Peter Barnes | Joel 1:1-20
SERMON NOTES
A PLAGUE OF ALL PLAGUES
Joel 1:1-20
– Leslie Allen goes for a date around 500 B.C. but there is some reason to go back to the 800s B.C. Joel begins by describing a disastrous locust plague.
1. This is God’s word.
– 1:1; Joel is the human author, who brings the word of Yahweh, the divine author. ‘Joel’ means ‘Yahweh is God’.
– Psalm 110:1 came from David in the Holy Spirit (Mark 12:35-36).
2. God chastens His people.
– 1:2-4, 5, 6-7, 9, 10-12
– the day of the Lord is close but Israel will not enjoy it – see 1:15-18; Amos 5:18-20; Dan.12:2.
– Not all disasters are direct chastenings for sin (Luke 13:1-5).
3. God’s chastening is meant to lead to our repentance.
(a) awake (1:5).
(b) lament (1:8). See 1:11, 13 (see Lev.2:1-2).
(c) fast (1:14). The only compulsory fast was on the Day of Atonement. But people could fast on special occasions, especially when there was great sin e.g. 2 Sam.12:16. See Matt.6:16-18.
(d) pray (1:19-20). Whatever the rest of Israel does, Joel will pray. He even says that the beasts of the field will pray, as it were (Ps.104:21, 27-28).