Joel 3

³ God’s covenant people were promised blessings if they obeyed God’s commands (Leviticus 26:313); however, they were also promised curses if they disobeyed (Leviticus 26:14–39). Locust plagues were among those curses (Deuteronomy 28:38,42).

⁴ Sincere fasting is a sign of repentance and humility. Such fasting is pleasing to God and can bring much spiritual benefit.

⁵ Calling a sacred assembly (verse 14) or a national prayer meeting was not commonly done in ancient Israel. However, such assemblies were recommended by King Solomon during times of national crisis (see 1 Kings 8:37–40). Joel was following Solomon’s advice.

⁶ A biblical writer may quote the Lord directly or he may speak his “own” words that have been inspired by the Holy Spirit; in either case, the Lord is the source of the words. The Lord uses human instruments—each with his own personality—to communicate His words.

⁷ In biblical times, people “rent” (tore) their garments as a sign of mourning. Here Joel tells them that God is not interested in external signs of mourning; He is only interested in the condition of their hearts.

⁸ God often sends calamities upon His people in order to discipline them. If they repent, He then relents from sending calamity (verse 13); the calamity—or the threat thereof—has already achieved its purpose. God does not take pleasure in punishing us; rather, He takes pleasure in restoring us to fellowship after we have repented of our sin. For further discussion on the subject of testing and discipline, see Exodus 15:25–27 and comment.

⁹ In verse 25, the Lord says: “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.” This verse (and others like it) have been a great comfort to believers down through the centuries. We may experience a loss that seems impossible to make up, but with God nothing is impossible. We may have committed a wrong that we think can never be made right, but if we will just turn it over to the Lord in repentance, He will make it right. The Lord will “repay”—whether in this life or the next. For the child of God, there are no permanent losses, no permanent wrongs.

¹⁰ In verse 23, Joel writes: God has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. Once the people repent, their covenant relationship with God is restored; “in righteousness” God then renews the blessings of the covenant. The abundant showers (verse 23) represent those blessings, the greatest of which is fellowship with God.

Note, in verses 21–23, that Joel uses the past tense even though the blessings described are still in the future; the future blessings are so certain that Joel can speak of them as having already been given.

¹¹ The word “prophesy” primarily means to speak God’s word under a special anointing of the Holy Spirit. The prophet is given a supernatural gift to speak words directly from God. Even in the New Testament era, this gift is not given to every Christian. However, the word “prophesy” is sometimes used in a more general sense. Any Spirit–filled believer is equipped to speak God’s word authoritatively and to apply God’s written word to life’s situations. Any Spirit–filled believer may receive special insights from God which he or she can then communicate to others. This can be called “prophesying” in a general sense, and this is the kind of prophesying that Joel is writing about in verse 28. However, this kind of prophesying must always be rooted in God’s written word; the Holy Spirit never inspires anyone to contradict or oppose the Bible. For further discussion, see Isaiah: Introduction; General Article: Prophecy and Predictive Words.

¹² It is not known where this Valley of Jehoshaphat is located or whether it even exists at this time. In verse 14, it is also called the valley of decision—that is, the “valley of God’s verdict.”

¹³ Tyre and Sidon received their punishment during the time of the Old Testament: Tyre was captured by Alexander the Great, and Sidon was enslaved by Syria.

¹⁴ Joel does not make a distinction between the Millennium—the future thous and year reign of Christ (Revelation 20:1–6)—and the so–called “eternal state,” the new heaven and earth described in Revelation Chapters 21–22. The Millennium is best understood as a foretaste of our eternal state in heaven.

We should note that there are differing opinions among Christians concerning the Millennium and the last days. For a discussion of the major viewpoints, see General Article: The Second Coming of Jesus Christ, in The Applied New Testament Commentary.