Author: Administrador

Were anyone to quiz congregants filing in to worship about the content of the little book of Joel, chances are good that few could cogently respond. Why then, preach from Joel? Several considerations might lead the overly hasty preacher to seek inspiration elsewhere. Joel is, after all, a prophetic book the first half of which … Continue reading “Joel 2:23-32 Commentary by Walter C. Bouzard”

There are two patches in Joel’s prophetic  quilt. Scholars do not agree on the editorial history of the book of Joel. Some argue for a ninth century date, while others suggest a Persian period (500- 350 BCE). The call for repentance (2:12-13) and the eschatological expectation (2:28-30) function as complementary parts. The inability to date … Continue reading “Joel 2:12-13, 28-29 Commentary by Stephen Reid”

Commentary for these texts is forthcoming. PRAYER OF THE DAY Loving Lord,When we have strayed, you have called us to come home to you. “Return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing.” With all our hearts we return to you, and gratefully accept your gentle … Continue reading “Joel 2:12-13, 28-29 Commentary by Working Preacher”

We know nothing about the prophet “Joel, son of Pethuel,” aside from what we can glean from the writings that appear in his book. It is not certain exactly when the prophet lived. Because of certain linguistic and theological features of the book, many Old Testament scholars have concluded that Joel prophesied after the people’s … Continue reading “Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 Commentary by Rolf Jacobson”

Joel 2:1 commands the blowing of the shofar. This is not a call to a festival or celebration, but a warning sent straight from God. In language reminiscent of Amos 5:18-24, this introduction proclaims that not only is the day of the LORD coming, it is near (verse 2). “The day of the LORD” appears … Continue reading “Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 Commentary by Beth L. Tanner”

Ash Wednesday  begins the 40-day journey of Lent with a gathering of the community to confess our sins, to remind ourselves of our mortality and frailty, and to hear the call to repentance or turning around from our sinful ways. It is a day for telling the hard truth about who we deep down really … Continue reading “Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 Commentary by Dennis Olson”

The few occasions that Joel appears in the lectionary it seems to support material that frames the interests of Christian festivals. Used in the Pentecost lection because of its citation in Acts 2 and at the start of the Lenten season presumably for its call to repentance, Joel gets read through the eyes of these … Continue reading “Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 Commentary by Steed Davidson”

The book of Joel tells the story of an otherwise unknown locust plague (1:1-5) that devastated Jerusalem and its environs sometime during the Persian period. The memory of this local crisis, interpreted in terms of divine judgment and deliverance, is passed on to future generations as a resource for surviving similar catastrophes. Congregations today can … Continue reading “Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 Commentary by Esther M. Menn”

The assignment of this text to Ash Wednesday, while dependent on a long tradition, is problematic. It is unlikely that this text is concerned with the repentance of sin.1 Joel 1 and 2 are probably parallel chapters, referring to the same locust plague. Joel 2 may reflect a fuller experience of the plague; the urgency … Continue reading “Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 Commentary by Terence E. Fretheim”

Like last week’s Old Testament lesson (Hosea 1:2-10), Hosea 11:1-11 offers striking testimony to the gracious, merciful, and steadfastly loving character of Israel’s God. While the message is much the same, the metaphor is different (and almost certainly less problematic) — not marriage this time, but parenting. And clearly, this metaphor too is full of … Continue reading “Hosea 11:1-11 Commentary by J. Clinton McCann”