Prophet Joel’s Vision of Renewal for the Society

Prophet Joel’s Vision of Renewal for the Society

Part 1

Due to the perpetual sinning of the Israelites and their sufferings in the hands of the Philistines in Sidon who exiled sold them to the Greeks and scattered them to the other countries, God gave Joel a word of redemption to them. Prophet Joel anchored his prophecy of the Day of the Lord, the window of opportunity for redemption that was available, and vengeance of God against nations that oppressed Israel (Watson, 110). Though Prophet Joel starts by painting a grim picture of the impending tragedies that are caused by the locusts, his prophesies are hugely considered as a conduit for restoration. Conditionally, the Israelites were to come before the Lord, denounce their sins and humble themselves before God. The following are ways in which the Kingdom of God will be established on Earth during the Day of the Lord, according to Prophet Joel.

First, the Kingdom of God will manifest itself through the plagues that will bring the people back to God and have the Israelites renew their covenant with him. According to Prophet Joel, in days preceding the Day of the Lord, there would be a massive locust invasion in the lands. The locusts will be destructive and nibble everything that stands. Their destruction will be unmatched, and it will be the biggest plague ever sent to the people by God as a start of the renewal process. The famine that emanates from the plague of the locust will be, indeed, God’s work. Prophet Joel prophesizes, “the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, [are] my great army, which I sent among you.”  (Joel 2:25). Thus, God will use the locusts to assert His authority among his people in a bid to submit them to turn back to Him before establishing the covenant with them. Prophet Joel further shows the prowess of the locust, a power resembling that of an intimidating army (Watson, 115). Apart from destroying all the harvests, the locusts also “have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry.  With a noise like that of chariots, they leap over the mountaintops” (Joel 2:4–5). Therefore, the swarming locust will be one of the manifestations of the Lord. God uses the locusts to establish His Kingdom among the Israelites and make his covenant with Him. Prophet Joel prophesizes “Yet even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.”  (Joel 2:12).

Again, during the Day of the Lord, as a means of establishing his Kingdom in the world, the establishment of the Kingdom of God will entail extraordinary events in the heavenly bodies. The changes during the day of the Lord will characterize the damages and destructions that the day holds (Redditt, 227). Prophet Joel prophesizes that “O! The day! For near is the day of the Lord, like destruction from the Almighty it is coming!”  (Joel 1:15). Prophet Joel describes the changes as “a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick clouds!” (Joel 2:2). Further, the Prophet prophesized that “The sun will darken, the moon turns blood-red, before the day of the Lord arrives, that great and terrible day.” (Joel 2:31). Such developments highlight God’s power and how he will establish his authority over Israelites by showing that he has the power of the skies and other creations in it.

Finally, during the Day of the Lord, the day of renewal, God’s Kingdom will be established through filling his restored people with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord will act as a guide, and people will rely on it to effectively make the right decisions as per God’s commands (Simkins, 241). Prophet Joel prophesizes that, thus, says the Lord, “I will pour out My Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams; your young men will see visions.  Even on My servants, both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” (Joel 2:28–29). Therefore, as a means of establishing His authority on the Israelites and giving them a binding factor in the renewal process, the Lord will fill people with His Spirit. Prophet Joel was the first Prophet in the Old Testament to prophesize about God filling those who repent with His Spirit. Therefore, by giving the restored Israelites His Spirit, God was establishing his Kingdom with them and simultaneously marking the renewal process with them (Hyman, 223). Such an aspect was evident during the day of the Pentecost based on the teachings of Christianity.

Part 2

Though the modern societies do not experience colossal locust invasion or even if they experience there are sophisticated methods to fight them, the locust in the Prophet Joel’s vision could equate to war in the modern world. The locusts were destructed, acted as chariots of war, moved into every house, leaving trails of destruction behind them. Just as the locusts were tools of God used to bring the Israelites back to Him, the modern tools of war, such as military helicopters and other war machinery, continues to destroy people in order to bring them back to God. Therefore, prophet Joel’s prophesy about the locusts could be effectively equated to the current sophisticated items of war. They indiscriminately destroy homes, cause destructions to the food reserves, leads to starvation, and plunges the world to an unmatched crisis as Prophet Joel had in his vision.

Again, according to Prophet Joel, the Lord promised to exalt all the exiled Israelites who will come back to him through repentance and admitting their sins. The Prophet had a vision that the people who will seek God during the Day of the Lord will be gathered back to their historical lands from all over the world where they are scattered. The vision of the prophecy is relevant to the modern context in various ways. During the time of the prophecy, there was no nation of Israel. However, currently, there exists a country called Israel, while Philistine, the initial oppressors, remains stateless and are under control of Israel (Hyman, 230). Therefore, such an aspect could be seen as a fulfillment of God’s covenant to the Israelites. Several Israelites escaped Holocaust in Europe and established their country in 1948, and up to now, the country continues to grow strong and seen as the hub of bounty in the desert. Seemingly, God continues to restore their harvest after destruction.