JOEL CHAPTER 2 The prophet describeth the locusts as a mighty ar led by God to destroy the land, JOEL 2:1. He exhorteth to repentance, JOEL 2:12; prescribeth a general fast and humiliation, JOEL 2:15; and promiseth mercy from God, JOEL 2:18. He comforteth Zion with present blessings, JOEL 2:21; and... [ Continue Reading ]
A DAY OF DARKNESS AND OF GLOOMINESS; metaphorically taken for a time of exceeding great troubles and calamities, according to the style of the Scriptures, which express prosperity by the metaphor of light, and adversity by darkness. which certainly is intended here; and the synonymous terms are here... [ Continue Reading ]
A FIRE, either the heat of the sun more vehement than usual, or the locusts, or Chaldeans and Babylonians resembled by locusts, as fire, shall devour, utterly consume and eat up, BEFORE THEM; that people, JOEL 2:2. BEHIND THEM A FLAME BURNETH; what is left behind them is as burnt with a flame; all t... [ Continue Reading ]
THE APPEARANCE OF THEM IS AS THE APPEARANCE OF HORSES; their carriage, for fierceness, agility, and irresistibleness, is like that of horses trained up to the wars, of which JOB 39:19, &c. AND AS HORSEMEN, SO SHALL THEY RUN: this gives light to the former expression, and by it we see these locusts a... [ Continue Reading ]
LIKE THE NOISE OF CHARIOTS ON THE TOPS OF MOUNTAINS SHALL THEY LEAP; such warlike chariots on resounding mountains do, with their rapid motions, and shaking their irons about them, make a great and dreadful noise; so should these locusts in their flight; by which they shall terrify the people before... [ Continue Reading ]
BEFORE THEIR FACE, at the sight of these locusts, both literally and figuratively considered, THE PEOPLE of the land shall be much pained; as a woman in travail is in pain, their fears shall be very great, lest these devouring creatures should seize and destroy whatever was for support of their life... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY, locusts, and they who by the locusts are signified, viz. Chaldeans, Assyrians, or Babylonians, SHALL RUN, with speed, fierceness, and irresistible power, against their enemies. MIGHTY MEN; valiant and strong men, or giants. THEY SHALL CLIMB THE WALL; no walls of any fortified towns shall be hi... [ Continue Reading ]
NEITHER SHALL ONE THRUST ANOTHER: the prophet, in pursuance of the allegory, tells us how this army of locusts do move without disorder; so shall they who are hereby typified; it is much the same with the last clause of the former verse. THEY SHALL WALK; before it was run, i.e. for speed, now it is... [ Continue Reading ]
In this verse we must discern what is any whir proper to the locusts, and what is applicable more fitly to the soldiers figured by them. THEY SHALL RUN TO AND FRO: this seems not proper to these insects, which move forward, and alter not their course in such limited and straitened bounds as a city;... [ Continue Reading ]
Literally taken, this verse is an elegant description of most unparalleled armies of locusts, sent of God to waste this sinful people, in the description whereof the prophet shows his lofty style, and in a divine hyperbole warns the people: but there is another sense of the words we must look to; th... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD, Jehovah, the eternal and almighty God, Lord of hosts, SHALL UTTER HIS VOICE; summon them in, and encourage them, as a general doth encourage his soldiers engaging in fight; God commands their attendance, and countenanceth their attempts. BEFORE HIS ARMY of locusts and insects; and of Assyr... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE, since so great displeasure is conceived against you for your sins, and so terrible execution is shortly to be made upon you, and there is no way of resistance or escape left, TURN YE EVEN TO ME; repent of your sins whereby you have departed from me; all this preparation made against you i... [ Continue Reading ]
REND YOUR HEART; lay them open, as chirurgeons lay open putrefying sores that they may be thoroughly cleansed; remove iniquity from your heart, as the Chaldee paraphrast. AND NOT YOUR GARMENTS; as hypocrites do, who in sudden or great troubles easily stoop to tear a loose garment, but hardly are bro... [ Continue Reading ]
None need be discouraged, as if it were too late to seek and hope for mercy; God will pardon the truly penitent, and deliver them from eternal miseries, and it is possible he may deliver from present temporal calamities also. If you obtain not all you would, you shall obtain enough to show that it w... [ Continue Reading ]
BLOW THE TRUMPET IN ZION: see JOEL 2:1. SANCTIFY A FAST, CALL A SOLEMN ASSEMBLY: see JOEL 1:14.... [ Continue Reading ]
GATHER THE PEOPLE, assemble the elders: see JOEL 1:14. GATHER THE CHILDREN; though they understand little what is done, yet their cries under the affliction of a fast ascend, God hears, and with pity looks on their tears. AND THOSE THAT SUCK THE BREASTS; let your fast be most universal, spare not su... [ Continue Reading ]
LET THE PRIESTS, THE MINISTERS OF THE LORD, WEEP, see JOEL 1:13. BETWEEN THE PORCH; that stately porch built by Solomon, 1KI 6 3 EZE 40:48,49. AND THE ALTAR; not of incense, for that was in the holy place; but the great brazen altar, or altar of burnt-offering, which stood at some distance from this... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN, when you follow my advice, saith Joel. and heartily you of your sins, and turn to God, &c., WILL THE LORD BE JEALOUS, will show his love and zeal, for the credit of his land, the land of Canaan, AND PITY HIS PEOPLE; consider their prayers, their arguments, and tears, and upon the whole will de... [ Continue Reading ]
YEA, or _And_, Heb. THE LORD WILL ANSWER; before it was he would pity, JOEL 2:18; not as men many times pity and profess to have compassion for the miserable who cry to them, yet do nothing; but God will pity their case and hear their request, nay, grant their request and relieve them. AND SAY; spea... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT, Heb. _And_, I WILL REMOVE FAR OFF FROM YOU THE NORTHERN ARMY; that part of these numerous locusts which are towards the north shall be removed far from you, no more to annoy you on that quarter: some say this refers to the dissipation of Sennacherib's army, which came up from the parts which la... [ Continue Reading ]
FEAR NOT, O LAND. In JOEL 2:10, the land is said to quake at the approach of this devouring army; now at the approach of mercy it is encouraged, and commanded not to fear; by the same figure and in the same sense, it should not fear now as before it did quake. BE GLAD AND REJOICE: this tells us that... [ Continue Reading ]
BE NOT AFRAID, YE BEASTS OF THE FIELD. In JOEL 1:18, the poor beasts were represented as in greatest perplexity, for want of pasture they were like to perish; but now they are (as if capable of fears or joy from foresight of what was coming toward them) encouraged, they should find pasture, both the... [ Continue Reading ]
BE GLAD THEN, YE CHILDREN OF ZION: in the former verse the prophet, by a usual figure, and with known elegancy, called on land and beasts, though they understood him not; now he addresseth himself to them that can understand their work as well as their advantages, and the children of Zion, all the i... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FLOORS, where they thrashed their corn, shall be full of wheat, the best and most useful grain, the bread corn for man's life and support. THE FATS, the vessels into which the liquor ran out of the press, SHALL OVERFLOW WITH WINE AND OIL; there shall be of the grape and olive enough to fill the... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL RESTORE; make up to you, or compensate: the lean years of Egypt did eat up the fat, but with you now the fat years shall feed and enrich the lean ones. THE YEARS: by this it appears that this dreadful famine by these insects was longer than of one year's continuance, and perhaps countenanceth... [ Continue Reading ]
YE SHALL EAT; enjoy and live upon. _In plenty_; not with scarcity, as when water is measured to them, and bread is given by weight, EZEKIEL 4:16. BE SATISFIED; the broad they eat shall refresh them, maintain their strength, not be as that HAGGAI 1:6. PRAISE THE NAME; ascribe the glory to the mercy a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND YE, who repent, pray, are blessed with such answer to your prayers, SHALL KNOW; by experience shall see, and acknowledge. THAT I AM IN THE MIDST OF ISRAEL; my true Israel, obedient Israel; I am with them to bless them, defend them, guide them, and provide for them. THAT I AM THE LORD; the almigh... [ Continue Reading ]
IT SHALL COME TO PASS, most certainly this shall be done, afterward; in the latter days, after the return out of Babylonish captivity, after the various troubles and salvations by which they may know that I am the Lord, their God in the midst of them, when those wondrous works shall be seconded by t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ALSO, with equal freeness, upon the servants and upon the handmaids, upon the meanest believers: see GALATIANS 3:28 COLOSSIANS 3:11. MY SPIRIT, of sanctification and adoption.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I WILL SHOW WONDERS; as he promiseth such grace to believers, so he warneth them that they should not be surprised with those alarming prodigies which in those days God would show, which would usher in the hard times that should be chastisement to the best, and destruction to the worst: whoso wi... [ Continue Reading ]
Having mentioned the prodigies which were to be wrought on earth, now the prophet specifieth what shall be done in heaven, where the great luminaries shall be wonderfully affected. THE SUN SHALL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS; shall be greatly obscured; shall seem to be turned from a body of light to mere... [ Continue Reading ]
Yet when nature seems out of course, and such terrible convulsions overthrow all states and kingdoms, and nothing but ruin and destruction appear on every side, yet then most certainly IT SHALL COME TO PASS, THAT WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD; whoso heareth the gospel, repenteth of si... [ Continue Reading ]