Joel, son of Pethuel, speaks after a disaster: a plague of locusts so complete that the vines, figs and grain are gone and the priests have nothing to offer. He calls everyone, from old men to nursing infants, to fast and return to the LORD.
Then the tone turns. God promises to restore the years the locusts have eaten, to fill the threshing floors, and afterward to pour out his Spirit on all flesh: sons and daughters, old and young, even servants. Centuries later Peter stood up at Pentecost and said, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.
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And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh
Name means
The LORD is God
Home
Judah, likely Jerusalem
Role
Prophet in Judah; his date is debated
Read in
;
Joel's story
Threshing floors full
Beginning
The locusts
Swarm after swarm strips the land bare.
Turning point
Call a fast
He calls priests and people to mourn and cry out.
Turning point
Return to me
Rend your hearts and not your garments, for God is gracious and merciful.
High point
I will restore
God promises to repay the years the locusts have eaten.
Ending
My Spirit on all flesh
Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.
Starts as a prophet standing in stripped fields. Ends as the voice Peter quoted at Pentecost.
Where Joel lived and went
Only places Scripture records. Softer, dotted pins are traditional or uncertain sites. Tap a pin for the passage.
HomeMinistryKey momentTraditional or uncertainPinch or use + to zoom. Tap a cluster to spread it out.
Joel appears only in connection with Jerusalem.
How Joel is wired
Why there's no type here
Scripture tells us only his father's name, and even his date is debated, so a type would be guesswork.
Strengths & struggles
What's good in Joel
Calls the whole community to honest repentance (). Holds out God's character as gracious and merciful ().
Where Joel struggles
Scripture records nothing of his failings.
What Joel wanted most
For Judah to return to God with all their heart ().
Joel promised the Spirit for everyone. Jesus poured him out.
Peter says the risen Jesus, exalted at God's right hand, received the promised Spirit and poured him out (). Joel's promise that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved becomes Paul's message that whoever calls on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved ().
Questions to sit with
1
What years do you feel the locusts have eaten? What would restoration look like?
2
Joel says rend your hearts, not your garments. What is the difference for you?
Study Joel with your group
Ready-to-lead group studies with discussion questions and a leader's note are on the way.
