Joel

Question 1

Theme of Joel

Answer 1

The day of the Lord and what that day will mean for Israel and Israel’s enemies structures the book into its two halves

Question 2

Structure of Joel

Answer 2

1:1 Superscription
1:2-14 The locust plague
1:15-20 Foreshadowing of the day of the Lord
2:1-11 The day of the Lord
2:12-27 The call to repentance
2:28-32 The gift of the Spirit
3 The last judgment

Question 3

Message of Joel

Answer 3

A. The Plague of Locusts and the Day of the Lord (1:1-2:27).
1. The Locust Plague and Foreshadowing of Day of the Lord (1:2-20).
2. The Day of the Lord (2:1-11).
3. The Call to Repentance and Yahweh’s Response (2:12-27).
B. The Outpouring of the Spirit (Joel 2:28-32).
C. Judgment and Blessing (Joel 3)

Question 4

“The day of the Lord” in Joel

Answer 4

• The phrase “day of the Lord” is found about twenty times in the OT prophets.
• First usage in Amos 5:18, where it is clearly a well-known popular concept, a day which is to be desired.
• Perhaps the term is eschatological, one eon giving way to another eon.
• Is 13, Ezek 7, and Joel 2, contain a “holy-war component” as providing the background of the term. Amos 5:18, which is usually taken as the starting point of the discussion, seems not to refer to holy war.
• The common factor in all is YHWH’s presence. Joel 2-3 and Zephaniah 1:1-2:3 contain the holy war theme.
• Amos 5:18 appears to indicate, however, that in the popular conception the day was a manifestation of YHWH in some theophonic way for Israel’s benefit.