Background

All assuredly known of the man Joel is recorded in Joel 1:1: "The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel." His name means "Jehovah is God." When he lived is completely uncertain. The sevenfold reference to Zion (2:1,15,23,32; 3:16,17,21) and the promise to "bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem" (3:1) suggest he preached to Judah.

Message

Joel's message is "Repent"! He vividly portrays true repentance.

'Now, therefore,' says the Lord, 'Turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.' So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. (2:12-13)

Theme

Chapter one describes a great locust plague. Joel takes the occasion of this natural disaster brought through the providence of God because of their sins, to warn them of greater destruction unless they repent (2:1-11). This severer calamity would be the invasion of a terrifying army as the instrument of God's punishment upon the impenitent. Thus, the invasion would be "the day of the Lord" (1:15; 2:1-2,22,32; 3:14). The theme of Joel is The Day of the Lord.

Joel ascends from this call to repent to promise the Lord's blessings on Israel if they would repent. These blessins would first be physical (2:18-27) then spiritual (2:28-32). In the day God blessed Judah by bringing them back from captivity, He would bring destruction upon their enemies (chapter 3).

Promise of Holy Spirit

Joel 2:28-32 is the clearest Old Testament prophecy of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Peter quoted it on the first Pentecost after Jesus' resurrection and applied it to that day (Acts 2:16-21). Thus, the recipients of the promised spiritual blessings are spiritual Israel, the church of Christ. The promised blessings were salvation and the reception of the Holy Spirit. They were to be received "Before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord" (2:31), the destruction of national Israel in A.D. 70.

Outline

I. Call to Repentance - 1:1-2:17
...A. Locust Plague a Warning - chapter 1
...B. Coming Judgment (the Day of the Lord) - 2:1-11
...C. Call to Repentance - 2:12-17
II. Promise of Blessings
...A. Physical - 2:18-27
...B. Spiritual - 2:28-32
...C. Destruction of Enemies - chapter 3