JOEL CHAPTER 3 God's judgments against the enemies of his people, JOEL
3:1. His blessing upon the church, JOEL 3:18. Though our dividing this
chapter from the former seems to some a beginning of some new matter,
yet indeed the prophet prosecutes his old subject, and proceeds to
declare how that grea... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL ALSO GATHER ALL NATIONS: in the type, it is not simply all
nations, but all those nations that have with hostile minds oppressed
and scattered Judah; in the antitype, it is all nations that have been
enemies to Christ and the church. AND WILL BRING THEM DOWN: this is
spoken with respect to th... [ Continue Reading ]
It was customary with conquerors to divide the captives by lot, and so
did these enemies of the Jews, OB 11; and so did the Chaldeans on the
captive Ninevites, NAHUM 3:10: though this was grievous, yet it was
the common lot of captives. HAVE GIVEN A BOY FOR AN HARLOT; either
procured a boy to bestow... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT HAVE YE TO DO WITH ME? what just cause of quarrel have you
against me? Have I done you any wrong which now you avenge upon my
people? or do you begin to violate the law of neighbourhood and
friendship, and think to escape? Do ye think you have to do with a
poor oppressed people, my people, and... [ Continue Reading ]
YE HAVE TAKEN; you Tyrians, Zidonians, and Philistines have received
at the hands of those you confederated with, you have taken them
either as part of the spoil, or as part of your pay. MY SILVER AND MY
GOLD; silver and gold vessels dedicated to my service in the temple,
and about the altar. AND HA... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CHILDREN ALSO OF JUDAH, the Jews who dwelt in the land, and the
children of Jerusalem, the citizens of Jerusalem; or perhaps the young
ones, boys and girls, as JOEL 3:3, both of city and country. YE;
Tyrians, Zidonians, and Philistines, though neighbours, and oftentimes
befriended by the Jews, y... [ Continue Reading ]
BEHOLD; observe it well, for as it will be strange when done, so it
shall certainly be done, to your joy, O my people, and to the
astonishment of your enemies. I WILL RAISE THEM; awaken and raise
them; though they lay sleeping, or as dead men, I will stir up some
who shall befriend them. Out of the... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL SELL YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS; give them up into the hands
of the Jews, who thereby shall have opportunities of disposing of them
as they see good; so you did with my people, so I will recompense you.
INTO THE HAND OF THE CHILDREN OF JUDAH; to the Jews, the posterity and
kindred of those... [ Continue Reading ]
PROCLAIM; publish, or make known, as by sound of trumpet: some say it
is an irony; I rather think it is a declaration of what is to come to
pass through some ages before the coming of the Messiah, as will
appear probable from what followeth. THIS; or these things, which I am
purposed to do in retali... [ Continue Reading ]
BEAT YOUR PLOUGHSHARES INTO SWORDS: here is a prediction of war, and
such as should continue, with some intermissions, through many years;
as, on the contrary, when swords were to be beaten into ploughshares,
and spears into pruning-hooks, it was a prediction of peace, ISAIAH
2:4: lay aside your hus... [ Continue Reading ]
ASSEMBLE YOURSELVES; the war proclaimed, JOEL 3:9, pro vision made,
JOEL 3:10, now hasten to the general rendezvous; embody yourselves as
you march, and hasten what you can, as the word imports. COME ALL; not
simply and in utmost latitude, but all that are here concerned. GATHER
YOURSELVES TOGETHER... [ Continue Reading ]
LET THE HEATHEN; the several nations in their appointed time; and
perhaps the Assyrians are first to awake and stir under Shalmaneser,
next under Sennacherib, both which came up against this valley of
Jehoshaphat. BE WAKENED, by the sins and divisions of God's own
people, by their own ravenous and t... [ Continue Reading ]
PUT YE IN THE SICKLE; ye mighty ones, ye men of war, executioners of
Divine vengeance, begin to reap, cut down sinners ripe for judgment.
Let Tiglath-pileser and his soldiers cut down Syria and its king
Rezin, 2 Kings xvi., for their violence against my people; let
Cyaxares and his armies begin to c... [ Continue Reading ]
MULTITUDES, MULTITUDES; whether prediction or exclamation with wonder,
it is doubled to intimate the mighty, numerous armies contending one
against another, and thrashing each other, overthrowing numberless men
between the conquered and conqueror. So each kingdom was overthrown
successively. The Ass... [ Continue Reading ]
See JOEL 2:10. When God doth in the valley of decision punish any of
the kingdoms which persecuted and oppressed his church, the punishment
shall be so great as to darken the glory of such kingdoms, it shall be
to the utter overthrow of those kingdoms and governments; and so it
was effected on Babyl... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD; who, JOEL 2:27, is the Lord in the midst of Israel or in the
midst of his church. SHALL ROAR; when he brings forth his mighty ones
the men of war, and commands them to march out against his and his
church's enemies, he will strike the enemy with astonishment and fear,
as the roaring of the... [ Continue Reading ]
SO, by these effects of my presence with my people, by my anger
against their enemies, by punishing them by each other, overthrowing
oppressors, by fulfilling what is foretold, shall ye, ye that suffer
for my sake, but hope in my word, and support yourselves on my
strength, KNOW, by most comfortable... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THAT DAY; when afflictions, amidst which they were preserved, from
which delivered, and by which they were purified. THE MOUNTAINS; the
vines planted upon the mountains, which were dried up, JOEL 1:12,
shall now be full of juice and fruit. SHALL DROP DOWN, shall come down
as the showers or dew, s... [ Continue Reading ]
EGYPT: it was in Egypt that the people of God were long kept in
bondage, which defiled Israel too with its idolatries, contrived the
ruin of Israel by a barbarous and unparalleled cruelty, murdering all
the new-born males, and with utmost obstinacy resisted the deliverer
who came to fetch Israel out... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT and or yet JUDAH the chosen peculiar redeemed of the Lord, his
church. SHALL DWELL FOR EVER; no more be captivated and driven from
home, but in their own land and houses abide safely and perpetually.
This typifieth the eternal peace and rest to which God's people are
redeemed. JERUSALEM; city of... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR, Heb. _And_. CLEANSE; purge away, both by the Spirit of
sanctification, and by free pardon in the blood of the Redeemer; by
their sufferings also, by the waters of affliction, as well as by the
washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. THEIR BLOOD;
their moral pollutions and sinful... [ Continue Reading ]