# Joel 02 š: Rend Your Hearts
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[[-Joel Overview]] | [[Joel 01]] | [[Joel 03]]
> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#š Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#š Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#š§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#āļø Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#š Key Principles / š Life Application]]
> [[#š¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#āļø Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#š Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#š Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#š Internal Notes]]
## š Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### The Locustsā Devastation
[[#Verse 01.]]Ā Blow the trumpetĀ in Zion;
sound the alarm signal on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land shake with fear,
for the day of theĀ LordĀ is about to come.
Indeed,Ā it is near!
[[#Verse 02.]]Ā It will beĀ a day of dreadful darkness,
a day of foreboding storm clouds,
like blacknessĀ spread over the mountains.
It is a huge and powerful armyā
there has never been anything like it ever before,
and there will not be anything like it for many generations to come!
[[#Verse 03.]]Ā Like fire they devour everything in their path;
a flame blazes behind them.
The land looks like the Garden of EdenĀ before them,
but behind them there is only a desolate wildernessā
for nothing escapes them!
[[#Verse 04.]]Ā They look like horses;
they charge ahead like war horses.
[[#Verse 05.]]Ā They sound likeĀ chariots rumblingĀ over mountain tops,
like the cracklingĀ of blazing fire consuming stubble,
like the noise ofĀ a mighty armyĀ being drawn up for battle.
[[#Verse 06.]]Ā PeopleĀ writhe in fear when they see them.
All their faces turn pale with fright.
[[#Verse 07.]]Ā TheyĀ chargeĀ like warriors;
they scale walls like soldiers.
Each one proceeds on his course;
they do not alterĀ their path.
[[#Verse 08.]]Ā They do not jostle one another;
each of them marches straight ahead.
They burst throughĀ the city defenses
and do not break ranks.
[[#Verse 09.]]Ā They rush intoĀ the city;
they scaleĀ its walls.
They climb up into the houses;
they go in through the windows like a thief.
[[#Verse 10.]]Ā The earth quakesĀ before them;
the sky reverberates.
The sun and the moon grow dark;
the stars refuse to shine.
[[#Verse 11.]]Ā The voice of theĀ LordĀ thundersĀ as he leads his army.
Indeed, his warriorsĀ are innumerable;
Surely his command is carried out!
Yes, the day of theĀ LordĀ is awesome
and very terrifyingāwho can surviveĀ it?
### An Appeal for Repentance
[[#Verse 12.]]Ā āYet even now,ā theĀ LordĀ says,
āreturn to me with all your heartā
with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
[[#Verse 13.]]Ā Tear your hearts,
not just your garments.ā
Return to theĀ LordĀ your God,
for he is merciful and compassionate,
slow to anger and boundless in loyal loveāoften relenting from calamitous punishment.
[[#Verse 14.]]Ā Who knows?
Perhaps he will be compassionate and grant a reprieve,
and leave blessing in his wakeā
a meal offering and a drink offering for you to offer to theĀ LordĀ your God!
[[#Verse 15.]]Ā Blow the trumpetĀ in Zion.
Announce a holy fast;
proclaim a sacred assembly.
[[#Verse 16.]]Ā Gather the people;
sanctify an assembly!
Gather the elders;
gather the children and the nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom come out from his bedroom
and the bride from her private quarters.
[[#Verse 17.]] Let the priests, those who serve theĀ Lord, weep
from the vestibule all the way back to the altar.
Let them say, āHave pity, OĀ Lord, on your people;
please do not turn over your inheritance to be mocked,
to become a proverbĀ among the nations.
Why should it be saidĀ among the peoples,
āWhere is their God?ā
### TheĀ Lordās Response
[[#Verse 18.]]Ā Then theĀ LordĀ became zealousĀ for his land;
he had compassion on his people.
[[#Verse 19.]]Ā TheĀ LordĀ respondedĀ to his people,
āLook! I am about to restore your grain
as well as fresh wine and olive oil.
You will be fully satisfied.
I will never again make you an object of mockery among the nations.
[[#Verse 20.]]Ā I will remove the one from the northĀ far from you.
I will drive him out to a dry and desolate place.
Those in front will be driven eastward into the Dead Sea,
and those in back westward into the Mediterranean Sea.
His stench will rise up as a foul smell.ā
Indeed, theĀ LordĀ has accomplished great things!
[[#Verse 21.]]Ā Do not fear, my land.
Rejoice and be glad,
because theĀ LordĀ has accomplished great things!
[[#Verse 22.]]Ā Do not fear, wild animals.
For the pastures of the wilderness are again green with grass.
Indeed, the trees bear their fruit;
the fig tree and the vine yield to their fullest.
[[#Verse 23.]]Ā Citizens of Zion,Ā rejoice!
Be glad because of what theĀ LordĀ your God has done!
For he has given to you the early rainsĀ as vindication.
He has sentĀ to you the rainsā
both the early and the late rainsĀ as formerly.
[[#Verse 24.]]Ā The threshing floors are full of grain;
the vats overflow with fresh wine and olive oil.
[[#Verse 25.]]Ā I will make up for the years
that theĀ _āarbeh_-locustĀ consumed your cropsā
theĀ _yeleq_-locust, theĀ _hasil_-locust, and theĀ _gazam_-locustā
my great armyĀ that I sent against you.
[[#Verse 26.]]Ā You will have plenty to eat,
and your hunger will be fully satisfied;
you will praise the name of theĀ LordĀ your God,
who has acted wondrously in your behalf.
My people will never again be put to shame.
[[#Verse 27.]]Ā You will be convinced that I am in the midst of Israel.
I am theĀ LordĀ your God; there is no other.
My people will never again be put to shame.
### An Outpouring of the Spirit
[[#Verse 28.]]Ā (3:1)Ā After all of this
I will pour out my SpiritĀ on all kinds of people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your elderly will have prophetic dreams;
your young men will see visions.
[[#Verse 29.]]Ā Even on male and female servants
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
[[#Verse 30.]]Ā I will produce portents both in the skyĀ and on the earthā
blood, fire, and columns of smoke.
[[#Verse 31.]]Ā The sunlight will be turned to darkness
and the moon to the color of blood,
before the day of theĀ LordĀ comesā
that great and terrible day!
[[#Verse 32.]]Ā It will so happen that
everyone who calls on the name of theĀ LordĀ will be delivered.
For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who survive,
just as theĀ LordĀ has promised;
the remnantĀ will be those whom theĀ LordĀ will call.
## š Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
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## š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. Peter quotes 2:28-32 in his Pentecost sermon (Acts 2:16-21).
2. Paul quotes 2:32 in Romans 10:13: everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
3. Joel 2:13 echoes God's self-description to Moses in Exodus 34:6.
4. Tearing one's garments was a common sign of grief in Israel (Genesis 37:34).
5. Joel describes the locusts as looking like horses (2:4). Revelation 9:7 uses the same image.
6. The bridegroom and bride leave their chamber (2:16), even though newlyweds were normally excused from duties (Deuteronomy 24:5).
7. The "northern army" (2:20) may be the locusts or an invading army, since Israel's enemies usually came from the north.
8. God promises the early and latter rains (2:23), the autumn and spring rains Israel's crops depended on.
9. In the Hebrew Bible, 2:28-32 is numbered as chapter 3.
10. Moses once wished that all the Lord's people were prophets and had His Spirit (Numbers 11:29). Joel promises that day will come.
## š§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## āļø Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the One who pours out the promised Spirit. Joel foretold God pouring His Spirit on all people (2:28), and Peter declared this fulfilled at Pentecost through the risen Jesus (Acts 2:16-17, 33).
## š Key Principles / š Life Application
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## š¬ Discussion Questions
1. God says, "Tear your hearts, not just your garments" (2:13). What is the difference between outward religion and true repentance?
2. God promises to make up for the years the locusts ate (2:25). How have you seen God restore what seemed lost?
3. God promises to pour out His Spirit on sons and daughters, old and young, servants and free (2:28-29). What does this teach about who God uses?
## āļø Key Verses to Remember
- š verses 12-13: Return to the Lord with all your heart; tear your hearts, not your garments, for He is gracious and compassionate.
- š verse 25: God will make up for the years the locusts ate.
- š verses 28-32: God will pour out His Spirit on all people, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
## š Related Passages/Cross Reference
- š [[Acts 02#Verse 16.|Acts 2:16-21]] - Peter quotes Joel at Pentecost.
- š [[Romans 10#Verse 13.|Romans 10:13]] - Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
- š [[Exodus 34#Verse 06.|Exodus 34:6]] - The Lord is compassionate and gracious.
- š [[Numbers 11#Verse 29.|Numbers 11:29]] - Moses wishes all God's people had His Spirit.
- š [[Revelation 09#Verse 07.|Revelation 9:7]] - Locusts like horses prepared for battle.
## š Devotional Reflection
š SOAP: [[Joel 02 - SOAP|The Brave Sound the Call]]
## š Internal Notes