Joel

Composition

The Book of Joel is a historic text present in both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. The text is included in the collection of minor prophets. In the Hebrew Bible, all twelve of the minor prophets are grouped into a single book, commonly called the Twelve Prophets or simply the Twelve. In the Old Testament, Joel is considered its own book.

Unlike many other prophetic works in the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament, the Book of Joel does not contain many historical details. Because of this, Joel has been difficult for scholars to date. There are no explicit references within the work to verify historic events such as invasions. However, parts of Joel 1 and Joel 2 can be found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, providing a minimum age for the text. Scholars have proposed that the work was created between 835–300 BCE. These dates were proposed in part because Joel mentions the Kingdom of Judah in his work but ignores the northern Kingdom of Israel. Some scholars propose that Joel was writing from a strongly nationalistic perspective, ignoring the northern Jewish kingdom to focus on his own home. However, others propose that the events in Joel take place before the fall of Jerusalem but after the exile of the northern kingdom, meaning that Judah would no longer have a Jewish neighbor to its north during the time the prophecies were given.

According to Abrahamic tradition, the work was written by the prophet Joel. However, little historical evidence exists to support this theory. Additionally, scholars know very little about Joel’s life; most of what they know comes from the book itself and is not enough to verify Joel’s existence. Joel was a common name throughout biblical history, and some historians speculate that the name was chosen for symbolic purposes instead of historical attribution. As evidence for this theory, scholars state that the name Joel translates literally to “Yahweh is God.”

Summary

The Book of Joel begins by using a metaphor to describe the eventual destruction of the Kingdom of Judah, which Joel considers to be inevitable. The Jewish people have sinned against Yahweh, are likely to continue sinning, and God has said they must be punished. To better describe this event, Joel uses the lifecycle of a lotus, a locust that changes forms throughout its life, eating what others leave behind to continue to increase its size. These larger forms represent the continued defeat and punishment of both the city of Judah and the Israelites if they break their sacred covenant with Yahweh.

Joel addresses the elders of the community, instructing them to use the children to spread his message as far as possible. Joel proclaims that a terrible invasion will occur in the Kingdom of Judah. A foreign army will successfully conquer the kingdom, and Judah’s army will be unable to stop the powerful invaders. Joel describes this in a metaphor, portraying the invading army as having the teeth of a lion and the fangs of a lioness. He states that the Kingdom of Judah will “Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth grieving for the betrothed of her youth” (Joel 1:8).

The prophet also notes that the interventions of Judah’s priests will not save them from this fate. He states that they have withheld from God offerings of grain and drink. He suggests that the priests fast and mourn, for the destruction of their kingdom is at hand. The seeds will shrivel, the storehouses will be destroyed, the grain will dry up, and the livestock will suffer. Fire will devour the pastures, burning the trees and drying the streams.

The text then describes the mighty army that will carry out these atrocities. According to Micah, they will charge like cavalry, smashing through defenses without breaking ranks, and nothing will escape their wrath. Micah compares them to a swarm of locusts, leaving nothing but desert in their wake.

Following the vivid descriptions of destruction, Joel calls upon the Jewish people to repent. Speaking for the Lord, Joel encourages the Jews to mend their hearts and return to the Lord. He states that the Lord is slow to anger, is compassionate, and loves his people. By turning back to the Lord, they may be able to save themselves from future disasters. Joel asks the people to declare a holy fast as a form of apology to Yahweh, and the priests to call for a sacred assembly. Joel begs for the priests to apologize on behalf of the people, stating, “Spare your people, LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” (Joel 2: 17).

If such an intervention is successful, Joel prophesizes that that God’s relationship with the Kingdom of Judah will be renewed. The crops will once again produce bountiful yields, ensuring that no one in the Kingdom of Judah will go hungry. The people will be repaid for the damage that was carried out as punishment, including the damages carried out by the great army that God set upon the Jewish people. In this way, the Jewish people will be reassured that Yahweh is their God, and they have need of no other deities.

Following the restoration of the covenant, God will provide the Jewish people with additional gifts. He will pour his spirit out into the Kingdom of Judah, granting all the people the gift of prophesy. God will show wonders in Heaven and on Earth, turning the moon to blood and the sun to darkness. Though this will be a great tragedy for the rest of the world, everyone who calls upon Yahweh for deliverance will be saved.

Joel states that the nations of the world will be punished for their sins. The world will be judged, and the nations that committed crimes against the Jewish people will be found guilty. God has not forgotten that other nations stole treasures from his temple, sold the Jews as slaves, and exiled his people to foreign lands. Though God allowed these tragedies to happen as punishment to the Jews, it does not excuse the evil people who carried out such acts. Anyone who raises arms against the Kingdom of Judah will be struck down.

Once this final battle is concluded, God will once again dwell in Judah. No nation will ever invade the city again, and the land will be ripe with milk, wine, and water. Other kingdoms, including Egypt and Edom, will be made desolate, while Judah will be inhabited forever.

Themes

Conflict and war dominate the Book of Joel. Throughout this book, God continuously uses war to punish the Jewish people for their sins. God allows a foreign army to conquer Judah, destroying the nation and scattering its people. However, when the Jewish people return to God, he grants them military victories over their foes. The armies of nations are drawn into Judah, where they will be destroyed by God. According to the text, victory in these battles is solely decided by God, who will personally prevent the Kingdom of Judah from ever being conquered again.

Justice also plays an important role in Joel. God routinely deals out rewards and punishments, helping the faithful prosper and allowing the faithless to languish. When the day of judgment arrives, Joel states that God will deliver punishments to various nations according to their offenses. Those who scattered the Jewish people will be scattered. Those who sought to invade the Kingdom of Judah will be destroyed. The faithful Jews will be given an ideal land in which they may flourish in exchange for honoring their covenant with Yahweh, while many other nations will be made barren. These punishments and rewards will be directly carried out by acts of God.

God’s mercy and love are also expressed consistently throughout the Book of Joel. God loves the Jewish people and wants them to succeed. If they repent, they will be forgiven for their terrible offenses. Their punishments may be lifted, and they will once again be treated as God’s chosen people. This mercy is limitless for the people of Judah. Though the Jewish people continually sin, straying from God’s commands and living their lives in ways that anger Yahweh, they will always be forgiven upon repentance. The same is not true of other peoples who do not share a unique covenant with God. They may be cast aside and destroyed for their sins.

Bibliography

“An Introduction to the Book of Joel.” Bible.org, 2022, bible.org/article/introduction-book-joel. Accessed 27 Apr. 2022.

“Joel, Book of.” Jewish Encyclopedia, 2022, www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8703-joel-book-of. Accessed 27 Apr. 2022.

“Joel, Book of.” New World Encyclopedia.”2022, www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Joel,‗Book‗of. Accessed 27 Apr. 2022.

“Key Themes in Joel.” IVP, 1 Oct. 2020, ivpbooks.com/blog/key-themes-in-joel.html. Accessed 27 Apr. 2022.

Kranz, Jeffrey. “Joel: Locusts and the Day of the Lord.” OverviewBible, 2013, overviewbible.com/joel/. Accessed 27 Apr. 2022.

Pertus, David D. “A Canonical-Critical Study of Selected Traditions in the Book of Joel.” Liberty University, 1992, digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=lts‗fac‗pubs. Accessed 27 Apr. 1992.

Ryan, Joel. “Who Was Joel the Prophey and What Did He Prophesy?” Bible Study Tools, 17 Mar. 2022, www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/who-was-joel-the-prophet-and-what-did-he-prophesy.html. Accessed 27 Apr. 2022.