Joel Chapters 1:1-2:17/Commentary

The Book of Joel Chapters 1:1-2:17 Introduction

All we know of the prophet Joel is that his name means “Jehovah is God”, and that he was the son of “Pethuel” (pih THOO uhl). Many feel that on the basis of internal evidence found in this book that Joel spoke somewhere around 830 B.C. A very strong argument for such a time period is found in the array of enemies which are mentioned by the author as threatening Judah. There is no reference to the Assyrians or Chaldeans (to say nothing of the Persians), but the foes of Judah are stated to be the Phoenicians, Philistines, Egyptians, and the Edomites (3:4,19). All this points to a period when Assyria and Babylon posed no threat, but Egypt and the surrounding neighbors of Israel were still strong and aggressive. “We know that the Edomites had revolted against Judah under king Joram (2 Kings 8:20-22), and the Philistines and Arabians had invaded and plundered Judah (2 Chron. 21:16-17; 22:1). The relations between Egypt and Judah were hostile only in the earlier period after the separation of the two kingdoms (1 Kings 14:25-26, while Joel was active probably during the first two decades of Joash’s reign (877-837 B.C.)” (Laetsch p. 112).

The theme of the book is a solemn warning of divine judgment to be visited upon Israel. This judgment is typified by the devastating locust plague which inflicts staggering economic loss upon the nation.

Chapter 1

1:1-2 The elders were civil leaders who played a prominent role in the governmental and judicial system (1 Samuel 30:26-31; 2 Samuel 19:11-15; 2 Kings 23:1; Proverbs 31:23; Jeremiah 26:17).

1:2-3 The locust invasion which happened in the days of Joel was so severe that the prophet bids the old men to call to remembrance any in the past, similar to

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this one. The severity of this invasion was so great that they are instructed to tell it to their children from generation to generation, that the lesson be not forgotten.

“The prophecy was occasioned by a calamity that befell the land from locusts and drought and from fires that followed in their wake. Some think the locusts were an invading army, and that the prophet used the terror of swarms of locusts, followed by drought and fire, as a figurative description of the devastation left by the invaders. The stronger possibility is that these were literal locusts from which the prophet draws his lesson and his strong call to repentance. Unless there is repentance and righteousness of life on the part of the nation, the locusts will be followed by a stronger and more severe judgment, an invasion by the nations” (Hailey pp. 40-41).

1:4 Four terms are used for locusts here (locust swarm, great locusts, young locusts, and other locusts). Some feel that the terms describe the locust’s phases of development from pupa to full-grown stages, or the completeness of the devastation as the locusts come in waves. “From the account of such an invasion of Palestine in 1915, it appears that Joel may be describing various stages of the insect development…First, there are the locusts that destroy much of the vegetation. The females lay their eggs in the hard soil, an estimated sixty-five to seventy-five thousand per square meter, hatching an estimated sixty thousand of these. Soon appear the larvae which continue the devastation. From the larvae stage the locust passes through the pupa stage, in which small wings appear.

These develop into full-fledged flying insects, which change into full-fledged locusts” (Hailey p. 44).

1:4 “Gnawing locust”: Denotes any hairy caterpillar that comes as a devouring pest in moving swarms. The Hebrew term denotes a “gnawer”, or “shearer”.

1:4 “Swarming locust”: Meaning perhaps “multitudinous one”, because of its innumerable masses, is the commonest name.

1:4 “Creeping locust”: Rendered “cankerworm” in the KJV, which in English denotes, “a larval moth which is destructive particularly to fruit trees”.

Joel also emphasizes that what one wave or group left, another destroyed.

1:5 “After addressing those who were officially concerned about the current disaster, Joel issues a wake-up call for those who would be least concerned.

Ordinary drunkards care little about what goes on around them. They are 2

content as long as they can have another shot of booze to numb their brains” (Smith p. 63). But such an invasion had devastated everything and they would not longer be able to use alcohol as an escape mechanism.

1:6-7 Here we see the enormous damage done for this army of locusts. Judah’s vineyards were completely stripped of all vegetation, the locusts had even stripped the bark from fig trees. For photographs showing the effects of such an invasion, see The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, pp. 377,435.

1:8 The people are called upon to weep like a young woman who due to some calamity has lost her husband to be, which is one of the deepest expressions of grief. “The boisterous merrymaking of wedding preparation would give away to shrieks of emotional pain. Such is the lamentation which Joel urges upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (Smith p. 64). Remember, in Israelite society the betrothed virgin was viewed as the wife of the man to whom he was engaged (Deut. 22:22-29; Matthew 1:18-19).

1:9 This plague had also cut into the nations ability of worship God acceptably.

The ingredients for the various offerings, such as the meal offering, drink offering, were non-existent. Fields and acres were devastated; corn, or grain, wine, and oil the three food staples and sacrificial essentials, destroyed!

“Without these offerings the daily morning and evening sacrifices could not be offered in keeping with divine prescription (Exodus 29:38-42)” (Laetsch p. 116).

1:10-11 Even the barley harvest, the food of the poor class, was destroyed!

Locusts will attack anything. Writers note that locusts will even consume cactus.

As a result, any kind of joy among the people has been lost (12).

1:12 “If the devastation in the fields, orchards, and vineyards was not sufficient to move the farmers to tears, then Joel offers one more thought. Harvest time was the most joyous time of the year. Now there was no prospect of a harvest.

As the crops gradually dried up, so did also the joy which the farming community anticipated all year” (Smith p. 65).

1:13-14 The priests are instructed to wear garments of mourning and proclaim a fast and a call for repentance to the entire nation. “To dramatize the exceptional nature of the calamity, the priests were urged to wear the sackcloth during the night as well as the day” (Smith p. 66). The priests are summoned to call all citizens, to the temple. This assembly should cry out to the Lord, obviously they would pray for relief from the locust infestation and also beg forgiveness that 3

they might avoid an even worse fate. “The verse underscores the power of fasting, assembling, and serious prayer in the midst of great loss” (p. 68).

Carefully note that the spiritual leaders among God’s people were expected to take the lead in this matter.

1:15 “The awful calamity had come upon the people as a warning of ‘the day of Jehovah’ which was to come, the dawn of which was already breaking” (Hailey p.

46). Things were bad in Judah, but without any repentance they would get a lot worse. The “day of the Lord”, is the day that God settles accounts with His enemies (Obadiah 15). It can refer to a time when God brings a physical judgment upon a nation, and such a day is a reminder of the final day, when God will judge everyone (2 Peter 3:9-10). Every judgment in the Old Testament was a reminder that God is serious about sin and His standards and that one day He will settle accounts with everyone. This locust plague was only a harbinger (forerunner, warning) of national destruction.

“The day of the Lord is found five times in this book (1:15; 2:1,11,31; 3:14). It was also commonly used by other prophets (Amos 5:18,20; Obadiah 15; Zeph. 1:7,14; Zechariah 14:1; Malachi 4:5; Isaiah 2:12). A survey of the contexts of each of these proves the expression refers to a time of judgment from the Lord. But one should also observe that the expression does not always refer to the final judgment….The ‘last day’ (John 6:39,40,44,54) which will usher in the final judgment (John 12:48; 2 Peter 3:7) is indeed referred to as ‘the day of the Lord’ (2 Peter 3:10,12; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess. 2:2). The Lord has brought many divine judgments against individuals and nations throughout the course of history, each one of which may be called ‘the day of the Lord’. But one great final day of judgment awaits, for which all should prepare ourselves (Jude 6; 2 Cor. 5:10)” 1 1:16-20 Here we are given a graphic description of to what extent the locusts had devastated the land. Their food supplies, even for their animals has been cut off, a drought has gripped the land, as a result various wild fires had sprung up as a result. From these passages we are reminded that human sin indirectly affects the entire creation, even the innocent animals. “When farmers dug into the ground to investigate the absence of green life, the shovels uncovered seeds that had not germinated. With no harvest available, the storehouses and granaries had been left to deteriorate” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1415).

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The Minor Prophets, Robert Harkrider, p. 11

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Man can be extremely blind. Even with all this suffering around them, the people still had to be exhorted to come to God in humble repentance.

Chapter 2 2:1 This section begins with a call of alarm, emphasizing the nearness of the judgment. The trumpet was a ram’s horn, blown by a watchman to alert the people of great danger. The terms “Zion” and “My holy mountain” refer to the mount on which the temple stood in Jerusalem.

There is some question as to what chapter 2 is describing. First, has the locust plague mentioned in chapter one already happened, or had it already happened was predictive of a sorer punishment? Is chapter 2 still talking about the locust invasion, or, is chapter 2 a warning of a judgment following the locust invasion, that is, an actual invasion by a great army?

Thus some view chapter 2:1-11 as describing the locust invasion mentioned in chapter 1. Others view the locust invasion as already past and being the warning of an actual invasion by a literal army. Gaebelein notes, “The position taken here is that with the picture of the historical locust plague that he had just experienced vividly before him, and with the warning of judgment firmly in mind (1:15); Joel portrayed a coming army, in particular, that of the Assyrian armies of the eighth and seventh centuries B.C. The appearance and martial activities of the locusts were analogous (parallel, resembling) to those of a real army. Joel maintained the double figure of the locusts and the invading armies: their appearance (2-5), their operation (6-8), and their effectiveness (9-11). The locust plague of chapter one was a precursor of the locustlike plague of the Assyrian armies in chapter 2” (p. 245). One of the strong arguments in favor of chapter 2 describing the locust invasion, is the expression “like”. This invading “people” (2:2), are “like” the appearance of horses, “with a noise as of chariots”, “like a mighty people arranged for battle”, “they run like mighty men, they climb the wall like soldiers”.

2:2 This day of judgment is now described in somber terms. It is a day of gloom and darkness. Such a description of a judgment upon a nation is used by other prophets (Isaiah 13:9-13; Jeremiah 4:23; Ezekiel 30:3; Amos 8:9).

2:2-11 The coming army is described in these verses. With the suddenness of the dawn spreading over the tops of the mountains, a mighty army has appeared, 5

which in its terrible battle array cast its shadow over the entire face of the land.

“This scourge was so unusual that there would probably never be another so severe; and if there should be, this one would continue to hold a place among the most harsh” (Hailey p. 48).

2:3 What appeared as the garden of Eden in its beauty and promise was turned into a desolate wilderness, a picture of complete desolation and despair. All would be affected by this destruction.

2:4 The heads of locusts and horses are similar in appearance. The German and Italian words for “locust” literally mean “hay-horse” and “little horse”, respectively. Both locusts and human armies advance swiftly.

2:5 The locusts’ buzzing wings would resemble the sound of chariot wheels.

Nothing can impede the advance of this army, and they seemingly leap over the mountain-tops. “The noise of their coming, gnawing, and moving on is described as the rumbling of chariots and the crackling flame of a devouring fire” (Hailey p. 48).

2:6 “The sinking heart, the anguished expressions, and the blood-drained faces express something of the terror that took hold of the people as they stood helplessly beholding the ruin of their land” (Hailey p. 48).

2:7-9 Nothing is able to stop the march of such invaders. No defense erected by man can stop them.

2:10 The description of the earth quaking, the heavens trembling, the sun and moon being darkened, and the stars withdrawing their light became the prophetic description of God’s judgments. This is the same language that Jesus used in reference to the destruction of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:25; Luke 22:25-28).

2:11 Joel brings this section to a close by explaining this army’s sure success. It’s leader was none other than God Himself. “Merely raising that question (“Who can endure it?”) suggests that those to whom Joel spoke were in no condition to survive that dreadful day” (Smith p. 74).

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A Time to Repent

2:12-13 “Rend your heart and not your garments”: Is one of the classic statements illustrating true repentance. It is easy to say we are sorry or look humble, but God is wanting genuine and real sorrow for sin. Joel pleads with the people for a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17; Isaiah 1:11-17; 58:3-12; Amos 5:21-24; Micah 6:6-8; 2 Corinthians 7:10). “Biblical repentance is not just a feeling or a fear. It is more than remorse and confession of sin. It goes beyond merely cessation of some conduct which may be causing personal distress.

Repentance is a radical change of moral purpose implied in an honest renunciation of all sin and full surrender of heart and life to God. It is not just trimming the tree of sin, but cutting it down. It is not just turning over a new leaf, but casting away the old book” (Smith p. 75). We should note that God is very merciful, but to only those who are honest and genuine in their desire to depart from evil and serve Him. There won’t be any mercy for half-hearted attempts at serving Him or cleaning up our lives.

2:14 “Who knows”: This expression doesn’t express doubt, or unbelief, but is an admonition to unwearying and continued thoroughness in turning to God in the hope of acceptance. We need such admonition lest we tire in our daily sanctification (2 Corinthians 7:1). The future is flexible, our fate isn’t written in stone. God will change or adjust His judgments when people change—for better or worse (Jeremiah 18; Ezekiel 18).

2:15-16 While they are to rend their hearts, repentance also had an outward side as well. All the people, from young and old are to gather together. Not even newlyweds were exempted.

2:17 The priests were to lead the entire congregation in weeping over their sins and beseeching God for His mercy. The righteous have always been very concerned about God’s reputation. “Improvishment of the land would give the surrounding nations the opportunity to subdue Israel…and the nations would scoff at the Lord as though He were unable to protect His people from harm and defeat” (Laetsch p. 122). One more incentive to remain faithful is that our unfaithfulness and the consequences of such in this life can move people to ridicule the God whom we claim to serve. Is my life demonstrating the wisdom and greatness of Christianity or is my life demonstrating that Christianity doesn’t work? When people look at us, does it look like God is with us?

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