The Book of Joel: Chapter 2

Pictured is the Jezreel Valley. All nations will gather here in the battle of Armageddon (Zechariah 11-14 and Revelation 16:14-21)

Without too much introduction, this chapter almost entirely relates to us. There will be horrible destruction and war prior to the second coming of the Savior, but that day will be great and terrible. It will be great for the followers of Christ and terrible for those that chose not to follow him.

Verse 1

This verse is also talking to us. We need to "blow the trumpet" as a warning voice and in sharing the gospel. Blowing the trumpet made from the ram's horn was a warning that danger was approaching. The second coming is a dangerous event for the wicked and unrepentant. We also need to know that the "day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand". Zion and the Lord's holy mountain is where his temple is (Isaiah 2:1-3). It can also be anywhere he speaks to his people or anywhere the "pure in heart" happen to be (Instead of going into a full discussion about Zion being the pure in heart, see the following references: D&C 45:66-70; 82:14; 133:2,13,18,26-32,56).

Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: "Zion is people. Zion is the saints of God; Zion is those who have been baptized; Zion is those who have received the Holy Ghost; Zion is those who keep the commandments; Zion is the righteous; or in other words as our revelation recites: 'This is Zion - the pure in heart.' (D&C 97:21)

Verses 2-10

These verses describe the army coming to fight Israel in the battle of Armageddon. See also Ezekiel 38 and 39 and Revelation 9:1-10 for more information on this. I'll probably be posting the book of Ezekiel in about another month or so. In this battle the army is described as being like locusts that devour the crops and cover the land. There are so many of them that the sun will scarcely shine through. There are so many of them that the earth will quake from their march. They will be as a devouring flame to the land, leaving everything behind them desolate. In verse 4 the horses symbolize war. In verse 5 the chariots symbolize a powerful army.

Verse 6 shows the reaction to this army. The faces of the people "shall be much pained" and "all faces shall gather blackness" meaning they will be feeling fear and gloom. The next few verses explain this fear. They members of the army can run and climb like mighty men. They do not break the ranks. "When they fall upon their sword, they shall not be wounded". This can only describe the fact that any weapons used against them are ineffectual. Perhaps they also have mighty armor. They are easily able to climb the walls of Jerusalem and plunder the houses.

Verse 11

This verse is awesome. Try to imagine being in Jerusalem and seeing what the army above is doing. Seeing that nothing you do can stop them and knowing that soon they'll be here and you would most likely just be hoping for it to happen quickly. Imagine if your family was with you and how helpless you would feel in trying to protect them. Now read verse 11. "The Lord shall utter his voice before his army; for his camp is very great". There is great hope in that. For the faithful, it would be more than hope. They would know that the Lord and his great army would deliver them.

Verses 12-18

These verses are interesting because it sort of breaks from the battle description and the Lord is speaking to Israel (and us) again trying to persuade them to repent and turn to him. The custom of the day was to rend your clothes when mourning but he said "rend your hearts, not your garments". This means that true repentance was something that happens inside us, like a broken heart and a contrite spirit. After more verses explaining the mourning and repentance, verse 16 shows us that there will be a certain point where the Lord (as the bridegroom) will reclaim Israel (as the bride) and consider them once again to be his chosen people. After all of this (remember that obedience precedes the blessing) verse 18 says "Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people".

Verses 19-27

These verses describe a complete 180 from what we've seen so far in most of Hosea and Joel. Israel and Judah were both very wicked but at this time they have repented and come to the Lord and look at the blessings. No more famine. They will have satisfactory corn, wine and oil. The threshing floors would be full of wheat. He will take care of the army spoken of above, and any of Israel's enemies for that matter. He gives them comfort. He is sustaining them. After years of famine, hardship and wanting, they finally have more food than they need. They also are looking to him for protection and he is providing it. Verse 27 is great because it says "ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel". Sometimes it's hard for us to tell (our fault, not his) if he is with us. This is a great blessing to know he is there and to know the reason they know is that they are righteous and spiritually in tune.

Verses 28-32

In the JSH 1:41 we read that Moroni quoted this scripture to Joseph Smith during the night in his room. Moroni said that this had not yet come to pass but that it would soon. At this point, this prophesy is well into fulfillment. We have felt and are currently feeling this outpouring of the spirit and we are also seeing many of the signs of the latter days. When you think of this outpouring of the spirit, think of all the wards and stakes in the world and the missionaries, Sacrament meetings, Priesthood quorums, righteous prayers, etc...

The Book of Joel: Chapter 1

This chapter describes the prophets warning voice of imenent judgements but also a sincere desire for Judah to repenet.

Verse 4

Joel used the following imagery of a famine to describe Judah's future. The following terms are used to describe the different stages of development in the life of a locust.

• Palmerworm in Hebrew for gazam, which means "gnawer"
  
• Locust in Hebrew is arbeth, which means "many"
  
• Cankerworm in Hebrew is yeleq, which means "licker"
  
• Caterpillar in Hebrew is chasil, which means "consumer"

The LDS Institute Old Testament Manual says...

"Many scholars believe that the palmerworm was a metaphor for the Assyrian-Babylonian invasions. What these two empires left, the Medes and Persians "ate" during their invasions (Locust)...Then the cankerworm would represent the invasion and suppression by Greece (Macedonia) under Alexander the Great, which leaves the caterpillar to represent the invasion and destruction of Judah by Rome. These references seem also to apply to the coming battle of Armageddon."

Verses 5-6

The Israelites were referred to as "drunkards". In fact, being drunken is the only sin mentioned in the book of Joel. However, in it's use, drunken means sin and drunkard means sinner. Or in other words, they were drunken with their own iniquities, which were many. This includes all forms of self indulgence. Telling them to "weep" and "howl" was Joel's way of telling them to show remorse, repent and cry unto the Lord for forgiveness. Joel also told them that a strong nation, without number (many people), will come upon them. He told them that their "teeth are the teeth of a lion" which means they were vicious and fearsome.

Verses 7-8

Vines and fig trees were considered symbols of goodness and choiceness. This verse says that this great nation will lay his vines waste (or lay his people waste). When the bark is pulled off of a tree, the tree usually dies. Saying the nation had "barked my fig tree" is saying it will kill many in Israel and verse 8 describes the lament because of the death, destruction and desolation.

Verse 10

Saying the "field is wasted" means that Israel is no longer fruitful, or at least fruitful to anything that is satisfactory to God.

Verse 11

The husbandmen and vinedressers are those who care for the fields. He is saying they should be ashamed for not taking care of them properly. This can apply to us when we are stewards over offices or people. How well are we taking care of the things and people the Lord puts in our charge.

Verse 14

Joel tries to convince them to not only repent and pray for forgiveness, but also to fast. Not just prayer and fasting, but a time of national prayer and fasting.

Verse 16

This verse describes the loss of temple worship. This is a loss of "meat", which is spiritual sustenance and a loss of "joy" and "gladness".

Introduction to Joel

Similar to Hosea, a main theme of Joel is that the house of Israel had become full of wickedness and would receive terrible judgements. This message is similar to that of some other prophets like Isaiah, Jonah and Amos. Wickedness brings about destruction and righteous and repentance will bring about joy and happiness. Joel was one of many prophets whose prophecies were dual prophesies. They had immediate relevance and they would have relevance at a later date, in many instances this later date is the latter days, or last days.

If you read Joseph Smith-History 1:41 you'll see that the angel Moroni quoted from Joel the night he visited Joseph in his room. He said that the prophecies would shortly be fulfilled. Many have already begun to be fulfilled.

The Book of Joel also gives some great insights into the Battle of Armageddon. The book is literally packed with all sorts of good stuff. 

It is widely believed that Joel's ministry took place during the reign of King Joash in Judah. Unlike Hosea, Joel was sending a warning voice to the people of Judah in the Southern Kingdom. 

Along with the wickedness condemned and judgements foretold, Joel also preached about repentance and salvation. Like all prophets, Joel called upon everyone to repent and come unto the Lord.

We also see that Joel does not refer to the Northern Kingdom at all. It's possible that at this time it technically does not exist anymore, meaning they've been invaded and taken captive.

At this time it also appears that Jerusalem still had walls and that temple worship was still being carried out, so it seems to have taken place either before the siege or after it has been restored.

A Conclusion to Hosea

The first thing to remember about the book of Hosea is that the name Hosea means "salvation". Sometimes when we here this word we think of the word "save". It should be a good lesson to us about how we can mess up very badly and still turn to the Lord, who has always loved us and always will love us. The wickedness of Israel can be seen in the symbolism used in the marriage of Hosea to Gomer. She was a harlot. This explains through symbolism that Israel had completely betrayed the Lord. This must have been a very difficult calling for Hosea to fulfill, as the prophet of a nation that would not hear his words. Despite the Lord's love and kindness for so long, they willingly chose and sought after consolation with other nations and other gods. It's painful to study this and see so many chapters of wickedness and the consequences for that wickedness. But after reading the last few chapters, we have hope again. God loves us. Even when we sin, he loves us. But he is bound to give us the consequences that our actions incur. This could be blessings for obedience, or lack of blessings and protection for not obeying. Either way we know that he loves us and will never give up on us. He will give us as much mercy as is possible. But we must realize the relationship between our actions and the blessings from those actions (or lack of blessings). Again, we can refer to D&C 130:20-21 for a wonderful description of this.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 14

After 13 chapters of the wickedness and judgements regarding the wicked nation of Israel, the last chapter of Hosea talks about an eventual repentance of Israel and a turning back toward the Lord.

Verse 1

This is a plea for Israel to turn to the Lord.

Verse 2

Saying that Ephraim will say "we render the calves of our lips" means that they will give forth their best efforts and speak righteously. Young, strong calves were considered the best sacrifices of the mosaic law. The better the calf, the bigger the sacrifice on the part of the offerer. By rendering the calves of our lips we pledge that our thoughts and words will be good ones.

Verse 3

This verse indicates that Ephraim will eventually realize their worship is idolatrous and will turn away from their idols.

Verses 4-9

The rest of the verses describe more of the healing that will take place and the course correction that Israel will take. It's important to note that their behavior will change before the Lord's treatment of them changes. Obedience always precedes the blessing.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 13

Israel's sins (and ours) bring upon us the judgements of God. This chapter also talks about the major roles that Jesus has played (and still is playing) in the plan of salvation. He is the redeemer of both spiritual and physical death.

Verse 2

This verse is pretty cut and dry. The people of Israel are very wicked. They are worshipping idols and trusting their own understandings, which are far from the Lord.

Verse 3

This verse compares Israel to four things that do not last very long. All of these things disappear quickly. The Lord was telling them that their spiritual attention span was the same. They started out righteous and quickly forgot the Lord. 

• Morning clouds
  
• Early dew
  
• Chaff that is driven in the whirlwind
  
• Smoke out of the chimney
  

Verses 4-6

The Lord reminded them of their bondage in Egypt and his deliverance. He also said that "according to their pasture, so were they filled". This basically means they only remembered him when they were needy. But as soon as they prospered they forgot him. This can also apply to us. A good question to ask ourselves is how grateful we are. Are our prayers just as fervent when we are prospering as they are when we are struggling?

Verse 9

The Lord points out that Israel brought these judgements upon themselves and that he alone is the only thing that can help them.

Verse 14

This is a great verse that describes that Christ will help us to overcome physical death and spiritual death. Saying that "repentance shall be hid from my eyes" is describing after the judgement, that repentance will no longer be necessary.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 12

This chapter has a few good scriptures about how God uses his prophets and continues to speak to Israel (Ephraim) about their wickedness.

Verse 1

Saying that "Ephraim feedeth on wind" is saying that they are believing things and putting their faith in things that have no substance. Their covenant with Assyria is also mentioned along with the tribute they pay to Assyria. Israel put their faith into a powerful nation and not the Lord.

Verse 10 & 13

Verse 10 is a great verse that describes how God uses prophets. He tells us clearly that "I have spoken by the prophets...". In verse 13, he describes actual events in which he used the prophets, referring to the Exodus and generally speaking, in preserving Israel.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 11

This is more indications of Israel's wickedness, but there are also some excellent examples of the Lord's love and mercy for us.

Verses 1-2

When Israel was righteous, the Lord knew them and blessed them. We see the proof of this in the early Bible stories...specifically the Exodus leading up toKing David. Then in verse 2 it shows that something changed. They were now worshipping false gods and idols.

Verse 3

I love verse. The Lord is saying that it was He who healed them, "but they knew not that I healed them". It's very sad for sure. It's a great lesson to us on gratitude. Do we express thanks to him every time he heals us? Do we recognize all the ways he heals us or helps us? Read also Luke 17:11-19.

Verse 4

This is a great scripture. The Lord was telling Israel what they could have. Amid everything they've done, he gave another plea. This plea is also for us. Compare this to Matthew 11:28-30, which is probably one of the best scriptures we have. The Lord will bear our burdens and nourish us. In return he asks that we bear the burden he gives to us, which is much lighter than the burden we would have if he had not been our advocate with the Father by atoning for our sins. After reading the verses in Mathew, try to use the yoke (pictured above) and liken it to the burdens we carry through this life. The ones we are inherently born with, the ones we bring upon ourselves, and the ones the Lord has born for us and the ones he asks us to bear.

Verse 7

This verse describes again the stubborn nature of the Israelites, definitely not teachable. The verb "backsliding" is used to describe this.

Verse 8

This verse is a pretty tender verse. Obviously the Lord knows what to do, so these questions aren't coming from a parent that doesn't know all the answers. The phrase "my heart is turned within me" indicates a lot of pain. This is a good scripture to show we and our Heavenly parents, and Jesus are alike. His great love for Israel (and for us) makes it so that when they were "backsliding" (or when we are) he feels great pain.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 10

This chapter (and a few other scriptural references included) teaches us the relationship between reaping and sowing...obedience and blessings.

Verse 1

Remember in chapter 9, verse 10 the Lord said that Israel used to be good and choice, "like grapes in the wilderness? Here he is saying that Israel is an empty vine. Hosea also tells them that they bring fruit unto themselves. Israel was not bringing forth any fruit that the Lord approved of. They were worshipping for themselves, how they wanted to worship.

Verse 2

This indicates that the Lord will "break" and "spoil" their false idols and alters mentioned in verse 1.

Verse 12

This is a great verse that describes the relationship between obedience (or lack of) and consequences (good or bad). Basically, we reap what we sow. See also D&C 130:20-21 for an even better description of this. Also read D&C 78:7.

The Book of Hosea: Chapter 9

Hosea is prophesying that Israel will be taken into captivity because of their sins. This is the result of having forsaken the Lord. There are some pretty serious consequences listed.

Verse 1

The phrase "gone a whoring from thy God" is pretty much what it sounds like. It is more symbolism using the bride and bridegroom analogy. Jehovah, the bridegroom, is married to Israel, the bride, but Israel was not faithful to the Lord. In this symbolic sense Israel is committing adultery (idolatry). But the word "whoring" sounds much worse. This may indicate that there were several gods or goddesses Israel was willing to worship. It could also indicate how quickly Israel would jump into a situation with worshipping a new god. 

Regarding the "cornfloor", however, literally speaking, the "whoring" could also represent the following. Threshing would usually be a big event after the harvest. This process was a manual process of separating the seeds from the husk or straw. It was laborious, usually only done by men, and would sometimes take days. Men would often have prostitutes during this time.

Verse 3

The prophesy that "Ephraim shall return to Egypt" means they will return to bondage...specifically Assyria. The word 'bondage' is interchangable with Egypt here.

Verse 4

Again, saying that their offerings and sacrifices are not pleasing just means that they were not doing them the right way. In most cases, they were doing them perfectly by the letter of the law, but their hearts were not in them. It was possible for them to be perfect with the physical ordinances and offerings, but at the same time they were wicked people and their hearts and minds were not centered on Christ.

Verse 7

The prophets spoken of here, that are mad and fools, are the false prophets.

Verse 10

Comparing Israel to "grapes in the wilderness" and their fathers as "the firstripe in the fig tree" meant that at one point the Lord saw Israel as good (since the images used would be described as "good" or "choice"). They used to be righteous but now they are wicked.

Verse 11

This verse describes the lack of (or decrease of) conception, pregnancy and birth that will happen, possibly during the captivity. This is a terrible judgement for a nation that was told by the Lord that their seed shall be as the sands of the sea. Obviously they forgot the part where the blessing was predicated upon their obedience to the laws given to them by God. To us, this is a potential blessing we can also have, or like Israel, if we are not obedient we could receive the same fate.

Verse 12

This verse indicates that even though they've raised some or all of their children, even those raised children will be cut off from the Lord, and feel the consequences.

Verse 15

Here we see the term "revolters" again. A revolter was someone who lured their prey to a camouflaged pit or trap. Saying that Israel's princes (or leaders) are revolters is saying that their leaders are in a sense, spiritually hunting them. Hunting is basically likened unto killing. The leaders are pushing the people further towards wickedness and spiritual death.