JOEL LESSON 1


     The book of Joel is penned by the prophet Joel. He was a prophet
in Judah. The name "Joel" means Jehovah is God. Joel was trying to
call the people to repent of their sins, and be brought back into good
standing with God. The one message that really stands out in the book
of Joel, is "the day of the Lord". Joel is unique in the fact of the
promise of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all flesh.

     We will now begin the verse by verse study in Joel 1:1 "The word
of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel."

     There is very little known of Joel, the person. He was believed
by many to be one of the earliest prophets in Judah. Notice, again,
this is the LORD's Word in the pen of Joel. There is nothing more
known of Pethuel, than the fact that he is the father of Joel.

     Joel 1:2 "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?"

     The reason this is directed to the old men first, is because
their wisdom of years would cause them to listen. It is, also, for all
the inhabitants. This message seems to be for generations to come, and
not just for this generation that Joel is speaking to here.

     Joel 1:3 "Tell ye your children of it, and [let] your children
[tell] their children, and their children another generation."

     Many Scriptures in the Bible have a near fulfillment and a far
fulfillment, and that is the case here. Whatever the message is, it is
not an old story being told again, but is something they have never
experienced before.

     Joel 1:4 "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 caterpillar eaten."

     This speaks of a famine of tremendous magnitude. This is speaking
of locusts that devour the entire crop. The palmerworm, cankerworm,
and caterpillar are all types of locusts. Really, 4 different type of
locust destroy everything in sight.

     Joel 1:5 "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."

     This Scripture is one that stands out as a warning against
drinking. The following Scripture explains a little more fully the
consequences of heavy drinking. Proverbs 23:21 "For the drunkard and
the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe [a man]
with rags." There will be no new wine, because the locusts have eaten
the raw material that the wine is made from. There is a spiritual
meaning, as well. New wine, sometimes, symbolizes the Holy Spirit. In
the spiritual sense, this could mean that drunkards cannot receive the
Holy Spirit.

     Joel 1:6 "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."

     The key word in this verse is "my". Judah were His people. This
nation could not come against God's land, except God ordained it. God
sent this vicious nation against His people and land. The "teeth of a
lion" speaks of the great destruction. Proverbs 30:14 "[There is] a
generation, whose teeth [are as] swords, and their jaw teeth [as]
knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from
[among] men."

     Joel 1:7 "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."

     The fig tree symbolizes Israel, including Judah. This is speaking
of the devastation that comes to Judah. Locusts would debark every
tree. This is speaking of them being totally cut off from God. Their
protection {bark} is gone. The tree was actually stripped of all the
leaves, fruit, and bark.  The tree left would have a hard time living.
This is exactly what does happen to Judah. They are left barren and
helpless.

     Joel 1:8  "Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the
husband of her youth."

     This is speaking of their sorrow, when God has removed Himself
from them. This is a time of mourning. Israel was the wife of God
spiritually. The groom has left them helpless and destitute. He has
left them, because of their spiritual adultery {unfaithfulness to
Him}.

     Joel 1:9 "The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off
from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD'S ministers, mourn."

     These offerings had been a time of fellowship with God. These
accompanied the morning and evening sacrifices. Suddenly, all of this
is stopped. They have lost contact with their God. The priests "the
LORD"S ministers" mourn, because they had lived of these offerings.
Their livelihood is completely gone.

     Joel 1:10 " The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn
is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth."

     The offering stopped, because of the failure of the crops.  We
studied in the book of Isaiah, that much of the devastation was from
natural causes. The people were killed by the sword and by famine, as
well. Isaiah 24:3 "The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly
spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word." Isaiah 51:19 "These two
[things] are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee?  desolation,
and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I
comfort thee?" The land is devastated by war and by famine.

     Joel 1:11 "Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye
vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of
the field is perished."

     It is not the fault of the vinedressers, or the husbandmen that
the locust has come and eaten the crops. This is speaking from a
spiritual standpoint. The vinedressers and the husbandmen were those
who cared for the souls of the people. This is saying, that those who
were supposed to be watching for the souls of the people have fallen
down on their job. The "wheat" symbolizes the believers in Christ. It
would be a terrible shame for those who had accepted Christ as their
Saviour to be lost, because they had not been guided correctly by
their ministers. The fall of Judah could be lain at the feet of the
spiritual leaders. They did not teach their people the terrible
dangers of falling away from God. They not only, allowed their people
to fall into false worship, but were guilty themselves. Ministers now,
and priests then, were supposed to watch and warn of any danger. They
should have preached about the danger of worshipping false gods.

     Joel 1:12 "The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth;
the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, [even]
all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away
from the sons of men."

     This is speaking of a time, when the joy of the people has
withered away. None of the fruit trees produce. There is a curse upon
the fruit and vegetables, as well as on the people. The judgement of
God has fallen upon them. There is no fruit on the vine. All of the
above trees have symbolized God's people at some time, when the
blessings of God was upon them. The trees with no fruit, also,
symbolize the fact that God has taken His blessings away.

     Joel 1:13 "Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye
ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers
of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden
from the house of your God."

     They were to gird themselves with the sackcloth of mourning.
Being gird with sackcloth was an outward expression of the sorrow of
their hearts. They were to pray night and day. The daily sacrifice has
been taken away. In their time, this meant the loss of daily
fellowship with their God. In our day, this means that all symbols of
Christianity has been taken away. Notice the mention of ministers
here, which makes me believe these warnings are for their immediate
future, and for our day, as well.

     Joel 1:14  "Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather
the elders [and] all the inhabitants of the land [into] the house of
the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD."

     The fast was used to show the LORD the sincerity of the prayer
being prayed. The assembly was not to be one of joy, but sorrow. This
is a call of prayer by all of the inhabitants of the land to reach
God. The leaders and the ministers were, probably, remembering the
following Scripture. II Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are
called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my
face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

     Joel 1:15 "Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD [is] at
hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come."

     Again, this had a near fulfillment. There is, also, coming a day
of the Lord at the end of the Gentile age. The judgement of God was
upon them for the sins in their lives. The wrath of God will fall upon
the disobedient in our generation, as well. It is bad to fall into the
hands of the devil or Satan, but it is much worse to fall into the
hands of God, when He pours out His wrath.

     Joel 1:16 "Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, [yea], joy
and gladness from the house of our God?"

     The meat, corn, and fruit were all cut off. There was famine in
the land. There were no sacrifices, because there was nothing left to
sacrifice. This destruction really comes from God. He may use some
country to finalize the destruction, but it is truly from God who is
angry. The loss of foodstuff is a direct judgement from God. The war
is indirect, but it comes from God, too.

     Joel 1:17 "The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are
laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered."

     This speaks of a time, when the farmers have given up. The seed
rots in the ground, and does not produce. There is nothing to put in
the barn, so the farmer has let it run down.

     Joel 1:18 "How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are
perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are
made desolate."

     Not only are the people out of food, but even the grass of the
field is not producing, and the cattle and sheep are starving. The
drought and the locusts have destroyed everything that even resembles
grain.

     Joel 1:19 "O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured
the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the
trees of the field."

     This is the same problem we read about in Isaiah. There was a
drought. There was fire that burned what did spring up, and there were
swords which killed, as well. It seems that all of nature was in
opposition to them. The truth is that God has sent a curse upon man,
and beast, and the crops of the field.
     Joel 1:20 "The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the
rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures
of the wilderness."

     This drought has been so severe, that the rivers and streams have
dried up. There is no water for the crops. There is no water for the
people, or the cattle either. Their only chance for help is to cry out
to God. We read in Jeremiah of a drought where the cows had their
calves early and lost them. This was no ordinary dry period. This was
a drought so great that nothing could live. This speaks of horror
beyond our imagination.











































                          Joel 1 Questions


1.  Where was Joel a prophet?
2.  What does the name "Joel" mean?
3.  What was the purpose of his prophecy?
4.  What one message stands out in Joel?
5.  How were Joel's prophecies unique?
6.  Who was Joel's father?
7.  This is the _________Word in the pen of Joel.
8.  Who was this prophecy directed to?
9.  How long was this prophecy to be told?
10. What is verse 4 speaking of?
11. What do the palmerworm, caterpillar, and cankerworm have in
    common?
12. Awake ye _____________, and weep, and howl.
13. Why were they to weep?
14. Quote Proverbs chapter 23 verse 21.
15. New Wine, sometimes, symbolizes the _________ ________.
16. What is the key word in verse 6?
17. What does "teeth of a lion" speak of?
18. The fig tree symbolizes __________.
19. What does the fact that the tree is debarked show us?
20. Lament like a _________ girded with sackcloth for the husband of
    her youth.
21. The meat offering and the drink offering accompanied the _________
    and _________ sacrifices.
22. Why are the priests mourning?
23. Quote Isaiah chapter 24 verse 3.
24. From the spiritual standpoint, who were the vinedressers and the
    husbandmen?
25. The wheat symbolizes the ____________.
26. The fall of Judah could be lain at whose feet?
27. They should have preached about the danger of __________.
28. What has happened to the joy of the people?
29. In verse 13, what are the priests told to do?
30. How does the fast differ from normal prayer?
31. Quote 2 Chronicles chapter 7 verse 14?
32. When is the day of the LORD?
33. What can be even worse than falling into the hands of Satan?
34. Why were the sacrifices stopped?
35. What is verse 17 speaking of?
36. What gets hurt, besides the people?
37. What happened to the trees?
38. What happened to the rivers?
40. This was a drought so great, that __________ could live.