Joel chapter 1, the word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. Hear this you elders, give ear all inhabitants of the land. Has such a thing happened in your days or in the days of your fathers? Tell it to your children and let your children tell it to their children and their children to another generation. What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten. And what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten. Awake, you drunkards, and weep and wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine. For it is cut off from your mouth. For a nation has come up against my land, powerful and beyond number. Its teeth are lion's teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness. It has laid waste my vine and splintered my fig tree. It has stripped off their bark and thrown it down. Their branches are made white. Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth for the bridegroom of her youth. The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the Lord. The priests mourn the ministers of the Lord. The fields are destroyed. The ground mourns because the grain is destroyed. The wine dries up. The oil languishes. Be ashamed, O tillers of the soil. Wail, O vine dressers, for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished. The vine dries up. The fig tree languishes. Pomegranate, palm, and apple, all the trees of the field are dried up. And gladness dries up from the children of man. Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests. Wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God, because grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God. consecrate a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders, all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord, alas, for the day, for the day of the Lord is near. And as destruction from the Almighty comes, is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God? The seed shrivels under the clods. The storehouses are desolate. The granites are torn down because the grain has dried up. How the beasts groan. The herds of cattle are perplexed because there is no pasture for them. Even the flocks of sheep suffer. To you, O Lord, I call, for fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame has burned all the trees of the field. Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness. This is the word of the Lord. You may be seated. Lest you get the wrong impression, we have read the first part, and as we go through this, you will see there's hope. Didn't sound like much hope there. But there is hope to come. Joel is often referred to as the Old Testament prophet of the day of the Lord, and it's a very appropriate title. Because while several of the Old Testament prophets refer to the day of the Lord, Joel uses the phrase five times in three short chapters. In fact, his entire prophecy is both a warning and a graphic description of that day as he urges the people of God to wake up and repent. Then, The prophet shifts gears from woe and judgment to weal and blessing because the day of the Lord is also a day of restoration and salvation and transformation for a faithful remnant. And that's the upshot of this little book of Joel. And so I've titled this series, The Woe and Weal of the Day of the Lord. Now, if you've been with us, you know that we've just finished the letters to the Thessalonians, in which the day of the Lord occupies a prominent place. And this drew me to the book of Joel as I prayed about where we should go next. And then, some two weeks ago, Steve brought a message from Micah chapter 7 that I took as confirmation. Because you see, both texts have themes of woe and weal. Both declare a divine visitation in righteous judgment, first for God's wayward people, and then for the godless nations that oppose his people. Both urge the people to repent and turn their eyes from themselves and unto God. And they both look forward in hope to a restoration and a redemption based not on the righteousness of the people, but on the Lord's steadfast love and faithfulness. What's more, as we'll see this morning, It's quite possible that Micah and Joel were contemporaries sharing a common distressing experience. So this has directed me to this little book this morning. Joel generates a lot of questions for such a brief book, questions that can't be answered from the text itself. Questions like, who was this Joel who prophesied about the day of the Lord? When did he live? What was the nature of the disaster that Judah was facing? There's these plagues of locusts and this invading army that play a prominent role in the book. Is that language literal or is it figurative or perhaps even both? That's a lot of questions and inquiring minds want to know. Sorry if it disappoints, but it seems that satisfying answers to these questions are not forthcoming. A survey of scholars simply produces a plethora of conjectures. And they all cite what seems to be compelling evidence for their suppositions. And while some of these theories enjoy more support than others, there's simply no consensus among conservative scholars regarding those questions. So this morning, by way of introduction, let me just briefly introduce you to this situation, outline it for you. First of all, what do we know about this prophet named Joel? Well, it was a fairly common name because in scripture there are 12 other men bearing that name spanning a period of six centuries. The name itself is a conjunction of the divine name and the word for God. So literally, it is Yoel. It means Yehovah or Yahweh is God. That's what the name means. Well, all of that aside, what do we know about this particular Joel? Verse one tells us all we know. He's the son of Pethuel. Who is Pethuel, the father of the prophet Joel? Names, that's all we get, just names. Clearly, the original audience was aware of who Joel was. But the identity of this prophet is an enigma, and it's not important. Listen. Obscurity of the messenger is most appropriate whenever the task is proclaiming God's word. I mean, God forbid that the gravitas of the message be overshadowed by the personality of the messenger. We could take our cue from John the Baptist. He must increase, we must decrease. We've done the best job in proclaiming the word of God when you forget about who it is proclaiming it. And your focus is on the word of God. And that's what we pray. That's why we have this plaque. Sir, we would see Jesus. That's what we endeavor to do is proclaim Christ. Now as for when he lived and as for the situation that prompted the prophetic declaration of Joel. It's actually, he is the most difficult of all of the prophetic books to accurately date. Various theories of conservative scholars actually span five centuries as they guess as to the audience and the situation to which Joel ministers. Famine, of course, is a prominent feature in Joel's message. But famines were so common in the Old Testament, so were locust plagues, so common that scholars don't give much weight to whether or not a specific famine can be identified that would align with the proposed date that they make. So that leaves basically three major indicators from the text that scholars take into account when they're trying to date this book. The first is the existence of the temple. The temple is clearly in operation. But this fact alone isn't all that helpful because there was a temple in Jerusalem for much of Judah's history, at least from the time of Solomon until 30 years or so after Christ's ascension. There were brief interruptions of temple services, but the only extended period was when it was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. And since we don't know whether Joel is referring to Solomon's temple or the lesser temple that was rebuilt after the Babylonian exile, the temple test only rules out a mere span of about 70 years in the 6th century BC. So we know Joel doesn't minister during that time. But it's not helpful whenever scholars use five centuries in order to try to determine this. Scholars also hone in on the fact that no king is mentioned. With few exceptions, all the prophetic books open by declaring the king or the kings that reigned during a particular prophet's ministry. But we find no such designation in Joel. As we'll see, Joel directs his words to the elders and the priests of Judah. So that's another test. Finally, scholars look at which enemies are or are not mentioned in Joel. Any proposal must consider Joel's silence regarding Assyria and Babylon. Remember, they were the superpowers during this time. So dating the book largely depends on these factors and, of course, how much weight scholars give to each one. So let me outline for you this morning three of the most often suggested times and circumstances that might fit the prophet Joel. And here's where your Sunday school education should come in handy. The most common theory proposed by modern scholarship is a late date, sometime after the Jews returned from Babylonian exile. That passes the temple test because it had been rebuilt and the sacrifices were resumed It also clears the no king mentioned hurdle because Zerubbabel, we are told, was no king but a governor of Judah. And as for enemies, both Syria and Babylon were no longer world powers. Persia was the world power. Well, despite the popularity of this scenario, I'm not so convinced. A factor that's not given much weight by contemporary scholarship is the order in which Joel appears in scripture. According to ancient tradition, the minor prophets were grouped according to the timeframe of their ministry. And Joel is the second minor prophet listed among those prophets who ministered before the exile. In fact, in your scripture, he's the second of the minor prophets to be listed after Hosea. And so I don't think this is something you can easily dismiss. Modern scholarship has a tendency to think they know more than those who were closer to the situation. I don't think so. I believe that those closer to the situation may well have the advantage. On the other end of the spectrum, then, from this late date, we go to a very early date. The earliest proposed date makes Joel a contemporary with the prophet Elijah in the ninth century BC. Solomon's temple was still standing, so far, so good. There's also an answer for why there is no mention of a king. And it's quite a story, if you remember this one. Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, that wicked dynamic duo of the northern kingdom. She's the one, Jezebel, who made Elijah's life miserable. The only one who could cause him to be depressed and fear for his life Remember the 400 prophets of Baal? He was victorious over 400 prophets of Baal, and yet he runs in fear when Jezebel says she's coming for him. These were wicked people. Well, Athaliah was their daughter. She was the princess of Israel, and she married Jehoram, who was the king of Judah. Well, whenever he died, Then their son Ahaziah became king, but then he was soon assassinated. Athaliah then had her own grandsons murdered so she could seize the throne. She was ruthless and wicked. She instituted Baal worship in Judah. She even erected altars for her idol in the temple. So this well could be the time frame of Joel's writing because she wasn't a king. She was a queen and an illegitimate ruler at that. Of course, through all of this, God providentially preserved David's lineage, didn't he? We heard this morning from Steve how through Hezekiah's prayer, God providentially preserved the Davidic line. Well, he did so here as well. Because had all of the grandsons been killed, it would have stopped there. But Ahaziah's sister took the youngest of them, an infant named Joash, and hid him. And this infant was then raised secretly in the temple. And when Joash was six years old, he was declared the rightful king, and Athaliah was executed. So that answers the no king. As for the enemies in Joel, this was before the arising of Assyria and Babylon as world powers. And also in favor of this view, interestingly, this timeframe can account for the scarcity of food that Joel talks about because of the seven-year famine that Elijah predicted just a few years before Athaliah's reign. So there is a lot to be said for this proposal. and I might lean that direction, except there's another early date that also seems to fit. It's the situation that occurred during the eighth century, a century later, under the reign of Hezekiah. Now, I guess I've already tipped my hand that this is the one I find most compelling because that would make Joel a contemporary of the prophet Micah, and as I said, Steve's message was one of the things I took as a confirmation that this would be the direction I would go. And we will explore more of this aspect of it as we work our way through the text. But for this morning, let me lay out the basic argument for this time frame. To me, the attractiveness of this view is that it readily accounts for two important elements in the judgment that's being exacted upon Judah in this day of the Lord. There's a devastating famine and an invading nation. Now scholars actually debate as to whether or not the locusts refer to a literal plague or whether it's just figurative language for this invading army. Locust plagues were commonplace and things usually recovered quite quickly afterwards. Also, a literal locust plague alone doesn't seem to fit Joel's words in verse 2. Do you remember that? We just read it a moment ago. He says, has such a thing happened in your days or in the days of your fathers? In other words, this is a really unique situation you've not yet faced. Well, whatever it is, it is something far more devastating than Judah had yet experienced. In support of this figurative language, scripture often then compares marauding armies to an invasion of locusts. In Judges chapter six, the Midianites were said to come like locusts in number, laying waste to the land. In Jeremiah 46, the Babylonian army cuts down the seemingly impenetrable forests of Egypt with forces we are told as innumerable as a swarm of locusts. In Jeremiah 51, the Persian army that invades Babylon is likened unto a swarm of locusts. So you see, the imagery is used throughout scripture for invading armies. However, if it is a literal plague of locusts, it is possible that the severely devastating swarm of locusts that was prophesied by Amos He foresaw it some earlier time. Well, that could account for this if that did come to pass. And perhaps there were unusually severe consecutive swarms of locusts that stripped the land bare before the arriving of an invading army. But I do believe that there was an invading army as well. Here's the point, such a natural disaster isn't necessary for the famine conditions described by Joel. Because if you'll recall, in the book of Habakkuk, when we preach through that, the marauding Babylonians so ravaged the land that there was no fruit on the vines, no crops in the fields, no beasts in the stalls. And yet, he rejoiced in the Lord, the God of his salvation. Let's talk about it for just a moment. How would this prophecy reflect the circumstances in the time of Hezekiah's reign? Hezekiah had made some serious errors in his day, but for the most part, he was a really good king. Nonetheless, there was judgment. Why? Because God was visiting judgment upon Judah because of the sins of his father, Ahaz. Ahaz was a wicked king who had tried God's patience with his obstinate disobedience. We're told that he worshiped false gods and that he even sacrificed one of his own sons as a burnt offering. And rather than listen to Isaiah, Ahaz sought aid from Assyria, making Judah a vassal state. Well, in Isaiah chapter 7, we're told that Assyria would be God's instrument in judgment for the sin of courting Assyria's help rather than trusting in the Lord. And this judgment came upon Judah when Hezekiah refused then to continue paying tribute to the king of Assyria. In turn, that king, Sennacherib, invaded Judah from the north, which also fits what we find in Joel chapter 2, verse 20. The Assyrian king ravaged the land and overran all the fortified cities before laying siege to Jerusalem. Sennacherib sent an envoy to Jerusalem mocking God, demanding the surrender of the people and encouraging the people to rebel against Hezekiah. If you remember that story. He boastfully declared that if they didn't surrender, they would end up having to eat their own dung and drink their own urine because of the famine resulting from his invasion and how he had already devastated all of Judah but Jerusalem. Of course, Hezekiah, we know, had prepared for the siege. He had had his men dig a tunnel from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam and it was a hidden provision of water and it provided all the water that was needed for everyone inside the walls of the city. So they were able to withstand. And just as was prophesied in Joel 2, verse 20, the Lord drove the northern army from Jerusalem, striking down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers overnight. So that answers the question of the judgment of the day of the Lord. As for the absence of the king's name, the prophecy is focused on the effects of the famine and the invasion. and what it was having on worship. And so this should arouse the priests and the people to repentance. So it's really not the focus to talk about the king. As for the failure of the identity of Assyria by name, again, the invaders are identified as the Northerners, the Northerners. And that's a description that fits with Assyria, but not with the four enemies that are named in Joel later on. So I think that this does answer all of the criteria. Well, those are the three major candidates for the life and times of the Prophet Joel. And while I lean toward the Assyrian invasion during the reign of Hezekiah, there is a lot to be said, as I said a moment ago, for that earlier situation when Queen Athaliah corrupted worship in Jerusalem. But all things considered, I do think that it seems that either of the earlier dates fit better than a late date, but at the end of the day, can't be certain. We just don't know. And here's my encouragement to you this morning. We ought to be satisfied with what God has revealed. We may have many questions we would like for God to answer, but wanting to know and needing to know are two different things. And one thing is certain, we have been given everything that pertains to life and godliness. God's word furnishes us with all we need, equipping us for every good work in service of his will. And that means that he has given us everything in the book of Joel that we need to know for life and godliness. He has given us everything in the book of Joel that we need to know for instruction in sanctification And so it's there. So as we work our way through the text, I'm going to cite several times how Joel's words might fit this scenario I find most compelling, but it will only be a firm and definite maybe. Okay? You know, Calvin actually put things in perspective when he said this. He says, determining the situation and precise date is of no great importance. For the import of Joel's doctrine is evident, though his time be obscure and uncertain. I think that says it well. The message of Joel's prophetic word speaks to God's people of every age, and the message is simple but profound. God is holy. And he is sovereignly in control of all things. And the sins that prompted the day of the Lord of judgment in Joel's day are clear, clear enough. It's the usual suspects, idolatry, lethargy and worship, presumption. And these are sins that plagues God's people in every age. Joel also rebukes the people for their dullness, their intoxication from worldliness resulting from their failure to recognize God's chastening hands. How often is that true for us? We can be intoxicated with this world. We need to wake up to the truth of holiness and righteousness. We need to recognize God's moving in our lives. His chastening hand is not something to be feared, but to be embraced. If you've read Hebrews chapter 12, you know that God chastens every son whom he loves. That means you are privileged to receive the chastening of the Lord. Let us recognize it. and let it have its perfect work in us. Let it yield that peaceable fruit of righteousness. And so this is my point. I read the first chapter, but Joel's message is not just one of rebuke. It's also a message of hope that we need to hear. He tells us of a future blessing on the day of the Lord, which holds for the remnant, for those who repent and turn to him, this blessedness, this gloriousness of what God has in store for those who love him. While the Lord is long-suffering and faithful to his covenant, the point that we need to take from Joel is there will be a day of reckoning. We'll look at this more closely next week. But there was a day of reckoning of the day of the Lord for you and I. And now we look forward to the day of the Lord in wheel and blessing. And that's the day that's coming for us. But my point is we must not presume upon God. As Isaiah 63 says, when his people rebel and when they grieve his Holy Spirit, the Lord who has previously fought for them will now turn and fight against them. For our God is no respecter of persons. He is holy. But the difference is, for those who belong to him, it will not be final judgment, for there will be redemption. And so the day of the Lord that brings devastation to the wicked, for those who repent and turn to Him, it is a day of mercy. The day of the Lord is a day of deliverance and salvation for all who belong to Him. And this is the message of Joel. A message that over the next few weeks, I pray, the Lord will lead us and guide us, and we will glean from this the bread from heaven, and we will find in this comfort, assurance, and instruction from the Lord our God. And to him be all glory forever and ever. Amen.