Bible 101: Lesson 27

Joel

Joel means “Yahweh is God” and is named as the son of Pethuel. Because nothing is known about the man, who is not mentioned elsewhere in the scriptures, it is impossible to date the book with certainty. It was probably written around 900 years before the coming of Christ, because the enemies mentioned, the Philistines, Phoenicians, Egyptians, and Edomites, were the enemies of an earlier period as contrast to the Assyrians and Babylonians who defeated the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

Joel is divided into two parts. In 1:1 – 2:17 Joel addresses a condition of locust-plague and drought to call the people to repentance. In 2:18 – 3:21 God’s mercy heals the land and brings blessing to his people and punishment to their enemies. A major theme of the book is “the Day of the Lord” – a prophetic picture of God’s judgment coming upon the earth. Jesus made many references to the day of God’s judging, and other references to the “day of the Lord” are scattered throughout the epistles of Paul and Peter. Peter also refers to the verse cited below to explain what had happened on the day of Pentecost. Note that all people are included in the promise of the Holy Spirit.

Messianic prophecies in Joel

Promise of the Spirit
OT References: Joel 2:28-32
NT Fulfillment: Acts 2:17-21