Sermon Notes, July 3, 2016 PM
Minor
Prophets
with a Major Message - Joel
Steve W. Reeves
INTRODUCTION:
A. Do
you remember important dates? What about July 4, 1776? December 7, 1941?
June 6, 1944? July 10, 1959 (my birthday)?
September 11, 2001? Dates help us to
remember important events in history. As
you study the Bible (particularly the Old
Testament) it is helpful to have an idea of
the timeline of history. Here are some
important dates that will help you to
understand the unfolding story of the Old
Testament. . (All are B.C.- before Christ).
1. 922 – Division of the kingdom of Israel.
2. 722 – Fall of Israel to the Assyrians.
3. 586 – Fall of Judah (Jerusalem) to
Babylonians.
4. 538 – Decree of Cyrus of Persia to
rebuild the temple at Jerusalem.
5. 538/7 – Zerubbabel’s expedition to
Jerusalem.
6. 536 – Foundation of the temple laid.
7. 535 – Work on the temple halted by
enemies of the Jews.
8. 520 – Prophetic ministries of Haggai and
Zechariah.
9. 520 – Decree of Darius to complete the
temple.
10. 516 – Completion of the temple.
11. 486 – Reign of Ahasuerus (Xerxes)
begins.
12. 479 – Esther becomes queen.
13.
464 – Reign of Artaxerxes begins.
14. 458 – Ezra’s expedition to Jerusalem.
15. 444 – Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem.
Leads rebuilding of walls.
16. 420 – Nehemiah’s second journey to
Jerusalem.
B. You
know that the books of the Old Testament are not in chronological order. Let me
give you a chronological list of the
prophetic books. All of them fit within the time
frame I have given you.
1. Jonah - 810-790
(Israel)
2. Amos - 780-760
(Israel)
3. Hosea - 785-725
(Israel)
4. Isaiah - 750-695
(Judah)
5. Micah - 745-725 (Judah)
7. Nahum - 660-630 (Judah)
8. Zephaniah - 630-620 (Judah)
9. Habakkuk - 620-610 BC (Judah)
10. Jeremiah - 628-588 BC (Judah)
11. Daniel - 606-534 BC (Captivity)
12. Obadiah - 587 BC (Captivity)
13. Ezekiel - 596-574 BC (Captivity)
14. Haggai - 520-518 BC (Post)
15. Zechariah - 520-510 BC (Post)
16. Malachi - 420-397 BC (Post)
C.
What do we do with the prophet Joel?
1. Of all the prophets (major or minor) he
is the most difficult to assign to a date.
1. He was either early or late.
a. Some assign him to 790-760 BC
.They point to the fact that he is found
between Hosea and Amos in the
canon. There are similarities between Joel
and Amos and Joel and Isaiah
thus the advocates of this 8th century date say
Amos and Isaiah quoted Joel.
b.
Others say, “Not so fast. What if Joel quoted Amos and Isaiah?” This would
put Joel after those prophets.
Some scholars say Joel was one of the last
prophets during the post-exilic
period. There is no mention of a king or of the
divided kingdom. He mentions a temple and
Zerubbabel’s temple was
completed in 516 B.C.
2. We do not know the exact time of
Joel’s prophecy.
a. With some of the prophets, like
Amos and Hosea, it is important to know
something about the political,
moral and religious climate in which they lived.
b. Joel deals with a natural
calamity that cannot be pinpointed in history. The
message of Joel would have been
applicable at any point along the way. It
remains applicable for us today.
c. John Calvin summed up the matter
well when he wrote, "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." (John
Calvin, Commentaries on the Twelve Minor Prophets, Volume Twp. Joel,
Amos, Obadiah, W. M. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, IGrand Rapids, Michigan1950,).
3. We have very little information about
this man named Joel.
a. The only information given in the
book is that his father was Pethuel
(Joel 1:1). This does not help
because we do not know who Pethuel is.
b. There are at least twelve men named
Joel in the Old Testament but none of
them appear to be the Joel who
was given this prophecy.
c. The name Joel means “YAHWEH –
EL.” Jehovah is God.
. c. His hometown is not identified. We are
not told of his occupation. There is no
information identifying him with
any specific time.
d. We do know that the word of the
Lord came to him according to Joel 1:1.
From Joel’s writing we can see that
He is a master of the Hebrew language.
No writer in the Old Testament
writes with such descriptive language. He is a
prolific poet and a great
visionary.
e. We also know that God wanted
Joel’s message to be communicated to
succeeding generations. Joel
1:2-3 says, “Hear this, O elders, and listen, all
inhabitants of the land. Has anything like this happened in your
days, Or in
your fathers’ days? 3Tell
your sons about it, and let
your sons tell their sons,
and their sons the next generation.”
and their sons the next generation.”
D.
What was the prophecy of Joel and what is its relevance for us?
1. Joel is a short book – just three
chapters in the English Bible (four in Hebrew).
2. To help us understand Joel’s message I
want us to consider three words.
a. Devastation – 1:1 – 2:11.
b. Supplication – 2:12- 17.
c. Restoration – 2:18 – 3:21.
I. DEVESTATION – 1:1 – 2:11.
A. Joel used a historical event to
symbolize a forthcoming occurrence. He tells of a
plague of locusts that devastated the
land of Palestine. In verse 4 he says, “What
the gnawing locust has left, the
swarming locust has eaten; And what the swarming
locust has left, the creeping locust has
eaten; and what the creeping locust has left,
the stripping locust has eaten.”
1. Locusts are mentioned over 30 times
in the Bible.
a. Exodus 10 describes locusts as
one of the ten plagues that came on Egypt.
b. Judges 7:12 says, “The Midianites
and the Amalekites and all the sons of the
east were lying in the valley as
numerous as locusts.”
c. Isaiah and Jeremiah referred to
locusts in their messages (Isa. 33:4;
Jer. 46:23; 51:14; 51:27).
d. John the Baptist ate locusts and
wild honey (Mt. 1:6).
e. Revelation 9 uses a swarm of locusts
to represent God’s coming judgment.
2. The desert locust is found in Africa,
the Middle East and Asia. They can be found
in 60 countries covering one-fifth
of Earth's land surface. It is estimated that
locust plagues have the potential to
threaten the livelihood of one-tenth of the
world's population.
3. A swarm of locusts can cover 460
square miles and contain between 40 and 80
million locusts in less than half a
square mile. Each locust can eat its weight in
plants every day. A swarm could eat 423
million pounds of plants per day.
B. As I researched this subject I noticed several references to an article written
by
John D. Whiting in the December 1, 1915
National Geographic that reported a
devastating plague of locusts in
Palestine earlier that year. With the help of Henry
Terrill I located the article in the
Harding University library and read it last week.
1.
The locusts flew into the region from the northeast and laid their eggs in
various
places. As the parents died the eggs
hatched and the larvae crawled for miles
back toward the northeast. After
they reached maturity the process was
repeated. This may be the process
Joel refers to in these verses.
2. Whiting said concerning Joel, “We
marvel how this ancient writer could have
given so graphic and true a
description of the devastation caused by locusts in
so condensed a form.”
3. In 1915 swarms of locusts flew into
Syria and Palestine. The swarm was so large
it blocked sunlight and was preceded
by a loud noise.
C. What Joel is describing was a calamity
of major proportions. Notice its effects.
1. Verses 5-7:
Awake, drunkards, and weep;
And wail, all you wine drinkers, On account of the sweet wine. That is cut off
from your mouth. 6 For a nation has invaded my land, mighty and
without number; Its teeth are the teeth of a lion, And it has the fangs of a
lioness. 7 It has made my vine a waste and my fig tree
splinters. It has stripped them bare and cast them away; their branches have become white.”
2. In verse 10 Joel says there was not
enough grain left for the people to make
offerings to God. “The field is
ruined, the land mourns; for the grain is ruined,
The new wine dries up. Fresh oil
fails.”
3. Verses 11 and 12 depict the despair
and hopelessness that characterized
everyone from the farmers to the
vineyard keepers.
Be ashamed, O farmers, Wail, O
vinedressers, for the wheat and the barley; Because the harvest of the field is
destroyed. 12 The vine dries up and the fig tree fails; the
pomegranate, the palm also, and the apple tree, All the trees of the field dry
up. Indeed, rejoicing dries up from the sons of men.
D. The prophecy of Joel is that this was
more than a natural disaster. It was a
precursor to Divine judgment.
1. In verse 15 of chapter 1 Joel
introduced an idea that is carried throughout the
book and becomes a theme of the
Bible. “The Day of the Lord.”
2. “Alas for the day! For the day of the
Lord is near, and it will come as destruction
from the Almighty.”
3. Joel’s prophecy demonstrates how
everyone who has put their trust in material
things was affected. Their food was cut
off. There was no gladness or joy. Seeds
shriveled up. Storehouses were
desolate. Barns were torn down. Beasts and
cattle were dying. It was a national
disaster of immense proportions.
4. How would our lives be affected if
there were a massive crop failure? We have
become accustomed to having plenty
to eat in our country. Suppose there were
no corn, wheat or rice? Suppose
there were no vegetables? Suppose the grass
in the pastures died and there was a
massive drought? What if the fruit trees
were barren? These things can and do
happen. these things to get the
E. Have you ever seen a sign along the
roadside with the words, “Repent?” or
“Judgment is Coming?” In several overseas campaigns I have seen the
local
evangelists preach in the street. They
would get a megaphone and start
telling people judgment was coming and
they needed to repent. Some people
ignored it. Some listened. Others were
openly hostile. Joel’s prophecy is
reminiscent of a street preacher using
this calamity to preach a message of
impending judgment.
1. In Chapter 2:1 he says, “Blow a
trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on my holy
mountain! Let all the inhabitants of
the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is
coming.”
2. Joel is using this disaster to say,
“If you think this is bad just wait. You
haven’t seen anything.”
3. In verses 3 - 5 Joel describes the locusts as
if they are an army with horses and
chariots waging war against the
people. Was he describing a real conquering
army that would bring judgment on
the people?
a. If you place Joel in the 8th
century it could certainly point to the Assyrians.
b. If you place Joel in the 5th
century it could point to the Greeks or Romans.
4. Whatever this historical event is we
need to learn an important lesson. There is
only one right side of history and
it is God’s side!
II. SUPPLICATION- 2:12-17.
A. Following the initial description of
this plague Joel makes an appeal for remorse in
verse11of chapter 1. “Be
ashamed, O farmers, Wail, O vinedressers, for the wheat
and the barley; because the harvest of
the field is destroyed.”
B. In chapter 2 verses 12 and 13 after Joel
has proclaimed the “Day of the Lord” as a
day of judgment he delivers God’s call
for repentance.
“Yet even now,” declares the
Lord, “Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and
mourning; 13 and rend your heart and not your garments.” Now
return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to
anger, abounding in loving kindness and relenting of evil?
C. Joel understood God’s desire for men and
women to repent. This is a consistent
theme of the prophets. Though the people
had sinned God longed for them to
return to Him. If they did so He
promised to forgive them.
1.
Their repentance must be genuine and not merely an outward demonstration. It
must involve a change of heart.
2. Verses 15-17 urge the people to
demonstrate repentance through a season of
fasting.
3. Joel assured the people that God
would respond with His lovingkindness. Notice
verses 18-19, “Then the Lord will be
zealous for His land and will have pity on
His people.19 The
Lord will answer and say to His people, ‘Behold, I am going to
send you grain, new wine and oil, and
you will be satisfied in full
with them; And I
will never again make you a reproach
among the nations”
D. God’s message to us is the same as it
was to the people of Joel’s day. There is a
way of salvation. When we believe,
repent, confess and put on Christ in baptism
God’s wrath is no longer directe3d
towards us.
E. For thirteen days in October of 1962 it
appeared that the United States and Soviet
Union might be on the brink of nuclear
war. The Soviets had placed nuclear
weapons in Cuba and the United States
placed a Naval blockade around the island
with the threat to use military force if
necessary to keep the missals out. Military
forces were put on alert. Many Americans
though war was imminent. The crisis was
averted and tensions subsided. Joel
seems to point to a similar condition. The
catastrophe was great. The Day of
Judgment seemed imminent but God still held
out hope for His people.
III. RESTORATION – 2: 18-3:21
A. What do you do when everything is gone?
Where do you turn when you have
exhausted your resources and you are
broken hearted.
1. When the land lay desolate. When
there was destruction and devastation all
around. When it seemed as if there was no
hope God reassured the people
through Joel’s prophecy that He
still had plans for them.
2. God was going to heal the land as
promised in verses 25-27 of chapter 2.
“Then I will make up to you
for the years That the swarming locust has eaten, The creeping locust, the
stripping locust and the gnawing locust,My great army which I sent among you. 26
“You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied And praise the name of the Lord
your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you;Then My people will never be put to
shame. 27 “Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, And
that I am the Lord your God, And there is no other; And My people will never be
put to shame.
3. God had greater plans for Israel than
they imagined. Through them He would
bless all nations.
a. He promised to restore their
fortune (3:1).
b. He promised to bring all nations
to the valley of Jehoshapet (Jehovah judges)
also called the valley of
decision.
c. You and I face our own valley of
decision. In chapter 3 vs 12 God urges the
people to “return with all of their
hearts.” He does not want half-heartedness.
d. His people will triumph. In
verses 16-17 – “The Lord roars from Zion
And utters His voice from Jerusalem, And the heavens and the earth tremble.
And utters His voice from Jerusalem, And the heavens and the earth tremble.
But the Lord is a refuge for His
people and a stronghold to the sons of Israel.
17 Then you will
know that I am the Lord your God, Dwelling in Zion, My holy
mountain. So Jerusalem will be
holy, and strangers will pass through it no
more.”
B. Ultimately God’s message is going to go
beyond the borders of Judah and
Jerusalem.
1. When Peter spoke on the day of
Pentecost in Acts 2:14ff he told the crowd that
what they were witnessing was the
fulfillment of prophecy from Joel 2:28-29,“It
will come about after this that I
will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your
sons and daughters will prophesy, Your
old men will dream dreams, Your young
men will see visions. 29 “Even
on the male and female servants I will pour out My
Spirit in those days.”
2. When you are faced with disaster and
calamity in your life do not despair. God
may have something planned that
exceeds your wildest imagination.
CONCLUSION:
A. How
amazing it is that God can use an obscure prophet to reveal the timeless truth
of
His sovereignty and desire for man’s
repentance..
1. He is a God who controls nature to
accomplish His will.
2. He is a God who loves us and desires
that we turn away from sin.
3. He is a God of everlasting hope who sees
beyond our difficulties and assures us of
His promises.
B. May
we love Him and live for Him all the days of our life. Amen!
