Henderson).
JOEL CHAPTER TWO SECTION TWO Joel 2:19 (Maurer), not so well, explains, 'the grain, etc., necessary for your sustenance.'
"The Lord will answer" - namely, the prayers of His people, priests, and prophets. Compare in the case of Sennacherib, 2 Kings 19:20-21. (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
Joel 2:20 The northern army. The Northerner. The terrible locust swarms will be removed and scattered in the desert, the Dead Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. The prophet visualizes the invasion of the land from the north by the armies of Assyria and Babylon, typified by the locusts.
Great things. Two subjects are referred to,
1. An immediate one-the locusts, 2. And a more remote one-the Northerner.
The locust army is seen as the instrument of the Lord. As terrible and repulsive as the locusts were, they turned the people to God in repentance. The stink of dead locusts is often referred to as intolerable and the cause of plagues. (Augustine quotes from Julius Obsequens) to show how a vast cloud of locusts, cast into the African Sea, were rolled up putrid on the shore, and a plague broke out killing 800,000 persons. (From The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
Joel 2:20 (A) I will remove far off from you the northern army. The Hebrew expresses that the north in relation to Palestine is not merely the quarter whence the invader comes, but is his native land, 'the northlander'-namely, the Assyrian or Babylonian (cf. Jeremiah 1:14-15; Zephaniah 2:13, "the north ... Assyria"). (B) The locust's native country is not the north, but the south, the deserts of Arabia, Egypt, and Libya. Therefore, the literal locust cannot be meant in the ulterior sense. Assyria and Babylon are the type and forerunner of all Israel's foes, Rome, and the final Antichrist, from whom God will at last deliver His people, as He did from Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:35). (C) Balaam, ages before, when Israel was on the borders of the Holy Land, had foretold the captivity in Assyria, and the destruction in turn of that great world-power, by a power coming from the west (Numbers 24:22, "Asshur shall carry thee away captive"). (D) Abijah had foretold to Jeroboam I. "the Lord would root up Israel out of the good land which He gave to their fathers, and would scatter them beyond the river" (1 Kings 14:15). (E) And will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea - more applicable to a human army's van and rear than to locusts. (F) The northern invaders are to be dispersed in every other direction but that from which they had come: "A land barren and desolate" - i.e., Arabia Desert: "the eastern (or front) sea" - i.e., the Dead Sea: "the utmost (or hinder) sea" - i.e., the Mediterranean.
20 (G) In front and behind mean east and west, as in marking the quarters of the world they faced the east, which was therefore "in front;" the west was behind them, the south was on their right, and the north on their left.
And his stink shall come up. Metaphor from locusts, which perish when blown by a storm into the sea or the desert, and emit from their putrefying bodies such a stench as often, breeds a pestilence.
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:20 Because he hath done great things - i.e., because the invader hath haughtily magnified himself in his doings. Compare the margin, Hebrew, he hath magnified to do; cf. as to Sennacherib, 2 Kings 19:11- 13, 22, and 28. This is quite inapplicable to the locusts, which merely seek food, not self-glorification in invading a country. (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
SOME THOUGHTS: 1. The armies of Revelation 9, and Daniel 11, and Ezekiel 38 come from the North. 2. The antichrist or beast of Daniel 7 and 8, could he be the “he” that is spoken of? 3. “Hath done great things” = he magnified himself to do great things. See Daniel 8:9-11; 11:36.
2:21 (Cf. Psalms 126:3). [Jewish Study Bible]
2:23: For He has given you the early ruin in [His] kindness: Other possibilities for the meaning of this sentence include: 1. “For He has given you the early rain in its season,” 2. “For He has given you the early rain for your vindication,” 3. “For He has given you back your teacher in righteousness;” 4. “For He has given you a teacher for righteousness;” 5. “For He has given you a righteous teacher.”
The word translated “rain” (“moreh,” the same as in Psalms 84:7) is usually the word “yoreh,” and “moreh” can mean “teacher,” then who is the teacher? The Lord? Furthermore, it is possible that this is another case of a main denoted meaning (probably “the early rain in its season”) along with a connoted meaning (“teacher”). The Qumran community seems to have derived their conception of the teacher of righteousness, an early leader of the group, from this (verse 27: Cf. Isaiah 45:5, 6, 18). [Jewish Study Bible]
Joel 2:21-22 The beasts, men, and all sufferers of chapter 1 are now called upon to cast away their fear and to rejoice. The Lord hath done great things. A prophetic perfect (completed action). The prophet is so certain, upon Divine authority, of its happening that he speaks as if it has already occurred. (From The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
2:21-32 GOOD BESTOWED. LAND AND PEOPLE. M-2 O-1. 2:21-27. Temporal blessings. O-2. 2:28-32. Spiritual blessings.
2:21-27 TEMPORAL BLESSINGS. (O-1, p. 32). O-1 P-1 2:21-. Apostrophe to the Soil. Q-1 2:-21. Reason.
21 P-2 2:22-. Apostrophe to the Beasts. Q-2 2: -22. Reason. P-3 2:23-. Apostrophe to the People. Q-3 2:-23-27. Reason.
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:21-23 Fear not, O land ... Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field ... Be glad then, ye children of Zion. In an ascending gradation, the land destroyed by the enemy, the beasts of the field, and the children of Zion, the land's inhabitants, are addressed, the former two by personification. Be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things. In contrast to the "great things" done by the haughty foe (Joel 2:20) to the hurt of Judah, stand the "great things" to be done by Yahweh for her benefit (cf. Psalms 126:2- 3).
Verse 22. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit - (Zechariah 8:12). As before (Joel 1:18, 20), he represented the beasts as groaning and crying for want of food in the "pastures," so now he re-assures them by the promise of springing pastures.
Verse 23. Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord - not merely in the springing pastures, as the brute "beasts" which cannot raise their thoughts higher, but "in the Lord" (Isaiah 61:10; Habakkuk 3:18).
For he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain. The autumnal, or "former rain," from the middle of October to the middle of December, is put first, as Joel prophesies in summer, when the locusts' invasion took place, and therefore looks to the time of early sowing in autumn, when the autumnal rain was indispensably required.
Next, "the rain," generically [geshem (OT: 1653)], literally, the showering or heavy rain. Next, the two species of the latter. "The former and the latter rain" (in March and April). The repetition of "the former rain" implies that He will give it not merely for the exigencies of that particular season when Joel spake, but also for the future in the regular course of nature, the autumn and the spring rain; the former being put first, in the order of nature, as being required for the sowing in autumn, as the latter is required in, spring for maturing the young crop.
The margin, 'a teacher of righteousness' [hamowreh (OT: 4175) litsdaaqaah (OT: 6666)], instead of "the former rain moderately," literally, 'according to righteousness,' has against it the objection that the same Hebrew word is translated "former rain" in the next sentence, and cannot therefore be differently translated here. Besides, Joel begins with the inferior and temporal blessings, and not until Joel 2:28 proceeds to the higher and spiritual ones, of which the former are the pledge.
Moderately - rather, 'in due measure,' as much, as the land requires-literally, 'according to right;' neither too much nor too little, either of which extremes would hurt the crop (cf. Deuteronomy 11:14; Proverbs 16:15; Jeremiah 5:24; note, Hosea 6:3). The phrase, 'in due measure,' in this clause, is parallel to 'in the first month,' in the last clause (i.e., 'in the month when first it is needed,' each rain in its proper season). Or else, "as at the first" (Isaiah 1:26; Hosea 2:15; Malachi 3:4). Heretofore the
22 just or right order of nature has been interrupted through your sin; now God will restore it. (Pusey), however, gives the following reasons for translating 'for He giveth you (or will give you) the Teacher unto righteousness' (i.e., the object of whose coming is righteousness; who brings in everlasting righteousness), (Daniel 9.)
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:23 (1) The great emphasis on the word, which is not used in the latter part of the verse where rain is spoken of ['et (OT: 853) hamowreh (OT: 4175)]. (2) The following clause, "and He maketh the rain to descend for you," according to Hebrew idiom [the waw (w) conversive], relates to a separate action, later in order of time than the former.
But if the former word, mowreh (OT: 4175), meant early or "former" rain, both would mean the same thing. "Give" is so used of Messiah by Isaiah, "I have given Him a Witness to the peoples" (Isaiah 55:4). Thus the promise of Christ's coming precedes the promise of all other blessings. (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
2:21 Fear not, O soil, rejoice and be glad, for the Lord has wrought great deeds.
2:22 Fear not, O beasts of the field, for the pastures in the wilderness are clothed with grass. The trees have borne their fruit; Fig tree and vine have yielded their strength.
2:23 O children of Zion be glad, rejoice in the Lord your God. For He has given you the early rain in [His] kindness, now He makes the rain fall [as] formerly – the early rain the late –
2:24 And threshing floors shall be piled with grain, and vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.
2:25 “I will repay you [for the years – “double what was”] consumed by swarms and hoppers, by grubs and locusts, the great army I let loose against you.
2:26 And you shall eat your fill and praise the name of the Lord your God who dealt so wondrously with you – My people shall be shamed no more.
2:27 And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: that I the Lord am your God and there is no other. And My people shall be shamed no more.” Tanakh Hebrew Text
23 ‘And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.’ John 8:23, 24 KJV
THE I AM REVEALED FROM EXODUS 3 AS YESHUA (JESUS OF NAZARETH). 4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? 5 they answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said unto them, I am he. And Judas also which betrayed him, stood with them. 6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.’ John 18:4-6 KJV
Joel 2:23-25
23 Rejoice in the Lord. In the midst of their rejoicing they are to remember that God's mercy made this possible. The early rain in just measure (hammoreh lisedaqa). There is no doubt that moreh in the last clause of the verse means early rain. But the Targum, the Vulgate, and Jewish writers, followed by Keil, Pusey, and others, translate "Instructor in righteousness" - the Messiah. The leader of the Qumran community bore this title. However, the context does not permit this translation, which (Calvin) termed "a strange exposition." Early rains and latter rains.
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:23-25 The September-October and March-April rains were necessary for the fertility of the land in Palestine.
2:24, 25. The heavens once again will be opened, the drought will end, the locusts will disappear, the harvest will return, and the Lord's presence will be realized. (The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
Joel 2:24 And the floors shall be full of wheat - the effect of the seasonable rains shall be abundance of all articles of food. (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
2:24 fats = vats. Anglo-Saxon (northern) faet, (southern) vat = a vessel, or cask. Lit. = that which contains. Hebrew yekeb = the reservoir for receiving the wine; not Gath, the press where the grapes are pressed. The Companion Bible
Joel 2:25 (1) And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm. (2) In Joel 1:4 "the palmer-worm" (gaazaam (OT: 1501), or the gnawing locust, stood first; here it stands last; otherwise the same order is retained as in Joel 1:4 ("the palmer-worm ... the locust ... the canker-worm ... the caterpillar"), where (see note) God will restore not only what has been lost by the swarming locust ('arbeh (OT: 697)), and the licking locust (yeleq (OT: 3218)), and the consuming locust (chaaciyl (OT: 2625)), the most destructive species, but also the minor losses sustained by the gnawing locust (gaazaam (OT: 1501). (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
2:25 My great army. Here the symbol, and what is symbolized, are joined together, and the army of men (verses 11, 20) is implied by the Figure of Speech called Hypocatastasis; or, Implication (see Matthew 15:13; 16:6). An implied resemblance or representation. The Companion Bible
Joel 2:26 The result of the bountiful restoration: The Jews will recognize the Lord as their God and praise him for his divine intervention. Name of the Lord. Equivalent to the person of the Lord (cf. Amos 2:7; Micah 5:4). (From The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
Joel 2:26 (a) And my people shall never be ashamed - shall no longer endure the "reproach" of the pagan (Joel 2:17) (Maurer); (b) Or rather, 'shall not bear the shame of disappointed hopes,' as the farmers had heretofore (Joel 1:11).
24 (c) So spiritually, waiting on God, His people shall not have the shame of disappointment in their expectation from Him (Romans 9:33, "Behold I lay in Zion a stumbling-stone and a rock of offence, and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed"). (d) They who have borne the transient shame of His cross shall escape the eternal shame of unbelievers. (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:27 I am the Lord your God. Every religious leader from the time of Moses insisted that the Lord was the God of Israel (see, e.g., Exodus 20:2; Deuteronomy 5:6), but the people too frequently forgot it and hence went "whoring after other gods" (Hosea 2:5, 8). The Lord, in order to bring them to their senses, had to rain down judgment upon them again and again. However, the present blow will cure them once and for all; they will recognize him as their only God. None else. The gods who in the past lured away the people are worthless. They possess no power to protect or assist. They add loads rather than lift (see Hosea 2:7; Isaiah 1:29-31; 45:5-6, 18). (From The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
Joel 2:27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel – 1. As in the Old Testament dispensation God was present by the Shechinah, 2. So in the New Testament first, for a brief time, by "the Word made flesh dwelling among us" (John 1:14), 3. And to the close of this dispensation by the Holy Spirit in the Church (Matthew 28:20 "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world"), 4. And probably in a more sensible manner with Israel when restored (Ezekiel 37:26-28).
And my people shall never be ashamed - not an unmeaning repetition from Joel 2:28; the twice- asserted truth enforces its unfailing certainty. As the "shame" in Joel 2:26 refers to temporal blessings, so in this verse it refers to the spiritual blessings flowing from the presence of God with His people (cf. Jeremiah 3:16-17). So in the finally renewed and regenerated earth, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God" (Revelation 21:3). (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
Joel 2:28-32 28 And afterward I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. 29 Even upon the menservants and upon the maidservants in those days will I pour out My Spirit. 30 And I will show signs and wonders in the heavens, and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. [Isaiah 13:6,9-11; 24:21-23; Ezekiel 32:7-10; Matthew 24:29,30; Revelation 6:12-17.] 32 And whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered and saved, for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the remnant [of survivors] shall be those whom the Lord calls. [Acts 2:17-21; Romans 10:13.] AMP
3:1 After that, I will pour out My spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
3:2 I will even pour out My spirit upon male and female slaves in those days.
25 3:3 [Before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes; - Brought up from verse 4 for clarity.], I will set portents in the sky and on earth; blood and fire and pillars of smoke;
3:4 The sun shall turn into darkness and the moon into blood.
JOEL CHAPTER TWO 3:5 But everyone who invokes the name of the Lord shall escape; for there shall be a remnant on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as the Lord promised. Anyone who invokes the Lord will be among the survivors. Tanakh Hebrew Text
NOTE: 1. God will pour out His Spirit as fulfilled by Acts chapter 2. 2. God’s judgments will be seen in the sky as recorded in Revelation. 3. The remnant will find salvation as also recorded in Revelation 7, 14 the 144,000 Jews. Paul the Learner
Joel 2:28 The Day of the Lord 2:28 pouring out of the Spirit resulting in prophesy dreams and visions. In Israelite practice anointing was a sign of election and often closely related to endowment by the Spirit. Therefore one could speak of being anointed with the Spirit, or the Spirit being poured out. In Mesopotamia the king was seen as being endowed with the melammu of the gods (the visible representation of the glory of deity). In Hebrew the word for spirit can also mean wind. In the ancient Near East the word for wind/spirit was used in connection with dreams and visions as early as Sumerian times. The god of dreams was named "the winds." In Akkadian the name of the god who brought dreams was Zaqiqu, which is derived from the word for wind/spirit. Thus there is a long tradition of association between spirit and revelation through dreams and visions that often leads to prophecy. (IVP Commentary)
2:30 blood, fire, billows of smoke. These are the normal accompaniment of the horrors of war. Blood flows in the streets, houses burn, and smoke rises from the city that can be seen for miles. These are the signs of crisis and judgment on earth just as the next verse speaks of the signs of crisis and judgment in the heavens. (IVP Bible Background Commentary)
2:31 sun dark, moon to blood. This is the description of solar and lunar eclipses. (a) In a solar eclipse the sun is darkened as the moon passes between it and the earth. This can only occur at the phase of the new moon. (b) In a lunar eclipse the moon is obscured by the earth passing between the sun and the moon. (c) In a total lunar eclipse the moment of the most complete interference results in all but the red spectrum of light being blocked so that the moon glows with an eerie red-orange color rather than being blackened. This can occur only in the full moon phase. (IVP Commentary)
2:31 eclipses in the ancient Near East. In Neo-Assyrian times, eclipses represented the most powerful and deadly omens, being considered the "prime revealer." They were the most frequent cause for the substitute king ritual being invoked (see comment on Isaiah 53:4-10). The nature of the threat they signified was judged by the precise time of their occurrence, the position in the sky at the time of the
26 eclipse and the direction from which the eclipse took place. The combination of signs in heaven and on earth would bring further confirmation of the sign and would suggest a more drastic consequence. (From IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament)
EXPECTING THE DAY OF THE LORD Joel 2:28-3:21 Joel's message to Judah (and to us) is reaching its conclusion. He has described the immediate "Day of the Lord," the terrible plague of the locusts.
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Joel 2:28-3:21 This led to a description of the imminent "Day of the Lord." the impending invasion of the northern army. All that remains is for him to describe the ultimate "Day of the Lord" when God will judge all the nations of the earth. "For the Day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen" (Obadiah 15). Joel describes a sequence of events relating to this "great and terrible Day of the Lord" (Joel 2:31), what will happen before that day, during that day, and after that day.
1. Before That Day: the Spirit Poured Out (Joel 2:28-32) In the Hebrew Scriptures, these five verses form chapter 3 of Joel's prophecy; and chapter 4 in the Hebrew Scriptures is chapter 3 in the English Bible. The Jewish scholars who arranged the Old Testament Scriptures evidently thought that this paragraph was important enough to warrant a chapter by itself. However, now that we have a completed Bible, this important passage must be studied both in its Jewish context and in the context of the New Testament church.
2. The Jewish context. The "afterward" in 2:28 refers to the events described in 2:18-27 when the Lord heals the nation after the Assyrian invasion. However, it doesn't necessarily mean immediately afterward, for many centuries passed before the Spirit was poured out. When Peter quoted this verse in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit led him to interpret "afterward" to mean "in the last days" (Acts 2:17).
3. "The last days" began with the ministry of Christ on earth (Hebrews 1:2) and will conclude with "the Day of the Lord," that period of worldwide judgment that is also called "the Tribulation" (Matthew 24:21,29) and "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7). Many students of prophecy think that this special time is detailed in Revelation 6-19, climaxing with the return of Christ to earth to deliver Israel and establish His kingdom (Isaiah 2:2-5; Zechariah 12:1-14:21; Revelation 19:11-20:6). Joel promised that before the "Day of the Lord" begins, there will be a remarkable out-pouring of the Holy Spirit accompanied by signs in the heavens and on the earth. During the Old Testament era, the Holy Spirit was given only to special people who had special jobs to do, like:
1. Moses and the prophets (Numbers 11:17), 2. The judges (Judges 3:10; 6:34; 11:29), 3. And great men like David (1 Samuel 16:13).
But the promise God gave through Joel declared that the Spirit would come upon "all flesh," which includes men and women, young and old, Jew and Gentile. "And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Joel 2:32, NKJV; see Acts 2:39).
4. The church context. In Acts 2, Peter did not say that Joel's prophecy was being fulfilled. He said that the same Holy Spirit Joel wrote about ("this is that") had now come and was empowering the believers
27 to praise God in various languages understood by the Jews who were assembled in Jerusalem from many parts of the Roman Empire (Acts 2:5-12). In his prophecy, Joel promised, "Wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke... The sun... turned into darkness, and the moon into blood" (Joel 2:30-31), but there is no record that any of these things occurred at Pentecost. The miracle that fascinated the crowd was the miracle of the tongues, not remarkable signs of nature.
JOEL CHAPTER TWO The church context continued Furthermore, Joel's promise included a much wider audience than the one Peter addressed at Pentecost. Peter's audience was made up of men (Acts 2:22,29) who were either Jews or Gentile proselytes to Judaism (v. 11). The Gentiles didn't enter into the blessing of the Spirit until Cornelius and his family and friends were converted (Acts 10-11). Peter used Joel's prophecy to declare that the promised Spirit had come and this was why the believers, men and women (1:14), were praising God in such an ecstatic manner. Peter was answering the accusation that the believers were drunk (2:13-16) and backing up his defense from the Scriptures.
When it comes to Israel, "the last days" (or "latter times") will involve both tribulation and exaltation (Isaiah 2:1-5; Micah 4:1-5), a time of trouble followed by a time of triumph and glory. As far as the church is concerned, "the last days" involve "perilous times" of satanic opposition in the world and apostasy in the church (1 Timothy 4:1-5; 2 Timothy 3:1-8; 2 Peter 3:1-9; 1 John 2:18-23; Jude 18- 19). Many Christians believe that during those trying "last days," the Lord will send a great moving of his Spirit, and many sinners will turn to the Savior before the awful "Day of the Lord" is ushered in.
Certainly the church today needs a new filling of the Spirit of God. Apart from the ministry of the Spirit: 1. Believers can't witness with power (Acts 1:8), 2. Understand the Scriptures (John 16:13), 3. Glorify Christ (v. 14), 4. Pray in the will of God (Romans 8:26-27), 5. Or develop Christian character (Galatians 5:22-23).
We need to be praying for revival, a deeper working of the Spirit in His people, leading to confession of sin, repentance, forgiveness, and unity. (From The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament)
Note: Let’s see how the Jews interpret these verses.
[General Information - 3:1-5 A glorious future for the faithful.] Men and women, male and female slaves, all are included.
3:1: (Cf. Ezekiel 39:29). Prophecy, dreams, and visions were the three recognized ways in which human beings received communications from God. God will once again reveal himself to people.
3:3-4: Before the great and terrible…comes. In the Hebrew at the conclusion of (verse 4). Portents… blood…fire…pillars of smoke: The language evokes the plagues preceding the exodus (Exodus chapters 7-11) and the presence of the Lord during the exodus (Exodus 13:21). For this reason the expression “I will set portents in the sky and on the earth; blood, fire and pillars of smoke” is included in the Passover Haggadah.
28 3:5: For the first section of verse (cf. Obadiah 17). The conclusion of the verse is often translated “and among survivors whom the Lord calls.” [Jewish Study Bible]
The Outpouring of the Divine Spirit 2:28-32. In the Hebrew Bible, verses 28-32 constitute chapter 3. The word afterward looks forward far beyond the locust plague and Israel's repentance and restoration. For here the prophet turns from the physical and material to the spiritual and eternal.
JOEL CHAPTER TWO 2:28-31 Through his prophetic vision, Joel rises above the religious experience of the local locust plague to a wider view of history. He dips into the future and sees spiritual revival in Israel and deliverance from all surrounding enemies. His vision thus anticipates a first fulfillment on the day of Pentecost and a final realization in the complete victory of the kingdom of the Lord Christ. (From The Wycliffe Bible Commentary)
2:28-32 SPIRITAL BLESSINGS. O-2 R 2:28, 29. Afterward. After the restoration. Gifts from God. S 2:30, 31. Before the day of the Lord. R 2:32. Afterward. After the restoration. Deliverance from God.
2:28 afterward. I.e. after the “good bestowed” had begun to be enjoyed (2:21-27):
(A) For the nation had been restored under Ezra and Nehemiah; (B) “The light had sprung up” (Isaiah 42:7; Matthew 4:12-16; Luke 2:32); “the days of the Son of Man” were then present (Luke 17:22). (C) “Afterward” would come the days of the Spirit; and “this is that” which was seen on “the day of Pentecost,” when Joel 2:28, 29 began to be fulfilled. (D) Had the nation repented at the summons of Peter in Acts 3:18-26, “all things which God had spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets” would have been fulfilled, including Joel 2:30, 31, and 32. (E) Malachi 4:5 also would have been taken of John the Baptist if they had received it (Matthew 11:14): the Hebrew ‘acharei-ken always referring to what follows. I will pour out My spirit.
Note the Figure of Speech Epanadiplosis; or, Encircling (Genesis 9:3, Psalm 27:14). The repetition of the same word or words at the beginning and end of a sentence. This is used to emphasize the statement included within this sentence, and the repetition of it at the end of verse 29. “I will pour out My spirit…. I pour out My spirit. The Companion Bible
Acts 2:38-41 38 And Peter answered them, Repent (change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it) and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of and release from your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is to and for you and your children, and to and for all that are far away, [even] to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to Himself. [Isa 57:19; Joel 2:32.] 40 And [Peter] solemnly and earnestly witnessed (testified) and admonished (exhorted) with much more continuous speaking and warned (reproved, advised, encouraged) them, saying, Be saved from this crooked (perverse, wicked, unjust) generation. 41 Therefore those who accepted and welcomed his message were baptized, and there were added that day about 3,000 souls. AMP
29 Joel 2:28 Afterward - "in the last days" (Isa 2:2) under Messiah, after the punishment of the Jews by the Gentile nations, and then after the invasion and deliverance of Israel from the northern army. Having heretofore stated the outward blessings, he now raises their minds to the expectation of extraordinary spiritual blessings, which constitute the true restoration of God's people (Isa 44:3). Fulfilled in the earnest of the Spirit given on Pentecost (Acts 2:16-17).
JOEL CHAPTER TWO "This (the outpouring of the Spirit on the assembled disciples) is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; (“And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh," etc.), in the case of the elect remnant among the Jews, and the subsequent election of a people among the Gentiles; hereafter about to be realized more fully at the restoration of Israel (Isa 54:13; Jer 31:9,33-34; Ezek 39:29; Zech 12:10), and the consequent conversion of the whole world (Isa 2:2; 11:9; 66:18-23; Mic 5:7; Rom 11:12,15).
As the Jews have been the seeds men of the elect Church gathered out of Jews and Gentiles, the first Gospel-preachers being Jews from Jerusalem, so they shall be the harvestmen of the coming world-wide Church, to be set up at Messiah's appearing. That the promise is not restricted to the first Pentecost appears from Peter's own words: "The promise is (not only) unto you, and to your children, (but also) to all that are afar off (both in space and in time), even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39). So here, not merely upon the elect remnant and the Church now being gathered out of the world, but "upon all flesh." I will pour out-under the new covenant: not merely, let fall drops, as under the Old Testament (John 7:38-39).
My Spirit - the Spirit "proceeding from the Father and the Son," and at the same time One with the Father and the Son (cf. Isa 11:2).
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions - not merely on a privileged few (Num 11:29), as the prophets of the Old Testament, but men of all ages and ranks. See Acts 21:9; and 1 Cor 11:5, "Every woman that prayed or prophesied." as to "daughters" - i.e., women prophesying.
Dreams ... visions - (Acts 9:10, Ananias' vision concerning Saul; Acts 16:9, Paul's vision of the man of Macedonia). The "dreams" are attributed to the "old men" as more in accordance with their years; "visions" to the "young men," as adapted to their more energetic and lively minds. The three modes whereby God revealed His will under the Old Testament (Num 12:6), "prophecy, dreams, and visions," and "mouth to mouth" are here made the symbol of the full manifestation of Himself to all His people not only in miraculous gifts to some, but by His indwelling Spirit to all in the New Testament (John 14:21,23; 15:15). In Acts 16:9, and also in the appearance of the Lord to Paul at Corinth, Acts 18:9, the term used is "vision," though in the night, not a dream. No other dream is mentioned in the New Testament except those given to Joseph in the very beginning of the New Testament, before the full Gospel come; and to the wife of Pilate, a Gentile (Matt 1:20; 2:13; 27:19).
"Prophesying" in the New Testament is applied to all speaking under the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, and not merely to foretelling events. All true Christians are "priests" and "ministers" of our God (Isa 61:6, "Ye (Israelites of Zion, Joel 2:3) shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles"), and have the Spirit (Ezek 36:26-
30 27). Besides this, probably, a special gift of prophecy and miracle-working is to be given at or before Messiah's coming again. [Personal opinion of Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown].
Joel 2:29 And also - And even. Upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. The very slaves, the most degraded and despised of men, by becoming the Lord's servants are His freemen, (1 Cor 7:22, "He that is called in the Lord, being a servant (slave), is the Lord's freeman;"
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Gal 3:28; Col 3:11; Philemon 16, "(Onesimus) not now as a servant (slave), but above a servant, a brother beloved, specialty to me," etc.) Therefore in Acts 2:18 ("On my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit") it is quoted, "my servants" and "my handmaidens;" as it is only by becoming the Lord's servants they are spiritually free, and partake of the same spirit as the other members of the Church. Also Peter quotes it, "I will pour out OF my Spirit;" teaching thereby that we finite beings can only receive a measure of the infinite Spirit. So the first Church in Rome, in its Jewish element, consisted of converted Jews, Roman freedmen who had been slaves. The section of Rome beyond the Tiber was occupied by such Roman Jewish freedmen (Philo, 'Ad Caium,' p. 1014).
Joel 2:30-31 As Messiah's manifestation is full of joy to believers, so it has an aspect of wrath to unbelievers, which is represented here. Thus when the Jews received Him not in His coming of grace, He came in judgment on Jerusalem. Physical prodigies, massacres, and conflagrations preceded its destruction. The priests entering the temple for worship at night heard a mighty voice, Let us depart hence. Chariots and troops in the air were seen encircling the doomed city (Josephus, 'Bellum Judaicum'). To these the language here may allude; but the figures chiefly symbolize political revolutions, and changes in the ruling powers of the world, prognosticated by previous disasters (Amos 8:9; Matt 24:29; Luke 21:25- 27, "There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud, with power and great glory"), and convulsions, such as preceded the overthrow of the Jewish polity. Such shall probably occur in more appalling degree before the final destruction of the ungodly world ("the great and terrible day of Yahweh," of which Jerusalem's overthrow is the type and earnest, cf. Mal 4:5). (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
Joel 2:32 Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord - Hebrew, Yahweh (OT: 3068). Applied to Jesus in Rom 10:13 (cf. Acts 9:14; 1 Cor 1:2). Therefore, Jesus is Yahweh; and the phrase means, 'Call on Messiah in his divine attributes.'
Shall be delivered - as the Christians were, just before Jerusalem's destruction, by retiring to Pella, having been warned by the Savior (Matt 24:16); a type, of the spiritual deliverance of all believers, and of the last deliverance of the elect "remnant" of Israel from the final assault of Antichrist. For in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance. "In Zion and Jerusalem" the Savior first appeared; and there again shall He appear as the Deliverer (Zech 14:1-5).
31 As the Lord hath said. Joel herein refers, not to the other prophets, but to his own words preceding. And in the remnant whom the Lord shall call. Metaphor from an invitation to a feast, which is an act of gratuitous kindness (Luke 14:16, "A certain man made a supper, and bade many"). So the remnant called and saved is according to the election of grace, not for man's merits, power, or efforts (Rom 11:5). 'To Joel was revealed that great paradox or mystery of faith, that while deliverance should be in Zion, while sons and daughters, young and old, should prophesy in Zion, and the stream of God's grace should issue to the barren world from the Temple of the Lord, those in her who should be delivered should be "a remnant" only. To Joel first it was foreshown that the Gentiles too should be filled with the Spirit of God' (Pusey).
JOEL CHAPTER TWO Remarks: (1) The coming of the day of the Lord is a consideration which may well "alarm" the careless and unprepared (Joel 2:1). To them it is indeed "a day of darkness, gloominess, clouds, and thick darkness" (Joel 2:2).
(2) Each successive day of visitation for sin has had its own distinctive character, so that no former visitation has been altogether like it.
1. Thus Babylon was characterized by extraordinary pride; 2. Medo-Persia by cruelty; 3. Antiochus Epiphanes, under the third world-kingdom, by blasphemy and persecution of God's people; 4. And Rome, in its final anti-Christian development, shall be "diverse from all that were before it" (Dan 7:7-19).
So in Joel 2:2 is said here, "there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be anymore after it, even to the years of many generations." The symbolical locusts here described are probably the same which in Revelation (Rev 9:11) are said to have as the "king over them the angel of the bottomless pit." The last scourge of the world, "the man of sin, the son of perdition" (2 Thess 2), shall exceed all preceding scourges of the apostate Church in his 'satanic working' and "deceivableness of unrighteousness." As sin originally turned the "garden of Eden into a wilderness" (Joel 2:3), so shall the last great opponent of God and His people complete the moral desolation; while portents in the world of nature shall accompany the upheaval of states and the revolutions in ecclesiastical organizations (Joel 2:10). And all this shall be the introduction to "the great and very terrible day of the Lord" (Joel 2:11). (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary)
QUESTIONS: 1. Will the remnant to be are those Jews who are left alive during the reign of the beast and who have not taken the mark of the beast and who are called [the saints] in Revelation 13:7? 2. Will the remnant to be is those 144,000 Jews of Revelation 7, 14? 3. Will the remnant to be are those Jews who God will elect to save when Jesus comes back to the earth?
Your answer here:
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