1. OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY

2. OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY JOEL - INTRODUCTION

3. INTRODUCTION Author – Joel Age – Unknown, just after a disaster Aim – To warn Israel of her coming judgment if she does not repent upon seeing God’s “preview” judgment

4. INTRODUCTION Audience – Those who recently experienced a calamity and did not realise it was God’s way of discipline

5. OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY JOEL - THE MAIN THEME OF THE BOOK

6. THE MAIN THEME OF THE BOOK  When God asked the Israelites to enter and possess the Promised Land, they lamented, “We are grasshoppers compared to the Canaanite giants” (Numbers 13:33)  Little did they realise what grasshoppers can do

7. THE MAIN THEME OF THE BOOK  Locusts are actually grasshoppers which come together in swarms

10. THE MAIN THEME OF THE BOOK  The destruction they bring about is so complete that humanity is so helpless in the face of a locust attack, even with modern technology

11. THE MAIN THEME OF THE BOOK  In this book, God used a recent locust attack to warn of the destruction he can bring about on those who continued to disregard his prophets  This book is for all who have the “it can’t happen to me” attitude

12. OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY JOEL - THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK

13. THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK  The main theme of the book is “the day of the L ORD ”  The “day” is the time in which God will right the injustices of the world and judge the people (e.g. the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.).

14. THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK  Chapters 1:1-2:17 – The Day of the L ORD is very terrible – Joel uses a recent attack of locusts as a sign of God’s judgment on his people

15. THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK  Chapters 1:1-2:17 – The Day of the L ORD is very terrible – The severity and completeness of the destruction was the indicator of God’s judgment  Wave upon wave of locusts totally devastated the land

16. THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK  Chapters 1:1-2:17 – The Day of the L ORD is very terrible – When several calamities befall us one after another, it is a good indicator that God is trying to tell us something about our sin

17. THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK  Chapters 1:1-2:17 – The Day of the L ORD is very terrible – The locust plague was merely an illustration of the greater calamity that was to come

18. THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK  Chapters 1:1-2:17 – The Day of the L ORD is very terrible – Chapter 2 describes a terrible and fearsome army that would come in the “great and very terrible” Day of the L ORD (2:11)

19. THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK  Chapters 1:1-2:17 – The Day of the L ORD is very terrible – Joel concludes the first section by calling people to repentance (2:12-17)  Only through repentance could they avert God’s future day of judgment

20. THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK  Chapters 2:18-3:21 – The Day of the L ORD is very near – There is a turning point in the book between 2:17 and 2:18  When the people repent (2:17) then God will relent (2:18)

21. THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK  Chapters 2:18-3:21 – The Day of the L ORD is very near – The first section speaks primarily about God’s discipline on his people  The second section focusses mainly on God’s deliverance of his people

22. THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK  Chapters 2:18-3:21 – The Day of the L ORD is very near – In the first section God fights against his people  In the second section God fights for his people

23. THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK  Chapters 2:18-3:21 – The Day of the L ORD is very near – In the first section, the Day of the L ORD is described as a day of horror  In the second section, it is described as a day of hope (2:32; 3:16)

24. THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK  Chapters 2:18-3:21 – The Day of the L ORD is very near – The key word which summarises the first half of the book is “plague”  The key word which summarises the second half of the book is “Pentecost”

25. THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK  Chapters 2:18-3:21 – The Day of the L ORD is very near – The famous verses quoted by Peter at Pentecost (Acts 2:16-21) are from the second half of this book (2:28-32)

26. THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK  Chapters 2:18-3:21 – The Day of the L ORD is very near – Unlike most of the other prophets, Joel does not spend much time describing the sins of the people

27. THE MAIN POINTS OF THE BOOK  Chapters 2:18-3:21 – The Day of the L ORD is very near – This book serves primarily as a flashing red light, warning people of God’s coming judgment if they do not repent

28. OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY JOEL - THE MAIN LESSON OF THE BOOK

29. THE MAIN LESSON OF THE BOOK  Are you being struck by one problem/disaster after another?  It may be that God wants to remind you that there are areas of your life which have to be put right; some sin to be confessed and forsaken, some habit or abuse to be given up

30. THE MAIN LESSON OF THE BOOK  Often our problem is that we cannot make a connection between what we read in the Bible and our present circumstances  Check your life for continuous locust attacks

31. OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY JOEL - SUMMARY

32.  Key words – Plague (and) Pentecost

33. JOEL - SUMMARY  Key theme – Judgment

34. JOEL - SUMMARY  Key phrase – “the day of the L ORD ” (5 times)

35. JOEL - SUMMARY  Key verse – Joel 2:31-32 – “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the L ORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the L ORD will be saved;

36. JOEL - SUMMARY  Key verse – Joel 2:31-32 – “for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the L ORD has said, even among the survivors whom the L ORD calls.”

37. JOEL - SUMMARY  Key lesson - Do you need God to strip you of everything before you repent?

38. NEXT AMOS