Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Joel 3:16
The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD [will be] the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
16. Jehovah draws near in a mighty storm; heaven and earth quake before Him: but His judgement lights only upon His foes; to His own people He proves Himself a stronghold and defence.
And Jehovah shall roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem ] Borrowed verbatim from Amo 1:2, where see the note. The figures of the lion’s roar, and of the noise of thunder, are combined. The details of the judgement are not described; but it must no doubt be imagined that in the storm, and the earthquake accompanying it (see the next words), the nations are struck down and destroyed (comp. for the figure Isa 28:2; Isa 29:6-8; Isa 30:30-31). The fact that Jehovah puts forth His power from Zion, His earthly abode, and the sacred capital of the theocracy, is naturally a favourable omen for His faithful people.
and the heavens and the earth shall quake ] Cf. Joe 2:10.
but Jehovah will be a refuge unto his people, and a strong hold to the children of Israel ] The terms used so often of Jehovah in the Psalms: see e.g. Psa 14:6; Psa 46:1; Psa 27:1; Psa 31:4; Psa 43:2.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The Lord shall roar out of Zion – As in the destruction of Sennacherib, when he was now close upon his prey, and shook his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem, the Lord of hosts lopped the bough with terror, and the high ones of stature were hewn down, and the haughty were humbled Isa 10:32-33, so at the end. It is foretold of antichrist, that his destruction shall be sudden, Then shall that Wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His Coming 2Th 2:8. And Isaiah saith of our Lord, He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked Isa 11:4. When the multitudes of Gods enemies were thronged together, then would He speak with His Voice of terror. The terrible voice of Gods warnings is compared to the roaring of a lion. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord hath spoken, who can but prophesy? Amo 3:8. Much more, when those words of awe are fulfilled. Our Lord then, The Lion of the tribe of Judah Rev 5:5. Who is here entitled by the incommunicable Name of God, I am, shall utter His awful Voice, as it is said; The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel and with the Trump of God 1Th 4:16; and He Himself says, The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice and shall come forth, they that have done good unto the Resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation Joh 5:28-29.
And shall utter His voice from Jerusalem – that is, either from His Throne aloft in the air above the holy city, or from the heavenly Jerusalem, out of the midst of the tens of thousands of His holy angels Mat 16:27; Mat 25:31; Mar 8:38; 2Th 1:7, and saints Zec 14:5; Jud 1:14, who shall come with Him. So terrible shall that voice be, that the heavens and the earth shall shake, as it is said, the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up 2Pe 3:10; and heaven shall open for the coming of the saints, and hell shall be moved at the coming Isa 14:9 of the evil. : Nor shall it be a slight shaking of the earth at His Coming, but such that all the dead shall be roused, as it were from their sleep, yea, the very elect shall fear and tremble, but, even in their fear and trembling, shall retain a strong hope. This is what he saith immediately, The Lord will be the hope (or place of refuge) of His people, and the strength (or stronghold) of the children of Israel, i. e., of the true Israel, the whole people of the elect of God. All these He will then by that His Majesty at once wonderfully terrify and strengthen, because they ever hoped in God, not in themselves, and ever trusted in the strength of the Lord, never presumed on their own. Whereas contrariwise the false Israelites hope in themselves, while, going about to establish their own righteousness, they submitted themselves not to the righteousness of God. Rom 10:3. The true Israel shall trust much more than ever before; yet none can trust then, who in life, had not trusted in Him Alone.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Joe 3:16
But the Lord will be the hope of His people.
The haven of repair
The margin reads, The Lord will be a place of repair, or a harbour for His people. As a secluded, landlocked haven, where storm does not rock, is to a dismasted vessel, so will our God be to those who come in live spiritual need. He will be a haven of repair.
I. There are many experiences which cause us to need a place of repair. Who does not suffer through the fault of others? In every department of our existence we are eyes and hands and feet to each other, in the same body. What is true amongst the smaller things of lifes healthy competition is found also in that more important world, where hearts are wounded, where confidence is shaken, and where hopes are too often crushed. The world is rich in afflictions which are unintentionally caused. Who has not suffered from his own unwisdom? By lack of caution or by over-caution moral weakness is often induced. By hesitation or by impulsiveness we bring disaster upon ourselves. We need some kind of repairing very frequently, and, for the most part, it is on account of self-inflicted damage. The need of repair may come through some want of knowledge. We did not know the seas of life; did not expect a sudden storm; did not understand our own weak side. And so we spread full sail when caution should have counselled; we went right on when we should have sought the anchorage of prayer. But most vessels seek a haven of repair on account of the common wear and strain of voyaging. And so it is with human hearts. We know that we often need a refuge where there is the hope of refitting our shattered strength.
II. The Lord will be our haven of repair. He alone combines the knowledge, the ability, and the will which are needful. No need or danger can be unknown to Him whose eyes are in every place. No inability to do after His hearts desire can fetter Him who created all things by the breath of His mouth. His knowledge, His love, and His power, are the three mountains which enclose a haven of blessed security and peace for the sons of men. Storms of temptation should drive us to the refuge that is in God. The winds of intellectual difficulty should drive us to this Divine haven.
III. A harbour of repair equips for future voyages and service. Acceptance with God is not a fact which should be exclusively, or even chiefly, associated with the close of life. It is not lifes end, but the beginning of new effort towards a better life. If the truth has done anything in us to make us free, it is that we may go forth afresh to meet the rising storms, ourselves, perhaps, to be yet more beaten about and tried, but as a recompense to know that we help some to find the great salvation, to enter into His rest. There will always be Divine strength for Divine work. Let us remember in our religious joy, that the haven of refuge is a haven of repair, and that this always means more work for God. (W. H. Jackson.)
The strength of the children of Israel.—
Christ our strength
Few things have been more coveted by man than strength. But mans superiority to the brutes lies in something more than physical strength. Yet neither a big biceps nor a big brain makes the man in the likeness of God. The really strong men have often to be sought elsewhere than in the ranks of warriors and statesmen. Strength is not the less real for being spiritual. What and whence is such strength as this?
I. The stoic idea of mans spiritual power. Epictetus thus gives mans object in living. It is to know God perfectly, to love Him, to obey Him, to please Him, to overcome all vices, to acquire all virtues, and so to render ourselves holy and companions of God Then why did Stoicism fail? Because the Stoic philosopher claims that man has in himself every means of acquitting himself of all these obligations, and that the means are always within his own power. In man the mind is free to believe only what is true, and the will is free to follow only what is right.
II. The epicurean idea of mans spiritual power. This school claims that so far from the mind teaching us truth, there is nothing we can positively state as truth. And so far from our will being always for happiness, and in the right, it is generally likely to lead us into trouble.
III. The Christian idea. Christianity, steering between Hegelian and Calvinistic theories of human nature, teaches that the mind of man, perfectly informed, may possess right knowledge; and the will of man, perfectly established, may be capable of right conduct. But it recognises that man as yet is not thus perfect. His mind is struggling for light, his will for guidance. Christ is the strength of the people of God. In His presence mans pride must go, since he will recognise his incompleteness and weakness; and his idleness must go, since he will recognise the grace offered to honest effort. Laying hold on the strength of Christ, you are using the resources of Omnipotence. (H. H. Gowen.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 16. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion] His temple and worship shall be re-established there, and he will thence denounce his judgments against the nations. “The heavens and the earth shall shake.” There shall be great commotions in powerful empires and their dependencies; but in all these things his own people shall be unmoved, for God shall be their hope and strength.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The Lord; who, Joe 2:27, is the Lord in the midst of Israel or in the midst of his church.
Shall roar; when he brings forth his mighty ones the men of war, and commands them to march out against his and his churchs enemies, he will strike the enemy with astonishment and fear, as the roaring of the lion doth astonish the weaker beasts of the forest. Fear shall surprise them when God shall speak against them.
Out of Zion; the place where God chooseth to dwell, emblem of his church, and of the kingdom of Christ.
And utter his voice, in wrath and indignation against those he will destroy, because they have destroyed his church.
From Jerusalem; typical, so God roared and uttered his voice against Sennacherib; mystical, so he hath often already, and still will further discover his displeasure against his enemies, and he will, as one who dwells in a place for the defence of it, rebuke and check those who assault it: so God dwells in his Jerusalem, as it is Joe 3:17.
The heavens; metaphorically the states and kingdoms, the great ones in those states.
The earth; the common sort of people, the inferior ranks of men; the foundations of those kingdoms shall be shaken and overthrown.
Shall shake, and fly as affrighted, so the word signifieth.
But the Lord; but at that time, and in the midst of all those commotions, the eternal and almighty God, who fills the enemy with fears and astonishment,
will be the hope; shall be the object of his peoples expectation, they shall look for good from him by all these troubles: and so God was to his after their return out of captivity, through the Medo-Persian reign, through the Grecian rule under Alexander, and under the times of Alexanders successors.
Of his people; of them that believe his word and obey his law.
And the strength, strong defence and fortress, to his, here called the children of Israel, those that are Israelites indeed.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. (Compare Eze38:18-22). The victories of the Jews over their cruel foeAntiochus, under the Maccabees, may be a reference of this prophecy;but the ultimate reference is to the last Antichrist, of whomAntiochus was the type. Jerusalem being the central seat of thetheocracy (Ps 132:13), it isfrom thence that Jehovah discomfits the foe.
roaras a lion (Jer 25:30;Amo 1:2; Amo 3:8).Compare as to Jehovah’s voice thundering, Psa 18:13;Hab 3:10; Hab 3:11.
Lord . . . the hope of hispeopleor, “their refuge” (Ps46:1).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem,…. Christ, the Lamb, shall now appear as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and utter his voice in his providence and judgments on the behalf of his church and people, signified by Zion and Jerusalem; and therefore said to roar, and utter his voice from thence; he will be heard far and near, and strike terror in the hearts of his enemies; see
Jer 25:30;
and the heavens and the earth shall shake; great revolutions will be made in the world, both in church and state, among the antichristian powers; and such as will also make them shake and tremble, as well as alter the form and frame of things among them; see Re 16:18; changes in government, civil and ecclesiastic, are sometimes signified by such phrases, Hag 2:6;
but the Lord [will be] the hope of his people; the object, author, ground, and foundation of their hope of salvation here and hereafter; in whom they may hope for and expect safety and security in the worst of times; since he will be their “refuge”, or their “harbour” q as it may be rendered; to whom they may have recourse, to shelter and screen them from the rage and wrath of their enemies, and where they will be safe, till the indignation of God be over and past; and while calamities and judgments are upon the unchristian and ungodly world, they will have nothing to fear amidst these storms, being in a good harbour:
and the strength of the children of Israel; of the spiritual Israel; of all such who are Israelites indeed, the Lord’s chosen, redeemed, and called people, both Jews and Gentiles; the author and giver of their spiritual strength, the strength of their lives and of their hearts, of their graces and of their salvation; by whom they are furnished with strength to do the duties of religion; to exercise grace; to wrestle with God in prayer; to withstand spiritual enemies; to bear afflictions patiently, and to persevere to the end: or he is their “fortress” r; their strong hold and place of defence, where they are safe from every enemy, free from all distresses, enjoy solid peace and comfort, and have plenty of provisions, Isa 33:16.
q “refugium”, Tigurine version, Burkius; “receptus”, Tarnovius. r “prsesidium”, Tarnovius; “arx”, Cocceius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Prophet explains here more clearly his object, or the end for which he had hitherto spoken of God’s judgment; for what we have heard served only to spread terror: but now the Prophet shows that his purpose was to console the faithful, and to give some relief to their troubles and sorrows. This is the reason why he introduces God as roaring from Zion and crying from Jerusalem. Roaring is ascribed to God, inasmuch as he compares himself in another place to a lion, when representing himself as the faithful protector of the salvation of his people: “I will be,” he says, “like the lion, who suffers not the prey to be taken from him, but boldly defends it with all the fierceness he possesses: so also will I do, I will not suffer my people to be taken from me.” In this sense does the Prophet now say, that God will roar from Zion. God had been for a time despised; for the nations had prevailed against his chosen people, and plundered them at their pleasure; and God then exercised not his power. Since God had been for a time still, the Prophet says now, that he will not always conceal himself, but that he will undertake the defense of his people, and be like a lion; for he will rise up in dreadful violence against all his enemies.
And tremble, he says, shall the heaven and the earth. As almost the whole world was opposed to his elect people, the Prophet carefully dwells on this point, that nothing might hinder the faithful from looking for the redemption promised to them: “Though the heaven and the earth,” he says, “raise oppositions God will yet prevail by his wonderful power. Tremble, he says, shall all the elements; what, then, will men do? Though they muster all their forces, and try all means, can they close up the way against the Lord, that he may not deliver his people?” We now understand the Prophet’s design in speaking of the shaking of heaven and earth.
He at last adds, God will be a hope to his people, and strength to the children of Israel. In this part he gives a sufficient proof of what I have stated, — that he denounces extreme vengeance on the nations for the sake of his Church; for the Lord will at length pity his people, though they may seem to have perished before he succors them. However past hope then the people may be in their own estimation and in that of all others, yet God will again raise up the expectation of all the godly, who shall remain, and will inspire them with new courage. He speaks in general of the children of Israel; but what he says belongs only to the remnant, of which the Prophet had lately spoken; for not all, we know, who derive their origin from the fathers according to the flesh, were true Israelites. The Prophet refers here to the true Church; and hence Israel ought to be taken for the genuine and legitimate children of Abraham; as Christ, in the person of Nathanael, calls those true Israelites who imitated the faith of their father Abraham. I shall to-day finish this Prophet; I do not therefore dwell much on every sentence. It now follows —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
III
THE PURPOSE OF REPENTANCE (contd)
GODS PRESENCE AMONG HIS PEOPLE
TEXT: Joe. 3:16-21
16
And Jehovah will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem: and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but Jehovah will be a refuge unto his people, and a stronghold to the children of Israel.
17
So shall ye know that I am Jehovah your God, dwelling in Zion my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more,
18
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with waters; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of Jehovah, and shall water the valley of Shittim.
19
Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence done to the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
20
But Judah shall abide for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation
21
And I will cleanse their blood, that I have not cleansed: for Jehovah dwelleth in Zion.
QUERIES
a.
How will God make Jerusalem free of strangers passing through her forevermore?
b.
What is the fountain coming forth from the house of Jehovah?
c.
What blood has Jehovah not cleansed and how will He then cleanse it?
PARAPHRASE
And from the midst of the redeemed people of Zion God will speak with a mighty revelation of His power and He will shake the principalities and powers of the heavens and the earth; but God will dwell among His Covenant people and be a refuge and a stronghold for them. Then your generations will know from experience that I am Jehovah, the God who keeps His covenant for then I will be dwelling in the midst of Zion, the covenant people; furthermore, the covenant people shall then be a holy people and the unholy shall not be permitted to dwell in their midst. It will come to pass that the redeemed will be supplied blessing upon blessing; and a Fountain shall spring forth from presence of Jehovah and shall refresh with the water of life those thirsting after righteousness. On the other hand, I will make all My enemies arid, impotent and barren like the wilderness because they have done violence and hurt to My people and have shed innocent blood. But my precious elect will dwell secure forever and I will declare their innocence finally and fully for I will be dwelling in the midst of My redeemed people.
SUMMARY
Gods presence among a people prepared for Him by repentance will mean protection, holiness, blessing and vindication.
COMMENT
Joe. 3:16 AND JEHOVAH WILL ROAR FROM ZION . . . AND THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH SHALL SHAKE: BUT JEHOVAH WILL BE A REFUGE UNTO HIS PEOPLE . . . This closing hymn is the completion of the first section of chapter three showing that the end result of the future covenant fulfillment is not judgment but redemption and victory and blessing from a new and personal relationship with God. The Lord roaring from Zion will proclaim judgment. In the latter days of the Christian age the Lord will cause the message to go forth, The time of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all men by raising him from the dead. (Act. 17:30-31). This message will not only come from His covenant people, whom Joel represents as Zion and Jerusalem (where the presence of God abides), but Christ says that the prophets foretold its going forth literally from Zion and Jerusalem first (cf. Luk. 24:44-49). When God established His kingdom on earth (the church), He shook down all other kingdoms, both those in the heavenly places and those on earth (cf. Dan. 2:44-45; Eph. 1:18-23; Col. 2:15; Heb. 12:18-29). Paul, in Hebrews chapter twelve, points out that those who had become Christians had then come to Mount Zion, the kingdom that shall never be shaken, but that those who rejected Christ and held on to Judaism belonged to that which was about to be (70 A.D.) shaken.
Jehovah, when He should become Immanuel (Isa. 7:14) (God with us), would be a refuge to His people. Incidentally, this same idea of being a refuge and protection to the covenant people with the coming of the Messiah is exactly what Isaiah was foretelling. Heb. 6:18-19 is the fulfillment of this prophecy by Joel.
Joe. 3:17 SO SHALL YE KNOW THAT I AM JEHOVAH YOUR GOD, DWELLING IN ZION . . . THEN SHALL JERUSALEM BE HOLY, AND THERE SHALL NO STRANGERS PASS THROUGH HER ANY MORE, That Zion means the church ought to be evident from Heb. 12:22. But it is even more evident that Joel is writing of the church when we see Paul referring to the church as the Jerusalem that is above in Gal. 4:26. The word above as Paul uses it here does not mean high up in the heavens, that is, he is not referring to heaven, but above is used in the sense of preeminence, Pauls allegory is between the two covenants, Old and New Testaments, and so the Jerusalem that is above is the New Dispensation. It is on mount Zion that the Lord was going to make a feast of fat things . . . destroy the covering that is cast over all peoples . . . and swallow up death forever (Isa. 25:1-12), And Isaiah is also the one who spoke of the Messianic age as the Holy Way where the unclean would not pass over it . . . but the redeemed would walk there and the ransomed of the Lord would return and come to Zion with singing . . . (Isa. 35:1-10), So it seems to us that Joel is looking at the Messianic age. He is looking at the future (exactly when even he does not know) fulfillment of Gods covenant promises. It may even be that he is compressing the whole Messianic age (from beginning to end) into a few verses here. But he is not interested in pinpointing a schedule of times and seasons but in graphically proclaiming the certainty of Gods fulfillment of His promises to the people if they repent.
Joe. 3:18 AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THAT DAY, . . . THE MOUNTAINS SHALL DROP DOWN SWEET WINE, . . . AND A FOUNTAIN SHALL COME FORTH FROM THE HOUSE OF JEHOVAH . . . As we have mentioned above, the prophets used contemporary terms of agricultural prosperity to depict in a figurative way the blessings of God in the Messianic age (cf. Isaiah 25; Isaiah 55; etc.) Jesus depicted the kingdom like a feast again and again. Paul calls the Christian life a feast (1Co. 5:7-8).
As for the fountain flowing from the presence of God we have a number of indications that this must be the Living Water, the Messiah (cf. Eze. 47:1 ff; Zec. 13:1; Joh. 4:13-15; Joh. 7:37-39; 1Co. 10:1-4). And so God, in fulfilling His covenant promise in sending the Christ, has sent a cleansing, refreshing, life-giving Fountain to satisfy those who thirst after righteousness, lost in the arid deserts of sin. And the consummation will come when the redeemed are gathered at the river of the water of life (Rev. 22:1 ff).
Joe. 3:19 EGYPT SHALL BE A DESOLATION . . . FOR THE VIOLENCE DONE TO THE CHILDREN OF JUDAH. When God shall make Christ the yea of all His promises (2Co. 1:20) He will render His enemies impotent. He has destroyed him who has the power of death, that is, the devil (Heb. 2:14); He has destroyed the works of the devil (1Jn. 3:8); and by His power in us we are able to conquer our enemies (Rom. 8:31-39) and protect ourselves (Eph. 6:10-18).
Joe. 3:20-21 BUT JUDAH SHALL ABIDE FOR EVER, . . . AND I WILL CLEANSE THEIR BLOOD, THAT I HAVE NOT CLEANSED: FOR JEHOVAH DWELLETH IN ZION. So Gods elect shall be justifiedthey shall not be condemned. If God justifies, who can condemn? (Rom. 8:31-39). The phrase . . . I will cleanse their blood, that I have not cleansed probably means that when God ushers in the consummation of the Messianic age He will vindicate completely His precious saints. Justice, which in some cases on this earth is left undone, will be carried out by the Just Judge of all the earth. It might, on the other hand, refer to the fact that when the blood of Christ is shed all those sins of the Old Testament saints which were purged only potentially (Heb. 10:1-4) will be once for all cleansed (Heb. 10:5-18; Rom. 3:21-26; Heb. 9:15-17).
Joels prophecy ends on the same glorious note of triumph and complete victory as Obadiahs. Ezekiel prophesied that the New dwelling place of God, the church, the habitation of God in the Spirit (Eph. 2:19-22), the name of the city henceforth shall be, The Lord is there (Eze. 48:35). Yes, Christians form Gods holy temple (1Co. 3:16-17).
Joels closing chapter has a certain eschatological element to it but this is primarily because Joel is looking forward with eager anticipation to that day when God will consummate His covenant. The prophets all predict the future; but they do so primarily because God has directed them to foretell of the eventual fulfillment of His covenant promises. The prophets are not interested in giving us a literal picture of some future millennial war or a national restoration of carnal Israel because, as the New Testament so specifically points out, the covenant blessings were never intended to be fulfilled in their final sense in any carnal nationality (Gal. 3:16-17; Gal. 3:29; Eph. 2:11; Eph. 2:13; Eph. 2:19).
We quote here from Prophecy Interpreted by John P. Milton, . . . because God is active in redemptive history this history is moving towards a divinely appointed goal. The prophets picture that goal in terms of the covenant fulfilled. In speaking of this fulfillment they employ much of the times-coloring of their own age, with the emphasis in the actual fulfillment seen to be upon the fundamentals rather than upon the times-coloring. In the conviction of the prophets the goal of the covenant becomes the goal of history. Simeons prophecy in Luk. 1:68-75 is a good example to show how the prophets spoke in a language contemporary with their times and yet intended it to refer to what the Messiah would accomplishHe would save Israel from her enemies . . . and perform the mercy promised to their fathers . . . and remember his holy covenant . . ., etc.
If we take these frequent references like the one here in Joel which imply a final redemptive act of God and divest them of the local times-coloring then we have in essence the prophetic message of hope which the N.T. confirms: a hope fulfilled in Christ, yet moving forward to the day of the great Restoration of which Christ is Gods own guarantee for the faith of His people.
Indeed, as the prophets often see history, the past and the present blend into the future (or as Milton has said their perspective is shortened). The prophets are never concerned with the past for its own sake, but rather with its relation to the present and to the future; for in their concept of history the present moment is unintelligible apart from the past, and meaningless apart from the future covenant fulfillment of God in all the various stages of that fulfillment,
QUIZ
1.
How has God roared from Zion?
2.
What Zion is Joel speaking of?
3.
Show how the New Testament is the fulfillment of Joel here.
4.
How does Joels use of figurative language compare to that of Isaiah respecting the Messianic age?
5.
What other scriptures speak of the fountain from Jehovah?
6.
What two possible interpretations may there be for Joe. 3:21?
7.
How do the prophets consider and write of the far distant future?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(16) The Lord also shall roar . . .This is the key-note of the prophecy of Amos, who opens his appeal with these words. The majestic roar of the lion is transferred to express victorious utterance of the Lords judgment: it is irresistible. As St. Paul wrote, The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God (1Th. 2:16). The temporal success of the Jews in their future conflict with their enemies is blended with the final triumph of the Lord in the judgment day.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Joe 3:16. The Lordshall roar out of Zion This verse may be thus paraphrased; “Thus shall Jehovah take vengeance on the enemies of his people, and make the inhabitants of Zion and Jerusalem to execute his judgments upon them, like a roaring lion devouring his prey. Their destruction shall be as certain, as if they were destroyed by thunders and lightnings from heaven, or swallowed up by an earthquake. But Jehovah shall be a sure refuge to his believing people, and his mighty arm shall save the children of Israel.” See Isa 13:13. Psa 14:6; Psa 61:4.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Joe 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD [will be] the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
Ver. 16. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion ] Out of his Church he shall terrify his enemies, as the lion doth the rest of the creatures by his dreadful roar; so that they are amazed thereat, and have no power to stir from the place. Lyra interpreteth it of that terrible Discedite, Go, ye cursed, that shall be uttered by Christ at the last day; a sentence that breatheth out nothing better than fire and brimstone, stings and sorrows, woe, and, alas! torments without end and past imagination.
And the heavens and the earth shall shake
For the Lord will be the hope (or, harbour) of his people] They shall have a good bush on their backs in the greatest tempest; they shall not be afraid, “though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be cast into the midst of the sea,” Psa 46:2 .
“ Si fractus illabatur orbis,
Impavidos ferient ruinae ”( Horat.).
O the force of a lively faith, and the privy armour of proof that believers have about their hearts! O the dignity and safety of God’s people in the worst of times! Hab 3:18-19 The LORD = But Jehovah. App-4.
roar out of Zion. Compare Jer 25:30. Eze 38:18-22. Amo 1:2.
roar = thunder.
the heavens . . . shall shake. Compare Joe 2:10 Hag 2:6.
but the LORD. Compare Isa 51:5, Isa 51:6.
hope = refuge.
strength = stronghold.
Joe 3:16-21
III. THE PURPOSE OF REPENTANCE (contd)
GODS PRESENCE AMONG HIS PEOPLE
TEXT: Joe 3:16-21
Gods presence among a people prepared for Him by repentance will mean protection, holiness, blessing and vindication.
Joe 3:16 AND JEHOVAH WILL ROAR FROM ZION . . . AND THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH SHALL SHAKE: BUT JEHOVAH WILL BE A REFUGE UNTO HIS PEOPLE . . . This closing hymn is the completion of the first section of chapter three showing that the end result of the future covenant fulfillment is not judgment but redemption and victory and blessing from a new and personal relationship with God. The Lord roaring from Zion will proclaim judgment. In the latter days of the Christian age the Lord will cause the message to go forth, The time of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all men by raising him from the dead. (Act 17:30-31). This message will not only come from His covenant people, whom Joel represents as Zion and Jerusalem (where the presence of God abides), but Christ says that the prophets foretold its going forth literally from Zion and Jerusalem first (cf. Luk 24:44-49). When God established His kingdom on earth (the church), He shook down all other kingdoms, both those in the heavenly places and those on earth (cf. Dan 2:44-45; Eph 1:18-23; Col 2:15; Heb 12:18-29). Paul, in Hebrews chapter twelve, points out that those who had become Christians had then come to Mount Zion, the kingdom that shall never be shaken, but that those who rejected Christ and held on to Judaism belonged to that which was about to be (70 A.D.) shaken. Jehovah, when He should become Immanuel (Isa 7:14) (God with us), would be a refuge to His people. Incidentally, this same idea of being a refuge and protection to the covenant people with the coming of the Messiah is exactly what Isaiah was foretelling. Heb 6:18-19 is the fulfillment of this prophecy by Joel.
Zerr: Joe 3:16. A roaring voice usually impresses us with being something fierce or savage; but it also means a voice that is strong and reassuring. Such was to be the kind of voice the Lord would utter from Jerusalem. This place is a contrast with that from which the Jewish law was given which was Mt. Sinai. Zion was a particular spot in Jerusalem that was the seat of the government and where David had his headquarters. Heavens and earth shake refers to the general shakeup among the nations that was to be caused by the introduction of the Gospel. This shaking was to cease and leave behind it a kingdom which cannot he moved (Hebrews 12: 28), and it was to be the hope of the people of God.
Joe 3:17 SO SHALL YE KNOW THAT I AM JEHOVAH YOUR GOD, DWELLING IN ZION . . . THEN SHALL JERUSALEM BE HOLY, AND THERE SHALL NO STRANGERS PASS THROUGH HER ANY MORE, That Zion means the church ought to be evident from Heb 12:22. But it is even more evident that Joel is writing of the church when we see Paul referring to the church as the Jerusalem that is above in Gal 4:26. The word above as Paul uses it here does not mean high up in the heavens, that is, he is not referring to heaven, but above is used in the sense of preeminence, Pauls allegory is between the two covenants, Old and New Testaments, and so the Jerusalem that is above is the New Dispensation. It is on mount Zion that the Lord was going to make a feast of fat things . . . destroy the covering that is cast over all peoples . . . and swallow up death forever (Isa 25:1-12), And Isaiah is also the one who spoke of the Messianic age as the Holy Way where the unclean would not pass over it . . . but the redeemed would walk there and the ransomed of the Lord would return and come to Zion with singing . . . (Isa 35:1-10), So it seems to us that Joel is looking at the Messianic age. He is looking at the future (exactly when even he does not know) fulfillment of Gods covenant promises. It may even be that he is compressing the whole Messianic age (from beginning to end) into a few verses here. But he is not interested in pinpointing a schedule of times and seasons but in graphically proclaiming the certainty of Gods fulfillment of His promises to the people if they repent.
Zerr: Joe 3:17. Mountain in symbolic language means a government, and in the present passage it means the government of Christ. No strangers pass through means literally that the nation would not be bodily taken over by a foreign army as it was done by Babylon. Spiritually it denotes that no stranger (one of the outside world) would enter this kingdom until he renounced his past relationship and became a fellow citizen (Ephesians 2: 19).
Joe 3:18 AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THAT DAY, . . . THE MOUNTAINS SHALL DROP DOWN SWEET WINE, . . . AND A FOUNTAIN SHALL COME FORTH FROM THE HOUSE OF JEHOVAH . . . As we have mentioned above, the prophets used contemporary terms of agricultural prosperity to depict in a figurative way the blessings of God in the Messianic age (cf. Isaiah 25; Isaiah 55; etc.) Jesus depicted the kingdom like a feast again and again. Paul calls the Christian life a feast (1Co 5:7-8). As for the fountain flowing from the presence of God we have a number of indications that this must be the Living Water, the Messiah (cf. Eze 47:1 ff; Zec 13:1; Joh 4:13-15; Joh 7:37-39; 1Co 10:1-4). And so God, in fulfilling His covenant promise in sending the Christ, has sent a cleansing, refreshing, life-giving Fountain to satisfy those who thirst after righteousness, lost in the arid deserts of sin. And the consummation will come when the redeemed are gathered at the river of the water of life (Rev 22:1 ff).
Zerr: Joe 3:18. All of these figures of speech refer to the spiritual blessings to be given through the kingdom of Christ. They were to he as water in a thirsty land, and their fountain will reach even to the valley of Shittim. Funk and Wagnails Standard Bible Dictionary says the following of this place: Some dry, thirsty valley where acactas (a desert plant) were known to flourish is meant. The point is that the fountain of the water of life will be so full that it will flow and reach even, to the regions formerly very dry.
Joe 3:19 EGYPT SHALL BE A DESOLATION . . . FOR THE VIOLENCE DONE TO THE CHILDREN OF JUDAH. When God shall make Christ the yea of all His promises (2Co 1:20) He will render His enemies impotent. He has destroyed him who has the power of death, that is, the devil (Heb 2:14); He has destroyed the works of the devil (1Jn 3:8); and by His power in us we are able to conquer our enemies (Rom 8:31-39) and protect ourselves (Eph 6:10-18).
Zerr: Joe 3:19. The passage resumes briefly the subject of ancient Israel and the countries that mistreated them. These persecuting groups were destined to feel the weight of God’s wrath for their mistreatment of His people.
Joe 3:20-21 BUT JUDAH SHALL ABIDE FOR EVER, . . . AND I WILL CLEANSE THEIR BLOOD, THAT I HAVE NOT CLEANSED: FOR JEHOVAH DWELLETH IN ZION. So Gods elect shall be justified-they shall not be condemned. If God justifies, who can condemn? (Rom 8:31-39). The phrase . . . I will cleanse their blood, that I have not cleansed probably means that when God ushers in the consummation of the Messianic age He will vindicate completely His precious saints. Justice, which in some cases on this earth is left undone, will be carried out by the Just Judge of all the earth. It might, on the other hand, refer to the fact that when the blood of Christ is shed all those sins of the Old Testament saints which were purged only potentially (Heb 10:1-4) will be once for all cleansed (Heb 10:5-18; Rom 3:21-26; Heb 9:15-17).
Zerr: Joe 3:20. Judah has the meaning of spiritual Israel, and It is a repetition of the prediction that the new kingdom was to “stand for ever (Dan 2:44). Joe 3:21. Cleanse their blood means the cure of idolatry if applied to fleshly Israel, and to the remission of sins when applied to spiritual Israel.
Joels prophecy ends on the same glorious note of triumph and complete victory as Obadiahs. Ezekiel prophesied that the New dwelling place of God, the church, the habitation of God in the Spirit (Eph 2:19-22), the name of the city henceforth shall be, The Lord is there (Eze 48:35). Yes, Christians form Gods holy temple (1Co 3:16-17).
Joels closing chapter has a certain eschatological element to it but this is primarily because Joel is looking forward with eager anticipation to that day when God will consummate His covenant. The prophets all predict the future; but they do so primarily because God has directed them to foretell of the eventual fulfillment of His covenant promises. The prophets are not interested in giving us a literal picture of some future millennial war or a national restoration of carnal Israel because, as the New Testament so specifically points out, the covenant blessings were never intended to be fulfilled in their final sense in any carnal nationality (Gal 3:16-17; Gal 3:29; Eph 2:11; Eph 2:13; Eph 2:19).
We quote here from Prophecy Interpreted by John P. Milton, . . . because God is active in redemptive history this history is moving towards a divinely appointed goal. The prophets picture that goal in terms of the covenant fulfilled. In speaking of this fulfillment they employ much of the times-coloring of their own age, with the emphasis in the actual fulfillment seen to be upon the fundamentals rather than upon the times-coloring. In the conviction of the prophets the goal of the covenant becomes the goal of history. Simeons prophecy in Luk 1:68-75 is a good example to show how the prophets spoke in a language contemporary with their times and yet intended it to refer to what the Messiah would accomplish-He would save Israel from her enemies . . . and perform the mercy promised to their fathers . . . and remember his holy covenant . . ., etc.
If we take these frequent references like the one here in Joel which imply a final redemptive act of God and divest them of the local times-coloring then we have in essence the prophetic message of hope which the N.T. confirms: a hope fulfilled in Christ, yet moving forward to the day of the great Restoration of which Christ is Gods own guarantee for the faith of His people.
Indeed, as the prophets often see history, the past and the present blend into the future (or as Milton has said their perspective is shortened). The prophets are never concerned with the past for its own sake, but rather with its relation to the present and to the future; for in their concept of history the present moment is unintelligible apart from the past, and meaningless apart from the future covenant fulfillment of God in all the various stages of that fulfillment.
Questions
1. How has God roared from Zion?
2. What Zion is Joel speaking of?
3. Show how the New Testament is the fulfillment of Joel here.
4. How does Joels use of figurative language compare to that of Isaiah respecting the Messianic age?
5. What other scriptures speak of the fountain from Jehovah?
6. What two possible interpretations may there be for Joe 3:21?
7. How do the prophets consider and write of the far distant future?
roar: Joe 2:11, Isa 42:13, Jer 25:30, Jer 25:31, Hos 11:10, Amo 1:2, Amo 3:8
and the heavens: Joe 2:10, Eze 38:19, Hag 2:6, Heb 12:26, Rev 11:13, Rev 11:19, Rev 16:18
hope: Heb. place of repair, or, harbour, Psa 18:2, Psa 46:1-11, Psa 61:3, Psa 91:1, Psa 91:2, Pro 18:10, Isa 33:16, Isa 33:21, Isa 51:5, Isa 51:6, Isa 51:16
and the strength: 1Sa 15:29, Psa 29:11, Zec 10:6, Zec 10:12, Zec 12:5-8
Reciprocal: Psa 18:9 – He bowed Psa 29:8 – shaketh Isa 13:13 – I will Isa 64:2 – to make Jer 4:23 – the heavens Jer 14:8 – the hope Jer 17:13 – the hope Dan 12:1 – thy people Zep 1:14 – even Hag 2:21 – I will Zec 9:8 – I will Zec 12:8 – defend Act 1:6 – restore Act 3:19 – when Rom 11:26 – all Rom 15:13 – the God 1Pe 5:8 – as Rev 4:5 – proceeded Rev 10:3 – loud Rev 18:2 – cried
Joe 3:16. A roaring voice usually impresses us with being something fierce or savage; but it also means a voice that is strong and reassuring. Such was to be the kind of voice the Lord would utter from Jerusalem. This place is a contrast with that from which the Jewish law was given which was Mt. Sinai. Zion was a particular spot In Jerusalem that was t.he seat of the government and where David had his headquarters. Heavens and earth shake refers to the general shakeup among the nations that was to be caused by the introduction of the Gospel. This shaking was to cease and leave behind it a kingdom which cannot he moved (Hebrews 12: 28), and it was to be the hope of the people of God.
Joe 3:16. The Lord shall roar out of Zion He shall strike the enemies of his people with astonishment, as the roaring of the lion astonishes the weaker beasts of the forest. And the heavens and the earth shall shake The destruction shall be as certain and dreadful as though Gods enemies were destroyed by thunder and lightning from heaven. But the Lord will be the hope of his people Though the heaven and the earth pass away, his word and promise, given to his servants, shall not pass away.
3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD [will be] the {i} hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
(i) God assures his own against all trouble, that when he destroys his enemies, his children will be delivered.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes