There are some mysteries about the prophet Joel and his ministry. We know very little about him, except that his father was named Pethuel. Nor do we have a clear picture of when Joel delivered his prophecies. Unlike many of the other Old Testament prophets, he does not tell us who was on the throne in Israel or Judah at the time of his writing. And though he calls out the sin of God’s people, he isn’t explicitly clear about the nature of their behavior of which God disapproves.
There are some mysteries about the prophet Joel and his ministry.
But what we do know is that he wanted to motivate the people to repentance by his proclamation of the coming “day of the Lord” (Joel 1:15). This phrase referred to a time of judgment that would precede revival and restoration. God was ready to clean house if the people didn’t clean up their act. His judgment would come upon His people if they did not humble themselves and repent of their sin. It would no longer be business as usual if they persisted in their ways.
So, the time to repent was now.
Joel told the people that the plague of locusts which was ravaging the land was a sign of the coming judgment. So, the time to repent was now. And the fruit of repentance would be restoration. Then and now, repentance is the first step toward renewal and kingdom blessing.
Here’s a short video that highlights five key themes from the book of Joel. May you be blessed by it.
