Tags
bible, joel, judgment, life journal, old testament, prophecy, repentance, sin
Part of today’s Life Journal reading is the prophetic book of Joel, a short but power-packed (and vindictive!) oracle about God, his people Israel, and the nations. I want to make a few observations about the message of Joel, and later today or tomorrow I’ll post some thoughts about Joel, the New Testament, and Jesus. (This one is already a bit longer than I’d hoped. Sorry!)
Joel brings an unpopular prediction of judgment. (1.1-2.11) The whole first half of Joel is not good news. And it is not what God’s people expected or desired. The “day of the LORD” is not what they had hoped. Put simply, God’s people assumed that their capital city (Jerusalem) and its Temple were invincible. They took God’s promises to their ancient Kings David and Solomon to mean that God would make them victorious no matter what. Joel disagrees; because of Israel’s gross unfaithfulness – turning obedient faith into ritualistic religion, among other things – God was prepared to act decisively against them. Continue reading »
