God’s Moral Government in Connection With the Restoration of a Remnant of the Jews (the Two Tribes)
Joel dwells on God’s moral government in connection with the restoration of the remnant of the Jews (the two tribes). He focuses much more on the timing and sequence of prophetic events than Hosea. Joel uses the attack of the Assyrian as a foreshadow of the future attack of the King of the North and his Arab confederacy (Psa. 83:1-8; Dan. 11:40-45). The attack of this northern invader is God’s harbinger of “the day of the LORD,” which begins at the Appearing of Christ and extends through His 1000-year reign—the Millennium (2 Peter 3:8-10). Since Christ’s Appearing will occur just after the King of the North has attacked the land of Israel, the attack of those armies is a signal that “the day of the LORD” is “at hand” (Joel 2:1).
The main difference between Hosea and Joel is that Hosea dwells on God’s work of producing repentance in the remnant of Israel (the ten tribes) in view of their restoration, whereas Joel shows how the inroads of this northern army will be used to humble a remnant of the Jews (the two tribes). This also is in view of their restoration.
An Invasion of Insects—Foreshadow of the Assyrian Invasion
Chap. 1:1-20
Chap. 1:1-20—The prophet gives a graphic description of an invasion of insects that devastated the land in his day. The old men are asked to consult their memories to recall if they have ever seen anything that approaches the magnitude of this disaster before (vss. 2-4). Joel uses this visitation of insects as a foreshadow of the terrible, desolating judgment that the Lord would bring upon the land of Israel by the Assyrian of that day, but ultimately, by the armies of the King of the North in a coming day (Dan. 11:40-41).
The land is called to mourn—from the “drunkards” (vss. 5-7), to the common people of “the land” (vss. 8-10), to “the husbandmen” (vss. 11-12), to “the priests” (vs. 13).
When this devastation from the northern invader sweeps through the land of Israel in a coming day, it will be a signal that “the day of the LORD” is “at hand” (vss. 14-20). Scripture indicates three things that signal the coming of “the day of the LORD.” They are:
1. The apostasy (“falling away”) of the Christian profession reaches a climax (2 Thess. 2:2-3).
2. The revelation of the “man of sin” (2 Thess. 2:3).
3. The attack of the King of the North, under the figure of “the Assyrian” (Joel 2:1).
The first two things will happen in the middle of Daniel’s seventieth week (Dan. 9:27), which will be 3½ years before the Lord appears out of heaven (Rev. 19:11-21); the third thing will occur in a matter of a few days before the Lord appears.
The First Attack of the Assyrian
Chap. 2:1-11
Chap. 2:1-11—Joel envisions the armies of the enemy coming in from the north and ravaging the land, leaving it as “a desolate wilderness” behind them. While this happened to some extent in history when the Assyrians entered the land of Israel, the Spirit of prophecy intends that we see it as an image of the future attack on the Jews in coming day. Two thirds of the Jews who will be in the land of Israel at that time will be killed when the King of the North sweeps through the land (Dan. 11:40-42; Zech. 13:8). This will be about ten million people!
Vss. 12-20
Vss. 12-20—The Jews left in the land (the remaining one third) will turn to the Lord with “fasting,” “weeping,” and “mourning.” They will be thoroughly humbled before Him and will cry to Him in true repentance for help (vss. 15-17). In answer to the cry of the remnant of the Jews, the Lord will intervene (His Appearing) and remove “the northern army” (vs. 20). The actual place is given where the King of the North and his armies come to their end—between “the east sea” (the Dead Sea) and “the utmost sea” (the Mediterranean Sea)—which is the southern part of the land of Israel, the general area of Jerusalem. Compare Daniel 11:45 – “between the seas in the glorious holy mountain.” Being in Egypt when the Lord appears (Dan. 11:42-43), the King of the North will return to the land of Israel (Dan. 11:44) and he will meet the Lord there (Dan. 8:25; 11:45). The Lord will destroy him and his armies with “his glorious voice” (Isa. 30:30-33).
Vss. 21-32
Vss. 21-32—After the Lord has dealt with the northern army, He will comfort the Jewish remnant: “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things” (vss. 21-27). The Lord will take His place “in the midst” of His people and they will be restored to Him. He will thereupon “pour out” the “Spirit” on them, and miraculous powers of the world to come will be seen among them (vss. 28-32).
The effects of the Antichrist’s delusion—“the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,” which refers figuratively to the taking away of divine light and truth and introducing apostasy (Isa. 8:22; Matt. 24:29, etc.)—will be removed then. The people (the remnant) will see clearly then (Isa. 32:3), and all who have faith will “call on the name of the LORD” and “shall be delivered” and blessed in Christ’s kingdom (vs. 32).
The Second Attack of the Assyrian
Chap. 3:1-2
Chap. 3:1-2—While the Lord is restoring the remnant of His people (both of the two tribes and of the ten tribes), the armies of many other nations from the far north will gather together to attack Israel. This will be a second all-out attack on the land of Israel, but because the Lord will be back in the land at that time and the remnant of all twelve tribes will be restored to Him, it will not be successful. The Lord will actually work providentially behind the scenes to gather these enemies so that He can judge them, and thus, put an end to all wars. “I will gather all nations, and bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat” (vs. 2; Ezek. 38:4; Zeph. 3:8; Mic. 4:11-12; Psa. 46:4-9). The “nations” that gather at this time are “all” who are left after the Lord’s prior judgments on the western powers (the Beast) and the King of the North and his confederacy. This will be the confederate armies under Gog, whose aim is to attack restored Israel (Ezek. 38:11-12). Historically, these nations have “scattered” the children of Israel “among the nations,” and it is now time for God to judge them.
Vss. 3-8
Vss. 3-8—“Tyre and Zidon” and “Philistia,” which are merchant centers on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, are singled out as being guilty of slave trafficking God’s people and plundering the gold and silver in the land of Israel. These merchants sold their children to “the Greeks” who came to those ports, and thus, they removed the children of Israel “far from their border.” They have “given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.”
The Lord promises to return their “recompense” on their “own head.” He says, “I will raise them (the children of Israel) out of the place whither ye (the Gentile nations) have sold them” (vss. 7-8). Thus, the Lord will bring the ten tribes of Israel back to their homeland prior to His judgment of the last confederacy of nations under Gog (Ezek. 38:12). After He judges these nations, restored Israel will sell the children of those Gentile nations “to the Sabeans, to a people afar off.”
Vss. 9-15
Vss. 9-15—As mentioned, the “multitudes” of “Gentiles” who will gather together against Israel in the last attack (under Gog) are actually called by the Lord (providentially) to come to Him in the land of Israel to be judged. “The valley of Jehoshaphat” (which means “Jehovah’s judgment”), to which they are called, is not a literal valley in the land of Israel, but rather, it is symbolic of the judgment that will be executed on these confederated nations. The “harvest” mentioned in verse 13 is not the Harvest Judgment, which is the first judgment the Lord will execute at His Appearing upon the Western nations (Matt. 13:39; Rev. 14:14-16). The harvest mentioned here is that of grapes, which is the final harvest of the year—the vintage. It symbolizes the last judgment of the Lord before the millennial kingdom is established. It is the Winepress Judgment (Rev. 14:17-20; Isa. 63:1-6). Thus, verse 13 goes on to say, “The press is full, the vats overflow.” Apparently, “the day of the LORD” (which is the Lord’s subjugation of the whole world under His Lordship authority), though it will have already begun, will not come in in its fullness until this judgment is executed. Hence, it is still said to be “at hand.”
Vss. 16-17
Vss. 16-17—Since the Lord will be back on earth and dwelling in the midst of His people in Jerusalem (which will be in rubble at that time), He will “roar out of Zion” and utterly destroy the armies that have assembled for war (vs. 16). Isaiah’s prophecy will be fulfilled then: “Whosoever shall gather together against thee [Israel] shall fall for thy sake” (Isa. 54:15).
Vss. 18-21
Vss. 18-21—The chapter closes with a picture of the Millennium. In that day, the blessing of the Lord will be upon the whole earth and His presence will be known in Jerusalem—“for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.”