Read:
Chapter 2
and as much of Joel
as possible.
Name_____________________________________________Date________________________
Vital
Statistics
PURPOSE:
To warn Judah of God’s impending judgment because of their sins and to urge them to turn back to God.
AUTHOR:
Joel, son of Pethuel.
DATE
WRITTEN:
Joel’s ministry probably covers a period of about 30 years during the reigns of Joash, Amaziah, and Uzziah of Judah. The book was written between _______B.C and _______B.C Isaiah and Joel were contemporaries.
TO
WHOM WRITTEN?
The people of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, and God’s people everywhere.
SETTING:
The people of Judah had become prosperous and complacent. Taking God for granted, they had turned to self-centeredness, idolatry, and sin. Joel warns them that this kind of life-style will inevitably bring down God’s judgment.
KEY
VERSES:
“And it shall come to pass afterwards, that I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaidens in those days will I pour out my spirit.”(2:28,29)
KEY PEOPLE:
Joel, the people of Judah.
KEY PLACE:
Jerusalem
DID
YOU KNOW:
That the name Joel means “Jehovah is God: that wills, commands or swears”. That the central theme is “The Day of the Lord” and has a three-fold application:
A.) Local: To call the house of Judah, which was under Divine Judgments, to repentance.
B.) Prophetical: To point to the last days judgments, repentance, revival, and outpouring of the Spirit upon all flesh.
C.) Final: To point to “The Day of the Second Coming of the Lord”.
Note: “The Day of the Lord” runs throughout the history of the kingdom of God, occurring in each particular judgment as a type of that Great and Final Day of the Lord.
Read all of the book of Joel.
THE
BLUEPRINT:
A.)
THE DAY OF THE LOCUSTS - (1:1 - 2:27)
B.)
THE DAY OF THE LORD – (2:28 – 3:21)
MAIN
THEMES SEEN IN JOEL:
Punishment – Like a destroying army of locusts, God’s punishment for sin is
overwhelming, dreadful, and unavoidable. When it comes, there will
be no food, no water, no protection, and no escape. The day for settling
accounts with God for how we have lived is fast approaching.
Forgiveness – God stands ready to forgive those who turn from sin and honor Him. He
desires to bless and restore His people.
Promise of the Holy Spirit – Joel predicts that God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh.
It is the beginning of the end. The beginning of His blessings to be given to His
people and the end of the reign of the wicked, who will be judged.
QUESTIONS:
1.) Name some of the promises from God
A.) Negative:_____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
B.) Positive:______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2.) What will happen to all flesh as recorded in Chapter 2?__________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
3.) What will your sons and daughters do?______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
4.) What will your old men do?______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
5.) What will your young men do?____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
6.) Who is in the valley of Decision?__________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
SUMMARY:
Joel gives us a picture of Judah living in the land promised to Abraham and his seed. They were receiving the curse of the Palestinian Covenant (Deuteronomy 29:1) by breaking it’s conditions of blessing (Deuteronomy 11:10-17; I Kings 8:35-40) The Word of the Lord through Joel calls them to genuine repentance; an inward rending of the heart and not an outward rending of the garments. The Lord promises the nation of Judah refreshing, revival, and restoration through a natural out-pouring rain, which shadowed and prophesied of the outpouring of spiritual rain upon the church. This promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit is Joel’s distinctive link with the New Testament (Acts 2:14-21). Thus he is called “The Prophet of Pentecost”.
CHRIST
SEEN:
Christ is seen as our “Jehovah-God”, the Promiser of (Luke 24:49), the Receiver of (Acts 2:33), and the Baptizer in (John 1:31-33 ) the out-poured Spirit.
Thank you for studying with us today. At this point you may choose to either save an unfinished assignment or submit it to the Pastor’s office for review and feedback.
See you next lesson J J J J J J J J J J J J J