Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming.
It is close at hand—
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness.
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
a large and mighty army comes,
such as never was in ancient times
nor ever will be in ages to come.
Before them fire devours,
behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,
behind them, a desert waste—
nothing escapes them.
They have the appearance of horses;
they gallop along like cavalry.
With a noise like that of chariots
they leap over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire consuming stubble,
like a mighty army drawn up for battle.
At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;
every face turns pale.
They charge like warriors;
they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,
not swerving from their course.
They do not jostle each other;
each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defenses
without breaking ranks.
They rush upon the city;
they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses;
like thieves they enter through the windows.
Before them the earth shakes,
the heavens tremble,
the sun and moon are darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.
The Lord thunders
at the head of his army;
his forces are beyond number,
and mighty is the army that obeys his command.
The day of the Lord is great;
it is dreadful.
Who can endure it?
“Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
Who knows? He may turn and relent
and leave behind a blessing—
grain offerings and drink offerings
for the Lord your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion,
declare a holy fast,
call a sacred assembly.
Gather the people,
consecrate the assembly;
bring together the elders,
gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room
and the bride her chamber.
Let the priests, who minister before the Lord,
weep between the portico and the altar.
Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”
Then the Lord was jealous for his land
and took pity on his people.
The Lord replied to them:
“I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil,
enough to satisfy you fully;
never again will I make you
an object of scorn to the nations.
“I will drive the northern horde far from you,
pushing it into a parched and barren land;
its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea
and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea.
And its stench will go up;
its smell will rise.”
Surely he has done great things!
Do not be afraid, land of Judah;
be glad and rejoice.
Surely the Lord has done great things!
Do not be afraid, you wild animals,
for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green.
The trees are bearing their fruit;
the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.
Be glad, people of Zion,
rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given you the autumn rains
because he is faithful.
He sends you abundant showers,
both autumn and spring rains, as before.
The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—
the great locust and the young locust,
the other locusts and the locust swarm—
my great army that I sent among you.
You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has worked wonders for you;
never again will my people be shamed.
Then you will know that I am in Israel,
that I am the Lord your God,
and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed.
“And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,
as the Lord has said,
even among the survivors
whom the Lord calls.
- Joel 2:1-32
Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments
Joel 1:2-2:17 ‘The Day of the Lord’: “This first major segment of the book of Joel shows that ‘the day of the Lord’ (1:15) will be a time of invasion. There are two sub-divisions, of which the first, 1:2-14, deals with the historical invasion of locusts. It is this invasion that gave rise to the prophecy as a whole, as Joel prophesies of future invasions. Since this locust invasion was historical, we will turn our attention to the prophecy in the next section.
‘The second subdivision, 1:15-2:17, describes the devastation that is going to occur during the Day of the Lord, the Great Tribulation. Having described the devastation caused by the locusts and pointing out that this was the worst that had ever occurred until that day, Joel now points out that a day is coming when things will get even worse. During the Day of the Lord, the Great Tribulation, there will be an invasion that will prove to be even more devastating than the locust invasion that has just occurred.
“Joel introduces his new theme in 1:15-20. In verse 15, Joel announces the coming Day of the Lord, a time of destruction from the Almighty. It is God’s judgment upon this earth. When that day comes, it will result in a massive devastation even worse than that which occurred from the recent locust invasion. The crops will be destroyed (verses 16-17), and as a result, there will be no sustenance for the temple (verse 16) or the people (verse 17). Livestock will be affected too, for they will have nothing to eat (verses 18-20).
“In 2:1-11, Joel begins to detail the account of the invasion. He begins by sounding the alarm in 2:1: ‘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; surely it is near.’ In the ancient world, an alarm was sounded to announce an approaching army (Numbers 10:9). Here an alarm will sound from the holy mountain, Mount Zion, upon which the temple stands. When this alarm sounds, it will point out that the Day of the Lord has arrived with full force. In verse 2, Joel says this day will be a time of darkness, gloominess, and clouds. These are typical descriptions of the Day of the Lord or the Great Tribulation (Isaiah 8:22; 60:2; Amos 5:18-20; Zephaniah 1:14-16). Joel concludes his description with the words, ‘as the dawn is spread over the mountains.’ In other words, just as dawn is sudden and widespread, so will be the Day of the Lord. It will come not only upon the land of Israel (though that is Joel’s particular focal point), but extend to all parts of the world.”
- Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy
Joel 2:1-2 ‘The Day of the Lord’: ”In chapter 2, the prophet Joel leaps over the centuries to the last days, using the invasion of the locusts as a picture of the invasion of Israel by a great army in the last days. Only by examining the whole stream of prophecy together can we detect that Joel is speaking of the future. Anyone taking this book by itself would never notice any difference, except that the prophet is now describing an invasion by an army of men instead of insects. In describing this event, Joel calls it the day of the Lord…
“Does that sounds familiar? That is the language Jesus used: ‘Then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now-and never to be equaled again’ (Matt. 24:21).“
- Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible
Joel 2:1 ‘trumpet’: “The trumpet (Heb. shophar) was a ram’s horn, blown to alert people of impending danger, the start of the Sabbath, the beginning of the month, and the celebration of various feasts. The holy hill is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. At this point, Joel shifted images from that of an army of locusts to an actual invading army. Locust invasions were normally from the south or southeast, but this army came out of the north and was the instrument of the Lord for destruction to turn the people back to him (v. 20).”
- Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Karen H. Jobes, Minor Prophets contributor)
Joel 2:1 ‘when God intervenes to judge’: “The day of the Lord may refer to any time God intervenes actively to judge or to bless but always points to that final day of judgment at the end of history. The phrase is particularly associated with the latter days and that ‘great and dreadful day of the LORD’ (Joel 2:31; see also Eze 30:3; Ac 2:20; 2Pe 3:10).”
- Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Karen H. Jobes, Minor Prophets contributor)
Joel 2:2 ‘darkness and gloominess … clouds and thick darkness’: “These features describe the blackness of a locust invasion, so thick that it blots out the sun with its deadly living cloud of insects. Such terms are also often common figures for misery and calamity in the OT (Is. 8:22; 60:2; Jer. 13:16; Amos 5:18, 20; Zeph. 1:15) and past visitations of the LORD (Ex. 10:12ff.; 19:16–19; 24:16; Deut. 4:12; 5:22, 23).”
- John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)
Joel 2:3-11 ‘invasion of an army’: “Another description of the day of the Lord is revealed, more terrible than the previous one when the locusts covered the land. This description vividly pictures the invasion of a foreign army, the captivity of Israel and the punishment of Judah. However, even this calamity pales in comparison to the final divine judgment of those who refuse Christ.”
- Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Karen H. Jobes, Minor Prophets contributor)
Joel 2:3 ‘before the locusts came …’: “Before the plague of locusts came, the earth looked like the Garden of Eden. Everything was green with rich, luxurious foliage. The land was beautiful. After the locusts left, there was not a bit of green to be seen. It looked as if a fire had swept over the land.
“The Day of the Lord will be the same in that it will be a time of destruction. When the four horsemen of the Apocalypse ride through this world, there will be war and famine and death. In one fell swoop, one fourth of the population will be wiped out, and at another time, one third of the population will be destroyed.”
- J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible, Vol III, Proverbs to Malachi
Joel 2:4 ‘Their appearance is like … horses’: “The resemblance of the locust’s head to that of a horse is striking, so much so that the prophet reiterates the word ‘appearance.’ Horses were not used for agricultural purposes in ancient times, but were the most feared military equipment (Ex. 15:1ff., 19; Deut. 20:1; Josh. 11:4). The simile continues with ‘like chariots’ (v. 5); ‘like a strong people’ (v. 5); ‘like mighty men’ (v. 7); and ‘like men of war’ (v. 7).”
- John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)
Joel 2:7 ‘locusts in the Bible’: “In the Book of Proverbs it says this: ‘The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands’ (Prov. 30:27). They don’t need a king or a leader—each one knows his place. They come in bands. When Joel describes four different groups of locusts here, I believe he is describing the movement of a great army—an army of locusts. In the last days, there will come against that land another enemy, and it will come like a locust plague. This is a preparation for the Book of Revelation in which the apostle John writes of a locust plague that will take place on the earth during the first woe which follows the blowing of the fifth trumpet: ‘And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads’ (Rev. 9:1–4).
“This is an unusual locust that will not attack anything green—that is all the normal locust would attack. They did not attack human beings. But these locusts will attack ‘only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.’
“It will be such a terrifying time that men will seek death and will not be able to find it; that is, they will not be able to commit suicide: ‘And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them’ (Rev. 9:5–6).
“Now notice this description of the locusts: ‘And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions’ (Rev. 9:7–8). My friend, that is an unusual type of locust! This plague will take place during the Great Tribulation.
“You can see that Joel, way back here at the beginning of the writing prophets, prepares the ground for the apostle John to come later and give the detailed description of the locusts as they will appear in the Day of the Lord.
“May I just say that this is the reason I think it is tragic today to find so many people who have just been converted who think they are qualified to start a Bible class. What books do they like to start to teach? Usually you will find they choose either the Gospel of John or the Book of Revelation. In my judgment, that is not the place to begin with new believers. I believe Matthew is the key book to the Bible. Until you understand Matthew, I don’t think you will quite get the message of the Gospel of John and I know you will miss the message of the Book of Revelation. And this little prophet Joel, who has been by and large ignored, sheds a great deal of light on the last days which he calls the Day of the Lord.
“When Joel writes: ‘They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war,’ he is beginning to move from the local locust plague into the future which he has labeled the Day of the Lord.
“In the next verse we will see that he is talking about the Day of the Lord.”
- J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible, Vol III, Proverbs to Malachi
Joel 2:10-11 ‘divine commander’: “This description of cosmic disturbance depicted the divine commander as the leader, initiator and conductor of judgment (Isa 13:13).”
- Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Karen H. Jobes, Minor Prophets contributor)
Joel 2:10 ‘earthquakes … sun and moon grow dark’: “The ground trembles as dust flies along with the growing devastation. Earthquakes and cosmic disruptions are well attested elsewhere as signs accompanying divine appearances (Judg. 5:4; Ps. 18:7; Jer. 4:23–26; Nah. 1:5, 6; Matt. 24:7). Joel later refers to these signs (cf. 2:31; 3:15).”
- John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)
Joel 2:12-17 ‘the Lord pleas for a change of heart’: “This appeal for a change of heart was initiated by the Lord. In the face of calamity, the only effective response was to call on the Lord Almighty.”
- Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Karen H. Jobes, Minor Prophets contributor)
Joel 2:12-14 ‘God offers grace’: ”God offers grace in this passage because He does not delight in judgment. He never enjoys our pain. Rather, He seeks hearts that will listen to Him and open the door for the blessings He wants to pour into our lives. However, in order to get a person or nation to return to Him, God will permit harsh events to occur-because these are the events that produce a repentant heart.
“’Rend your heart and not your garments;’ He says, pleading with us in His love. He doesn’t want us to simply make an external show of repentance. He wants us to change internally. But we don’t like to do that, do we? We are like the little boy whose mother told him, ‘Sit down!’ But he wouldn’t sit down. She said again, ‘Sit down!’ And he said, ‘I won’t:’ So she grabbed him by the shoulders and sat him down in the chair. He looked up at her defiantly and said, ‘Tm sitting down on the outside, but I’m standing up on the inside!’
“God is unimpressed by our outward show. We don’t fool Him for a moment. He wants us to love Him and obey Him on the inside and on the outside, through and through.“
- Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible
Joel 2:13-14 ‘Sin breaks God’s heart’: “Sin breaks the heart of God more than the rules of God. God seeks your repentance and the restoration of your relationship to him. In his sovereignty, he can bring blessings from the most tragic and traumatic situations (Ro 8:28–30). By mentioning the grain and drink offering, the prophet indicated that it is a privilege and a blessing to worship God.”
- Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Karen H. Jobes, Minor Prophets contributor)
Joel 2:13 ‘God wanted a contrite heart’: “When tragedy occurred, the proper expression of mourning was to smear the head with ashes, tear garments and put on sackcloth. God instructed the people that he was not interested in outward expressions but in a broken and contrite heart (1Sa 16:7).”
- Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Karen H. Jobes, Minor Prophets contributor)
Joel 2:14-17 ‘The Book of Joel’: “Joel prophesied in Jerusalem at a time when there was a temple standing (Joel 2:17), but beyond that no one is certain when Joel was active. Some scholars have suggested that Joel was one of the earliest of prophets, prophesying in the 8th century B.C., even before Amos and Hosea. Others place him later, even as late as the Persian period. The book can be read in a context, such as the time of the Persian Empire, when Jerusalem had no king. Joel calls for a national day of fasting and repentance, to be led by the elders and the priests (1:14; 2:15–17). Had Joel prophesied during the monarchy, the king would surely have had a part in such a solemn assembly.
“The Persian era suits Joel’s prophecies in other ways. Like Malachi, Joel shows a strong priestly orientation. He sees repentance as an official priestly task instead of an individual responsibility (Joel 2:17). He refers once to the Greeks (3:6), a reference that would make the most sense when the Greek city-states were gaining international recognition for their wars against Persia. Finally, Joel shows an amazing awareness of earlier prophecies, quoting extensively from their works. His most interesting quotation (Joel 3:10) reverses an earlier prophecy found in both Isaiah (Is. 2:4) and Micah (Mic. 4:3). Now plowshares would become swords and pruning hooks, spears.”
- Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible
Joel 2:15-17 ‘a call for repentance’: “Again, Joel urges all of the people to gather for a solemn assembly, intent on repentance (2:15-16). Crucial to genuine repentance is heartfelt prayer: Have pity on your people, LORD. Indeed, we too, should cultivate a desire to see God glorified and praised among all: Why should it be said among the peoples, Where is their God?”
- Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)
Joel 2:16 ‘weep and pray’: “All were to gather at the sacred assembly to weep and pray (v. 17). None was exempt, not even those normally excused, such as nursing mothers and children and those about to be married (see Dt 24:5). Extreme urgency was expressed in the tone of the words.”
- Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Karen H. Jobes, Minor Prophets contributor)
Joel 2:17 ‘The Spirit of Prophecy’: “Old Testament passages associate the Spirit with creation, with new life, and with empowerment for various divine missions, most often for the mission of a prophet. By Jesus’ day, Jewish interpreters most frequently emphasized prophetic empowerment: the Spirit empowered God’s servants to hear Him and to speak His message the way He desired.
“Many Jewish people believed that God had withdrawn the Spirit after the death of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The general assumption was that prophecy continued occasionally on a lower level, but the full restoration of the Spirit was yet to come. Prophets like Isaiah and Ezekiel had promised the final restoration of the Spirit (Is. 44:3; Ezek. 39:29). Nevertheless, the Spirit was not expected until the end time, in the period in which the Messiah would come, and most Jewish people did not believe that the Messiah had come yet.
“Peter, recognizing that the Messiah had come in Jesus and that the Spirit who empowered the prophets was now fully active among God’s people, chose an Old Testament text about the outpouring of the Spirit of prophecy (Joel 2:28–32). To make it clear that Joel’s prophecy refers to the end time, Peter added explanatory words to his quote of Joel: ‘in the last days’ (Acts 2:17).
“Further, Peter was teaching that the end time had already begun because the Messiah had already come and taken His heavenly throne (2:34–36). Thus some ‘signs in the earth’ (2:19) had been fulfilled by Jesus (2:22). This in turn meant that the time of salvation of which Joel spoke had also arrived. Thus Peter viewed the Spirit of prophecy as an end-time gift. God’s servants should consider themselves to be empowered by the same Spirit who empowered Isaiah, Jeremiah, Huldah, Samuel, Deborah, and others.
So thoroughly did Peter wish to emphasize this point that he took a liberty used sometimes by Jewish interpreters in his day. He added some more explanatory words to the text he was quoting: ‘And they shall prophesy’ (2:18).”
- Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible
Joel 2:18-27 ‘The Restoration of the Land’: “The first subdivision deals with the restoration of the land. In verses 18-20, Joel writes about God’s answer. The first segment of the book ended with Israel mourning and lamenting in repentance. These verses describe God’s response to that repentance in three ways. First, He responds in mercy (verse 18). God’s mercy arises out of His jealousy for His land and pity for the Jewish people. Second, He responds by removing their reproach (verse 19). In verse 17, they had asked that the reproach of the Gentiles against the Jews might be removed, and so it will be. Third, God will remove the invading army (verse 20). The main part of the army will be destroyed in the deserts of the Negev in the south part of Israel, and the stench from the dead bodies ‘will arise.’ The armies of the Antichrist that come against the Jews in the campaign of Armageddon will be destroyed to the south, east, and west of Israel. The north is not mentioned because the army will come from the north.
“In verses 21-27, God then promises the restoration of material blessings. The land itself will be glad and rejoice because God ‘has done great things’ (verse 21). The beasts who had earlier suffered because of the devastation of the land will also rejoice because the pastures and wilderness will spring up again, and there will once again be sufficient food and water (verse 22). The people of Israel will rejoice as well, according to verses 23-26.
“Five reasons are given for this rejoicing. First is the teacher of righteousness (verse 23). English translations normally refer to ‘former rain’ or ‘early rain’’ because chat seems to make more sense in the context. But the Hebrew literally reads ’the teacher of righteousness.’ This teacher of righteousness is the Jewish Messiah Himself. So the people are rejoicing over the presence of the teacher of righteousness, the Messiah. The second reason is that the rains will come in their proper seasons, which will mean an abundance of crops (verse 23). The third reason is the abundance of grain, wine, and oil (verse 24) that will result from the rains coming in their proper seasons. The fourth reason Israel will rejoice is chat there will be a restoration of all the losses Israel suffered in earlier plagues, such as the locust plague of Joel’s day (verse 25). God will provide so abundantly in the messianic kingdom that all of the previous losses will be more than made up for. The fifth reason for this rejoicing will be the removal of shame (verse 26). The reproach the people felt among the Gentiles, which they prayed might be removed (2:17), will be removed.
“So the land, the animals, and the people of Israel will rejoice over the restoration of the material blessings. The result of all this is given in verse 2 7: They will really and certainly know that Jehovah is indeed the God of Israel and that He is in their midst.”
- Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy
Joel 2:18-25 ‘once repented, restoration’: “When God’s people repented, the land would be restored. This theme of sin and restoration permeates Scripture (Ge 3:13–24; Lev 26:3–4). Sin never occurs in isolation; it is always social in nature and influence.”
- Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Karen H. Jobes, Minor Prophets contributor)
Joel 2:18 ‘the good kind of jealousy’: “Apparently, the prophet’s plea was successful, and God’s people displayed the fruit of repentance (not every Old Testament prophet was so fortunate). For the LORD became jealous … and spared his people. Importantly; this is not the kind of sinful jealousy or envy that God condemns in us (as in Rom 13:13; 2 Cor 12:20; Gal s:20). Instead, this is the jealousy of a faithful husband who prizes his bride and won’t let anyone harm her.”
- Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)
Joel 2:19-27 ‘delivering blessings’: “The harvest and blessings God previously withheld (1:16-20), he would restore in abundance (2:19-26). As a result, they would be satiated (2:19) and satisfied (2:26)-stuffed full. God knows how to deliver blessings to those who align themselves with him. The description of the northerner in 2:20 seems to indicate that those described in 2:2-9 were people and not locusts. Therefore, this is likely a reference to an eschatological event when God will protect Israel from invading armies (see, for example, Dan 11:36-45). When all this happens, God says, you will know that I am present in Israel and that I am the LORD your God, and there is no other. Only God can cause such reversals of fortune. One day; his people will never again be put to shame (2:27).”
- Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)
Joel 2:20 ‘northern army’: “Although some have viewed this as a reference to the locusts, it is more likely referring to a military invasion by a country coming down from the N of Israel (cf. Ezek. 38:6, 15; 39:2). That future army will be driven into the eastern sea (Dead Sea) and the western sea (Mediterranean Sea).”
- John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)
Joel 2:24-25 ‘repay for the year the locusts have eaten’: ”I will never forget the agony in the eyes of a man I knew some years ago who had recently become a Christian. He told me, ‘It’s wonderful being a Christian, yet I can’t help feeling sad over the years I wasted and the things I missed during my old lifestyle. I feel sick remembering the terrible things I used to do. If only I’d had the sense to come to the Lord before I wasted so much of my life:’
“Here was a man who felt he had allowed the locusts to eat up and waste the prime years of his life. But I had the joy of telling him, ‘Friend, our Lord says to us, ‘I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten:’ That verse was a great comfort to him.
“God promises to make up for the barrenness of our former way of life. All we have to do is turn back to Him in sincere repentance. That is one of the most comforting promises in Scripture.“
- Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible
Joel 2:25-27 ‘erasure of pain’: ”God’s grace would return the time spent in judgment. The statement implied that when repentance occurred, joy would be of such magnitude that former times of sorrow and pain would be erased.”
- Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Karen H. Jobes, Minor Prophets contributor)
Joel 2:27 ‘I am in the midst of Israel’: “This return promised a reversal of the LORD’s departure (cf. Ezek. 8–11).”
- John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)
Joel 2:28-32 ‘The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit’: “In the Hebrew Bible, Joel 2:28-32 comprises one individual chapter, the third chapter of the book, which implies the importance the rabbis ascribed to chis passage. Israel’s national salvation is frequently connected to the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit. Joel describes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in verses 28-29. Verse 28 specifies the timing of this outpouring with the word ‘afterward.’ After what? After what the preceding context has been dealing with. After the judgments of the Great Tribulation-after Israel’s repentance-will come an outpouring upon the whole nation that will lead to the nation’s salvation. This outpouring will occur during the last three days of the Great Tribulation (Hosea 5:15-6:3).
“Verses 28-29 describe the universality of this outpouring and its results. It will be poured out upon all mankind. The ‘all mankind,’ in this context, is Jewish flesh. Joel does not mean that there will be an outpouring upon the whole world in general, but rather, upon the whole nation of Israel in particular. The use of the word ‘your’-your daughters, your young men, your old men-shows he is speaking of Israel and not the church. In this outpouring, there will be no distinction of age, sex, or social status. The whole nation will receive this outpouring, and it will result in prophetic dreams and visions. Joel’s promise to Israel is later used by Peter to explain the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost (see commentary on Acts 2).
“In verses 30-31, Joel points out two signs that will precede this outpouring of the Holy Spirit. God will ‘display wonders in the sky and on earth’ (verse 30), and there will be a massive blackout (verse 31). No light from the sun, moon, or stars will penetrate to the earth. Evidently this blackout will occur ‘before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.’ Sometime before the Tribulation starts, the first of five blackouts will occur. The events in verses 30-31 are signs that the final salvation of Israel will soon come.
“In verse 32, Joel gives the one prerequisite to Israel’s salvation: Israel must call on the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel will do precisely that.”
- Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy
Joel 2:28-29 ‘Spirit on all people’: “After judgment, God’s Spirit would be poured out on all his people, regardless of age, sex or social class. Twice Joel stated that the outpouring of the Spirit would include women. Paul reinforced this principle of equality in Christ (Gal 3:28). This outpouring differed from the OT pattern, in which God poured out his Spirit on an individual for a particular task. This prophecy declared that God’s Spirit would be given to all believers. Peter quoted this passage at Pentecost (Ac 2:17–21) to explain the manifestation of the Holy Spirit upon believers. Jesus anticipated this same outpouring of the Spirit upon his followers (Jn 14:15–17; 16:7–15).”
- Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Patty Comber, Pauline Epistles contributor)
Joel 2:28-29 ‘Repent’: “The person in a right relationship with God will be restored more than before. God IS a God of healing and restoration. If you have been sick, you got better. Often, life gets better in this world. But even when it does not, we are confident in the complete deliverance of eternal life.”
- A. W. Tozer, Paths to Power
Joel 2:28 ‘the Best is Yet to be’: “We know this verse because Peter saw a correlation when he quoted it in Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost. Remember, the Holy Spirit empowered Peter and the disciples about 800 years after Joel’s time. God made promises through Joel He did not fulfill until centuries later. In troubled times, remember: God’s plan is always advancing.”
- Jay McCluskey, A Long Walk with the Minor Prophets
Joel 2:30-31 ‘the coming final judgment’: ”Cosmic cataclysm announced the ‘day of the LORD.’ The progression is from the locusts (whether in Egypt or in Joel’s time) to the invading army, to any time of judgment, to the final judgment. Every calamity is a reminder of the great and final judgment.”
- Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Patty Comber, Pauline Epistles contributor)
Joel 2:32 ‘call on the Lord’: “The salvation of God is available to all who call on the name of the Lord. There is salvation in no other name (Jn 3:36; Ac 4:12; Ro 10:13). God is Creator, Jesus is Lord and Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit is Sustainer.”
- Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Patty Comber, Pauline Epistles contributor)
My Thoughts
The trumpets remind me of the trumpets in Revelation.
But this is complex prophecy. Even the experts argue whether it is metaphorically the locusts or a human army.
The darkness reminds me of my only time camping on the banks of Florida Bay. My cousin was frying up some bacon, and I was taking some photographs, after packing the sleeping bags. Luckily, we had not taken down the tent. Suddenly the sky turned dark in the early morning and I commented that was the strangest cloud I had ever seen. My cousin, who had lived in Florida since he was one year old, said quickly that was not a cloud and run into the tent. We zipped up the insect netting of the tent in time to avoid the swarm of mosquitoes. Enough mosquitoes to make it seem as if the sun had gone down. Locusts, being much larger and travelling in swarms, could produce such darkness.
As for the fire reference, that could be a metaphor for the locusts, in that they destroy a crop possibly more thoroughly than would a wildfire. But a scorched earth policy might be employed by an invading army.
Verses 6-9 are talking about the locusts, but they speak of how the locusts are like an invading army.
Then God calls the people to repent. The repentance must be from the heart. God wants to show mercy, but He sees through our half-hearted attempts, or worse doing ritual religious rites with no heart in it at all.
Then starting in verse 15, God gives the procedure, the detailed religious rite. Blow the trumpet, declare a fast, call together all the people, consecrate the assembly including the children, the newlyweds, the elders, and finally the priests.
In verse 18, God speaks of being a jealous God. This is not a bad thing. As a husband goes to the defense of his bride, God jealously goes to our defense, especially when we are humble and we repent.
In God’s answer, He will hear their cry. The northern army will be scattered. This is probably End Times or near the End Times as God steps in to drive back the advancing armies. At this point, the Lord is speaking of armies. When the prophet says that never again will the people be shamed, to me that points toward End Times.
But the last five verses are largely quoted by Peter at Pentecost. The sun turned black. There was a blood moon, turning red. God will show great wonders. The veil tearing from top to bottom might qualify. The dead rising and walking around definitely qualifies. The ground shaking. But then again, in the End Times, the earthquake at the End will be the greatest ever experienced since creation.
And all who call on the Lord will be saved. Looking back to earlier in this chapter, God is looking at those words from the heart.
Some Serendipitous Reflections
Joel 2:1-11 An Army of Locusts 1. How do you respond to the image of the Lord as the head of a destructive army? What jolts your senses about that?
“2. If Joel were a street preacher in your community, trumpeting this message about the coming ‘day of the Lord,’ what would be the response from the crowd? From you?
“3. Each of us may be part of the Lord’s army (maybe not quite the way described here). When, if ever, have you sensed God’s call to do battle? With what or whom?
“4. How does one endure the coming ‘day of the Lord’ (v.11)? What feelings do you have about that day? Are they mixed?
Joel 2:12-17 Rend Your Heart 1. Can repentance of heart be true without ‘fasting and mourning’? How? What would a spiritual fast entail today? How would that differ from a spiritual diet?
“2. What would corporate repentance require for your group? For the church? For your nation? What role should your clergy take in that?
“3. Do others ask, ‘Where is your God’ of your nation? Of you? Why? When? When was that said of Christ (see Mt 27:43-46)?
Joel 2:18-27 The Lord’s Answer 1. Very few want to be objects of someone else’s pity. So why would you or your church want God’s pity? Describe a time when you believe God took pity on you or your church. What about your current situation might call for God’s pity to be shown?
“2. At what points in your prayer life has God granted you a deeper knowledge of himself?
“3. When and why have you felt shame, as described here: (a) Not knowing where God was working in your life? (b) Enduring personal calamity? (c) Not living as a Christian? (d) Giving up too soon on God? On others? On self?
“4. In these experiences with shame, what do the promises of verses 19 and 27 mean to you?
Joel 2:28-32 The Day of the Lord 1. What is the promise here for spiritual dryness? For spiritual exclusivity and pride? For fear? For your group? Your church? Your world?”
- Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups
Joel 2 has four sets of question(s) as noted.
With the first question, it depends on what media you are allowed to see on your computer media feed. How would this plague be treated? We know every politician would have to suggest a solution, but would any talk about repentance?
Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.
If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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