The name Joel (Hebrew = Yo'el) means "Yahweh is God." He was the son of a man named Pethuel (or Bethuel in the Septuagint) which means "the open-heartedness or sincerity of God." Whether Joel received his name at birth, or was given this name later as a result of his ministry, is unknown.
Joel lived and prophesied in the southern kingdom of Judah. He very likely was a resident of the city of Jerusalem. He makes frequent reference to Judah & Jerusalem (2:32; 3:1, 17-18, 20), to their citizens (3:6, 8, 19), to Zion (2:1, 15, 32; 3:17, 21) and its children (2:23). He also shows great familiarity with the Temple and its ministry (1:9, 13-14, 16; 2:14, 17; 3:18). He was also intimately acquainted with the geography and history of the land (1:2; 3:2-8, 12, 14, 18).
Some scholars have suggested his familiarity with the Temple service may indicate he was a priest, or the son of a priest. Others speculate "his castigation of the priests suggests he was not a member of their caste." Little is known about this man, except for what can be gleaned from the book itself. Although 13 other persons in the OT writings bear the name Joel, he cannot be identified with any of them.
"Joel was a man of vitality and spiritual maturity. A keen discerner of the times, he delivered God's message to the people of Judah in a vivid and impassioned style, with a precision and originality of thought that served as a veritable quarry out of which many subsequent prophetic building stones were to be hewn" (Expositor's Bible Commentary).
DATE
There is great disagreement among scholars as to the dating of this book. Theories range from the 9th century to the 4th century BC. Some have even sought to date it as late as the Maccabean Period (during the so-called Intertestimental Period). The problem -- no date is given in the heading of the book, nor is there any explicit reference within the body of the work itself. The major theories are:
- Post-exilic --- The captivities of God's people have ended. The
exiles have returned to their homeland. The Temple has been rebuilt. This view calls for
a date in the mid-4th century BC.
- Pre-exilic --- Three general positions have been advanced by
those who assign a pre-exilic date to Joel. They are:
- Early Pre-exilic --- A 9th century date. It is felt the situations
depicted within the book point best to the time of the boy-king Joash (835-796 BC), who began
his rule through the regency of the high priest Jehoiada.
- Middle Pre-exilic --- An early 8th century date. An extensive
defense of this view is given in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 231-233.
- Late Pre-exilic --- A 7th century date. This view seeks to find a link with the prophet Jeremiah, and to harmonize the literary forms and religious outlooks of the two prophets.
- Early Pre-exilic --- A 9th century date. It is felt the situations
depicted within the book point best to the time of the boy-king Joash (835-796 BC), who began
his rule through the regency of the high priest Jehoiada.
The most likely and logical of these theories is the Early Pre-exilic, which would date the prophecy of Joel from about 835 BC on. For an excellent defense of this view see --- A Survey of Old Testament Introduction by Gleason L. Archer, Jr., p. 304-307.
OCCASION
The land has been devastated by a locust plague. Drought, famine and fires follow in the wake of the locust plague. This is far more than just a natural disaster -- it is also a national disaster! Almost every aspect of community life has been affected. The economy of the land has been all but ruined. The whole nation has ground to a halt. Even the religious life of the community is threatened through the shortage of offerings.
Joel sees a link between this natural/national disaster and a time of coming judgment from the Lord God --- the Day of the Lord. Not only was this locust plague an actual judgment from God, but it warned of an even greater impending judgment against the people of God --- when the enemy would not be armies of locust, but armies of men!
This concept of further judgment also led Joel to reveal God's intention for the last days --- the ultimate coming of God in judgment at the end of time.
USE OF JOEL IN THE NT
"While this is one of the briefest books in the OT, it is at the same time one of the most profound. Both in its grasp of the relationship between historical events and the suprahistorical expectation of the day of the Lord, and also in its impact on early Christian theology, its influence has hardly been proportionate to its size" (New Layman's Bible Commentary).
- In Acts 2:16f the apostle Peter states that the things the people were witnessing on the
day of Pentecost had been spoken of by the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-29).
- In Romans 10:11-13 Paul refers back to Joel 2:26b and 2:32.
- In Mark 4:29 Jesus makes use of Joel 3:13.
- There seems to be some dependence on Joel 2:32 in Acts 2:39.
- There are several references back to Joel in the Book of Revelation --- Rev. 6:12 (Joel 2:10, 31; 3:15) ....... Rev. 6:17 (Joel 2:11) ....... Rev. 9:7-9 (Joel 1:6; 2:4-5) ....... Rev. 14:15, 18 (Joel 3:13).
MESSAGE
The book falls into two distinct sections:
- Joel speaks ....... 1:2 - 2:17
- Jehovah speaks ....... 2:18 - 3:21
Joel refers to the natural/national disaster of the locust and tells the people this is to be a warning to them so that they might repent. This disaster heralded the Day of the Lord which could only be averted by genuine repentance. If they repented, this day of judgment would come upon their enemies rather than upon themselves.
"The book is an appeal from Jehovah to the people to seek Him through repentance. Out of this repentance there would come material blessings followed by an outpouring of spiritual blessings" (Homer Hailey). Joel has often been called the Prophet of Pentecost because of his reference to spiritual blessings.
Other major messages of the book of Joel are:
- God is sovereignly guiding the affairs of earth's history toward His preconceived final
goal --- 1:15; 2:1-4, 18, 20, 25-27, 28-32; 3:1-21. He is a God of grace and mercy --- 2:13, 18.
A God of lovingkindness and compassion --- 2:13. A God of justice --- 3:1-8, 12-13.
- Mere externalism in worship to God is insufficient --- 2:12-13.
- When sin becomes the dominant condition of God's people, they must be judged. God
may use natural disasters, or political means, to accomplish the chastisement of His
people. For those who repent there will be the blessings of a restored fellowship.
- "Integral to all Joel's prophecy is his teaching about the Day of the Lord. By the
skillful use of this term, which gives cohesion to his entire message, Joel demonstrated
that God is sovereignly operative in all that comes to pass, directing all things to their
appointed end" (Expositor's Bible Commentary).
- God had abundantly blessed Judah, but the people had taken God and His blessings for granted. Their faith had degenerated into an empty formalism and their lives into moral decadence. "Under divine inspiration Joel told the people that the locust plague was a warning of a greater judgment that was imminent unless they repented and returned to full fellowship with God. If they did, God would abundantly pardon them, restore the health of the land, and give them again the elements needed to offer the sacrifices. The ceremonial system was designed to express a heart relationship with God. By their sin they had forfeited any right to religious ceremony" (Expositor's Bible Commentary).
Prophets Files