Joel Chapter 1

Before we dig in to the Scripture lets discover some context. The exact dates of when the Prophet Joel lived is uncertain, but scholars generally place him in the 9th century BCE, during the period of the Divided Kingdom of Israel. This would mean he lived roughly around the same time as prophets like Elijah, Amos, Isaiah, Hosea and Elisha.

One of the most iconic moments in Elijah’s ministry is the showdown on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). Elijah challenges the prophets of Ba’al to a contest to determine which deity is truly God. Amos is known for his denunciation religious hypocrisy. He fearlessly confronted the wealthy, elite religious leaders of Israel for their oppression of the poor and their empty religious rituals.

Isaiah’s prophecies include vivid descriptions of the Messiah, the suffering servant, and the future restoration of Israel, which are foundational to the believers theology. Hosea’s ministry is often seen in his personal life, where he lived out a metaphor of God’s relationship with Israel through his marriage to an unfaithful wife, Gomer. Hosea’s marriage symbolized God’s faithful love for his unfaithful people, highlighting themes of forgiveness, restoration, and the enduring faithfulness of God’s covenant love.

Elisha performs miracles to provide for widows in need, multiplying oil to pay off debts (2 Kings 4:1-7) and raising a Shunammite woman’s son from the dead (2 Kings 4:8-37). These miracles reveal God’s compassion for the vulnerable and his ability to bring life out of death.

The highlight of Joel’s ministry is often considered to be his prophecy regarding the Day of the Lord. He vividly describes a day of judgment and restoration, emphasizing the need for repentance and returning to God. Joel’s call for repentance and his portrayal of the future outpouring of God’s Spirit are central themes of his prophecy.

These are the words of Joel the Prophet…

1:1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel (Joel= “Jehovah is God”) the son of Pethuel. (Pethuel = “vision of God”)

² Hear this, ye old men, (of those having authority) and give ear, (to be obedient, harken) all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?

Joel starts his message directed towards the religious leaders. The Hebrew society that prevailed in Joels day and age would be centralized to cover both religious and civil duties. The concept comes from the era of Moses where the instructions of Torah were used to “filter” the way in which the civilian side of society was kept in check. As in any organization “absolute power corrupts… absolutely!”. This is the very same reason the ministry of Yeshua butted heads with the Pharisees.

• Matthew 6:19-20 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:”

³ Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.

⁴ That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.

The palmerworm (Dichomeris ligulella) is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is also found in eastern North America. The wingspan is 15–18 mm. Adults are on wing from April to October. There is one generation per year.

The larvae feed on apple, hackberry, hazel and oak. The larvae skeletonize leaves and fold or roll them during feeding. It is occasionally responsible for widespread defoliation of hardwood species. Outbreaks rarely last more than one or two years and usually occur during unusually hot and dry springs. These various worms, if experienced simultaneously, would devour all plant life in large enough numbers.

By J.M.Garg – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8395436

⁵ Awake, ye drunkards, (intoxicated, as a state or a habit) and weep (deep mourning); and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.

Generally speaking in Hebrew scripture, “new wine” is often used metaphorically to symbolize blessings, abundance, and joy. Conversely, the use of the word “wine” is considered to be the metaphor for doctrine and this dichotomy creates much confusion. This verse suggests that “new wine” is a symbol of prosperity and God’s provision for his people which will be “cut off” or cease to exist in the words/praise of the people. Only to be replaced with weeping and moaning.

We should also note the people have a habit that has displaced the flow of the blessings and joy. So many religions have replaced the truth of Scripture with man-made traditions and habits. These habits are feel-good engagements to ideas devoid of Biblical truth. We see this in the days of Joel, more concerning, is the fact we are deep in this philosophy to this very day.

⁶ For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, (mighty, vast, numerous) whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, (in the sense: having a taste for violence) and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. (grinding and crushing)

⁷ He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.

One has to immediately think of the discourse Yeshua relates to his disciples.

• John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

“Barking a fig tree” is a horticultural practice involving removing a strip of bark from the trunk or branches of a fig tree. This process is typically done to stress the tree intentionally, usually to encourage fruit production or to control the tree’s growth.

When the bark is removed, it disrupts the flow of nutrients and water within the tree, which can stimulate the tree to produce more fruit. However, excessive barking or damage to the tree can also harm it or even kill it if done improperly or excessively.

In some contexts, “barking a fig tree” may also refer metaphorically to causing harm or distress to someone or something, similar to, and most likely where we get the idiom “barking up the wrong tree.” However, this interpretation would depend on the context in which it is used.

⁸ Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.

In various cultures and historical contexts, including those in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions, wearing sackcloth was a symbol of mourning, repentance, or grief. Sackcloth was typically made from coarse material such as burlap or rough cloth, and it was uncomfortable to wear, symbolizing discomfort and distress.

A woman might gird herself with sackcloth for several reasons:

1. Mourning: Sackcloth was often worn by individuals mourning the loss of a loved one. It symbolized their grief and sorrow over the death of someone close to them.
2. Repentance: In religious or spiritual contexts, sackcloth was sometimes worn as a sign of repentance and humility before a deity or as a form of penance for wrongdoing. It symbolized a desire for forgiveness and a willingness to change one’s ways.
3. Lamentation: Sackcloth could also be worn as a form of lamentation during times of tragedy or hardship, such as famine, war, or natural disasters. It expressed solidarity with those suffering and a plea for divine intervention or mercy.

Do you see the depth of the message directed at the individual believer? God is listening for a plea for divine intervention or mercy followed by a repentance and humility before a deity or as a form of penance for wrongdoing. Ultimately realizing God has remedied this with the death of someone close to them.

⁹ The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, the Lord’s ministers, mourn.

The term “meat offering” in this context does not refer to flesh meat but rather to grain or cereal offerings. It’s also known as the “grain offering” or “meal offering.” This offering typically consisted of flour mixed with oil and sometimes frankincense, which was presented to God on the altar. It was a symbol of thanksgiving, dedication, and communion with God.

The “drink offering” was a liquid offering typically poured out on the altar, often consisting of wine. It was poured out as a libation, accompanying other offerings, and symbolized the pouring out of the worshipper’s heart and devotion to God.

¹⁰ The field is wasted, (devoured by the worms) the land mourneth; (devastated) for the corn is wasted: (to deal violently with, despoil, devastate, ruin, destroy, spoil) the new wine is dried up, (no more mercy) the oil languisheth. (to be depleted)

The next verse Joel pens is again directed to the clergy! They have placed themselves in a position of responsibility to God and the people and have ultimately abused this position. When the angels left heaven willfully (abused their position) God pronounced the following Judgment: permanently bound in their transgressions only to face the consequences of their decisions. No Salvation. No Resurrection. No Eternal Life. Look at the unprofitable servant….

• Matthew 25:14-30 “For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.“

¹¹ Be ye ashamed, (to put to shame) O ye husbandmen;(working the land, yet not owning any of it) [priests/preachers] howl, O ye vinedressers,(this is a slur to the priest/preacher) for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.

• Matthew 13:25-30 “But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
• Revelation 14:19 “And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.”

¹² The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.

On the surface this verse says the people are just unhappy. It is easy to see the surface meaning. Yet there is something far more troubling here. The people have been lured away from the teachings and discipline from YHVH by the leaders. They have ignored the Torah and the results are manifesting both literally as well as figuratively. The people will be taken from the land and lose the bounty thereof. Same as the unfaithful servant and his care of that which was valuable.

Living a righteous and obedient life according to God’s commandments is often associated with joy. Proverbs 29:18 states, “Blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction, and the one who observes her words is wise.” This wisdom and obedience leads to personal joy as opposed to the weeping and gnashing of teeth.

• Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
• Matthew 21:19-20 “And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!”

¹³ Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: (calls them out directly this time) howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.

Again God is asking for repentance from fruitless traditions and false doctrine.

¹⁴ Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord,

¹⁵ Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

• Revelation 19:15 “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”

¹⁶ Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?

¹⁷ The seed (offspring) is rotten (made into waste) under their clods (something thrown off violently), the garners (storehouses, i.e. churches) are laid desolate,(devastate, grow numb) the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.

A favorite verse among the church today is Malachi 3:10, in fact, it is one of the cornerstone verses for the word of faith movement and the prosperity gospel. They continually preach about sowing a seed and the dystopic idea that God is somehow a celestial lottery draw. One can throw a little cash at it in hopes of a big payday. Malachi 3:10 states “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” The problem is this: tithes in the day of Joel would have been food and wine and clothing. All the ingredients for a good party right?

• Deuteronomy 14:22-26 A Tenth for the Lord “Each year you are to set aside a tenth of all the produce grown in your fields. You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, in the presence of Yahweh your God at the place where He chooses to have His name dwell, so that you will always learn to fear the Lord your God. But if the distance is too great for you to carry it, since the place where Yahweh your God chooses to put His name is too far away from you and since the Lord your God has blessed you, then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the Lord your God chooses. You may spend the money on anything you want: cattle, sheep, wine, beer, or anything you desire. You are to feast there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with your family.”

• Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”
• Matthew 24:12 “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”

We need to take notice of what is being said here. If we allow these charlatans continue in their poisonous ways the people will drift further from God and their passion for truth will evaporate.

¹⁸ How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

¹⁹ O Lord, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.

²⁰ The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

In these final verses we see the impact sin has on the creation. Looking at Genesis we see the warning: “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;” Genesis 3:17 KJV

The priests of Joels day were not teaching justly, they had included the Talmud, as well as, the teachings they learned in Egypt. These very same precepts are still being taught by modern preachers in the 501(c)3 today. I watch as people become offended when presented the truth because they cannot fathom being lied to in such completeness and for as long as we have been.

• Jeremiah 16:19 “Lord, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in a time of distress, the nations will come to You from the ends of the earth, and they will say, “Our fathers inherited only lies, worthless idols of no benefit at all.”

The lack of personal knowledge of the Scriptures combined with the blind allegiance to some denomination, church, or preacher is not the true assembly of believers, they are an audience waiting to be entertained. Then when presented the truth they cry foul, shift the blame to the presenter, and march off telling the world how much the presenter is the problem. In my encounters, to include one recently, the other person not only would not accept the information, they stated my information was wrong without verification and despite being provided book and page of verified documents. [Bible, Encyclopedia, Ancient Semitic Texts, Catholic Catechism]

This blog was founded on the verse in 2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” I am willing to admit I can be wrong, but… you are going to have to help me understand based on Scriptural evidence that results from the depth of study that Paul urges here in his letter to Timothy. This is the type of study I hope I inspire in others.

Matthew 22:29 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.”