Theology: The Book of Joel gives us the theology
concerning the “day of YHWH.” This is a day that God decides to bring judgment
upon His people. In Joel, that judgment takes the form of extreme famine, where
locusts have devoured all of the crops. This judgment is taking place because
the people have sinned against God, and are, therefore, no longer under His
protection. In the ancient Near East, the people are only under the protection
of deity when they remain in his or her favor. As long as they have the god’s
favor, the elements of chaos (e.g., invading armies, natural disasters, etc.)
are held at bay. The protection of the deity functions much like a damn holding
back mountains of water. When that favor is lost, the damn is broken, and the
waters of chaos flood in and destroy everything. The day of YHWH is the day He
decides to judge His people for their sins and no longer hold back chaos.
Ethics: The response to this coming judgment, as in
all of the prophets, is to repent. Repentance is said to look like a complete
focus of thoughts geared toward obedience to God, fasting (i.e., the sacrifice
of food/resources in order to take care of the poor among God’s people),
weeping and mourning (i.e., the external emotional signs that accompany
repentance. However, a caution is given to not confuse an emotional sorrow with
real repentance. Hence, Joel urges the people to “rend your mind and not your
garments.” This is defined as “returning to YHWH your God” (2:13).
The people have hope in this because God is “gracious and
compassionate, slow to anger, full of hesed, redirecting His favor away
from chaos” (v. 14); but it is not a sure thing that God will, in fact, turn
His judgment back (v. 15). This is a common theme in the prophets, and it
conveys the idea that God is not mocked. He may or may not forgive. He has the
discretion to do so or to refrain from doing so. No one, and no act (even an
act of repentance), controls Him. However, because of His character, there is
hope that He will turn from His wrath and bless the people instead. The hope of
repentance is that God will remove the threat of chaos and restore the people
and the land to prosperity.
Repentance is also corporate, not just individual (2:16),
and corporate repentance is to be led by the priests, who are to intercede for
the people (v. 17).
Joel is really a warning to Israel to repent before the day
of the Lord, i.e., before God withdraws His protection and lets chaos flood in.
In this regard, Peter’s use of Joel in the Book of Acts is consistent with its
theme. He warns them of the oncoming judgment for their killing of the Messiah.
They, however, do not repent, and God withdraws His protection. The chaos that
ensues when the Romans attack the city is, therefore, a result of God
withdrawing this protection on the “day of the Lord,” precisely, because it
functions the same way as it does in Joel. It is not because there is only one
day of the Lord, but because the day of the Lord is any day that God withdraws
His protection from upon His people and lets chaos come bursting in.
Joel also connects the day of the Lord judgment of locusts
to one or more in the future, where the people of God repent and are,
therefore, given the Spirit of God so that revelation becomes abundant. This is
the opposite of the judgment of God that withholds revelation from people.
Instead, even the children will prophesy, and all who call upon the name of the
Lord will be placed on the Lord’s holy mountain/Jerusalem and will escape the
judgment, and all of their enemies (i.e., agents of chaos) will be judged
instead.
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