The Word of the LORD to Joel
The book of Joel contains no word of men, but “the word of the LORD”. This is how also the books of Hosea, Jonah, Micah and Zephaniah begin. The book should be read as a Divine revelation. It is the word that comes from God, He has spoken it and it must be passed on by His command.
The word that comes from God is more than just that God speaks. Speaking of God is more than just saying words. Speaking of God is an act, an act that works something. In the speaking of God is strength, His Word does what pleases Him and never returns empty [Isa 55:10-11]. Joel is one of the men whom Peter refers to when he writes: “For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” [2Pet 1:21].
As with Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Malachi, there is no mention of the time or place of origin of the prophet. See also the introduction under ‘Who was Joel?’ and ‘When did Joel live?’
The word that comes from God is more than just that God speaks. Speaking of God is more than just saying words. Speaking of God is an act, an act that works something. In the speaking of God is strength, His Word does what pleases Him and never returns empty [Isa 55:10-11]. Joel is one of the men whom Peter refers to when he writes: “For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” [2Pet 1:21].
As with Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Malachi, there is no mention of the time or place of origin of the prophet. See also the introduction under ‘Who was Joel?’ and ‘When did Joel live?’
 | Author: Ger de Koning Rank: Author Posted on: 2024-12-10 Source: Title: Joel |
A plague of locusts.
The most aged could not remember such calamities as were about to take place. Armies of insects were coming upon the land to eat the fruits of it. It is expressed so as to apply also to the destruction of the country by a foreign enemy, and seems to refer to the devastations of the Chaldeans. God is Lord of hosts, has every creature at his command, and, when he pleases, can humble and mortify a proud, rebellious people, by the weakest and most contemptible creatures. It is just with God to take away the comforts which are abused to luxury and excess; and the more men place their happiness in the gratifications of sense, the more severe temporal afflictions are upon them. The more earthly delights we make needful to satisfy us, the more we expose ourselves to trouble.
Verses that belong to this explanation: 1-7
1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. 2 Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? 3 Tell ye your children of it, and [let] your children [tell] their children, and their children another generation. 4 That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten. 5 Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth. 6 For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth [are] the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. 7 He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast [it] away; the branches thereof are made white.
 | Author: Matthew Henry Rank: Priest AD: 1714 Source: Title: Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible Author: Matthew Henry |
The listed verse explanations of the individual persons have nothing to do with the explanations of the other persons. This also applies to the Bible translations.
