Joel

Read Joel in the New Living Translation with Life Application notes, cross-references, profiles and charts.

Chapters

1 2 3

Introduction to Joel from the Life Application Study Bible

Book introductions contain charts, maps and timelines that are best seen on the scanned pages: p. 1426.

page 1426

King Ahab dies in battle 853 B.C.

Flisha becomes a prophet 848

Jehu becomes king of israel; Athaliah seizes Judah's throne 841

Joel becomes a prophet? Joash becomes king of Judah 835

VITAL STATISTICS PURPOSE: To warn Judah of God’s impending judgment because of its sins and to urge the people to turn back to God AUTHOR: Joel son of Pethuel ORIGINAL AUDIENCE: The people of Judah (the southern kingdom) DATE WRITTEN: Probably during the time Joel may have prophesied, from approximately 835-796 B.C. SETTING: The people of Judah had become prosperous and complacent. Taking God for granted, they had turned to seif-centeredness, idolatry, and sin. Joel warned them that this kind of life-style would inevitably bring God's judgment. KEY VERSES: “That is why the LORD says, ‘Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.’ Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish” (2:12, 13). KEY PEOPLE: Joel, the people of Judah KEY PLACE: Jerusalem

A SINGLE bomb devastates a city, and the

world is ushered into the nuclear age. A split

atom—power and force such as we had never

seen.

At a launch site, rockets roar and a payload

is thrust into space. Discoveries dreamed of

for centuries are ours as we begin to explore

the edge of the universe.

Volcanos, earthquakes, tidal waves, hurri-

canes, and tornados unleash uncontrollable and unstoppable force. And we can only avoid them and then pick up the pieces. Power, strength, might—we stand in awe at the natural and human-made display. But these forces cannot touch the power of omnipotent God. Creator of galaxies, atoms, and natural laws, the Sovereign LORD rules all there is and ever will be. How silly to live without him; how foolish to run and hide from him; how ridiculous to disobey him. But we do. Since Eden, we have sought independence from his control, as though we were gods and could plot our destiny. And he has allowed our rebellion. But soon the day of the LORD will come. It is about this day that the prophet Joel speaks, and it is the theme of his book. On this day God will judge all unrighteousness and disobedience—all accounts will be settled and the crooked made straight. We know very little about Joel—only that he was a prophet and the son of Pethuel. He may have lived in Jerusalem because his audience was Judah, the southern kingdom. Whoever he was, Joel speaks forthrightly and forcefully in this short and powerful book. His message is one of foreboding and warning, but it is also filled with hope. Joel states that our Creator, the omnipotent Judge, is also merciful, and he wants to bless all those who trust him. Joe! begins by describing a terrible plague of locusts that covers the land and devours the crops. The devastation wrought by these creatures is but a foretaste of the coming judgment of God, the “day of the LORD.” Joel, therefore, urges the people to turn from their sin and turn back to God. Woven into this message of judgment and the need for repentance is an affirmation of God’s kindness and the blessings he promises for all who follow him. In fact, “everyone who calls on the name of the LOAD will be saved” (2:32). As you read Joel, catch his vision of the power and might of God and of God's ultimate judgment of sin. Choose to follow, obey, and worship God alone as your sovereign LORD.

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