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Introduction

The book of Joel comes second among the twelve minor prophets (Major and Minor Prophets). Little is known about the man behind it. Though there are multiple men named Joel in the Old Testament, none has been identified as being the man who wrote this book, and the book itself says little about him.

Because the book mentions “Judah” and “Jerusalem” a half a dozen times each, we can assume Joel lived in the southern kingdom (The Divided Kingdom). The oldest traditions are that this Joel was a contemporary of Isaiah (who comes first among the major prophets) and Hosea (who comes first among the minor prophets).

The most notable aspect of this short book is the prominent place it occupies in the New Testament. Specifically, it is the first Old Testament book quoted in the first message preached about Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. To see it in its context, look to Acts 2:17-21 where Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32. Look also to the notes I wrote below in an attempt to convey how profoundly important this NT quotation of the OT is.

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Joel 1

The Devastation of Locusts

Things are not going well for God’s people and Joel wants them to take notice and do something about it.

Joel 1:3 – What is one generation teaching the next? We should always have a good answer to this question.

Starvation and Drought

Joel warns the people that if they don’t repent things are going to get worse for them.

Joel 1:15 – “the day,” “the day of the Lord” – See The day of the Lord.

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Joel 2

The Terrible Visitation

Joel 2:1-2 – “the day of the Lord“

Joel 2:11 – “the day of the Lord

Joel 2:13 – “gracious“ ***** “lovingkindness“

Deliverance Promised

Joel 2:18 – Since the Lord has zeal for us (see also Isaiah 9:6-7), shouldn’t we have zeal for Him?

The Promise of the Spirit and the Day of the Lord

Joel 2:28-32 – Overview: This prophecy is a blossoming of the hope Moses expressed in Num 11:29. It was dramatically fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven and fifty days after He was raised from the dead. This is documented in Acts 2, with a direct quotation of this promise of God through Joel in Acts 2:17-21. Also, 1 Cor 14:31 documents that the promise was regularly fulfilled whenever New Testament believers gathered (though there were occasionally exceptions, but only temporary – such as in Acts 8:14-17 and Acts 19:1-7). To be devoid of the Spirit was – and still is – a state to be avoided (Jude 1:19).

Here is Peter’s quotation of Joel 2:28-32 on the day of Pentecost. I’m providing the context, which is the entirety of the second chapter of Acts. I’ve put the Joel quotation in bold print. What’s in bold print explains was happening in both the beginning (when people were “speaking by”filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking with other tongues”) and the end (when people were “selling their property and possessions”) of this chapter.

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
Acts 2:3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.
Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
Acts 2:5 Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven.
Acts 2:6 And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language.
Acts 2:7 They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
Acts 2:8 “And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?
Acts 2:9 “Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
Acts 2:10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
Acts 2:11 Cretans and Arabs–we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.”
Acts 2:12 And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
Acts 2:13 But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.”
Acts 2:14 But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.
Acts 2:15 “For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day;
Acts 2:16 but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:
Acts 2:17 ‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says,
‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND;
AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY,
AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS,
AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS;
Acts 2:18 EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN,
I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT
And they shall prophesy.
Acts 2:19 ‘AND I WILL GRANT WONDERS IN THE SKY ABOVE
AND SIGNS ON THE EARTH BELOW,
BLOOD, AND FIRE, AND VAPOR OF SMOKE.
Acts 2:20 ‘THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS
AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD,
BEFORE THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE LORD SHALL COME.
Acts 2:21 ‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’
Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know–
Acts 2:23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
Acts 2:24 “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
Acts 2:25 “For David says of Him,
‘I SAW THE LORD ALWAYS IN MY PRESENCE;
FOR HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND, SO THAT I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN.
Acts 2:26 ‘THEREFORE MY HEART WAS GLAD AND MY TONGUE EXULTED;
MOREOVER MY FLESH ALSO WILL LIVE IN HOPE;
Acts 2:27 BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT ABANDON MY SOUL TO HADES,
NOR ALLOW YOUR HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY.
Acts 2:28 ‘YOU HAVE MADE KNOWN TO ME THE WAYS OF LIFE;
YOU WILL MAKE ME FULL OF GLADNESS WITH YOUR PRESENCE.’
Acts 2:29 “Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
Acts 2:30 “And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE,
Acts 2:31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY.
Acts 2:32 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.
Acts 2:33 “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.
Acts 2:34 “For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says:
‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,
“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
Acts 2:35 UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.”‘
Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ–this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”
Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:39 “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
Acts 2:40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”
Acts 2:41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
Acts 2:42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Acts 2:43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
Acts 2:44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;
Acts 2:45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.
Acts 2:46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,
Acts 2:47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

There are some things I want you to notice about the Joel quotation.

• Peter is not using it to talk about Jesus per se, but rather to explain why the Holy Spirit has been poured out on a group of about 120 people, men and women. Peter uses other Old Testament quotations in this message to declare that Jesus is Messiah and Lord, but the Joel quotation serves contextual purposes.)
• Peter is using the Joel quotation to establish in the people’s minds that “the last days” have come. The last days have been prophesied by Joel and the other prophets, but they did not mean the last days of the world but rather the last days of Israel. There is a direct connection between the kingdom of God coming (which John the Baptist and Jesus both preached) and the last days of Israel arriving. The kingdom of God was going to replace Israel. Note that the kingdom of God is invisible and the nation of Israel was visible. It will take faith for the Jews to move forward; following after the flesh will fail them. (Walking in the Spirit and Not in the Flesh)
• “The last days” would culminate in “the day of the Lord” – another concept declared and taught by Israel’s Old Testament prophets. Joel has been talking about the day of the Lord in his book. He mentions it more than a half-dozen times. It is a day of God’s judgment – like His judgment on Sodom. For more, see the day of the Lord.
• There is a connection between what Joel prophesied and some of the people “selling their property and possessions” (Acts 2:44-45) in the wake of Peter’s message. It is that these people realized that if Joel’s prophecy was being fulfilled – that is, if it was Israel’s last days – that there was no future for a Jew owning land in Israel; therefore, they were looking to join the Diaspora to live the new life with Messiah. Indeed, over the next few decades practically all of the believing Jews would be driven out of Israel by the unbelieving Jews. Jesus’ followers were inheriting His persecutors.
• One other thing to keep in mind: Only Jews are in view at this time. Gentiles would not be invited to partake in the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ until Acts 10.

Peter quoted Joel before he said anything else. In part, this was because he wanted to set the record straight about the fact that he and the 120 with him (Acts 1:12-15) were not drunk but rather were speaking by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. But the Joel quotation also set the context for what he was going to say about Jesus’ resurrection, ascension, and identity. That context was the consummation of ancient Israel’s purpose – which was to produce the Messiah. Once Messiah had come, Israel’s days were numbered because there was no longer a need or reason to sustain it any longer. In due time (70 AD – Key Dates of Ancient Israel), it would be destroyed. That is, it would experience “the day of the Lord.” This was the point of Joel’s prophecy – Israel’s citizens were now in “the valley of decision” (see note below on Joel 3:14-15): Jesus or the status quo.

How did Peter, or any of the other apostles for that matter, become able to understand and explain such Scriptures – especially in such rapid fire fashion. If you’re familiar with the Gospels, you know that they were very dense about such things when following Jesus around Galilee, Samaria, and Judea. What changed them? The 40-Day Bible Study of Jesus the Messiah. In other words, Peter and his fellow apostles had received intense coaching by Jesus for 40 days before launching their ministry of preaching the good news about Him. Jesus had put Himself through a 40-day period of preparation for His ministry on earth, but for Him, it involved being tempted by the devil in the desert (Matt 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). The apostles were assigned the easier task of paying attention to a wise teacher. Like any good leader, He always made things easier for His followers than He Himself had it. The 40 ays between Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and His ascension into heaven weren’t merely for convincing His apostles that He was actually alive, but also to show them how the Scriptures had prophesied it all.

Joel 2:32 – Paul quotes this one verse in his letter to the Romans. Here’s the quotation with a little of the surrounding context.

Rom 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;
Rom 10:13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”
Rom 10:14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?

On that special day of Pentecost, Peter stated in unequivocal terms the name of the Lord: It was the Jesus they all knew…but now alive from the dead!

Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ–this Jesus whom you crucified.”

It is calling on that name that “saves” us – and no other name does this.

Acts 4:11 “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone.
Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Therefore, as Paul suggests, we must be thankful for preachers for how can anyone call on a name he has not heard?

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Joel 3

The Nations Will Be Judged

Joel 3:14-15 – “the day of the Lord“ ***** These two verses echo notes sounded in Joel 2:28-32. ***** The time period from the beginning of Acts to the end of Revelation was “the valley of decision” for Jews. They could believe in their Messiah and follow Him wherever He led, or they could cling to the corpse that Israel had become. Likewise Christians can believe in Christ and follow Him wherever He leads, or they can cling to the corpse that the church has become.

Joel 3:16-17 – Joel is prophesying of the Jerusalem above. See note on Joel 3:18-21 below.

Judah Will Be Blessed

Joel 3:18-21 – This description of Jerusalem closely matches the one described in Rev 21-22.

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