OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY JOEL INTRODUCTION

OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY

OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY JOEL INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION • Author – Joel • Age – Unknown, just after a disaster • Aim – To warn Israel of her coming judgment if she does not repent upon seeing God’s “preview” judgment

INTRODUCTION • Audience – Those who recently experienced a calamity and did not realise it was God’s way of discipline

OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY JOEL - THE MAIN THEME OF THE BOOK

THE MAIN THEME OF THE BOOK When God asked the Israelites to enter and possess the Promised Land, they lamented, “We are grasshoppers compared to the Canaanite giants” (Numbers 13: 33) Little did they realise what grasshoppers can do

THE MAIN THEME OF THE BOOK Locusts are actually grasshoppers which come together in swarms

THE MAIN THEME OF THE BOOK The destruction they bring about is so complete that humanity is so helpless in the face of a locust attack, even with modern technology

THE MAIN THEME OF THE BOOK In this book, God used a recent locust attack to warn of the destruction he can bring about on those who continued to disregard his prophets This book is for all who have the “it can’t happen to me” attitude

OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY JOEL - THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK

THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK The main theme of the book is “the day of the LORD” The “day” is the time in which God will right the injustices of the world and judge the people (e. g. the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B. C. and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A. D. ).

THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK Chapters 1: 1 -2: 17 – The Day of the LORD is very terrible – Joel uses a recent attack of locusts as a sign of God’s judgment on his people

THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK Chapters 1: 1 -2: 17 – The Day of the LORD is very terrible – The severity and completeness of the destruction was the indicator of God’s judgment Wave upon wave of locusts totally devastated the land

THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK Chapters 1: 1 -2: 17 – The Day of the LORD is very terrible – When several calamities befall us one after another, it is a good indicator that God is trying to tell us something about our sin

THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK Chapters 1: 1 -2: 17 – The Day of the LORD is very terrible – The locust plague was merely an illustration of the greater calamity that was to come

THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK Chapters 1: 1 -2: 17 – The Day of the LORD is very terrible – Chapter 2 describes a terrible and fearsome army that would come in the “great and very terrible” Day of the LORD (2: 11)

THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK Chapters 1: 1 -2: 17 – The Day of the LORD is very terrible – Joel concludes the first section by calling people to repentance (2: 12 -17) Only through repentance could they avert God’s future day of judgment

THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK Chapters 2: 18 -3: 21 – The Day of the LORD is very near – There is a turning point in the book between 2: 17 and 2: 18 When the people repent (2: 17) then God will relent (2: 18)

THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK Chapters 2: 18 -3: 21 – The Day of the LORD is very near – The first section speaks primarily about God’s discipline on his people The second section focusses mainly on God’s deliverance of his people

THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK Chapters 2: 18 -3: 21 – The Day of the LORD is very near – In the first section God fights against his people In the second section God fights for his people

THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK Chapters 2: 18 -3: 21 – The Day of the LORD is very near – In the first section, the Day of the LORD is described as a day of horror In the second section, it is described as a day of hope (2: 32; 3: 16)

THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK Chapters 2: 18 -3: 21 – The Day of the LORD is very near – The key word which summarises the first half of the book is “plague” The key word which summarises the second half of the book is “Pentecost”

THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK Chapters 2: 18 -3: 21 – The Day of the LORD is very near – The famous verses quoted by Peter at Pentecost (Acts 2: 16 -21) are from the second half of this book (2: 28 -32)

THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK Chapters 2: 18 -3: 21 – The Day of the LORD is very near – Unlike most of the other prophets, Joel does not spend much time describing the sins of the people

THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK Chapters 2: 18 -3: 21 – The Day of the LORD is very near – This book serves primarily as a flashing red light, warning people of God’s coming judgment if they do not repent

OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY JOEL - THE MAIN LESSON OF THE BOOK

THE MAIN LESSON OF THE BOOK Are you being struck by one problem/disaster after another? It may be that God wants to remind you that there areas of your life which have to be put right; some sin to be confessed and forsaken, some habit or abuse to be given up

THE MAIN LESSON OF THE BOOK Often our problem is that we cannot make a connection between what we read in the Bible and our present circumstances Check your life for continuous locust attacks

OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY JOEL SUMMARY

JOEL - SUMMARY Key words – Plague (and) Pentecost

JOEL - SUMMARY Key theme – Judgment

JOEL - SUMMARY Key phrase – “the day of the LORD” (5 times)

JOEL - SUMMARY Key verse – Joel 2: 31 -32 – “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved;

JOEL - SUMMARY Key verse – Joel 2: 31 -32 – “for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls. ”

JOEL - SUMMARY Key lesson - Do you need God to strip you of everything before you repent?

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