Hosea, Joel

An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture

Duane A. Garrett

• Publisher: Holman Reference
• Year: 1997
• ISBN:
  9781433675720
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

THE NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY is for the minister or Bible student who wants to understand and expound the Scriptures. Notable features include: * commentary based on THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION; * the NIV text printed in the body of the commentary; * sound scholarly methodology that reflects capable research in the original languages; * interpretation that emphasizes the theological unity of each book and of Scripture as a whole; * readable and applicable exposition.

Section VII

Section VII Outline

• VII. JUDGMENT ON NATIONS: ALL NATIONS DESTROYED (3:1–21 [4:1–21])
  1. The Valley of Jehoshaphat (3:1–3 [4:1–3])
  2. Tyre, Sidon, and Philistia (3:4–8 [4:4–8])
  3. Summons to All Nations (3:9–12 [4:9–12])
  4. The Winepress of the Lord (3:13 [4:13])
  5. Signs of the Day of the Lord (3:14–17 [4:14–17])
  6. The Final State (3:18–21 [4:18–21])

VII. Judgment on Nations: All Nations Destroyed (3:1–21 [4:1–21])

Chapter 3 (chap. 4 in Heb.) describes a final, climactic battle with the nations of the world and Yahweh's condemnation of those nations. Depending on how one has read Joel up to this point, this is either a logical and appropriate development in the text or an abrupt change apparently unconnected to what precedes. Interpreters who contend that Joel has through chap. 2 spoken only of a locust plague on Jerusalem can only artificially tie these chapters to chap. 3. After all, the Gentile nations had nothing to do with the coming of the locust plague on Jerusalem. Earlier critical scholars were perhaps more honest in their assessment of the situation than some recent interpreters who see only locusts in chaps. 1 and 2. As early as 1872, M. Vernes declared that the subject matter was so diverse that 2:28–3:21 (chaps. 3; 4 in Heb.) could not come from the author of the earlier part of the book.1

The situation is altogether different, however, when one recognizes that in 2:1–11 Joel shifted away from literal locusts to destruction and captivity at the hand of the northern army, an army he described under the metaphor of a locust invasion. Viewed in this light, the movement from locusts, to the ultimate calamity of the exile, to forgiveness and restoration, and finally to the judgment on the nations is not only logical but necessary. Had Joel not included this chapter, the book would be without a resolution.

1. The Valley of Jehoshaphat (3:1–3 [4:1–3])

3:1 [4:1] Prophetic references to “those days” and “that time” are not as chronological as they might appear. Joel, like all the prophets, has given us promises of salvation and not a timetable for the future. “Those days” refers to the salvation events of those days rather than to a historical sequence. The text in effect says that God's works of grace relate to one another in the same way that his acts of judgment relate to one another. The locust plague is the day of the Lord and therefore, theologically viewed, is part of the same event as the captivity. The healing of the land after the locust plague, the destruction of the northern army, the gift of the Spirit, and the last judgment are also all saving manifestations of the selfsame day of the Lord. On the other hand, this phrase does encourage the reader about the future. When believers see one of the promises fulfilled, they rightly feel assurance that the other promises also are drawing near. After the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost, the early Christians correctly viewed themselves as having entered the “eschatological age.”

The translation “restore the fortunes,” although a common rendering, is misleading. This phrase makes it sound as though the only concern was that Judah had gone through difficult times, such as an economic downturn of the sort that all nations routinely experience. “Restore the fortunes” can be taken to mean no more than “things will get better.” This is not the meaning here. The phrase should be rendered either “make a restoration of Judah and Jerusalem” or even “restore the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem.”2 In all cases where the Bible refers to the restoration of a nation, this idiom denotes restoration from captivity.3 Joel reminded his people of the ancient promise of Deut 30:3 that Yahweh would restore his people from the coming diaspora. Their restoration would be a sign of judgment to the rest of the world.4

3:2 [4:2] The Old Testament several times speaks of “gathering” the nations for judgment. Especially similar to this text is Zeph 3:8—“I have decided [lit., “my decision/judgment is”] to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them.”5 The Zephaniah prophecy, like the others, comes in a context of restoration after an exile at the hands of a foreign enemy, and it would be strange to suppose that Joel has broken the pattern by jumping directly from an account of a locust plague to the destruction of all nations.6

Joel probably spoke of the final judgment taking place in a valley because he was using the metaphor of a battle between Yahweh and the nations.7...

Table of contents

• Hosea, Joel
• Editors' Preface
• Author's Preface
• Abbreviations
• Maps
• Selected Bibliography
• Hosea
• Section I
• Section II
• Section III
• Section IV
• Section V
• Joel
• Section I
• Section II
• Section III
• Section IV
• Section V
• Section VI
• Section VII