Joel 1:1-3

THE EXCLAIMER OF REPENTANCEGOD'S PROPHET

TEXT: Joel 1:1-3

1

The word of Jehovah that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.

2

Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or in the days of your fathers?

3

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

QUERIES

a.

Who was Pethuel?

b.

Why ask if such a thing had happened in past generations?

c.

What purpose would be served in telling of this event for generations to come?

PARAPHRASE

This is the message of Jehovah God that came by revelation to Joel who is the son of Pethuel. Listen to this all you aged men and let all the other people of the land give their attention! Are you able to recall in all your days or the days of your ancestors such a disaster as this? You shall teach your children the significance of this and your children shall teach their children and their children shall teach other generations.

SUMMARY

The event Joel is about to interpret is so unprecedented it is to be used to teach many future generations of the judgment of God.

COMMENT

Joel 1:1 THE WORD OF JEHOVAH THAT CAME TO JOEL THE SON OF PETHUEL; Joel unequivocally claims his message to have been revealed from Jehovah. He did not get it from other prophets or from other sources. His interpretation of the locust plague and drought came directly from God. Of Pethuel we know nothing other than this. Undoubtedly he is mentioned only to distinguish this Joel from another well-known Joel of that day.

Joel 1:2 HEAR THIS. HATH THIS BEEN IN YOUR DAYS. OR YOUR FATHERS? This locust plague, coupled with the drought, brought such unexampled devastation to the land of Judah that the most ancient man of the nation could not remember any time to equal it for its terribleness. Using historical events for didactic purposes was a principle established by the Law of Moses (cf. Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Deuteronomy 32:7, etc.). Joel's record of this calamity has served hundreds of generations of God-fearing people for over 2500 years, as a warning and a source of strength.

Joel 1:3 TELL YOUR CHILDREN. THEIR CHILDREN. AND. ANOTHER GENERATION; This same principle, using historical events for teaching the nature of God, is just as valid today as it was then, inasmuch as we have divine revelation by which we may apply and interpret these events. We shall deal with this more specifically later.