The minor prophets as a whole, and Joel very specifically, present God’s call to His prodigal children to repent and return to the God that saved them. His generation had to make a decision. Every generation has to make a decision. You and I have to make a decision. The third chapter of Joel informs us that God will one day make a decision regarding our decisions. In 3:14, Joel calls this the Valley of Decision. He says that there will be many in that valley. He writes, “Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” View full article »
Joel 3:14
The Valley Of Decision
Joel 2:28
Fruits From The Spirit
Joel talks about the future restoration of a repentant people. In Joel 2:28, There will come a day, God says, when “I will pour out my spirit on all people.” The “pouring out” is a fascinating concept. Samuel anointed David as the King of Israel by “pouring” oil over his head. At that moment David is filled with God’s spirit for the task of leadership. At that same time the Spirit leaves Saul. Without the Spirit Saul becomes despondent and depressed and has fits of rage and irrational behavior. David, the one with the Spirit, comes to play music to soothe his ravaged psyche. It’s almost as if there is not enough of the Spirit to go around. But Joel tells us that one day there will be enough for everyone. The passage goes on to say, “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.” View full article »
Joel 2:25
Brighten Up!
Joel calls the people to rend their hearts rather than their garments and to return to the God that loves them and He will multiply His blessings upon them. If they respond accordingly God will turn His judgment into His blessings. God is a gracious and merciful God ready to forgive and restore at any moment. Because this is the kind of God we worship, Joel says, “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! …Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God.”
When Paul said, in Philippians 4:4, Rejoice in the Lord, he was not coining a new phrase. He was simply quoting an Old Testament command that appears in Psalm 32, Psalm 64, Psalm 104, and here in Joel 2. The Hebrew word for rejoice has as its root meaning to shine or be bright. So the exhortation to rejoice means to “brighten up.” Put on your happy face! Smile! Lift up your countenance. Why? Joel goes on to speak for God in 2:25. We should rejoice and be happy and smile and brighten up after repentance and turning back to God because God says, “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.” View full article »
Joel 2:13
Rend Your Heart
My favorite verse from Joel is 2:13. To fully understand it, you much understand the context. Joel points out the sin of Israel in that they have turned from worshiping the one true God to serving the gods of the peoples in the land. Thus the curses of Deuteronomy 28 and following are about to fall upon them. He uses the powerful image of a plague of locusts which devastate the land at the time of harvest to picture the destruction that will fall upon the entire nation at the hands of their northern enemies. This destruction that’s coming is the result of God’s judgment on his people. But Joel calls them to repent. It’s not too late. He says, “Yet even now, declares the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.” View full article »
Joel 1:19
An Act of God
The prominent image in the book of Joel is a locust plague. It was recent enough to be deeply impressed on the minds of all the people. An “Act of God” is usually described as an event outside of human control. It is so extraordinary and devoid of human agency that no precaution could avoid the consequences. Damage caused by tornadoes, perils of the sea, extraordinary floods, and severe ice storms are usually considered acts of God as would the locust plague referred to in Joel.
However, the picture of devestation left behind was a teaching tool for Joel. He used it to illustrate an even greater destruction that would fall upon the nation because of their rebellion from God. An army from the East, a great locust plague, will come and destroy the nation of Israel. The picture of this great destruction was designed to bring God’s people to repentance and of course restoration. View full article »
Amos 9:14-15
Sharing The Hope
God’s prophetic announcement of judgment on sin is one of the most prominent themes in the Old Testament. The writing prophets, of course, carry the dominant message of “The Day Of The Lord” throughout their writings. That term usually refers to the time of all times when God’s justice is administered to an unjust world. The climactic message of Amos is that God’s judgment will even fall upon his own people, Israel & Judah for their sin. Yet, God never leaves his sinful people without hope. In chapter 9:14-15 He closed his prophecy with a message of hope. He says, “I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them, says the LORD your God.”
One of my favorite verses is from another Old Testament prophet who also prophecied the judgment of God upon his own people, Judah. Jeremiah’s prophecy was the last before the destruction of Jerusalem took place along with the destruction of the temple. But God left his people with hope. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “I know the plans I have for you declares the lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” View full article »
Amos 8:9
The Coming Of The Day Of The Lord
Amos’ prophecies concerning the fall of Israel and Judah came about just as described in his writings. It took several hundred years for these events to transpire, but Amos writes about them as if they’ve already happened. His detailed accuracy is astounding. One of the prophecies that Amos adds to his description concerning the day of God’s judgment on man’s sin is found in Amos 8:9. It says, “And on that day, declares the Lord GOD, I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.” The day referred to as “that day” is reminiscent of “The Day Of The Lord” at which time God judges the sins of mankind.
The ultimate fulfillment of that prophecy took place the day Jesus was hung on the cross nearly 3000 years later. The New Testament writers tell us that the the sun wss blackened out and there was darkness over the land at midday when Jesus died for the sins of the world. but this is only one of hundreds of Old Testament prophecies that give specifics about the day of Christ’s death for the sins of the world. Ryrie has pointed out that, by the law of chance, it would require two hundred billion earths, populated with four billion people each, to come up with one person who could achieve one hundred accurate prophecies without any errors in sequence. But the Bible records not one hundred but over three hundred prophecies fulfilled in Christ’s first coming.
Dr. George Sweeting once estimated that “more than a fourth of the Bible is predictive prophecy…Both the Old and New Testaments are full of promises about the return of Jesus Christ. Over 1800 references appear in the O.T., and seventeen O.T. books give prominence to this theme. Of the 260 chapters in the N.T., there are more than 300 references to the Lord’s return—one out of every 30 verses. Twenty-three of the 27 N.T. books refer to this great event…For every prophecy on the first coming of Christ, there are 8 on Christ’s second coming.”
Chuck
“For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:21
Amos 5:19-22
The Greatest Commandment!
In Amos day, Israel longed for God’s justice to fall on the nations all around them. They wanted their enemies destroyed! Israelites referred to this event as “The Day Of The Lord.” He would ride into Israel on a white steed, draw his brilliant sword, and smite all the enemies of God’s people. That’s exactly what Israel wanted from the Messiah when Jesus offered Himself at the triumphant entry. They wanted “The Day Of The Lord.” View full article »