Joel Chapter 1 – part 1 of 10

The book of Joel is a rather short, but very important, part of Old Testament scriptures. From verse one to the end it is the word of the Lord, and the chief apostle Peter turns to it for his first sermon. Neglect of Joel has, in every generation since the days of the apostles, proved the undoing of God’s people. “The Word of the Lord that came to Joel…” has been put aside in favor of other considerations – who Joel is, for example, and who his father may be. If our present-day apostles, preachers, teachers, and leaders would follow the inspiration of Peter and lead-off with the word of the Lord that came to Joel, the church of our day would be vibrant and afire. Instead, we are fobbed off with lengthy dissertations on who Pethuel might be, (“Joel, the son of Pethuel,” it says) and the likely (or unlikely) historical background to the book of Joel, if ever Joel is mentioned at all in the assembly. Any other prophet seems to be preferred first, and Peter’s example put wantonly aside. But were the apostles wrong? Was the chief apostle on the day of Pentecost mistaken? Why then will none follow this example? Could it be that we are wrong, or that our leaders are far mistaken? We hope to see here why this is so very important, generation by generation, and why its neglect has had such far-reaching consequences, so that our daily lives are affected by it to this very hour, adversely. For Joel tells us about the Holy Ghost, and we do well to listen. Others may dwell more on other important subjects, but for the church as a whole and our own assembly in particular, this one subject is vital to our continued well-being. Joel is not put first among the prophets, any more than Pentecost is put first in the New Testament, for our redemption has the priority at all times, and the gospel is about Jesus, not the Holy Spirit; but the Acts of the Apostles follow on from Pentecost, and our own acts should do likewise. Without Christ, we are nothing. But without the Spirit, our ‘acts’ make dismal reading.