Thinking on Scripture with Dr. Steven R. Cook

The book of Joel opens with the prophetic statement, “The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel” (Joe 1:1). Joel’s audience includes the elders and inhabitants of Israel (Joe 1:2, 14), drunkards (vs. 5), priests (vs. 9, 13), farmers and vinedressers (vs. 11). Joel asks his audience if anyone can remember a plague of locusts like the one they’d just experienced (Joe 1:2), and instructs them to tell it to the generations that follow so that no one forgets (Joe 1:3). Joel describes four kinds of locusts that had ravaged the land and left it bare (Joe 1:4), and calls for the drunkards to weep because there’s no more wine for them to drink (Joe 1:5). The locusts are described as “a nation” that had invaded the land of Israel and wrought destruction upon the grapevines and fig trees (Joe 1:6-7). Other passages in Joel reveal that God had sent them for His purposes (Joe 2:11, 25). As a result of this damage, the people were to weep like a young bride who had lost her bridegroom (Joe 1:8). The priests mourn because the people have no grain or drink offerings to bring to them (Joe 1:9-10, 13). “The result was that the priests and the whole nation mourned. It was bad enough that the people did not have food and drink for their own enjoyment, but it was worse that they could not worship Yahweh.”[1] Because of the damage to the wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, pomegranate, palm and apple trees, “rejoicing dries up from the sons of men” (Joe 1:12-13). The joy of the Israelites was directly tied to the Lord’s blessings (Deut. 28:1-14), and judgment upon the land was an indication of their violation of the covenant agreement (Deut. 28:15, 38-40). Joel calls upon the inhabitants of the land to embark in national repentance, saying, “Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD” (Joe 1:14; cf. Neh. 9:1–2; Jer. 36:9; 2 Chron. 7:14). Joel compares the current locust plague of judgment to a future time of judgment, stating, “Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty” (Joe 1:15; cf. 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14). This future “day of the Lord” refers to a time when God intervenes in the world to judge mankind. Joel then switches back to address the destruction of his day and the damage of food crops which resulted in the loss of “Gladness and joy from the house of our God” (Joe 1:16-17). Apparently there was a drought that kept seeds from germinating, and eventually the storehouses were emptied. Even the cattle and sheep groaned because there was nothing to eat (Joel 1:18, 20). The prophet himself is impacted by what’s happening in his day, and he states, “To You, O LORD, I cry; for fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness and the flame has burned up all the trees of the field” (Joe 1:19). Though Joel was not personally guilty of the sin that led to the Lord’s judgment, he still suffered because of their actions and cried out to the Lord to intervene.

 

[1] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Joe 1:8.

Author: Joel, whose name means “Yahweh is God” - Yahweh is Elohim. The same meaning can be derived from the name Elijah – Elohim is Yahweh.

Audience: Judah – Southern Kingdom (Joel 3:1, 6, 8).

Date of ministry:

     Dating the book of Joel is difficult because, unlike Hosea and Amos, there’s no reference to rulers or historical events (Hos. 1:1; Amos 1:1). We know from Joel 1:13 and 2:17 that the temple was functional, but this could have been Solomon’s temple that was standing before the exile in 586 B.C. or Zerubbabel’s temple after the exile in 516 B.C. Four dates are possible:

872-796 B.C. – (Obadiah, Jonah)

792-740 B.C. – (Hosea, Amos, Micah, Isaiah)

597-587 B.C. – (Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, Zephaniah)

515-500 B.C. – (Zechariah, Haggai)

I’m content to place the book of Joel during the reign of Uzziah between 792-740 B.C.

Purpose & Message:

     Joel 1:1-2:17 presents God’s judgment upon Judah in the form of a drought and plague of locusts (Joel 2:25). Joel 2:18-3:21 focuses on the Lord’s restoration of Judah and the future judgment of her enemies. The prophet uses God’s judgment upon Israel to mention a future time of judgment which he calls “the day of the Lord” (Joe 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14). His message involves a national call to humility and repentance (Joel 1:13-16; 2:12-14).

God calls Israel to return to Him (Hos. 14:1), even though He knows they won’t, and has already promised judgment (see Hos. 10:2, 6-8, 14; 11:6). If they were to return to Him, He tells them the words He wants to hear, specifically, “Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips” (Hos. 14:2). These words reflect a humble heart appealing to the grace of God, and once forgiven, there follows the fruit of praise. Furthermore, they are to say, “Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses; nor will we say again, ‘Our god,’ to the work of our hands; for in You the orphan finds mercy” (Hos. 14:3). These words display a dependence on God alone, as Israel will not rely on political alliances (Assyria), military strength (horses), or the work of their own hands (idols), but will regard themselves as helpless orphans who seek God’s mercy and care. When this happens, God will love them tenderly, for His anger will not be kindled against their sin (Hos. 14:4). Furthermore, he will send refreshment to them and they will flourish and become strong and beautiful to God and others (Hos. 14:5-6). When Israel is restored and blessed, they will again experience agricultural prosperity (Hos. 14:7). God is the One who looks after Israel, saying, “It is I who answer and look after you. I am like a luxuriant cypress; from Me comes your fruit” (Hos. 14:8).

"The Israelites have not yet met these conditions for restoration, and restoration has not yet come to them. Fulfillment awaits the return of Christ to the earth and His millennial reign that will follow. Then Israel will be blessed and will become a source of blessing for all the other nations of the world, as the prophet predicted."[1]

     Finally, the book of Hosea closes out with wisdom to those who will heed the words of the book, saying, “Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous will walk in them, but transgressors will stumble in them” (Hos. 14:9). The “ways of the Lord” refer to His covenant commands, the righteous are those who obey them, and transgressors are those who choose a faulty path and stumble.

 

[1] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Ho 14:8.

Ephraim (Israel’s king and princes) exalted themselves and engaged in Baal worship (Hos. 13:1), and they “sin more and more, and make for themselves molten images, idols skillfully made from their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen” (Hos. 13:2a). The phrase “Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves!” (Hos. 13:2b) could refer to an act of homage and devotion on the part of the idolaters. However, it might also refer to human sacrifice, as the NIV translates, “They offer human sacrifices! They kiss calf-idols!” and the ESV renders, “Those who offer human sacrifice kiss calves!” God declares these idolaters would perish quickly, “like the morning cloud and like dew which soon disappears, like chaff which is blown away from the threshing floor and like smoke from a chimney” (Hos. 13:3). In contrast, God had been faithful from the beginning, when His people were called out of Egypt, and they were to be faithful to Him, for there is no other Savior besides God, who cared for them in the wilderness (Hos. 13:4-5). However, after entering the Promised Land and tasting of prosperity, “they became satisfied, and being satisfied, their heart became proud; therefore they forgot Me” (Hos. 13:6). Because of Israel’s unfaithfulness, God would render fierce judgment upon the nation, as a lion, leopard or bear attacks and devours its prey (Hos. 13:7-8). God reveals that Israel was engaging in self-harm, saying, “It is your destruction, O Israel, that you are against Me, against your help” (Hos. 13:9), and He would remove Israel’s king, the person in which they trusted for salvation from their enemies (Hos. 13:10-11).  The iniquity of Israel had been storing up for many years and reached full capacity (Hos. 13:12), and, like a baby in its mother’s womb, the nation was unwilling to leave the familiar place of sin from which God had called them (Hos. 13:13). God would not redeem His people, Israel, from the short term judgment that was coming upon them (Hos. 13:14). Later, the apostle Paul quoted this verse and applied it to Christ who died for the sins of His people and will rescue us from death and the grave (1 Cor. 15:55). “Here in Hosea the promise is that Israel would indeed suffer death and the grave, not that she would escape it. Paul turned the passage around and showed that Jesus Christ’s resurrection overcame the judgment and death that are inevitable for sinners.”[1] In this regard, because Jesus overcame death and the grave, so those who trust in Him will eventually be resurrected and not held in the power of sin’s grip. Though Israel flourished for the moment like a reed in shallow water, God would send a scorching wind to dry them up. This refers to the Assyrians who would plunder their cities and engage in merciless acts of hostility, even against women and children (Hos. 13:15-16). All of this could have been avoided if Israel had humbled themselves and turned back to God and not broken the covenant promises.

 

[1] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Ho 13:14.

Hosea opens with a continued charge against Israel in the north, in which they multiply “lies and violence” (Hos. 12:1a), and pursue diplomatic alliances with Assyria and trade with Egypt (Hos. 12:1b). Such actions are born out of human viewpoint that exclude God. Hosea then declares, “The LORD also has a dispute[1] with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; He will repay him according to his deeds” (Hos. 12:2). Whereas God had previously brought legal charges against the ten northern tribes of Israel (Hos. 4:1), here He addresses the two southern tribes of Judah. The threat of punishment directed at Judah is in keeping with the terms of blessing and cursing as stated in the Mosaic Covenant (Deut. 28:1-68). The Lord spoke to Judah, comparing their present attitudes and circumstances with their progenitor, Jacob, who, from infancy to adulthood fought with others and God (Hos. 12:3-5). God instructs Judah, “Therefore, return to your God, observe kindness and justice, and wait for your God continually” (Hos. 12:6). The word wait translates the Hebrew verb קָוָה qavah which means to wait for, or eagerly look. The form of the verb is intensive (Piel imperative) which communicates the idea of concentrated expectant waiting. The idea is that Judah should seek God, pursue kindness and justice, and wait for the Lord to fulfill His promises to them. God then addresses Israel (the ten northern tribes) and compares their behavior to Jacob, who, like his uncle Laban, practiced deceit for personal gain (Hos. 12:7). Hosea challenged the nation of Israel with a false perception that prosperity was a sign of God’s approval. They’d been telling themselves, “Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself; in all my labors they will find in me no iniquity, which would be sin” (Hos. 12:8). Yet they were guilty of idolatry and atrocious sins that warranted God’s judgment. Though they’d been unfaithful to God, He’d remained faithful to them, since the days of their exodus from Egypt (Hos. 12:9a). And God promised to humble them, saying, “I will make you live in tents again, as in the days of the appointed festival” (Hos. 12:9b). God has spoken to Israel repeatedly through His prophets (Hos. 12:10), yet they rejected His messages, declaring, “Surely they are worthless. In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls, yes, their altars are like the stone heaps beside the furrows of the field” (Hos. 12:11). Hosea draws a parallel between Israel’s progenitor, Jacob, who fled to Aram and “kept” sheep to acquire Rachel, the woman he loved (Hos. 12:12). Likewise, God loved Israel and rescued her from Egyptian captivity, and “kept” her by means of a prophet (Hos. 12:13). However, though God loved Israel, He could not abandon His righteousness, or the promises He’d made through His covenant. Therefore, He told them, “Ephraim has provoked to bitter anger; so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him and bring back his reproach to him” (Hos. 12:14). Though God had repeatedly called His people back to a life of righteousness, they’d continually chosen to rebel against Him, and so would reap the consequences of their actions.

 

[1] The word dispute translates the Hebrew verb רִיב rib which is used some places in Scripture in a non-legal sense of people who fight with each other (Gen. 13:7; Ex. 17:7; Jer. 15:10), as well as a legal sense in which one person takes up a lawsuit or legal case against another (Deut. 17:8; 19:17; 21:5). In Hosea, the term is used of a legal charge that God is bringing against His people who are in violation of the Mosaic Covenant.

God is pictured as a Father who had called His son, Israel, out of Egyptian bondage (Hos. 11:1), but even though He sent prophets to guide them, they rejected His messengers and kept pursuing idols (Hos. 11:2). Their behavior was contrary to what God had taught them, for He’d instructed them in His ways, carried them in His arms as little children and healed their wounds (Hos. 11:3). Using an analogy of caring for an animal, the Lord guided them with bonds of love, lifting the burden of their yoke and bending down to their level to feed them (Hos. 11:4). “In Hosea 11:4 Israel is compared to a work animal (cf. 10:11). The Lord is likened to a master who gently (in kindness and love; cf. 11:1) leads his animal and removes (or perhaps repositions) its yoke so that it might eat with greater ease the food he kindly provides. The Lord treated Israel with compassion and love.”[1] But God declared they’d go into captivity in Assyria (Hos. 11:5), which nation would destroy their cities (Hos. 11:6), because of their continual rebellion in turning away from God and refusing to hear the messages of His prophets (Hos. 11:7). “In other messages Hosea identified Egypt as the place of Israel’s future exile (cf. 8:13; 9:3, 6), but here it becomes clear that He was only using Egypt as a metaphor for a place of captivity. Assyria would be the geographical location of Israel’s exile.”[2] Then, we see a passionate outburst of God’s love for His people as He reflected on the judgment He intended for them, saying, “How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned over within Me, all My compassions are kindled” (Hos. 11:8). Though His righteousness demanded that He judge them because of their gross sin, His love guaranteed that they would never be totally destroyed like Admah and Zeboim. Because He is God, He will not behave with unrestrained anger like a man who lacks such control (Hos. 11:9). In addition, He promises that Israel will have a future and that there will be a time when they will walk after the Lord, when He roars like a lion, and “His sons will come trembling from the west” (Hos. 11:10). In the future, “They will come trembling like birds from Egypt and like doves from the land of Assyria; and I will settle them in their houses, declares the LORD” (Hos. 11:11). This will happen in the millennial kingdom. However, in Hosea’s day, God must deal with them in judgment declaring, “Ephraim surrounds Me with lies and the house of Israel with deceit; Judah is also unruly against God, even against the Holy One who is faithful” (Hos. 11:12). It appears the NASB translates this verse correctly in light of Hosea 12:2.

 

[1] Robert B. Chisholm, Jr., “Hosea,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1402.

[2] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Ho 11:5.

Hosea describes Israel as a luxuriant vine that produces fruit for itself, and then uses that fruit for promoting idolatry (Hos. 10:1); but their unfaithfulness results in guilt, and God promises to break down their pagan altars and pillars (Hos. 10:2). Like other times, Israel will utter insincere words, saying, “We have no king, for we do not revere the LORD. As for the king, what can he do for us?” (Hos. 10:3; cf. 6:1-3; 7:14; 8:2); but Hosea tells us, “They speak mere words, with worthless oaths they make covenants; and judgment sprouts like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field” (Hos. 10:4). The truth is that Israel will mourn and cry over their idols, when they are taken away into captivity by the Assyrians (Hos. 10:5-6), and the king of Israel will prove helpless to stop these events (Hos. 10:7). In addition, God will destroy the high places of worship and weeds will consume their altars (Hos. 10:8a); then, in a state of spiritual irrationality, “they will say to the mountains, ‘Cover us!’ and to the hills, ‘Fall on us!’” (Hos. 10:8b). Israel’s sin is not merely the failure of the moment, but the sin of many years, reaching back to the days of bisexual perversion and rape as occurred in Gibeah (Hos. 10:9; cf. Judg. 19:1-30). God promises to chastise Israel for their “double guilt” (Hos. 10:10), which likely refers to the two places of calf worship that had previously been set up in Bethel and Dan (see 1 Ki. 12:26-30). Israel is then described as a heifer that enjoyed easy threshing, unmuzzled and able to eat when they wanted (Hos. 10:11a), but God would change their condition by placing a yoke over their neck and giving them the more difficult task of plowing a field (Hos. 10:11b). Though judgment is certain for Israel, He still calls for them to “Sow with a view to righteousness, [and] reap in accordance with kindness; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD until He comes to rain righteousness on you” (Hos. 10:12). Sadly, Israel’s history was that of rebellion and sin, for God states, “You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice, you have eaten the fruit of lies” (Hos 10:13a). Because Israel had trusted in their own way and relied on the strength of human warriors (Hos. 10:13b), God would bring destruction upon their fortresses (Hos. 10:4a), and compares their devastation to an assault by a contemporary king named Shalman, who “destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle, when mothers were dashed in pieces with their children” (Hos. 10:14b). God then explains this judgment is the result of their sin, saying, “Thus it will be done to you at Bethel because of your great wickedness. At dawn the king of Israel will be completely cut off” (Hos. 10:15). So Hosea continues to level charges against Israel because of their unfaithfulness to the Mosaic Covenant.

God rebuked Israel for their idolatry and for falsely thinking their prosperity came from Baal (Hos. 9:1-2). God promised Israel would go into captivity for their gross violation of the covenant (Hos. 9:3). Once in captivity, they will be perpetually defiled and not able to offer true sacrifices to God (Hos. 9:4-5). Being in captivity, weeds will overrun their treasures and home (Hos. 9:6). God pronounces, “The days of punishment have come, the days of retribution have come; let Israel know this!” (Hos 9:7a). Because of Israel’s sin, God’s prophet was regarded as a fool and demented. Another rendering reads, “Because your sins are so many and your hostility so great, the prophet is considered a fool, the inspired person a maniac” (Hos. 9:7b NIV). In reality, God’s prophet was to serve as a watchman over His people, warning them of approaching danger. However, God’s people turned on the prophet and laid traps for him and treated him with hostility (Hos. 9:8). Another rendering reads, “The prophet is a watchman over Ephraim on behalf of God, yet traps are laid for him along all of his paths; animosity rages against him in the land of his God” (Hos. 9:8 NET). The phrase, “They have gone deep in depravity as in the days of Gibeah” (Hos. 9:9) refers to an event in the book of Judges where bisexual Benjamites raped a Levite’s concubine (Judg. 19:1-30). This moral depravity spoke of Israel’s spiritual condition. Early in Israel’s history, God delighted in them, as one might be delighted in finding grapes and figs in a desert land (Hos. 9:10a). However, their glory turned to shame when they engaged in idol worship at Baal-peor (Hos. 9:10b; cf. Num. 25:1-3). The act of idolatry became a normal pattern for Israel, and God promised to execute the curses of the Mosaic Covenant by bringing infertility, death, and exile into a foreign land (Hos. 9:11-14). Because of their evil, God would drive them out of His land, giving special mention of Israel’s leaders, saying, “All their princes are rebels” (Hos. 9:15). God promised that Israel would no longer advance as a nation, saying the fruit of their wombs would be destroyed (Hos. 9:16). God would cast them away “because they have not listened to Him; and they will be wanderers among the nations” (Hos. 9:17).

God instructs Israel to sound the trumpet because an enemy is coming, “Because they have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law” (Hos. 8:1). Israel cried out to the Lord, claiming they knew Him (Hos. 8:2), but their actions betrayed their claim. In fact, God declares “Israel has rejected the good” by refusing to follow His commands, and so He would judge them by sending an enemy (Hos. 8:3). Israel’s rejection of God was seen in their independent selection of kings (Hos. 8:4a) as well as their idolatrous practices (Hos. 8:4b). Because they’d rejected Him, He rejected their idols in which they’d trusted (Hos. 8:5); idols that could not even protect themselves, as God declares, “Surely the calf of Samaria will be broken to pieces” (Hos. 8:6). Israel had brought judgment upon themselves, and God declares, “For they sow the wind and they reap the whirlwind” (Hos. 8:7a). As a result of their rebellion against God, He would also bring about agricultural devastation (Hos. 8:7b). Having forfeited their own blessing from God, Israel had become common, like the nations around them, and had become “like a vessel in which no one delights” (Hos. 8:8). And like an unreasoning animal—a wild donkey—Israel sought an alliance with Assyria, and so became intimate with them, like a hired lover (Hos. 8:9). However, their political alliances could not stay the hand of God who would “gather them up” for judgment (Hos. 8:10). Israel’s practices had become nationwide, for they’d constructed pagan altars across the land, and so multiplied their sin (Hos. 8:11). This was contrary to how they should have lived, for God had clearly given them His Word, yet His guidance was “regarded as a strange thing” (Hos. 8:12). Though they offered many sacrifices, “the LORD has taken no delight in them” (Hos. 8:13a). Judgment was coming, as Hosea declared, “Now He will remember their iniquity, and punish them for their sins; they will return to Egypt” (Hos. 8:13b). The sad thing is that “Israel has forgotten His Maker” (Hos. 8:14a), and lived as though He did not exist; and Judah behaved similarly, in that they’d focused on their human projects and “multiplied fortified cities” (Hos. 8:14b). However, Judah would not escape God’s judgment if they followed in Israel’s footsteps, as God announces, “I will send a fire on its cities that it may consume its palatial dwellings” (Hos. 8:14c). Human cities and fortresses cannot protect in the day of God’s judgment, and this became evident when God sent the Assyrians against Israel and Judah.

Though God desired to heal Israel, their sins kept being uncovered (Hos. 7:1). Israel did not consider that God remembered their sins, but they were continually before His face (Hos. 7:2). The wickedness and lies of the people made the king and princes glad, as their behavior was consistent with the Israel’s leadership (Hos. 7:3). “Their political leaders rejoiced in the wickedness of the people because that made it easier for them to get away with sinning.”[1] All the people of Israel were adulterers, both physically and spiritually, and their passion is likened to an oven that smolders overnight while the dough rises (Hos. 7:4). Israel’s king and princes lived for themselves (Hos. 7:5), and the princes seething passion is compared to a burning oven that is dormant for a time, but erupts in fire as they plot to kill their king (Hos. 7:6-7). “Hosea saw this happen four times. Shallum assassinated Zechariah, Menahem assassinated Shallum, Pekah assassinated Pekahiah, and Hoshea assassinated Pekah (2 Kings 15:10, 14, 25, 30).”[2] Israel’s political practices excluded the Lord as they mingled with pagan nations. They became like a cake not turned, which meant they were burned on one side and raw on the other, which made them of no benefit to others (Hos. 7:8). As a result of their foolish international practices, foreigners consumed their strength, but they were ignorant of what was happening to them (Hos. 7:9), and the pride of Israel kept them from turning to the Lord (Hos. 7:10). God then compares Israel to a silly dove that flutters back and forth between Egypt and Assyria (Hos. 7:11), but the Lord will cast His net over them and put an end to their birdbrained practices (Hos. 7:12). Their destruction is because they have become hostile toward God, in which He declares, “they have strayed from Me!...they have rebelled against Me!...they speak lies against Me…they turn away from Me…[and] they devise evil against Me” (Hos 7:13-15). Israel had become like a crooked bow that is useless in battle and worthless to the Lord (Hos. 7:16). Israel’s turning away from God made them worthless to others, silly in everyday practices, and useless to the Lord.

 

[1] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Ho 7:3.

[2] Ibid., Ho 7:6.