Joel
Joel 2
Chapter II · Vol. III, pp. 1429–1431
1 The prophet showeth unto Zion the terribleness of God's judgments. 12 He exhorteth to repentance, 15 prescribeth a fast, 18 promiseth a blessing thereon. 21 He comforteth Zion with present, 28 and future blessings.
1 Blow aye1 the trumpet2 in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for bthe day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
a Nu.10.3,5,7,9. Ho.8.1. Zep.2.1,2. ch.1.14,15; ver.15-17. Is.66.2. Je.5.22.
1 Blow ye. This call is to the priests, whose duty it was to blow the trumpet either for march or alarm, Nu.10.5,9.—C.
2 Or, cornet.
b See on ch.1.15. Zep.1.14. 1 Ki.14.14. Am.8.2. Eze.7.2-13.
2 Ac day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains:3 a dgreat people and a strong; ethere hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.4
c Ps.18.13;97.2. ver.10. Am.5.18. Zep.1.15.
3 See note * in second column.
d ch.1.6; ver.4,5,7,11,20,25.
4 Heb. of generation and generation.
* This is a very graphic description of a flight of locusts. I saw it once in Palestine. A thick haziness spread over the whole heavens; the sun was almost obscured; near objects became dim, and those more remote were hidden as by a mist. A deep, penetrating, painful sound filled the air. They soon covered everything. It was impossible to keep them out of the houses or off the person. They all flew in one direction, as if driven by some irresistible though unseen power; and nothing could drive them back or turn them aside. Those that alighted or fell never rose again. Their ravages were terrible. No green thing escaped.—P.
3 Ag fire devoureth5 before them; and behind them6 a flame burneth: the land is has the garden of Eden before them, and behind them ia desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
A.M. cir. 3284 or 3214. B.C. cir. 720 or 790.
g ch.1.19,20. Ps.50.3. Am.7.1,4. Ex.10.15.
5 A fire devoureth, &c. Their insatiable appetite hurries them on to devour, as a general conflagration consuming a forest.—C.
6 Behind them, &c. The country devastated by the locusts has all the appearance of destruction by fire. Ludolphus' History of Ethiopia.—C.
5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle-array.
7 They shall run like mighty men; they lshall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall nmarch every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
l Ps.127.1,2. Je.5.10.
8 Neithero shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword,8 they shall not be wounded.
9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter pin at the windows like a thief.
10 Theq earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: rthe sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
11 And the LORD sshall utter his voice9 before his army; for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the tday of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
s Is.7.18; 5.26; 13.4. Am.1.2; 3.8. ch.3.16.
9 As the voice of a general commands the movements of his army, so the will of God determines the movement of these insect invaders—the meanest creature being able to accomplish the mighty purposes of his judgments.—C.
t Je.30.7. Am.5.18. Zep.1.15. Mal.3.2. Re.6.17. ch.1.15; ver.6,10.
12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, uTurn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
13 And vrend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is xgracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and yrepenteth him of the evil.
14 Whoz knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; aeven a meat-offering and a drink-offering unto the LORD your God?
16 Gather the people, csanctify the congregation, dassemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: elet the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
c Ex.19.10,22. Le.15.31. Nu.19.13,20.
A.M. cir. 3284 or 3214. B.C. cir. 720 or 790.
e 1 Co.7.5. Zec.12.12-14. Mat.9.15.
17 Letg the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep hbetween the porch and the altar, and ilet them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule1 over them:2 whereforej should they say among the people, Where is their God?
g ch.1.13. Is.62.1,6.
h Eze.8.16. Mat.23.35. 2 Ch.8.12.
i Ho.14.2. Ex.32.11,12. Ps.74.10,18-23. Is.1.18. Lu.15.18,19.
1 If the nation were by famine reduced to poverty, they must soon become tributaries to the heathen, or even slaves, that they might obtain bread.—C.
2 Or, use a by-word against them.
18 Then will the LORD kbe jealous for his land, and pity his people.
k De.4.24;32.36. Zec.1.14;8.2. Je.31.20. Is.63.9,15. Ju.10.16. La.3.32. Ps.103.13,17.
19 Yea, the LORD lwill answer and say unto his people, nBehold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith; and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
20 But I will remove far off from you othe northern army,3 and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea,4 and his hinder part toward the utmost sea: and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour5 shall come up, because he hath done6 great things.
o ver.2-11;ch.1.4,6. Ex.10.19.
3 The locusts had come from Syria, or the north, and are to be driven into the East or Dead Sea, on the east of Judea.—Utmost sea. The Mediterranean.—C.
4 Eze.47.8,18. Zec.14.8. De.11.24; i.e. the Dead, or Red, and Mediterranean Sea.
5 When the locusts are carried by the wind over the sea, they light on the waves and perish. When again cast upon the land they rot with great stench, which is reported to have given rise to pestilence. See Thevenot, Mede, &c.—C.
6 Heb. he hath magnified to do.
22 Ber not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for sthe tree beareth her fruit, the fig-tree and the vine do yield their strength.
r ch.1.18-20. Zec.8.12. Ps.65.9-13.
s Le.26.4,5. Ps.67.6. Am.9.13,14.
23 Bet glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoiceu in the LORD your God: for he hath given you 7the former rain8 moderately,9 and he willv cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
24 And ythe floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.
y Mat.6.33. 1 Ti.4.8. Ho.2.21,22. Hag.2.19.
25 And zI will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great army which I sent among you.
26 And aye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt bwondrously with you: and my people shall never cbe ashamed.
27 And ye shall know that dI am in the midst of Israel, and that eI am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.
d ch.3.17. Le.26.11,12. Eze.37.26.
28 Andg it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your hdaughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.1
29 And ialso upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit.
i 1 Co.12.13. Col.3.11. Ja.2.5. Ga.3.28.
30 Andj I 2will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
j Ac.2.19,20. ch.3.15. Mal.3.2,3,5;4.5. Mat.24.29. Lu.21.11,25,26, with Is.34.4;13.10. Re.6.12-17. Zep.1.14-18.
2 In interpreting the remarkable prophecy contained in verses 30 and 31, the critic will observe that it is by the grammar inseparably connected with what immediately goes before. The outpouring of the Spirit and the infliction of those judgments must be looked for at the same period. The latter follows the former, without a long interval. The period of the fulfilment of the former is fixed by an inspired interpreter—the apostle Peter. The latter, therefore, must be regarded as fulfilled in the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. This view is confirmed by a comparison of the language of the prophecy with the words of our Lord in Mat.24.29, seq. The language is, of course, not to be interpreted with slavish literality. Figures and symbols are used, such as were familiar to the people of the East, and such too as we meet with in heathen writers. It would seem, however, while great events were thus foretold in regard to the Jewish state and polity, these were also intended to be symbolical of still greater events in the distant future—namely, the last judgment.—P.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,3 before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
3 See Is.13.10,13.—C.
32 And it shall come to pass, that kwhosoever shall call on the name4 of the LORD shall be delivered: lfor in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the nremnant5 whom the LORD shall call.
k Ro.10.11-13;11.5. Jn.6.37. Is.11.9,10. Mat.9.13. Re.22.17.
4 That CHRIST is the JEHOVAH here to be invoked, is evident from Ro.10.13.—C.
l Ob.17. Ro.11.26;9.27. ch.3.1. Ps.14.7.
n Ac.2.40,47. 1 Th.2.16. Is.11.11. Je.31.7. Mi.4.7;5.3,7. Am.9.9. Eze.20.34,40;28.35. Ro.11.5,7;9.27.
5 'Even from among the remnant whom the Lord shall call.' That is, the remnant of Judah, Benjamin, and a few of the other tribes, whom the Lord had called out of Babylon.—C.
Notes
Ver. 1, 2, 10, 11, 30, 31. The devastations of the locusts, and the dreadful destruction of the Jews by the Romans, are described in this awful manner, because the former presaged the invasions of the Assyrians, and the latter were preludes of Christ's awful appearance to the last judgment.
Ver. 4. Horses. Many writers mention the resemblance which the head of the locust bears to the head of the horse; whence the Italians call them 'cavalette.' See Re. 9. 7. C.
Ver. 5. Noise. Bochart adduces many authorities to show that the locusts fly with a great noise, that may be heard six miles off; and that when eating the sound is like that of a flame driven by the wind.—Battle-array. The locusts follow a leader; and in this respect resemble the array of an army. C.
Ver. 10. The sun and the moon shall be dark. The swarms of locusts are so great that they often darken the sun for the space of several square miles (Bochart specifies twelve); and when they alight will, in a short time, consume the entire verdure of some hundreds of acres. C.
Ver. 13. Repenteth him. God is 'not the son of man, that he should repent.' Man repents either because he has resolved or acted ignorantly or foolishly, and changes his purpose, and expresses his sorrow when better informed; or man has resolved or acted wickedly, and changes his purpose, and expresses his sorrow, when he has learned the evil of sin, and felt the love of God. But when God is said to 'repent,' it means, not that he changes his purpose absolutely, but relatively. His purpose was, and ever will be, to punish the unbelieving and the impenitent; but it equally is, and ever will be, to have mercy on those who, through grace, have learned to tremble at his word, and turn from their sins to God 'with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience.' See ver. 18, where repentance in God is expressed by pity. Ps. 106. 45; Ex. 32. 14; Je. 18. 8. C.
Ver. 25. My great army. All these creatures—the locust, the canker-worm, the palmer-worm, and caterpillar—being ranked under the one common name of 'army,' renders it highly probable that they were all but different species of the same genus, or different varieties of the same species—all locusts, or at least winged insects—each contemptible in itself, but terrible and irresistible in their combination. C.
Reflections.—It is very needful that ministers should warn sinners of the fatal consequences of their conduct. But the rareness of tremendous judgments wonderfully discovers the infinite patience and mercy of God. How dangerous is it to rebel against JEHOVAH, who by a nod can muster even an army of insects able to ruin the mightiest nations on earth! No one can either withstand, support under, or flee from his incensed wrath. And but little comfort can the luminaries of heaven afford us when their Maker frowns.—Extraordinary judgments call to extraordinary fasting and prayer; and all private joys ought to give place to public sorrows for sin or its fruits. In all solemn worship ministers ought to lead the way, and every penitent should be careful to perform whatever may prevent the reproach of Christ and his church, and promote the plentiful and purer enjoyment of his ordinances as a principal benefit. But no fasting can avail us unless the heart be broken and melted by God's kindness, and turned to him. Mercy is all we need ask; and his glory, as interested in our salvation, is a sufficient plea. He will certainly hear when his people cry; and he can easily remove our plagues, renew our comforts, and give us a heart to give him the glory of his work. An abundance of outward comforts are a great mercy when by them our hearts are enlarged in love and thankfulness to God the bestower. And especially when, together with them, our spiritual knowledge and faith are increased. By the most gracious, almighty, and awful exertions of power, is Jesus' kingdom erected in the world or in the hearts of men. And thrice happy are they, in the worst of times, who are inter ested in his everlasting salvation. Rejoice then, ye Gentiles, that by the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven ye are admitted members of his gospel church; and that, though clouds and darkness be round about him in the destruction of Jews, heathens, and antichristians, yet mercy and truth go before his face.