What makes Joel special?

The book of Joel belongs to the writings in the Bible called the books of the prophets. All we know for certain about the prophet Joel is his name, which in Hebrew means “The Lord (Yahweh) is God.” Joel describes in very lively language the effects of a locust plague—an attack by so many locusts flying over the land that they block out the sun. Joel goes on to compare the resulting darkness with the day of the Lord, a special event he refers to several more times. On that day God will judge and punish the nations that have hurt Israel. See also the article called “Day of the Lord.”

Joel prays to God and warns the people that the Lord will send his army to fight for justice. He compares the locusts to horses in battle that make loud noises as they charge and are frightening to look at. But, there is hope if people will turn to the Lord with all their hearts. The Lord will listen to them and save them from the destruction, not only by restoring the harvest, but by assuring everyone that he is indeed their God. The Lord will even help them to understand the future through his Spirit (prophecy). He will protect them and keep the people he judges innocent on Mount Zion.

Why was Joel written?

Joel brings to the people of Israel a message from God that the day of the Lord is near. He points to the swarm of locusts destroying the land as a sign that God is punishing Israel for its sins, and warns that a real army is going to attack. But Joel also wants the people to know that it’s not too late to turn to the Lord, to ask for forgiveness, and to receive his blessings again.

What’s the story behind the scene?

A number of books of prophecy in the Bible tell who was king at the time the prophet preached (for example, see Hos 1.1; Amos 1.1; Mic 1.1). This helps to give modern readers a sense of when the prophet was most active by matching what the prophet said with specific historical situations. Since the book of Joel does not mention any specific king or ruler, the exact dating of the book continues to be a mystery. It has been placed in time as early as 800 B.C. and as late as 300 B.C.

There are a few clues in the book about who Joel was and when he preached. He speaks of Judah and Jerusalem and the Lord’s temple. He mentions no king, but refers to the priests and elders as Israel’s “leaders.” The invading army mentioned in the book is sometimes thought to be from Assyria, which defeated Israel (northern kingdom) in 721 B.C., or Babylonia, which defeated Judah (southern kingdom) in 586 B.C. and took many of its leading citizens into exile. Some scholars suggest that Joel lived and preached in Judah sometime after the people returned from exile and rebuilt the temple in 515 B.C. See also the article called “After the Exile: God’s People Return to Judea,” p. 913.

How is Joel constructed?

Although Joel has been divided into the three chapters, it has two main parts: The first (1.1—2.17) tells of an invasion of locusts, the invasion of the Lord’s unstoppable army, and includes Joel’s message telling the people to return to the Lord. The second part (2.18—3.21) describes how the Lord will rescue the people of Israel and bring a future day of judgment when the enemies of Israel will be punished.

The Lord’s invitation to Israel (1.1—2.17)

The Lord’s blessings and judgment of nations (2.18—3.21)

The Lord’s Invitation to Israel

Joel watches a huge swarm of locusts invade Israel and destroy its crops. He compares this invasion to an invasion of Israel by an unknown enemy army. These invasions are just a taste of the coming judgment day of the Lord. Joel invites the people of Israel to turn away from sin and return to the Lord, so they can be saved when that day of judgment comes.

The Lord’s Blessings and Judgment of Nations

The Lord promises to bless the people by making the land produce food again and by rescuing them from the locust attack. As the day of the Lord’s judgment comes closer, the Lord will send his Spirit to work wonders in nature. Then the Lord will gather the nations and judge them. Those who have been guilty of attacking and robbing the Lord’s people will be punished.

Questions about Joel

1. What astonishing event did Joel witness? Why was this event so devasting for the people? Why did the people and the temple priests mourn? (1.4-20)

2. What is the “judgment day of the Lord,” and what hints does nature give that this day is about to happen? (2.1-12)

3. Who or what are the troops and army compared to? (2.2-11) Do you think knowing about Joel’s message in advance could have helped the people? How?

4. What important thing does the Lord invite the people to do? (2.12-17) What does the Lord promise if the people do what he asks? (2.18-27; 3.17-21) Can you think of someone you might want to make things right with? How would the person respond to an apology?

5. Why does the Lord judge the nations? (3.1-13)

6. Create a newspaper front-page headline for each chapter of Joel. How do your headlines sum up the key events and themes of this book?