Joel 2
Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
Joel 2
Wiersbe - The one thing that encourages us to repent and return to the Lord is the character of God. He is gracious - This is His nature and opens the door for the contrite sinner to walk into His presence (clothed in the righteousness of the Holy One of Israel) without being destroyed. Gracious (02587)(channun from chanan = to show favor) is a masculine adjective which means "gracious," "merciful" and rightfully is used only of God indicating His bestowal of an unmerited favor, this divine act emanating from His infinite love. In short, channun denotes the favour bestowed by a superior on a needy inferior who has no real claim on such favorable treatment. Notice also that God's forgiveness is linked with His gracious character ( Neh 9:17, 31). And similarly, it is not surprising that channum is integrally linked with rachum, compassion (mercy) as in Joel 2:13 and in 12 of the 13 occurrences of this word in the OT. Girdlestone adds that "Grace is the free bestowal of kindness on one who has neither claim up on our bounty, nor adequate compensation to make for it." (See Girdlestone's full discussion of grace in Synonyms of the Old Testament) The Septuagint translates channun in Joel 2:13 with the adjective eleemon which means merciful, compassionate, sympathetic, and is descriptive of the infinite concern of the Creator for His creatures. Amazing graciousness indeed! Read through the list of verses below to be reminded of God's great grace toward us. Channun - 13x in 13v all rendered "gracious." Exodus 22:27 for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his body. What else shall he sleep in? And it shall come about that when he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for I am gracious. (ARE YOU IN NEED? THEN CRY OUT FOR HE IS GRACIOUS!) Exodus 34:6-7 Then (After Moses had shattered the 2 Tablets of the Law when he saw Israel worshipping a golden calf and God then tells him He will write the Law on two new tablets. So in the setting of rebellious idolatrous sin and the renewing of the covenant of Law) the LORD passed by in front of him (MOSES) and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate(rachum) and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth Comment: This is an important verse that highlights God’s merciful treatment of Israel even after the golden calf incident! God’s willingness to change His mind concerning judgment is not mentioned in these verses, but the inclusion of this theme in later verses is certainly justifiable in light of Exodus 32:14 (So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people), for God’s decision to relent stands in the background of the statement recorded in Exodus 34. John
Joel 2
Wiersbe - The prophet even gave them a prayer to use (Joel 2:17) that presents two reasons why God should deliver them: (1) Israel’s covenant privileges as God’s heritage and (2) the glory of God’s name before the other nations. Moses used these same arguments when he pled for the people (Ex. 32:11–13; 33:12–23). The Jews are indeed God’s special treasure and heritage (Ex. 15:17; 19:5–6; Ps. 94:5; Jer. 2:7; 12:7–9). To Israel, He gave His laws, His covenants, the temple and priesthood, a special land, and the promise that they would bless the whole world (Gen. 12:1–3; Rom. 9:1–5). From Israel came the written Word of God and the gift of the Savior (John 4:22). Israel was called to bear witness to the other nations that their God was the only true God. How could God be glorified if His people were destroyed and the pagans could gleefully ask, “Where is their God?” (See Pss. 79:10 and 115:2; also Micah 7:10.) The nation had to choose between revival (getting right with God) or reproach (robbing God of glory). (Be Amazed) Spare (show pity)(02347)(chus) to pity, look upon with compassion, have compassion, spare. The idea is to show mercy, have compassion, with a focus on sparing or delivering one from a great punishment. Moses tells Israel she is not to spare or look with pity on her enemies in the Promised Land (because they are intractably evil and debauched!) (Dt 7:16, 13:8, 19:13, 19:21, 25:12). David spared King Saul's life (1 Sa 24:10). Nehemiah's prayer after he had returned to Jerusalem (Neh 13:22) asking Jehovah "have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness." Here we see the integral relation between God's "compassion" (showing pity, sparing) and His great lovingkindness, His steadfast covenant love. Jehovah tells rebellious Judah He would not "be sorry" when He allowed them to be defeated and killed by the Babylonians (Jer 13:14, cf Jer 21:7). In Ezekiel 5:11 (cf Ezek 7:4, 9, 8:18, 9:5, 9:10) God declares 'So as I live,' declares the Lord GOD, 'surely, because you have defiled My (HOLY) sanctuary with all your detestable (PROFANE) idols and with all your (HORRID) abominations, therefore I will also withdraw, and My eye will have no pity and I will not spare (chamal - to spare, root of chus)." And yet despite all the previous verses in Ezekiel stating God would not have pity on Judah, He gives a ray of hope in Ezekiel 20:17 declaring "Yet My eye spared them rather than destroying them, and I did not cause their annihilation in the wilderness." Chus describes Jonah's "compassion on a plant," which God uses to "justify" (He needs no justification of course) His demonstration of "compassion on Nineveh." (Jonah 4:11). The Septuagint of Joel 2:17 translates the Hebrew chus with the verb pheidomai which means to treat leniently, to spare, to refrain from doing something. Here is the amazing truth. The priests are to intercede with chus/pheidomai for God to spare His people Israel, and Paul uses this same word of God not sparing His only begotten Son (Ro 8:32-note), which is the very reason Israel could even be spared!!! Talk about amazing grace who saved a wretch like me! Gilbrant - On several occasions, the Book of Deuteronomy employs a Hebrew phrase which literally means "your eye shall not have pity," which the NIV translates as "show no pity." This construction is used when prescribing severe punishments, especially for idolatry. The Israelites were to show no pity to the sinful inhabitants of Canaan, whom God was delivering into Israel's power, because sparing them would leave God's people in danger of ensnarement by their idolatrous practices (Deut. 7:16). Indeed, so great was the danger of idolatry, that even friends and relatives, be they brothers, sons, daughters or even wives, were to be put to death without pity if they incited any worship of gods other than Yahweh (Deut. 13:8). The death penalty was also imposed for the willful and hateful murderer who, likewise, was to be shown no compassion (Deut. 19:13). Nor were malicious false witnesses to receive pity; they were to be treated exactly as they intended the unjustly accused person to be, according to the OT law of lex talionis, i.e., "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth" (Deut. 19:21). The prohibition against showing pity also occurs in Deut. 25:12 in an exceptionally rare instance of amputation as the prescribed OT punishment for an offense, for a woman who would seize the genitals of a man fighting against her husband. Sadly, in its later history, Judah did abandon Yahweh to worship other gods. Such idolatry provoked the judgment of God, Who refused to allow his pity and mercy to keep Him from destroying the Southern Kingdom (Jer. 13:14; and see the references in Ezekiel cited below). He accomplished this through the instrument of the Babylonians, and specifically King Nebuchadnezzar, who showed no pity on king Zedekiah or his officials or people (Jer. 21:7). Nevertheless, such actions ultimately would themselves be punished, and God in turn raised up the Medes, who similarly offered no pity to the Babylonians or their children (Isa. 13:8). Ezekiel recounts the period of Judah's last days and the beginning of the Exile, where the context is that of God's refusal to have any more pity toward his rebellious people, unlike the compassion He had shown earlier, even during their idolatrous insurrections during the wilderness years (Ezek. 20:17). The Hebrew verb chûs often occurs alongside the verb chāmal (HED #2654) in Ezekiel, which also means "to show pity" or "to show compassion." In these instances, chûs is almost always translated by the KJV as meaning "to spare" and chāmal as "to have pity on," e.g., Ezek. 5:11; 7:4, 9; 8:18; 9:5, 10; 24:14. There is, however, no final or definite reason to insist on these translations, since both verbs have nearly the same nuances of meaning, and in fact, bear the opposite meanings in the KJV in Deut. 13:8. In the allegory of unfaithful Jerusalem in Ezek. 16:5, no one pities (chûs) or has compassion (chāmal) on the baby girl who is left naked and bloody in the field. The meaning "to spare" is also found in the historical and poetic literature of the OT. David, out of compassion and respect for the Lord's anointed, spared Saul's life when he had the opportunity to kill him in a cave in the desert of En Gedi, despite the protests of some of his men (1 Sam. 24:10). Nehemiah, after his reforming actions against marriages with idolatrous wives, various cultic irregularities and especially the desecration of the Sabbath day, prayed that God would spare him, "according to the greatness of... [his] mercy" (Neh. 13:22). This compassionate aspect of God's character is proclaimed in Ps. 72:13, a Psalm ascribed to Solomon. In Joel 2:17, during the time of a sacred assembly and holy fast, the priests are urged to cry out to God, pleading, "Spare your people." (Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary) Chus - 24x in 24v - concern*(1), had compassion(1), have compassion(3), have pity(1), have...pity(4), looked with pity(1), pity(6), show pity(2), show...pity(1), sorry(1), spare(2), spared(1). (KJV has "spare" 16x, pity 7, regard 1) Gen. 45:20 ("Do not concern yourselves with your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours."); Deut. 7:16; Deut. 13:8; Deut. 19:13; Deut. 19:21; Deut. 25:12; 1 Sam. 24:10; Neh. 13:22; Ps. 72:13; Isa. 13:18; Jer. 13:14; Jer. 21:7; Ezek. 5:11; Ezek. 7:4; Ezek. 7:9; Ezek. 8:18; Ezek. 9:5; Ezek. 9:10; Ezek. 16:5; Ezek. 20:17; Ezek. 24:14; Joel 2:17; Jon. 4:10; Jon. 4:11 And do not make Your inheritance a reproach - God has a vested interest in Israel, for they are His inheritance among all the other nations of the world, for God said they were to "be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Ex 19:5) God had a great redemptive purpose for the nation of Israel. And so the priests are to ask God not to let Israel be so devastated that the Gentiles look with reproach on them. And notice that Israel is to be viewed as God's inheritance. They were His property and the "chosen people" who He would use to bring about His grand plan of redemption of the world. As God's "chosen people" their actions would reflect directly on the glory and majesty of their God! Is this not convicting? For today, the lost are watching the redeemed to see if their actions give a proper opinion of the God in Whom they claim to believe! (cf Mt 5:14-16-note). For example Solomon ended his prayer of dedication of the Temple (1 Ki 8:1-66)... “For You have separated them (ISRAEL) from all the peoples of the earth as Your inheritance, as You spoke through Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers forth from Egypt, O Lord GOD.” (1 Ki 8:53) Hubbard elaborates - In a religious context where each nation honoured its own god and looked to it for welfare, any reversal of the nation’s fortunes had to be interpreted as evidence of the national god’s impotence. Yahweh’s refusal to intervene on behalf of his people would be seriously misinterpreted by Israel’s neighbours (Exod. 32:12; Num. 14:13–16; Deut. 9:28) and probably branded as failure. The very taunt these people would use to deride Israel is cited: ‘Where is their God?’ (cf. Pss 42:10; 79:10; Mic. 7:10). Their shame becomes Yahweh’s shame. The parallel passages from Psalms (Ps 44:13; 79:4; 89:41) illustrate both the continuity and variety of expression in the prayers of communal complaint (cf. also Ezek. 22:4; 36:30)... God’s failure to rescue Israel would be thrown in their faces by their foes with the same regularity and intensity with which Saul’s ill-fated attempts at prophesying were thrown at would-be prophets (1 Sa. 10:12). (TCOT) Gilliland - These men plead that the heritage of the Lord be spared and the heathen be silenced. How quick the Gentiles have been to make the Lord's people a byword. The condition of a disobedient people reflects upon the honour of their God. The perception of His character by the onlooking heathen is tethered to their condition. When things are not prospering among the people of God, it gives an unbelieving world the pretext it is looking for to trivialize and criticize His glory. Not only does contempt fill the lips of the Gentiles, but also bitter cynicism as they ask, "Where is their God?". With biting sarcasm they ask what kind of God allows His people to be like this. If He exists at all, "Where is He?". The answer to this question is in the very passage. God's people can find Him waiting at the end of the road of repentance. There He waits to be gracious. He will forgive His returning people and when His blessing is restored even the heathen will have an answer to their sceptical question. Then God will be seen to be "in the midst of Israel" (Joel 27), in the midst of His repentant and restored people. Their prosperity will be a testimonial to His greatness, mercy and majesty. (What the Bible Teaches – Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah) Reproach (02781)(cherpah) means scorn, disgrace, contempt (referring to a state of dishonor and low status), shame, taunt, slur. It refers to the casting of blame or scorn on someone. Reproach in English describes censure mingled with contempt or derision. It expresses rebuke or disapproval. As an aside on the cross Christ bore the shame of our sin. Other passages describe Israel as God's inheritance Joel 3:2 I will gather all the nations And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; And they have divided up My land. Exodus 19:5 ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; Deuteronomy 7:6 “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. Deuteronomy 9:29 ‘Yet they are Your people, even Your inheritance, whom You have brought out by Your great power and Your outstretched arm.’ Deuteronomy 32:9 “For the LORD’S portion is His people; Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance. Psalm 94:14 For the LORD will not abandon His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance. Psalm 106:4-5 Remember me, O LORD, in Your favor toward Your people; Visit me with Your salvation, 5 That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones, That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may glory with Your inheritance. A byword among the nations - It is interesting that after Israel made a golden calf and God was ready to destroy them, Moses interceded for them Then Moses entreated the LORD his God, and said, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 “Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? (IF ISRAEL IS A BYWORD TO THE NATIONS ULTIMATELY IT IS NOT ABOUT THEM AS MUCH AS IT IS ABOUT THE RENOWN OF THEIR GOD! THE SAME IS TRUE TODAY DEAR CHRIST FOLLOWER! THE WORLD IS WATCHING AND READY TO ASK "WHERE IS THEIR GOD?") Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. 13 “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people. (Ex 32:11-14) A byword (a taught song)(04912)(mashal) is the common Hebrew word for proverbs, short, pithy sayings, prophetic utterances, or compositions of comparison. Here in Joel 2:17 mashal conveys the sense of a byword spoken of in contempt or derision (Dt. 28:37; 1 Ki. 9:7; Ps. 44:14; 69:11). A byword is a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true. In short it is a proverb-like saying or question that is hurled at any enemy as a taunt (cf. Isa. 14:4). Why should they among the peoples say, 'Where is their God?'" - This is of course would be the natural reaction of the Gentiles if Israel were given over by God to a "locust like" destruction. Joel 2:18 Then the LORD will be zealous for His land and will have pity on His people. Then the LORD will be zealous for His land: Isa 42:13 Zec 1:14 8:2 will have pity on His people: De 32:16,36,43 Jdg 10:16 Ps 103:13,17 Isa 60:10 63:9,15 Jer 31:20 La 3:22 Ho 11:8,9 Lu 15:20 Jas 5:11 NLT Then the LORD will pity his people and jealously guard the honor of his land. NIV Then the LORD will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people. THE TURNING POINT IN JOEL FROM JUDGMENT TO RESTORATION Then - expression of time - e.g. then - Then marks a progression in a sequence of events and thus is an especially valuable "marker" (or "clue") when one is studying prophetic passages where the Spirit is clearly laying out a pattern or a sequence of events. If you miss the "then," well "then" (pun intended) you could just end up missing the gist of the prophecy! So always pause when you encounter a "then" especially at the beginning of a sentence. Consider the "5P's" - Pause to Ponder the Passage then Practice it in the Power of the Spirit. So from Joel 2:18-3:21 describes restoration of the nation, moving from the previous descriptions of judgment to the following descriptions of blessing. God had predicted this reversal through Moses in Deut 30:1-9-note. In Joel 2:18 the NAS (NIV, KJV, NLT) uses the future tense to translate the text. And from Joel 2:18 to Joel 3:21 the NAS uses future tense 33 times in 16 verses. Technically, the Hebrew (and I am not a Hebrew expert) in Joel 2:18 is said to favor the "past tense" so instead of the LORD "will be zealous and will have pity on His people" (NAS), the ESV (and NET) translates it "the LORD became jealous and had pity on His people." Most Hebrew experts favor the latter translation as the most accurate literal translation. However, as noted below there is no record of Israel responding as a nation to God's call in Joel 2:12-17 suggesting it is yet future. Also, the context of many of the events in Joel 2:18-3:21 are unquestionably descriptive of a future time yet to be fulfilled. For example (keeping context in mind), even the very next verse Joel 2:19 has the phrase "I will never again make you a reproach among the nations." which even the ESV and NET agree should be translated with future tense. Why? There clearly has NEVER been a time when there was NO Anti-Semitism, a time when the nation of Israel was not hated by most of the nations of the world, a time when Israel was not a reproach among the nations (Gentiles)! Even as I write in January, 2018, the United Nations has tried to block President Donald Trump's 2017 decision to move the U S embassy from Tel Aviv to the capital city of Jerusalem (In a collective act of defiance toward Washington, the United Nations General Assembly voted 128 to 9, with 35 abstentions, for a resolution demanding that the United States rescind its Dec. 6, 2017 declaration on Jerusalem, the contested holy city). The reproach among the nations has been "off the charts" so to speak! In summary, while the Hebrew text does not favor a future tense in Joel 2:18, the context of this entire section clearly has a "future focus," which is undeniable and irrefutable! So I (not a Hebrew scholar) chose to favor translating Joel 2:18 as future. Now I realize that God has always been jealous for His people and has always had pity on them, but His jealously and His pity on Israel and Jerusalem will come to a "crushing crescendo consummation" at the end of this age. Then highlights a promise of salvation and restoration to those in Israel who heed the "11th hour appeal!" As alluded to above, Joel does not describe a specific assembly in which the nation repenting (and returned to Jehovah) and to my knowledge we have no other Biblical or historical record of the entire nation repenting and returning! Yes there was a solemn assembly described in Nehemiah 8:18 after the return from the Babylonian exile, but this was "according to the ordinance" (Lev 23:36) and was not the unique, specially called assembly described in Joel 2:12-17. In short, the nation of Israel (in my estimation) has yet to fulfill the conditions of Joel 2:12-17, and this is why we find no Biblical or historical description of an assembly which surely would have been front page news on the "Jerusalem Post!." No, this time of national repentance seems to await a future fulfillment (and probably accounts for the NAS, NIV, NLT translating the verbs as future) and would be very compatible with the events in Israel in the last days as described by the prophet Zechariah... “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 11 “In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem (cf Joel 2:12-17), like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 “The land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi (PRIESTS) by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself and their wives by themselves. 1 “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity. (Zech 12:10-14-note; Zechariah 13:1-note). And so Joel now moves from emphasis on judgment of Israel to restoration of Israel in the remainder of his prophecy. And with supernatural "warp speed" he takes us from the ancient date of his prophecy to the very end of this present age, to the time when the Day of the LORD will be fully consummated by the return of the Messiah Who will destroy all godless usurpers and will rule and reign over planet earth. Duane Garrett observes that "The Hebrew verb forms mark a sharp transition here. The text at this point abruptly moves from crisis and lamentation for God’s people to salvation and vindication. The NIV translation (using future tense forms) is defensible, but the text would be better rendered, “Now the LORD is jealous for his land, and he has been moved to compassion over his people.(The Hebrew suddenly introduces waw-consecutive forms here with וַיְקַנֵּא and וַיַּחְמֹל. While the waw-consecutive (or better, wayyiqtol) form is virtually a past tense in prose narrative, its use in poetic and prophetic texts is not well understood. Clearly we should not repoint the text. Probably the wayyiqtol forms imply that Yahweh’s sudden decision to save the nation is a consequence of their repentance. They also signal that the whole direction and tone of the book is now taking a dramatic turn. They seem to imply that Yahweh had already decided to save Israel.)” (New American Commentary - Volume 19A - Hosea-Joel) NET Note - The time-frame entertained by the verbs of Joel 2:18 constitutes a crux interpretum in this chapter. The Hebrew verb forms used here are preterites with vav consecutive and are most naturally understood as describing a past situation. However, some modern English versions render these verbs as futures (e.g., NIV, NAS, NLT), apparently concluding that the context requires a future reference. According to Joüon 2:363 §112.h, n.1 Ibn Ezra explained the verbs of Joel 2:18 as an extension of the so-called prophetic perfect; as such, a future fulfillment was described with a past tense as a rhetorical device lending certainty to the fulfillment. But this lacks adequate precedent and is very unlikely from a syntactical standpoint. It seems better to take the verbs in the normal past sense of the preterite. This would require a vantage point for the prophet at some time after the people had responded favorably to the Lord's call for repentance and after the Lord had shown compassion and forgiveness toward his people, but before the full realization of God's promises to restore productivity to the land. In other words, it appears from the verbs of vv. 18–19 that at the time of Joel's writing this book the events of successive waves of locust invasion and conditions of drought had almost run their course and the people had now begun to turn to the Lord. (Net Notes Joel 2) MacArthur sees this passage as a key turning point in God's dealings with Israel - With the advent of Joel 2:18, the text makes a decisive transition, devoting the remainder of the book to restoration. It assumes an interval of time between Joel 2:17 and Joel 2:18 during which Israel repented. As a result of her repentance, the 3 major concerns of Joel 1:1–2:17 are answered by the Lord: physical restoration (Joel 2:21–27), spiritual restoration (Joel 2:28–32), and national restoration (Joel 3:1–21). (MacArthur Study Bible) (Bolding added) JEHOVAH JEALOUS FOR HIS LAND The LORD will be zealous - This refers to God's zeal for the protection of His Name and His honor. Zechariah writes So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. (Zechariah 1:14, cf Isa. 26:11; Ezek. 36:5-6; 38:19) MacArthur gives a good summary - God first described Himself as jealous when making His covenant with Israel (Ex 20:5; 34:14). This same jealousy had been experienced by Israel in punishment (cf. Dt 29:18-28; Eze 5:13). That same jealous love is expressed emphatically in the city's defense. (MacArthur Study Bible) “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘I am exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.’ (Zech. 8:2) ESV Study Note - Jealousy here is a deep devotion that leads the Lord to intervene, saving his people for the sake of his own glory (Ezek. 39:25; Zech. 1:14; 8:2 - Ed Comment: The Ezekiel 39:25-note passage is clearly in the context of the last days when Messiah returns and delivers Israel from annihilation and restores Israel to the land promised to Abraham in Genesis 15:18ff-note!). David Levy - God loves Israel so much that He is “jealous for his land”. His eye is continually on it in protective care throughout the year (Deut. 11:12). One can imagine how it grieved the heart of God to bring judgment on Israel. (Friends of Israel) Moody Bible Commentary - The Lord identified the people of Israel as His people and the land of Israel as His land, indicating His faithful covenant relationship with them (cf. Ge 12:1–3). The word zealous depicts the righteous, jealous ardor a husband would have for his wife, indicating God’s zeal for Israel. The word pity describes an emotional feeling that causes sparing from difficulty, indicating that God would come to Israel’s aid if they would turn to Him. Garrett on the LORD will be zealous for His land - The idiom for being “jealous for” something occurs several times in the sense of people being devoted to and defending the honor of Yahweh (e.g., Nu 25:13). Here, as in Ezek 39:25; Zech 1:14 and 8:2, Yahweh is zealous for the nation in the sense that he identifies himself with it, protects it, and upholds the covenant. This quality especially emerges in the context of the nations’ abuse of Israel, as in Zech 1:14–15: “I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry [i.e., with Jerusalem], but they [i.e., the Gentiles] added to the calamity [i.e., by tormenting the Jews].” At the same time, Yahweh is motivated by pure compassion. Thus the two grounds for God’s work of salvation are his covenant bond with the people and his merciful nature. (Ibid) What is His land? - This is the land of Palestine over which there has been conflict for centuries, but which will be resolved once and for all in the last days. Zechariah writes “The LORD will possess Judah as His portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem. (Zech 2:12) Hubbard observes that "With this impassioned plea the first half of the book (Joel 1:1-2:17), with its terrible scourge, comes to a close. Not with the threat of judgment but with an offer of hope. The whole section has moved to a climax in prayer, prayer based not only on the terror of the plague but on the glory of God’s name. No higher appeal, no grander motivation, can there be....Between verses 17 and 18, we should presume that the invitation and commands of verses 12–17 have been accepted and obeyed. (TCOT). Zealous (jealous)(07065)(qanah from qin'ah = zeal, ardor - from color produced in face by deep emotion) means to be jealous, to be envious, to be zealous. The picture is that of intense fervor, passion, and emotion. Zeal is an eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something and implies energetic and unflagging pursuit of an aim or devotion to a cause. Jealousy can be righteous or unrighteous - e.g., Genesis 37:11 records that Joseph's "brothers were jealous of him" and here we see the mindset and emotion of their fleshly jealousy led to unrighteous deeds! Contrast Phinehas godly jealousy that motivated righteous deeds (Nu 25:7-8, 11, 13)! Jamieson, Fausset, Brown - as a husband jealous of any dishonor done to the wife whom he loves, as if done to himself. The Hebrew comes from an Arabic root, “to be flushed in face” through indignation. Israel repeatedly made God "jealous with strange gods...with what is not God." (Deut 32:16, 21, cf 1 Ki 14:22, Ps 78:58, Ezek 8:3). While His jealously resulted in judgment of Israel on one hand, ultimately it would be associated with blessing God declaring "Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name." (Ezek 39:25, cf Zech 8:2). The Septuagint translates qanah in Joel 2:18 with the Greek verb is zeloo (from zelos = zeal in turn from zeo = boil; source of our English word "zeal") which means to be fervent, to "boil" with envy, to be jealous. Have pity (02550)(chamal) describes the LORD's compassion on His people thus sparing them from total destruction. The word spare implies that the chosen people deserved judgment, so the priests plead for mercy. This same verb is used twice in Malachi 3:17-18 where God says He will spare His people in that day... “They will be Mine (language of covenant, specifically the New Covenant promised to Israel and to Judah in Jer 31:31-34-note),” says the LORD of hosts, “on the day that I prepare My own (segullah - treasured, special) possession (a fulfillment of Ex 19:5), and I will spare (chamal) them as a man spares (chamal) his own son who serves him.” 18 So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him. Comment: When is "on that day"? This is a future, and is one aspect of the more general term the Day of the LORD, for when Messiah returns (Mal 3:1-note, Mal 3:2 = "who can endure the day of His coming?") to redeem a righteous remnant in Israel (those who fear Him - Mal 3:16, Mal 4:2-note) as described by Zechariah 13:8-9-note. (cf Zech 12:10-14-note, Zech 13:1-note) John
Joel 2
Wiersbe - Joel now looks beyond the invasion to the time when God would heal His land and restore his blessings to His people. Just as He blew the locusts into the depths of the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea (eastern and western seas), so He could drive the invading army out of the land. In one night, God killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, and Sennacherib went home a defeated king (Isa. 37:36–38). The corpses must have created quite a stench before they were buried. (Be Amazed) Feinberg on the LORD will answer and say to His people - When the faintest cry of the penitent is uttered, it does not escape the ear of the Lord. His zeal and His jealousy on behalf of His people are aroused and He goes forth to bless them unstintingly. He remembers the wounds of His land and He heals them. He is mindful of the sorrows of His people, and He graciously solaces them. The grain, the new wine, and the oil, long withheld because of their sin, will be restored; the land will give its produce and they will be abundantly satisfied. God will remove their reproach among the nations, and He will exalt them as head of the nations. In that conclusion of the day of Jehovah, the Lord will utterly rout the army of the invading Assyrian (ED:SEE Micah 5:5-6-note), the army of the northern power. (Literal locusts, mark you, would scarcely be called “the northern army.") The land barren and desolate is Arabia, the eastern sea is the Dead Sea, and the western sea is the Mediterranean. In short, the army will be divided and completely annihilated. All this will come upon the enemy because he has exalted himself in his pride. See the book of Nahum concerning the pride of the Assyrian, also Zechariah 10:11. (The Minor Prophets) Moody Bible Commentary - The restoration of Israel follows their judgment. After the evening darkness will come the blessing of morning light, expressing both aspects of the Day of the Lord. He will restore the blessings. (Bolding added) I agree with Duane Garrett that in this verse "Yahweh proleptically decreed that he would undo the two curses of agricultural disaster (Joel 1:9–17-note) and humiliation among the Gentile powers (Joel 2:17; cf. Jer 51:51; Ezek 5:15; 22:4). This verse is proleptic in the sense that it only announces in brief what is explored in much more detail in the following verses." (NAC) (Bolding added) (Webster's Dictionary defines prolepsis as "the representation or assumption of a future act or development as if presently existing or accomplished.") Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied in full with them - Note this is a complete reversal of the destruction of the grain...wine...oil in the locust plague (Joel 1:10-note, cf the blessing in Joel 2:21-22-note). To some degree we can see this material blessing in the land of Israel today. However, note that this bestowal of material blessing is linked with the removal of global reproach for Israel, an event which awaits a future fulfillment. That said, this section refers to the abundant material blessing on Israel in the future, in the day of the Millennium, as described in many OT passages Amos 9:13; 14 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “When the plowman will overtake the reaper And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; When the mountains will drip sweet wine And all the hills will be dissolved. 14 “Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, And they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, And make gardens and eat their fruit.
Joel 2
Wiersbe notes that "Some Bible scholars believe that Psalm 126 (see below) grew out of this event, for it describes a sudden and surprising deliverance that startled the nation. (Judah’s return from Babylonian Captivity was neither sudden or surprising.) “The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad” (Ps 126:3) is echoed in Joel 2:21, “Be glad and rejoice; for the Lord will do great things.” Both Joel 2:23–27 and Psalm 126:5–6 describe the restoration of the ravaged earth and the return of the harvests. This fulfilled what Isaiah promised to King Hezekiah (Isa. 37:30). (Be Amazed) A Song of Ascents. When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion, We were like those who dream. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them” 3 The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad (cf Joel 2:21). 4 Restore our captivity, O LORD, As the streams in the South. 5 Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. 6 He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. Comment: Notice that verse 4 is a prayer so while the psalmist was joyful because the Lord had restored them to their land, he prayed for a full restoration. This restoration will be realized in Messiah's coming kingdom. For the LORD has done great things - "For" (term of explanation) gives the reason for rejoicing and gladness. Is this not universally true? How our hearts soar to heaven and to God when we see the LORD do great things like convert a resistant relative or faithless friend who has held out their heart from the "Hound of Heaven" for years but finally surrenders to the Savior and is saved! O glorious day of our great God! (cf Do we really believe Jer 33:3-note - written to the Jews but applicable to all believers)
Joel 2
Wiersbe - In Acts 2, Peter did not say that Joel’s prophecy was being fulfilled. He said that the same Holy Spirit Joel wrote about (“this is that”) had now come and was empowering the believers to praise God in various languages understood by the Jews who were assembled in Jerusalem from many parts of the Roman Empire (Act 2:5–12). In his prophecy, Joel promised “wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.… The sun … turned into darkness, and the moon into blood” (Joel 2:30–31), but there is no record that any of these things occurred at Pentecost. The miracle that fascinated the crowd was the miracle of the tongues, not remarkable signs of nature. Some say that the darkening of the sun from noon until three o’clock (Matt. 27:45) and the local earthquake (Mt 27:51–54) fulfilled Joel’s promise, but Matthew doesn’t say so. Invariably, when something happened that fulfilled Scripture, Matthew calls it to our attention (Mt 26:24, 56; 27:9, 35). At least twelve times in his Gospel, Matthew uses the word “fulfilled” to point to an Old Testament messianic prophecy, but he doesn’t include Joel 2:28–32. Furthermore, Joel’s promise included a much wider audience than the one Peter addressed at Pentecost. Peter’s audience was made up of men (Acts 2:22, 29+) who were either Jews or Gentile proselytes to Judaism (Acts 2:11). The Gentiles didn’t enter into the blessing of the Spirit until Cornelius and his family and friends were converted (Acts 10:1-11:30). Peter used Joel’s prophecy to declare that the promised Spirit had come and this was why the believers, men and women (Acts 1:14), were praising God in such an ecstatic manner. Peter was answering the accusation that the believers were drunk (Acts 2:13–16+) and backing up his defense from the Scriptures. When it comes to Israel, “the last days” (or “latter times”) will involve both tribulation and exaltation (Isa. 2:1–5; Micah 4:1–5), a time of trouble followed by a time of triumph and glory. As far as the church is concerned, “the last days” involve “perilous times” of satanic opposition in the world and apostasy in the church (1 Ti 4:1–5; 2 Ti 3:1–8; 2 Pe 3:1–9; 1 Jn 2:18–23; Jude 1:18–19)....Certainly the church today needs a new filling of the Spirit of God. Apart from the ministry of the Spirit, believers can’t witness with power (Acts 1:8), understand the Scriptures (John 16:13), glorify Christ (John 16:14), pray in the will of God (Rom. 8:26–27), or develop Christian character (Gal. 5:22–23). We need to be praying for revival, a deeper working of the Spirit in His people, leading to confession of sin, repentance, forgiveness, and unity. (ED: SEE MY RELATED ARTICLE -A Spirit Filled Church) (Be Amazed) It will come about after this - After what? What has Joel been describing? He has been describing promises that describe the time when the nation will return and rend their hearts. This has not yet occurred as a nation. It follows that while there has been a partial fulfillment as Peter describes in the book of Acts (Acts 2:16-18ff+), there remains a final and complete fulfillment in the last days yet to come. It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind - While clearly the Spirit was poured out on the Jewish believers at Pentecost at the inception of the Church, in another sense He is "poured" out on every soul that places their faith in the Messiah (cf Ro 5:5-note, Titus 3:5-6-note). And yet these outpourings are not the fulfillment of Joel 2:28ff, for the full outpouring awaits the Messianic Age. Zechariah prophesies that God will make it possible for a remnant of Israel to return to Him declaring... And I (MESSIAH) will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me (MESSIAH) Whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him (MESSIAH), as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born." (Zechariah 12:10ff-commentary) John MacArthur has this note in his introduction to the Book of Acts in his section entitled "Interpretative Challenges" - A second issue confronting the interpreter is Peter's quotation from Joel 2:28-32 in Acts 2:16-21. Some have viewed the phenomena of Acts 2 and the destruction of Jerusalem in AD. 70 as the fulfillment of the Joel passage, while others have reserved its fulfillment to the final Day of the Lord only—but clearly Joel is referring to the final terrible Day of the Lord. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was not a fulfillment, but a preview and sample of the Spirit's power and work to be released fully and finally in the Messiah's kingdom after the Day of the Lord. (Interpretative Challenges) (Bolding added for emphasis) Duane Garrett on the Spirit poured out - The prophets often associated the Spirit with the eschatological era, but they did not always do it in precisely the same manner as did Joel. As H. W. Wolff points out, Ezekiel promised that in the age to come God would by his Spirit enable people to obey God from the heart (Ezek 36:26–27). Isaiah foretold a day when God would pour out his Spirit in order to create a new community and a new people of God (32:14–18; 44:3–5). In Joel, by contrast, the gift of the Spirit is prophetic. It enables people to prophesy, to experience revelatory dreams, and to see visions. These different aspects of the eschatological outpouring of the Spirit do not contradict but complement each other. The gift of the Spirit connotes direct experience with God, as in Joel, as well as the grace that enables his people to love God from the heart, as in Ezekiel. It also is the distinctive sign and mark of membership in the new people of God, as in Isaiah. In short, the coming age would be an age marked by the presence of the Spirit (contrast 1 Sam 3:1). (New American Commentary) NET Note - This passage plays a key role in the apostolic explanation of the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost recorded in Acts 2:17–21. Peter introduces his quotation of this passage with "this is that spoken by the prophet Joel" (Acts 2:16; cf. the similar pesher formula used at Qumran). The New Testament experience at Pentecost is thus seen in some sense as a fulfillment of this Old Testament passage, even though that experience did not exhaustively fulfill Joel's words (ED COMMENT: IN OTHER WORDS PENTECOST WAS NOT THE PERFECT FULFILLMENT BUT ONLY A PARTIAL PREVIEW OF THINGS TO COME AT THE END OF THIS AGE). Some portions of Joel's prophecy have no precise counterpart in that experience. For example, there is nothing in the experience recorded in Acts 2 that exactly corresponds to the earthly and heavenly signs described in Joel 3:3–4...The equative language that Peter employs ("this is that") stresses an incipient fulfillment (ED: "PARTIAL FULFILLMENT") of the Joel passage without precluding or minimizing a yet future and more exhaustive fulfillment in events associated with the return of Christ. (Bolding added for emphasis). (Net Notes Joel 2) Pour out ((08210)(shaphak) means to pour out literally (of fluid - Ex 4:9, Dt 12:16) or blood on the altar (Ex. 29:12; Lev. 4:7; Dt. 12:27). Shaphak describes the casting up of a mound against a city to form a siege ramp for attacking it (2 Sa 20:15; Ezek. 4:2; Da 11:15). A dependent prayer is described as the pouring out of one’s soul (1Sa 1:15; Ps. 42:4), one’s heart (Ps. 62:8; Lam 2:19); or one’s inner parts before the Lord (Lam 2:11). Keil and Delitzsch observe that shaphak "signifies communication in rich abundance, like a rain-fall or water-fall. For the communication of the Spirit of God was not entirely wanting to the covenant nation from the very first. In fact, the Spirit of God was the only inward bond between the Lord and His people; but it was confined to the few whom God endowed as prophets with the gift of His Spirit. This limitation was to cease in the future. What Moses expressed as a wish—namely, that the people were all prophets, and the Lord would put His Spirit upon them (Nu 11:29)—was to be fulfilled in the future. (Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament - Volume 10: The Minor Prophets) But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD’S people were prophets, that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!”(Numbers 11:29) John