Redemption in Joel

The book of the prophet Joel begins in a foreboding way. “Hear this, you elders, and listen, all inhabitants of the land. Has anything like this happened in your days, or in your fathers’ days? Tell your sons about it, and have your sons tell their sons, and their sons the next generation” (Joel 1:2-3). What was causing such panic? Joel describes the judgment of the “day of the Lord” (v. 15) coming in a locust plague that, according to some scholars, morphs into invading armies. The response of the people should be serious. “Put on sackcloth and mourn . . . . Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord” (v. v. 13-14).

We see redemption in God's promise to restore when He says, “Then I will compensate you for years that the swarming locust have eaten . . . .” (Joel 2:25). Far beyond that, God promises future redemption when He pours out His Spirit on all and displays wonders in the sky and on the earth (2:28-31). “And it will come about that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; . . .” (2:32). The apostle Peter stated that this redemption is in God's Messiah and was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:16-21). Redemption in Joel is fulfilled in the work of Christ.

Ben