Joel 1:6-15
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Joel 1:6-7
"A nation has invaded my land, powerful and without number; it
has the teeth of a lion, the fangs of a lioness. 7 It has laid waste my
vines and ruined my fig trees. It has stripped off their bark and thrown
it away, leaving their branches white."
In verses 6 and 7, Joel compares the locust infestations with the advance
of the Assyrian Empire of the future. Both entities are horribly destructive.
Here and in verse 10 we have an example of prosopoeia or personification.
Joel 1:8
"Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth grieving for the husband of her
youth."
Here Joel describes the misery and sorrow of the people as the Assyrians
invade Judah in the future. Their misery is compared to that of a young
widow who has lost her husband after marrying him, but before they have
physically consummated the marriage. In other words, this is bona fide
sorrow. The term for married/virgin is hlvtb. And an analogy exists between
the virgin and Judah: like the virgin, the Jews have married the Lord,
but they have not made love to Him.
Joel 1:9
"Grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off from the house
of the Lord. The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the
Lord."
In verse 9, as a result of the military invasion by the Assyrians, the religious
life of the Jews will cease. The priests will be idled and mourn; the sacrifices
will cease, the teaching of Christ through the representative analogies
of the Levitical offerings will stop. And two specific offerings are mentioned:
the minchah hHnm, which was the meat or meal offering, and the nesec jsn,
which was the libation or drink offering. The Christological implications
of both these offerings clearly portray Christ with an emphasis on propitiation
(satisfaction).
Joel 1:10-12
"The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up; the grain is destroyed,
the new wine is dried up, the oil fails. 11 Despair, you farmers, wail,
you vine growers; grieve for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest
of the field is destroyed. 12 The vine is dried up and the fig tree is
withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree -- all the trees
of the field -- are dried up. Surely the joy of mankind is withered away."
The grain, the wine, and the oil were all necessary for the offerings of
verse 9. When the products of the land are destroyed, either by locusts
or armies, other activities are also affected. Not only will there be starvation,
death, disease, famine, and plague, but there are no luxuries, and there
are no sacrifices for the altars.
Joel 1:13,14
"Put on sackcloth, O priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister
before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister
before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld
from the house of your God. 14 Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly.
Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord
your God, and cry out to the Lord."
Joel says that because of a lack of interest in God and God's word, Judah
should prepare itself for discipline from God. They should cry and wear
sackcloth. Joel tells them to call for a fast, i.e., a period of concentrated
prayer and reflection upon God's word. This is what they should have been
doing -- thinking about God. In the future, however, they will, because
of the dire circumstances, command people to think about God and pray.
The 'elders,' again, are those who rule for the infant king, Joash.
They are "to cry to the Lord." Here, crying is not weeping; this
is the cry of confession of sin by those who are believers, and the cry
of belief or faith by those who are unbelievers. They are to recognize
God, His grace, His plan, His saving work.
Joel 1:15-20 Far Fulfillment: the King of the North
Joel 1:15
"What a dreadful day! For the day of the Lord is near; it will
come like destruction from the Almighty."
"The day of the Lord" is a technical, theological designation.
The Hebrew is hvhy Mvy. This phrase occurs five different times in the
book of Joel. And in this construct expression the word "day"
refers both to a very distinct extent of time and a very distinct event
in time "whose nature is determined by the associated personal name."
[1] The term refers to the last half (3 and one-half years) of the Tribulation
(it may and does include the Second Advent, and the Millennial reign of
Christ). Thus, the event is the Tribulation and the extent of time is 3
and one-half years, including Armageddon.
Joel states that "it is near." This phrase means that it will
come at its appointed time in history -- a time appointed by, and known
only to, God. And the phrase "destruction from the Almighty,"
refers to the permissive will of God, i.e., the invasion of the Tribulational
King of the North is allowed by God.
The Hebrew terms for "destruction" and "Almighty" are
dw and ydw, respectively. This is a powerful example of paronomasia. Two
terms of similar sound are placed side by side; thus two ideas are presented
and emphasized. "It shall come as a destruction (k'shod) from the
Almighty (mish-shaddai). The awful nature of that day is emphasized by
this figure, and our attention is directed to the fact that Destruction
comes from the all-bountiful One! It is like "the wrath of the Lamb,"
of which we read in Rev. 6:16,17." [2]
In other words, blessings and discipline come from the same Omnipotent God.
The One who provides the blessings through perfect righteousness and perfect
justice also provides tremendous discipline and destruction because of these
same attributes.
Joel 1:15, then, introduces the Tribulation, Armageddon, and the King of
the North. These particulars will now be discussed under the general concept
of Armageddon.
Topic: Armageddon
Topic: The False Prophet and the Mark of the Beast
Topic: Abomination of Desolation
Topic: The Second Advent of Christ
Notes:
[1] Wolff, Hans Walter. Joel and Amos; page 33.
[2] Bullinger, E.W. Figures of Speech; page 313.
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