Joel

Author: Joel, the Son of Pethuel

Written: There is no reference to pinpoint an exact date, but it was likely 835-796 B.C.  There is no mention of kings or of the Assyrian or Babylonian invasion. 

Primary Theme:  The Day of the Lord

As every generation ages, they begin to tell the next generation of the hard times through which they lived.  These statements often start with, “When I was a kid, we had to………,” and then fill in the blank.  These tales include life under stricter rules, the kind of food they ate, the walk to school, and the climate, including walking to school in four feet of snow.)  If all this were true, every generation would have it easier and easier.  Yet we don’t find that to be true. 

The prophet Joel reverses this idea.  He, in effect, says, “It’s bad now, but it's nothing compared to what’s coming!”  Joel acknowledges that what these folks are going through is a judgment.  It is a Day of the Lord they were experiencing.  Joel then transitions to the vision of another Day of the Lord.  The vision is very graphic, and a picture of what we might call apocalyptic.  Then there is another transition where it becomes clear; the picture painted is a prediction of the future Day of the Lord that will usher in a material, spiritual, and national restoration.  Warren Wiersbe describes these three phases as the immediate Day of the Lord, the imminent Day of the Lord, and the ultimate Day of the Lord.  

While we don’t know much about Joel, we know he prophesied to the southern Kingdom sometime around 835 B.C., before the northern kingdom had fallen. This makes the book of Joel one of the earliest written prophetic works. The southern Kingdom of Judah was in extreme spiritual turmoil.  The pagan prophets said, “All is well,” while the prophets of God called for repentance because judgment was coming! 

Ahaziah, the king of Judah, was in the northern kingdom with Joram, king of Israel, when God began to bring judgment against the northern Kingdom by the hand of Jehu.  After Joram was killed, Ahaziah made a run for it but was also killed by Jehu’s men (2 Kings 8:26). 

At Ahaziah’s death, the Queen Mother Athaliah saw this as an opportunity to grab the throne.  She was Omri's granddaughter, making her a daughter or niece of Ahab.  She was a wicked woman resembling Jezebel more than anyone.  She raised her son Amaziah in wickedness.  The first thing she did after his death was to kill her grandsons, who had a rightful claim to the throne.  This evil act was an assault on the Davidic line, and it was almost successful.  God preserved the young child Joash by the loving protection of Joram’s sister and the priest Jehoida. 

While Athaliah reigned for six years, this child began to grow up. Meanwhile, Athaliah unleashed her sons to do evil in the land, including desecrating the temple and its sacred things (2 Chronicles 24:7).  Her six-year reign ended in 835 B.C. when Jehoida overthrew her and set Joash on the throne of Judah as a seven-year-old.

If this date is accurate and the estimation of Joel’s ministry is correct, then we can see that this immediate Day of the Lord had come by the wickedness of Athaliah.  In that day, people were living their lives while wickedness on the throne had become normal.  They were very spiritual people, worshiping God in the wrong way as well as worshiping other gods.  Economically, they were somewhat prosperous.  Militarily, they were plagued by Syria. 

Joel, the Son of Pethuel, is the accepted author of this book, though nothing is known of him. There are no solid time references to pinpoint an exact date the book was written, but it was likely 835-796 B.C. His familiarity with temple worship and Jerusalem suggests he ministered in Judah. He wrote of the Assyrian invasion of the northern Kingdom or the Babylonian Invasion of the southern kingdom. There is no mention of any kings to help us determine which part of Israel Joel spoke to.  

We should consider the reason for not having this detail.  The prophecy wasn’t just about the historical event happening in his day.  It wasn’t just a message to those people at that time.  But the message is timeless and intended for us, also.  It was written to them, about that time, but the ideas, warnings, doctrine, and theology translate to our day.

The Primary theme is The Day of the Lord.  This is not a single, future day.  It is the concept of a time of divine judgment and intervention in history.  There have been many of these days, though there is a final and ultimate Day of the Lord at the culmination of the age.  It is the climax of history. 

1. It is a day of divine judgment and wrath.
2. It is darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.
3. There will be wailing in all the streets.
4. There will be a universal call to mourning.
5. There will be no escape, nowhere to hide.

The Day of the Lord is darkness and not light (Amos 5:18)

For the day of the Lord of hosts

Shall come upon everything proud and lofty,

Upon everything lifted up—

And it shall be brought low—

13 Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up,

And upon all the oaks of Bashan;

14 Upon all the high mountains,

And upon all the hills that are lifted up;

15 Upon every high tower,

And upon every fortified wall;

16 Upon all the ships of Tarshish,

And upon all the beautiful sloops.

17 The loftiness of man shall be bowed down,

And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low;

The Lord alone will be exalted in that day,

18 But the idols He shall utterly abolish.

19 They shall go into the holes of the rocks,

And into the caves of the earth,

From the terror of the Lord

And the glory of His majesty,

When He arises to shake the earth mightily.

20 In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver

And his idols of gold,

Which they made, each for himself to worship,

To the moles and bats,

To go into the clefts of the rocks,

And into the crags of the rugged rocks,

From the terror of the Lord

And the glory of His majesty,

When He arises to shake the earth mightily.  (Isaiah 2:12-21)

In addition, the Day of the Lord is wirtten of in:  Isaiah 13:6, 9; Ezekiel 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Amos 5:18 (twice), 20; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 1:7, 14 (twice); Zechariah 14:1; Malachi 4:5; Acts 2:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 2 Peter 3:10

***

As every generation ages, they begin to tell the next generation of the hard times they lived through.  These statements often start with, “When I was a kid, we had to………,” and then fill in the blank.  These tales include life under stricter rules, the kind of food they ate, the walk to school, and the harsh weather (including walking to school in four feet of snow). If all this were true, every generation would have it easier and easier.  Yet we don’t find that to be true. 

The prophet Joel reverses this idea.  He, in effect, says, “It’s bad now, but it's nothing compared to what’s coming!”  Joel acknowledges that what these folks are going through is a judgment.  It is a Day of the Lord they were experiencing.  Joel then transitioned to a vision of another Day of the Lord.  The vision is very graphic, and a picture of what we might call apocalyptic.  Then there is another transition where it becomes clear that the picture painted is a prediction of the future Day of the Lord that will usher in a material, spiritual, and national restoration.  Warren Wiersbe describes these three phases as:

• The immediate Day of the Lord
• The imminent Day of the Lord
• The ultimate Day of the Lord.  

While we don’t know much about Joel, if, as many believe, he prophesied to the southern Kingdom sometime around 835 B.C., before the northern kingdom had fallen, the book of Joel is one of the earliest written prophetic works.

The southern Kingdom of Judah was in extreme spiritual turmoil. The pagan prophets said, “All is well,” while the prophets of God called for repentance because judgment was coming! 

Ahaziah, the king of Judah, was in the northern kingdom with Joram, king of Israel, when God began to bring judgment against the northern Kingdom by the hand of Jehu.  After Joram was killed, Ahaziah made a run for it but was also killed by Jehu’s men (2 Kings 8:26).

At Ahaziah’s death, the Queen Mother Athaliah saw this as an opportunity to grab the throne.  She was Omri's granddaughter, making her a daughter or niece of Ahab.  She was a wicked woman resembling Jezebel more than anyone.  She raised her son Amaziah in wickedness.  The first thing she did after his death was to kill her grandsons, who had a rightful claim to the throne.  This evil act was an assault on the Davidic line, and it was almost successful.  God preserved the young child Joash by the loving protection of Joram’s sister and the priest Jehoida. 

While Athaliah reigned for six years, this child began to grow up. Meanwhile, Athaliah unleashed her sons to do evil in the land, including desecrating the temple and its sacred things (2 Chronicles 24:7).  Her six-year reign ended in 835 B.C. when Jehoida overthrew her and set Joash on the throne of Judah as a seven-year-old.

If this date is accurate and the estimation of Joel’s ministry is correct, then we can see that this immediate Day of the Lord had come by the wickedness of Athaliah.  In that day, people were living their lives while wickedness on the throne had become normal.  They were very spiritual people, worshiping God in the wrong way as well as worshiping other gods.  Economically, they were somewhat prosperous.  Militarily, they were plagued by Syria.