"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls." (Joel 2:28-32)
Joel concludes with great hope for the restoration of Israel:
But Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations. I will avenge their blood, blood I have not avenged, for the LORD dwells in Zion. (Joel 3:20-21)
Author
The book of Joel was written by a prophet of the same name. He begins the book with the phrase, "the word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel." Some have speculated that he lived in, or near Jerusalem because of his references to that community (cf. Joel 2:32; Joel 3:1, Joel 3:6, Joel 3:8, Joel 3:16-20) but this cannot be substantiated. There is nothing else known about Joel.
Date
The prophecy of Joel has been dated everywhere from the 9th Century BC to the 4th Century BC, with portions dated as late as 200 BC. John Calvin in his commentary wrote:
The time in which he prophesied is uncertain. Some of the Jews imagine that he exercised his office in the time of Joram, king of Israel, because a dreadful famine then prevailed through the whole land, as it appears evident from sacred history; and as the Prophet record a famine, they suppose that his ministry must be referred to that time. Some think, that he taught under Manasseh, but they bring no reason for this opinion; it is, therefore, a mere conjecture. Others think that he performed his office as a teacher not only under one king, but that he taught, at the same time with Isaiah, under several kings.
But as there is no certainty, it is better to leave the time in which he taught undecided; and, as we shall see, this is of no great importance. Not to know the time of Hosea would be to readers a great loss for there are many parts which could not be explained without a knowledge of history; but as to Joel there is . . . less need of this; for the import of his doctrine is evident, though his time be obscure and uncertain. But we may conclude that he taught at Jerusalem, or at least in the kingdom of Judah.
The internal evidence, however, points to the reign of Joash while the high priest Jehoida ruled. Gleason Archer notes the following:
1. The type of government implied by these prophetic utterances best accords with a regency. According to 2 Kings 11:4, the facts fit the context of the book.
2. There is distinct evidence of borrowing, as between Amos and Joel. Phrases such as "the mountains will drip with sweet wine" occur in both Joel 3:18 and Amos 9:13.
3. The list of Judah's enemies focuses on the Phonecians, Philistines, Egyptians and Edomites, not the Babylonians or the Assyrians.
Thus, Joel should be dated to near the end of the 9th Century BC, perhaps in the period of 825 – 811 BC.
Language Style
Joel was a highly literate author, employing a variety of techniques to make his point. He uses figures of speech including metaphors and similes, poetry, repetition and contrast with effect. Joel often changes the persons of pronouns and verbs in order to better make his point and to keep the attention of his readers.
Place in the Canon
Joel, like all the "minor prophets" of the Christian canon, has been retained as Scripture through the Church age. In the Hebrew Scriptures, Joel is located in the "Book of the Twelve" as a single scroll which includes all twelve of these, the final books of the Old Testament. Within the Hebrew canon, the Book of the Twelve is located in the second division known as "The Prophets" and follows immediately behind Ezekiel. The Christian canon maintained the minor prophets in the same order as found in the Hebrew Bible; namely Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.
Theme
The theme of Joel is the "great and awesome" day of the Lord. Beginning with a destruction of locusts in his day, he extrapolates that as a symbolic event warning of the day of judgment on the nations. The main purposes of Joel are:
1. to foretell the coming judgments on Judah for their sin;
2. to exhort Judah to turn their hearts toward God; and
3. to impress upon all people that this world's history will culminate in the events of the Day of the Lord, when the scales of justice will finally rest.
The phrase "Day of the Lord" appears five times in the book; always referring to the time of the end and never the advent of the Messiah. In the New Testament, the authors always use the same term as a future event and in all cases, it is seen as a purging of evil before the reign of righteousness.
An Outline of Joel
A. A Preview to Tribulation – Joel 1:1 – 1:20
1. An Invasion of Locusts – Joel 1:1 – 1:12
2. A Call to Repentance – Joel 1:13 – 1:20
B. Future Tribulation – Joel 2:1 – 2:32
1. The Locusts Are a Warning – Joel 2:1 – 2:11
2. Repent! – Joel 2:12 – 2:17
3. God's Blessings – Joel 2:18 – 2:27
4. The Day of the Lord – Joel 2:28 – 2:32
C. The Millennium – Joel 3:1 – 3:21
1. The Judgment of the Nations – Joel 3:1 – 3:15
2. Blessings for Israel – Joel 3:16 – 3:21
