Interpretation of the book of joel

It is a warning to the people about the dangers of turning from god. Dec 30, 2016 this is an introduction to the book of joel, and what you can expect from the miniseries. Joel then tells the people about a special day that is coming. However, this little book is like an atom bombit is not very big, but it sure is. How does god restore the years that the locusts have eaten joel 2. Israel, the northern country consisting of ten tribes, and judah, the remaining two tribes in the south. In the verses below, we highlighted the common portion of. The book of joel is part of the hebrew bible, one of twelve prophetic books known as the twelve minor prophets. Joel free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. Study the bible online using commentary on joel 2 and more. Sometimes the key is at the front door of the book. A huge plague of locusts connected with a great drought gave the occasion for writing this book. After a superscription ascribing the prophecy to joel son of pethuel, the book may be broken down into the. The book of joel also makes ample mention of priests, temple rituals, and nations, such as phoenicia, philistia, egypt, and edom, that were prominent in the late ninth century bc.

The date of the book is uncertain because it names no kings. This invasion of locusts destroys everythingthe fields of grain, the vineyards, the. Interpretation and structure in joel asbury theological seminary. Interpretation of the book of joel babylonian captivity. My interpretation of this book is not new or unique. Joel 2 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Jan 02, 2020 book of joel bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets.

The message of joel is timeless, forming doctrine which could be repeated and applied in any age. The prophet joel showed up in israel during a time of the most terrible plague of locusts in the nations history. For the day of the lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the almighty shall it come. The book of joel introduction to the book of joel in the bible. The specific place from which joel wrote is not known. Every book of the bible has its own key to its interpretation. John gill unfortunately all too often offers a nonliteral interpretation in the. Joel took up his pen in response to the disaster of a locust invasion v. A serious call to the people, when they are under this sore judgment, to return and repent, to fast and pray, and to seek unto god for mercy, with directions how to do this aright. The book of joel presents difficult historical, critical and interpretative problems. There have been many guesses as to the time of when joel lived. Summary of the book of joel the story of the bible. In the first chapter, the day of the lord is experienced historically by the plague of locusts upon the land.

Read joel 2 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. There is a lot of omissions of pertinent text in this newer version. Does not always interpret the scripture literallyand sometimes replaces israel with the church note. Chapter 2 moves forward however to the end of the age where the day of the lord plays out, leading to the return of. Book of joel overview insight for living ministries. While obadiah mentioned the terrifying event first obadiah 15, joels book gives some of the most striking and specific details in all of scripture about the day. Spiritual interpretation of scripture kindle edition by. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original. Ehud ben zvi offers an excellent survey of this topic both generally and also specifically for prophetic books. This is the divine key to the book joel s pen, but not joel s words, compare acts 1. In practicing theological interpretation, joel green challenges us to a more careful and close reading of the biblical text. The prophecy of joel may seem unimportant as it contains only three brief chapters. All of this points to a date of approximately 835 bc or soon after, making joel one of the earliest writing prophets, as well as a contemporary of the prophet elisha. The book of joel is a prophecy divided into three chapters.

Some scientists say the book has been written around 400 bc or even later. The book of joel has been variously ascribed to nearly all the centuries of the prophetic era. Its hard know his exact time, because joel doesnt mention any other kings or prophets. This video is the final teaching in the series, the book of joel explained, which is a passagebypassage analysis of the book of the prophet. The wrath of god on the unbelieving nations is described as gods trampling of the grapes in the winepress 3. This makes joel a preexilic prophet, who served before the fall of the northern kingdom of israel 721 b. January 2011 part one of two what is the meaning of we need to find out facts about visions and dreams it is being said that, because of joel 2. The basis for the early date stems from joels parallel themes with the prophets isaiah, ezekiel, zechariah and amos. The book discusses joel himself, and the people of judah. This video is part of the teaching series, the book of joel explained.

That was the gift of the spirit, which, according to this prediction. However, this little book is like an atom bombit is not very big, but it sure is potent and powerful. Joel may be reckoned among the classics of hebrew literature. There is no further information either in the superscription or from indications in. In the two speeches that make up this book, joel uses an agricultural crisis to measure his audiences knowledge of its god, warn them of a worse disaster if they ignore his preaching, and express his conviction that all faithful judahites would someday enjoy a. Overview of the book of joel reformed answers to bible. God compares the past to the future in the book of joel. A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains. The first section contains studies of a more general nature, including the history of genesis in critical study, genesis in literary and historical study. The basis for the early date stems from joel s parallel themes with the prophets isaiah, ezekiel, zechariah and amos. The book of hosea consists of fourteen chapters, which was the record for a minor prophet until zechariah tied it a couple centuries later. Besides this very short message we do not know anything about the person and circumstances of joels life. However, many feel that joel must have prophesied during the reign of joash 2chronicles 2224. Joel means jehovah is god, and it was a very common name.

Joel goldsmiths book spiritual interpretation of the scriptures gets 5 stars from me, but not this version by bn publishing. It is not an exact printing of the original book that i have from devorss publications. While the book purports to describe a plague of locusts, some ancient jewish opinion saw the locusts as allegorical. Unlike the other books, joel tells us a story about a terrible plague of locusts that seems to. Interpretation of the book of joel there is much debate as to when the book of joel was actually written, but most scholars agree that it was written sometime in the middle of the 700s bc. In the two speeches that make up this book, joel uses an agricultural crisis to measure his audiences knowledge of its god, warn them of a worse disaster if they ignore his preaching, and express his conviction that all faithful judahites would someday enjoy a secure future.

This is an introduction to the book of joel, and what you can expect from the miniseries. Although the book of joel contains only three chapters and is seldom read, it is one of the most stirring of all the prophetic writings. The book of joel describes the day of the lord through locust swarms, war scenes, and powerful imagery in order for readers to comprehend its magnitude. Nevertheless, while the date of the book cannot be known with certainty, the impact on its interpretation is minimal. Joel speaks of gods wrath and ultimate punishment of all the nations that oppressed gods people. He sent us to warn them about the consequences of their sin, and to give them a chance to ask for forgiveness. Joel was the first to mention this and as we continue through this book well see this theme expanded and elaborated upon. The book was written from jerusalem between bc 835 796 to the people of israel and to all later readers of the bible. The book of joel is the second work in the collection of the minor prophets known as trei asar, or the twelve, and is ascribed in the superscription to joel son of petuel. Joel reflects on the day of the lord and how true repentance will bring about the great restoration hoped for in the other prophetic books.

This is the day in which god reveals his attributes of wrath, power, and holiness, and it is a terrifying day to his enemies. What an orthodox bishop thinks you should know about the book of revelation june 11, 20 joel j. Why did god use a locust swarm to punish israel joel 1. The structure of the book of joel lena lee kerux 7. Book of joel bible study chapter 2 the day of the lord.

One of judahs earliest prophets, joel means yahweh is god. Misplaced prophet of the locust plague my jewish learning. The book of joel accounts for justice over evil in a form thats unique to the other old testament prophets. Joel 2 commentary commentary critical and explanatory on. The key to the prophecy of joel is found near the front door. Written by leading experts in the field, the book of genesis. The book of joel was likely written between 835 and 800 b. Joel and acts say that wonders will occur in the sky, the sun will darken, the moon will turn red.

Advertisement for his book the jewish question here is the book the jewish question john gill commentary on joel. The book of joel s importance to the canon of scripture stems from its being the first to develop an oftmentioned biblical idea. Joel with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Scholarly estimates of the period of joel have ranged from the ninth century b. As the apostle john describes in the book of revelation.

The nations will also witness the release of the holy spirit beyond what happened in the book of acts. The term indicates the short length of the text in relation to longer prophetic texts known as the major prophets. Top 5 commentaries on the book of joel ligonier ministries. Book of joel, second of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor. A further description of that terrible desolation which should be made in the land of judah by the locusts and caterpillars v. The prophet begins by describing an event so singularly extreme that it has never happened before, one that demands to be related to succeeding generations, as it will never occur again. The book of joel states that its author was the prophet joel joel 1. Composition, reception, and interpretation offers a wideranging treatment of the main aspects of genesis study.

Its twentynine essays fall under four main sections. Joel and the locust invasion reformed bible studies. These have not occurred yet and neither has the lord jesus returned. We are dating the book just before the exile, though the books date bears little on its interpretation. Joel is a narrative and prophetic source of wisdom. Overview of the book of joel third millennium ministries. This invasion of locusts destroys everythingthe fields of grain, the vineyards, the gardens and the trees. Joel summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of joel for bible study or sunday school lessons. Although the books unity was challenged by critics of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries they thought that different authors had written the contemporary joel 1. Then god will give peace to his people again joel 3. This is the divine key to the book joels pen, but not joels words, compare acts 1. The book of joel explained is a passagebypassage analysis of the. The overriding theme of the book of joel is the day of the lord, a day of gods wrath and judgment.

Rothstein even goes so far as to assign the discourses to various dates, an attempt which must fail on account of the close connexion between the four addresses. Joel is bright and flowing, his imagery and language are fine driver, introduction to the literature of the old testament. This final fulfillment of joels prophecy will include the joel 1 locust plague agricultural and economic crisis, rev. Ancient people often faced locust swarms, and even today one swarm can wreak incredible devastation, with up to 120 million locusts covering thousands of square. The prophet joel, son of pethuel, is the author of the book of joel. During the time of the minor prophets, the nation of israel had divided into two separate countries, each with its own government. There are three ways of understanding what peter meant. Joel 1 key to yhwhs interpretation of the 1st trumpet. The hebrew bibles profoundly monotheistic interpretation of human life and. Miller patheos explore the worlds faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality. Our task is not to make the bible relevant for todays world, rather, through immersion in the bibles world, to become persons who are at home within it. Although the book s unity was challenged by critics of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries they thought that different authors had written the contemporary joel 1.

Book of joel bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets. A free bible version and commentary on the book of joel in easyenglish. The first verse of this short book names joel jehovah is god the son of pethuel as author. That would make it over 100 years before nebuchadnezzar took the israelites captive into babylon.