#178. Joel: The Day of the Lord, Repentance & the God Who Restores

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This is The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.

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I'm Stephanie Hickox

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Today we'll attempt to answer just

when the prophet Joel penned his

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warning of the coming day of the Lord.

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but regardless of the date of

the locust invasion with Joel

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The importance of this book

remains and translates to us today.

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More than any other prophet, Joel

emphasized the day of the Lord.

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Although you and I do not live in a

mostly agrarian society and we don't

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get as concerned with pestilence

problems, we should still be very

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concerned about the Lord's judgment

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in the Book of Joel, God continues to

reveal that the day of the Lord isn't

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just judgment, it's also a day where

God pours out blessing and His Spirit.

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as with most prophecies, there was a near

fulfillment and a distant fulfillment.

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The title of the book is also the author.

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But his name is not mentioned in

any other portion of scripture,

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nor is his father's name.

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We can tell that the system of

temple sacrifices mattered deeply

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to him, but it doesn't appear that

he was from the Levitical line.

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As he preaches to Judah

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It seems he's aware of farming

and agricultural practices

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It's quite debated just when the

Lord delivered this message to Joel.

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There are three main theories on this,

and they come about because there is a

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strong emphasis on the priestly line, but

it doesn't really speak to the monarchy.

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Is this after the monarchy fell?

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Is this in the days of the Babylonian

invasion where the kings were

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deported or greatly weakened?

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Or does it refer to another

time in Israel's history when

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the monarchy wasn't as strong?

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One possibility is that it was

written in the early pre-exilic era

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This means the days before

Judah was deported to Babylon.

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That's why it's called

pre-exilic, pre-exile

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If this is the case, it seems most

likely that Joel would have been

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written during the days of Jehoash.

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With all the kings we studied,

and with so many starting with

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the letter J, I certainly don't

expect you to remember who that is.

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But you'll probably recall he had possibly

the worst grandmother that ever lived.

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She's the one who killed all of her

grandchildren in hopes of reigning.

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But thankfully, there was one

grandchild that evaded her evil plans.

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God used Jehoiada and his wife to protect

Jehoash and hide him in the temple.

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since he was so young at the time he

was hidden away, they had to wait to

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bring him out when he was older, and he

began reigning at quite an early age.

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It's possible that Joel was writing in

those days as the monarchy was weak.

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Another feather in this theory's

cap is that in the original Hebrew

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canon, when they had placed the

minor prophets together, Joel is

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placed right between Hosea and Amos.

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They both wrote during the pre-exilic

era, and it's possible that when the

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Hebrew canon was being assembled,

they placed the book of Joel there

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intentionally due to the chronology

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There's also a good amount of

evidence for a post-exilic date.

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Post-exilic refers to a time after the 70

years of captivity that God sovereignly

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ordained for the nation of Judah

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This theory also focuses on the fact

that priests are elevated in Joel,

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but the monarchy is not mentioned

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And that seems consistent with the

books of Ezra and Nehemiah as God

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is reestablishing the importance

of the temple in the nation.

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But what I find most compelling about

this argument is that the Book of Joel

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seems to quote other parts of scripture

eight times that includes the prophets

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Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zephaniah

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This seems to point to the fact that Joel

had the opportunity to both read and know

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those books of scripture well So he was

able to interweave them in his writing.

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Of course, it's possible the

other authors were quoting Joel

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instead, but that seems less likely.

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And the final theory is that Joel

was written between these two eras,

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during the late pre-exilic era.

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This would have been from 597 right

before the Babylonians captured Judah.

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Now, those who ascribe to this theory-

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understand portions of Joel to

fit best with the time that the

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Babylonians deported 10,000 Jews.

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And some of the ways that the day of the

Lord is mentioned and elaborated on seems

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to fit best with the fall of Jerusalem.

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Also, the Greek slave trade is mentioned,

and this was most prevalent in the

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seventh and early sixth centuries.

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I share all of that because

generally as we're reading scripture,

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the context matters greatly.

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And I also think it's a

really fascinating process

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of how they discern the date

these books were written.

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I wanted you to hear there is

a reasonable argument for each.

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regardless of the date of Joel's inspired

writing, the message doesn't change.

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It was written to edify and encourage

all believers As Joel warns about the

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coming day of the Lord and judgment,

he calls the people to repentance.

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And that message should always

be on the forefront of believers.

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The Bible Project summarizes Joel's

theme this way: Human sin and failure

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wreaks devastation, but God longs to

show mercy to those who will confess.

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This leads us to hope that one day God

will bring healing to make all things

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new In the first chapter of Joel, a

literal locust invasion is described.

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Not only did it destroy their

current crop, but it would have

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had an impact for years to come.

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Joel reveals that this devastation is

a result of judgment from the Lord.

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before he calls the people to

repent, he details how expansive

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the destruction has been.

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beginning in Joel one,

two: Hear this, you elders.

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Give ear, all inhabitants of the land.

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Has such a thing happened in your

days or in the days of your fathers?

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Tell your children of it, and let

your children tell their children, and

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their children to another generation.

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What the cutting locust left, the

swarming locust has eaten; what the

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swarming locust left, the hopping locust

has eaten; and what the hopping locust

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left, the destroying locust has eaten.

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Awake, you drunkards, and weep,

and wail all you drinkers of wine

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because of the sweet wine, for

it is cut off from your mouth

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For a nation has come up against

my land powerful and beyond number.

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Its teeth are lion's teeth, and

it has the fangs of a lioness.

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It has laid waste my vine

and splintered my fig tree.

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It has stripped off their

bark and thrown it down.

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Their branches are made white In

summary, these locusts have

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eaten every crop imaginable.

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Generally, locusts are not tempted

by figs, but their decimating of even

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these crops shows us that the pestilence

permeated everything imaginable Think

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about the daily life of these people.

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They relied upon the vineyards to create

wine They needed the grain to make bread.

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And both of these were required

for sacrifices in the temple.

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They also needed that grain to feed

their livestock and their families.

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Every part of their life

was impacted by this.

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And Joel, whose name means

Yahweh is God, points them to

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repent before this one true God.

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And he wants them to tell

it to their children.

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He wants the generations after

to understand It is so much

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better to walk in holiness

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than to endure the judgment of the Lord.

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He calls the people to grieve humbly

and to let the depth of their mourning

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over their sin penetrate their hearts.

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In one eight, Joel says

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In 1:8 Joel urges, "Lament like

a virgin wearing sackcloth for

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the bridegroom of her youth.

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The grain offering and the drink offering

are cut off from the house of the Lord.

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Can you imagine a young bride

newly married and in love

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and suddenly becomes a widow?

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That's the level of mourning the

prophet is calling them to Joel goes

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on to say the priests are mourning

they can't offer sacrifices due to

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the wine and oil being dried up.

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He says the farmers should be

ashamed because all of the fruit and

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trees drying up is a result of sin

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And now he issues a widespread call

in verses thirteen and fourteen.

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Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests;

wail, O ministers of the altar!

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Go in, pass the night in

sackcloth, O ministers of my God!

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Because grain offering and drink offering

are withheld from the house of your God.

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Consecrate a fast, call a

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solemn

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Steph: assembly, gather the elders

and all the inhabitants of the

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land to the house of the Lord

your God, and cry out to the Lord.

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Alas for the day, for the day of

the Lord is near, and as destruction

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from the Almighty it comes Chapter

Two is one of the most descriptive

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passages of the day of the Lord.

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When you think of a day, there is

a morning and there is an evening.

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The evening of the day of

the Lord represents the

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darkness and judgment of it.

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but the morning fills us with

hope because God will bring

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goodness through this as well.

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The first part of chapter two

chronicles that dark evening period.

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Job begins to describe what seems

to be a literal military threat, but

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he uses imagery that also portrays

locusts as, as that's something

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the people had recently encountered.

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This army of war horses and chariots is

fearsome, but not more so than the Lord.

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Beginning in chapter two, verse

ten, " The earth quakes before

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them, the heavens tremble, the

sun and the moon are darkened, and

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the stars withdraw their shining.

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The Lord utters his voice before his

army, for his camp is exceedingly great.

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he who executes his word is

powerful, for the day of the

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Lord is great and very awesome.

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Who can endure it?"

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I love that phrase, "He who

executes his word is powerful."

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The Lord just has to speak,

and the host of heaven moves

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to accomplish his purposes.

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our earthly enemies have nothing when

compared with our spiritual protectors.

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Continuing in verse twelve, " Yet even

now," declares the Lord, " return to

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me with all your heart, with fasting,

with weeping, and with mourning, and

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rend your hearts and not your garments.

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Return to the Lord your God, for

he is gracious and merciful, slow

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to anger and abounding in steadfast

love, and he relents over disaster.

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Who knows whether he will not turn

and relent, and leave a blessing

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behind him, a grain offering and a

drink offering for the Lord your God."

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we've frequently read that phrase,

to mourn in sackcloth and ashes,

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but God clarifies, " I'm not

looking for an external lamentation.

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I want you to be deeply grieved and

repentant in your hearts and return

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to me because I am merciful and

loving, and I want to bless you."

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Did you recognize this

passage of scripture?

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It's from Exodus thirty-four when God

reveals His own character to His people.

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Rightfully so, it's one of the most

quoted Old Testament passages by

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the earthly authors of scripture.

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Joel reminds us that we can hope even

in the midst of devastation and attack.

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We have a good God, and He is worthy

of our hope and our trust The call

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to return to this good God should

extend to all the people of the land.

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Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate

a fast, call a solemn assembly,

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gather the people, consecrate the

congregation, assemble the elders, gather

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the children, even nursing infants.

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Let the bridegroom leave his

room and the bride her chamber.

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I love that God wants all

the kids there for this.

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He doesn't say, "Ooh,

this'll get pretty intense.

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Better leave the kids at home."

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Instead, he wants the parents to

model their repentance for their kids,

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letting them know that sin has an impact

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Sometimes we might feel ashamed to

reveal our mistakes to our kids, but

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in an age-appropriate, careful manner

I think it's important for us to be

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honest with our kids and to say, "If I

could go back, I would live differently

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that choice has caused deep regret

and consequences, and I want something

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better for you God even wants the

newlyweds to pause their wedded bliss

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and enter into this time of repentance.

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It's fascinating to me that a fast is

called, because after the destruction

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of the locusts, isn't that kind of

what the people have been doing?

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But they're not doing

it out of necessity now.

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Now they do it out of devotion to the

Lord In verse 18, it begins the morning

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of the day of the Lord that I mentioned.

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Then the Lord became jealous for

His land and had pity on His people.

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The Lord answered and said to His people,

" Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine,

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and oil, and you will be satisfied.

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I will no more make you a

reproach among the nations."

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God promises to rescue them.

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Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice,

for the Lord has done great things.

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He will restore the land, the

trees, the vines, and there will

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be abundant rain And in something

supernatural and beautiful that

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only the God of the Bible can do.

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Verse twenty-five is probably

very recognizable to you.

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I will restore to you the years that

the swarming locust has eaten, the

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hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,

my great army which I sent among you.

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You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,

and praise the name of the Lord your

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God, who has dealt wondrously with you.

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And my people shall never

again be put to shame.

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You shall know that I am in the midst

of Israel, and that I am the Lord

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your God, and there is none else.

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And my people shall never

again be put to shame

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Should it surprise us that the God who

rains down manna and who turns a little

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boy's lunch into food for thousands, that

He could restore what the locusts ate

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He is a God that restores.

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It's not always how we

expect or how we hope

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But perhaps you're in a season

where you feel that figurative have

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devoured your finances, your health

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or robbed you time with a loved one,

whether over death or a disagreement,

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then you might be grateful to be reminded

that God's heart is for restoration

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This might be a prayer that you pray

while you have your hands open in

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surrender, saying, "God, I know that

your redemption in this situation might

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not look how I expect, but I believe

you dwell in my midst, and that you

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promise that your people will not be

put to shame when they walk with you.

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So I'm trusting you to work this for

your glory and my good Next, Joel

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promises that at this time, God will

pour out His Spirit on all people.

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And rather than reading it from Joel

2, I'd like to read it to you from

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one of its fulfilled portions of

scripture In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit

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came upon the believers at Pentecost.

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They began speaking in tongues,

and everyone around them could

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understand them in their own language.

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Some bystanders believed this was such

odd behavior, that they accused the

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disciples of being drunk in Acts two

fourteen, but Peter, standing with

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the eleven, lifted up his voice and

addressed them, " Men of Judea and

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all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be

known to you and give ear to my words.

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For these people are not drunk

as you suppose, since it is

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only the third hour of the day.

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But this is what was uttered through the

Prophet Joel, ' And in the last days it

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shall be,' God declares, ' that I will

pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your

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sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

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and your old men shall dream dreams.

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Even my male servants and female

servants, in those days I will pour

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out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

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And I will show wonders in the heavens

above and signs on the earth below,

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blood and fire and vapor of smoke.

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The sun shall be turned to darkness and

the moon to blood before the day of the

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Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

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And it shall come to pass that

everyone who calls upon the name

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of the Lord shall be saved.'

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What incredible promises and such

a beautiful fulfillment But we

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also read awe-inspiring warnings.

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In chapter three, Joel describes

God's warning for the nations.

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And the book ends, "I will avenge

their blood, blood I have not

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avenged, for the Lord dwells in Zion."

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We serve a God that remains available to

all who call upon Him, but to those who

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will not, and to those that have harmed

His people, the day of the Lord is coming

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you and I know the presence of

God brings protection and peace.

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But to anyone who won't humble

their heart It should incite fear

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Because we believe that every word of God

is true, and we have this promise that

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all who call upon the name of the Lord

shall be saved, let's pray to that end.

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Heavenly Father,

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We thank you for your word and

how it applies to all generations.

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We pray we would have a deep reverence

in our souls for your judgment, and

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that our families would understand

sin deserves to be punished.

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We pray this reality leads us to

humble repentance when we do fall

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into temptation, but that it also

calls us to a joyful holiness that

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prevents us from engaging in sin.

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I pray with these moms whose hearts

are heavy and longing for You to

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prove Yourself as a God of redemption

Lord, we also pray for the nations.

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We pray for eyes to be opened

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and deceived minds to receive clarity.

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We desire for a revival that would bring

glory to you, for the gospel to be

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preached to the tribes and the peoples

that have never heard your name you

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are patient and abounding in steadfast

love, and we rejoice that you will never

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turn away someone who calls upon you

Jesus, thank you for paving a way for

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us to be restored to our loving Father.

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It's in your name we pray.

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Amen