Introduction
The
prophecy of Joel is occasioned by a terrible locust plague. It is a message to
the people of Judah that their sin and rebellion will be punished in the form
of locusts- flying, grasshopper-like bugs
that fed off the vegetation of the land. During this time, people lived off the
land and they farmed, raised food for their animals. This type of disaster
will make the survival of the people difficult. This prophecy focuses on the
coming hard times as well as the future salvation through God’s eventual
forgiveness.
This plague is an event that is representative of God's judgment on all flesh. The
prophet employs this episode in the life of God's people to call forth a
renewed expression of loyalty and to proclaim the good news of God's commitment
to bless his people. On the one hand, the canonical message evokes a response
of devotion to the Lord, of prayer and fasting (Joel 1:13-20; 2:12-17). On the
other hand, the canonical message affirms the Lord's commitment to establish
his dwelling among men and to bless his people richly with the fullness of his
redemption: victory, glory, the covenant fellowship, his Spirit, and the
establishment of his kingdom on this earth.[1]
Genre of Joel
2:28-32
Joel’s
superscription provides the primary rubric for reading it as a prophetic book. However,
it differs from the collection of oracles, disputes, and narratives found in other
members of the corpus, such as Amos and Hosea, whose construction and meanings
redaction criticism has helped clarify. It is a narrative laced with
eschatology and the prophetic didactic narrative is focused on the day of the
Lord anticipated as both a day of deliverance and a day of woe[2]. Several features of the
book suggests that the book of Joel as a whole is either a liturgical text
intended for the repeated use on occasions of national lament or at least a historical example of one such lament[3].
Joel
2:28-32 can be considered as apocalyptic prophecy and not as a prophecy proper[4]. The sin is too great and destruction
is inevitable and there is a mysterious, symbolic, indirect speech by an intermediary. There is also some prediction of
cosmic and final solutions mentioned in this portion. The exact meaning of apocalyptic
and its essential features and origins are, in the nature of things are much
disputed. Hence some would argue that it appears to be quite impossible to
determine whether or not the book of Joel or parts of it is apocalyptic
literature[5].
Author of Joel
2:28-32
The
book clearly identifies prophet Joel, son of Pethuel as the author in its
superscription (Joel 1:1). There are many other persons with the name Joel
mentioned in the Old Testament and the author of this book cannot be
confidently associated with any of those other individuals. There is no other
information included in the superscription which may imply that Joel was well
known to his contemporaries and further identification was not needed.[6]
Historical Context
of the book of Joel
There
is little known about the author of the book, so we are forced to examine the
internal evidence of the book to determine the sociological, religious,
political, and cultural times in which he lived in the hopes that it may
provide additional information about the intent and date of the book. The dates
proposed for Joel’s ministry and the composition of the book range from the
early ninth century BC to the Maccabean era, some seven hundred years later.
The broad diversity of scholarly opinion is an evidence of the book’s scarcity
of information to help us pinpoint the date[7].
Various
scholars have proposed different dates for the book of Joel but careful study points towards a date in the
postexilic period[8].
Evangelical scholars who have produced standard introductions to the Old
Testament books have found no consensus. Gleason L. Archer argues for a date of
about 830 BC, during the time of King Joash. Roland K. Harrison settles for a
date somewhere before 400 BC, during the period of the restoration. More
recently a date near 600 BC has been presented by the critical scholars E.
Konig and A.S.Kapelrud.[9]
The
book of Joel does not offer a decisive clue in determining its actual
historical context. The identification of Judah and Israel as one and the same
demands a time long after the collapse of the northern kingdom to the Assyrians
in 722 BC.[10]
Interpretation of
Joel 2:28-32
The
book of Joel starts with the introduction of the author followed by a call for
Judah to lament and repent. An invasion by an army of locusts is predicted followed
by a call for people to rend their heart.
The second portion of the book has the Lord’s response in the form of judgment
of nations and blessing for God’s people. It also mentions about the coming
victory from God and Joel 2:28-32, is part of that message. The divine oracle
of salvation begins in 2:19 and continues as Yahweh lifts the sights of the
people beyond their recovery from the plague to days of even greater blessing. Joel
2:28-32 is a tightly written, self-contained unit within the Book of Joel[11].
The
verses start with ‘afterward’ and it does
not necessarily point to end times but can establish the chronological sequence
of the two stages of blessing. Verse 29 mentions about ‘in those days’ and it
gives these verses an eschatological touch. The difference between the two
stages is not that the first is material and the second spiritual but that the
first is the restoration of old damage and the second is the inauguration of a
new era in God’s dealings with his people[12].
The
life and the land were bound together in such a tight bundle that whatever
affected one touched the other. The lavish measure of the spiritual stage is spotlighted in a number of
ways[13]. First, pour out, which
also mean ‘spill’, suggests that God is not being stingy. It refers to God’s
spirit which shows God’s own power and vitality. It will be upon all flesh
which shows that the entire people of Israel will participate. In the past, the gift of God’s spirit has been
restricted to chosen leaders like Moses, Gideon, David, Micah etc. Now it will
be for everyone but from the context of the original audience of Joel, the
scope is within the people of Israel since it mentions ‘your sons and your
daughters’. All flesh is included and there will not be any exclusion made on
the basis of gender, age or social status.
The
great thing about this outpouring of the Holy Spirit is its universalism among
the people of God. This will result in the gifting of all manner of the people
of God in prophetic utterances. The outflow of the Spirit is generous and
gracious, and altogether unexpected. God’s grace shows itself in a spate of
prophetic activity. The variety of the
means of prophetic revelation is probably mentioned for the sake of enriching
the poetic parallelism. The blessings of the spirit are accompanied by portents,
powerful signs, omens sure to be fulfilled, clear-cut
indicators that God is at work. Their cosmic scope highlights their extraordinary
character. As the provision is made for rescue for his people in the locust plague,
God also gives pledges of deliverance.[14]
This
text is also quoted by Peter at Pentecost
in Acts 2:28-32. He not only used the portions about the outpouring of God’s
spirit but also those that describe the wonders in heaven and earth. Peter was
interpreting what Joel meant by afterward. He affirmed that Joel’s “afterward
is to be located in “the last days”. It would appear that Pentecost fulfills
Joel’s prediction about the coming of the Spirit. It does not exhaust it,
however. The last days could cover the entire age of the Church. Therefore,
Joel’s prediction has initial fulfillment at Pentecost, continuing fulfillment
during the Church age, and ultimate fulfillment at the second coming of Christ[15]. And for Luke, the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day
of Pentecost was the eschatological fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel and he
alters the words from Peter’s speech "after these things" to "in
the last days.".[16]
The
day of Lord is a generic Biblical phrase that was used by God's prophets to
describe the immediate historical future or the ultimate eschatological
consummation. It is not a technical term in the sense that it always refers to
only one event in God's plan. The day of the lord
is in multiple fulfillment terms which are limited in occurrences only by its mention
in Biblical revelation.[17] There will be wonders in
heaven and on the earth in the form of blood, fire, and columns of smoke. The
sun will be turned to darkness and the moon
to blood. This will be a visible event and it is mentioned as a great and awe-inspiring day of the Lord. In the
midst of it, there is an assurance that everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved.
According
to John Calvin[18],
the prophet addressed the physical needs of the people before moving to the
spiritual grace of God. Spiritual grace is mentioned in this portion and it is
going to be greater than what the fathers under the Law had experienced. It was
not going to be like something in the past but was going to be greater.
Application of the
passage to contemporary Christian Life
When
the apostle Peter explained what was happening on the day of Pentecost, before
a crowd stunned by what they were seeing and hearing, he chose this prophecy of
Joel undoubtedly under divine inspiration and pointed towards its fulfillment.[19]
Peter
widens the scope of those who call upon the name of YHWH to include the Jews of
the diaspora who had come to Jerusalem.
In Romans 10:13, the Apostle Paul cites Joel 2:32 as proof that before God
there is absolutely no distinction between Jew and Greek, thus giving Joel’s
statement wider scope. So every person
on earth has an opportunity to inherit this blessing and we should be thankful
to God for widening the scope of this salvation.
Joel
is also informing us that true prophecy is latent in every human being, Jew and
non-Jew alike. This should not be taken to mean clairvoyance or even the
ability to relate messages from God. It could mean the divine inspiration which
leads one to an enlightened and uplifted state. Only when the prophetic spirit
takes hold of the entire community, from the highest to the lowest, will the
spirit of God prevail.[20]
The
blessings that God would pour out are twofold: physical (2:18-27) and spiritual
(2:28-32). The blessings are contingent upon covenant faithfulness rather than require an interpretation of eschatological
finality.[21]
The passage also gives hope to the Christian that everyone who calls on the
Lord will be saved.
Conclusions
The
day of the renewal will be marked by the presence of the Lord himself in the
midst of his people (2:27) and the outpouring of his Holy Spirit on all his
people (2:28-29). This will be a day of wonders in heaven and signs on earth,
particularly a day of salvation and redemption (2:30-32).[22]
The
five verses comprise three individual units, 28-29, 30-31, and 32. The initial
unit has God’s promise of an extraordinary happening, the revolutionary pouring
out of God’s Spirit upon the people of Judah indiscriminately. This spectacular event will have but one
restriction in the context of the original audience; it will be limited to
God’s worshippers in Judah. The second
unit concentrates on extraordinary signs and portents that God promises to set
in the sky and on the earth as an indication that the terrible day of God is
about to dawn. The last unit concentrates on the chances for survival during
these dreadful manifestations of God’s power. The portents will not jeopardize
anyone who acknowledges God’s sovereignty.[23]
[1]
Willem A. VanGemeren, "The Spirit of restoration", The Westminster Theological Journal 50,
no. 1 (1988): 81-102, accessed July 16, 2016. ATLA Religion Database with
ATLASerials, EBSCOhost.
[2]
Ronald L.Troxel, Joel: Scope, Genre(S),
and Meaning (Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2015), 95.
[3]
Tremper Longman III and Raymond B. Dillard, An
Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006), 414.
[4]William
W. Klein, Craig Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard, Introduction to Biblical Interpretation (Nashville: Thomas Nelson,
2004), 385.
[5]
Willem S. Prinsloo, The Theology of the
Book of Joel (Berlin: De Gruyter, 1985), 8.
[6]
Longman and Dillard, An Introduction to
the Old Testament, 409.
[7]
David Allan Hubbard, Joel and Amos: An
Introduction and Commentary (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2009),
23.
[8]
Longman and Dillard, An Introduction to
the Old Testament, 414.
[9]
Ronald Barclay Allen, Joel: Bible Study
Commentary (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 1988), 22.
[10]
James L. Crenshaw, Joel: A New
Translation with Introduction and Commentary (New York: Doubleday, 1995), 24.
[11]
Ronald Barclay Allen, Joel: Bible Study
Commentary (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 1988), 86.
[12]
Hubbard, Joel and Amos: An Introduction
and Commentary, 72.
[13]
Hubbard, Joel and Amos: An Introduction
and Commentary, 74-75.
[14]
Ronald Barclay Allen, Joel: Bible Study
Commentary (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 1988), 88.
[15] Walter K. Price, The Prophet Joel and the Day of the Lord, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1976), 66.
[16]
Robert P. Menzies, "The role of glossolalia in Luke-Acts", Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 15,
no. 1 (January 2012): 47-72, accessed July 16, 2016. ATLA Religion Database
with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost.
[17]
Richard L. Mayhue, "The Bible's watchword: day of the Lord", The Master's Seminary Journal 22, no. 1
(2011): 65-88, accessed July 16, 2016. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials,
EBSCOhost.
[18]
John Calvin, A Commentary on the Prophet
Joel, ed. John Owen (London: Banner of Truth Trust, 1958), 83.
[19]
Norberto Saracco, "I will pour out my spirit on all people: a pastoral
reading of Joel 2:28-30 from Latin America." Calvin Theological Journal 46, no. 2 (November 2011): 268-277,
accessed July 15, 2016. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost.
[20]
Mordecai Schreiber, "'I will pour out my spirit on all flesh' (Joel
3:1)." Jewish Bible Quarterly
41, no. 2 (April 2013): 123-129, accessed July 15, 2016. ATLA Religion Database
with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost.
[21]
Daniel J. Treier, "The Fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32: A Multiple-Lens
Approach." Journal of The
Evangelical Theological Society 40, no. 1 (March 1997): 13-26, accessed
July 16, 2016. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost.
[22]
Ronald Barclay Allen, Joel: Bible Study
Commentary (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 1988), 16.
[23]
Crenshaw, A New Translation with
Introduction and Commentary, 171.
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