Joel is one of the twelve Minor Prophets in the Hebrew scriptures.  As a prophet living in Jerusalem or the Jerusalem area, he is a spokesman for God.  The exact date of writing is difficult to determine because no Israelite king or foreign nation is recorded in the book’s three brief chapters.  The date of writing may have been between the 9th and 8th century B.C.

The theme of the book deals with the “Day of the Lord.”  Joel is the first prophet to introduce the “Day of the Lord.”  Five specific theme references are found in Joel 1:12; 2:1-2; 2:10-11; 2:30-31; and 3:14-16.  Also, the “Day of the Lord” can be found in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.  Joel looks down through the centuries and sees “the Day of the Lord.”  What does the expression mean?  J. Vernon McGee states that it “is a technical expression in Scripture which is fraught with meaning.”  For some, the term carries images of the millennial Kingdom or the second coming of Christ.  For Joel, however, the “Day of the Lord” begins with the Tribulation Period, the time of great trouble.

The book opens with Joel’s prophecy of a plague of locusts.  This plague is compared with future coming judgments that will impact the earth.  Chapter One is a remarkable passage describing the invasion of Judah by a plague of locusts that destroy and devour everything in their path.  This will impoverish the people. One interesting note about Joel’s treatment of this Day is that it contains both judgment and blessing. The blessings will occur after the time of tribulation. According to Joel, the “Day of the Lord” begins with night – “that is, it begins with trouble.”  The Hebrew meaning for the word “day” always implies a period which begins at sunset.  Gen. 2:5 states, “And the evening and the morning were the first day.”  In our Christian world, day begins at sunup.  God’s day, however, begins at sundown.
 
When the “Day of the Lord” finally occurs, the great blessings promised by God will be poured out upon all of God’s people.  Genesis 49:1 uses the phrase, “the last days”, an important concept in prophecy.  In the New Testament, “the last days” introduce the Advent of Christ (Hebrews 1:2; I Peter 1:20). The signs preceding the “Day of the Lord” are found in Isaiah 12:9-10; 24:21-23; Ezekiel 32:7-10; and Matthew 24:29-30.  Joel however, depicts God’s future deliverance, blessings finally revealed in the coming “Day of the Lord” (2:30-3:21).

By Rev. Milford Oxendine, Jr., Pastor, Cordova United Methodist Church, Cordova