Week 2: Joel

Week 2: Joel 1-3

Objective: 

• The Locust Plague
• Mourning for the Land
• The Day of the Lord
• God’s Spirit Poured Out
• God Blesses His People

Resources:

• Fr Tadros Y Malaty Commentary
• Catena Bible Commentary
• Fr Dawoud Lamie Bible study (Arabic)

Activity for every week: Can you recite the 12 minor prophets?

Reading:

• Joel 1:1-20
• Joel 2:1-32
• Joel 3:18-21

Key verse(s):

“And it shall come to pass afterward, That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh" Joel 2:28

NOTE TO SERVANT:

• Please plan to ask and review these questions every week:

  • Who are the minor prophets? Can you recite them?
    
  • The theme for last week's minor prophet
  • Highlight Messianic prophecy

Minor Prophets introduction:

• The Major and Minor Prophet division of the Holy Bible does not denote the importance or rank of the writing prophets, but the length of the Holy Books which bear their prophecies.

  • Ex: Jonah 4 chapters - Isaiah 66 chapters
• There are 12 minor prophets and 4 major prophets (5 books including Lamentations)
• In the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), all these books were listed under "prophets". In the Septuagint and Vulgate translations, this classification of major and minor was mentioned.
• The prophet in the OT was someone who passed God's message to the people. A prophet in the NT is also someone who passes God's message or news (God's love and salvation for all mankind).
• In the OT, there were many prophets (Moses, David, Elijah, Elisha, etc.), but when we refer to the "Prophets", we refer to the ones who recorded their prophecy. 
• All prophecies had one goal: Repentance!
• Recorded prophecies were split into three groups: Before, during, and after the exile.
  • Before: Repent so God doesn't bring the exile
  • During: Repent so God can end the exile and take us back to our land
  • After: Repent because the Messiah is coming
• The books of the prophets are rich with Messianic prophecies. All were fulfilled by Our Lord.
• All books have different themes. All books have the same message (repentance).
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Comments:

Theme of Joel: The dayDay of the Lord
Messianic Prophecy: The Lord'sHoly entrySpirit toon EgyptPentecost (11:1)2:28)

• HoseaJoel is one of the minor prophets.

• The book of HoseaJoel was written for the NorthernSouthern Kingdom of Israel

• Joel

  Outwardly,means the nation was enjoying a time of prosperity and growth; but inwardly, moral corruption and spiritual adultery permeated the lives of the people.

• The prophet Hosea was instructed by God to marry an unfaithful woman, and he found in his own life a vivid illustration of the unfaithfulness of God’s people and the faithfulness of God.
• Hosea repeatedly echoes his threefold message: God abhors the sins of His people; judgment"Jehovah is certain; but God’s love stands firm.
• Hosea, whose name means “Salvation.”God"
• The book of HoseaJoel iscan abe storydivided ofinto one-sidedtwo lovemajor and faithfulness that representssections: the relationship between Israel and God.
• As Gomer is married to Hosea, so Israel is betrothed to God. Both relationships gradually disintegrate—Gomer runs after other men, and Israel runs after other gods.
• Israel’s spiritual idolatry is illustrated by Gomer’s physical adultery. The developmentday of the book can be tracedLord in two parts: the adulterous wife and faithful husbandretrospect (ch. 1–3),1); and the adulterous Israel and faithful Lord (ch. 4–14).
• Hosea’s message reflects the terrible fascination of Israel with Baal worship.
• Baal means “husband” or “lord,” and his worship involved fertility rites that included ritual prostitution. Baal was the other lover to whom the unfaithful Israel often turned.
• Hosea provides oneday of the OldLord Testament’sin mostprospect eloquent(chs. expressions of God’s mercy.2,3).
• Chapter 1:
  • GodThe askedwaves Hoseaof to marry Gomer. She gave birth to three children. Each child's name was a message from God.
  • First Child: Boy: Jezreel - God sows/scatters. What God sows from hardships/punishmentslocusts are thelike seedslevels of oursin: actions.
  • Chewing
  • Secondlocust: Child: Girl: Lo-Ruhamahsmall - No mercy. When man doesn't stop sinning and takes advantage of God's patience, he doesn't receive mercy, but judgment.
  • Third Child: Boy: Lo-Ammi - Not my people. If many can't separatemove frommuch. sin,Small howthoughts into the heart and mind
  • Swarming locust: started to move. 
  • Crawling locust: developed small wings.
  • Consuming locust: Strong wings that can fly. Sins when they belongcompletely grow and take over the human
  • St. Jermone symbolizes these four waves to God?the Therefore,four sinkingdoms leadsthat disciplined Judah (Southern kingdom): Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome.
  •  V.6: Symbolizes the nations that will be very strong and take them to separationcaptivity
  from
  • V.9-10: No worship is taking place due to the lack of everything = no joy or communion with God and not being from his people.
• Chapter 2:
  • V.1-11:
    
    The day of the Lord will be fearful to those who didn’t listen to his voice/warnings (locusts). Those who fear God, wait for this day joyfully.
    • Verse 1 Talks about howV.12-17: God savedis hiscalling peoplefor arepentance.
    long
    • V.13: timeGod agowants withour Moseshearts fromto Egypt.follow The number was small (child)Him and nowoffer theytrue arerepentance. aNot bigjust nationan (adult).outside fake repentant look.
    • Verse 1: Prophecy thatV.15-17: God willis fleecalling everyone to Egypt
      • St. Matthew linked this verse to Christ's entry to Egypt (Matt. 2:15)repent
      • EgyptV.23: wasRain/water is a symbol of idolatrythe Holy Spirit. Former rain comes at the beginning right after sowing to help the seeds grow and sin.bud. ThisLatter israin acomes later to help the small buds become big trees and produce fruits. The Holy Spirit (Former rain) comes on the day of baptism to purify us and keeps coming again (latter rain) during our life to sanctify us until the end of our life.
      • V.28: A prophecy that God will accepton the gentilesday andof EgyptPentecost. willWhen becomeHis sanctifiedSpirit was poured on His disciples. St. Peter quoted Joel in his sermon (IsaiahActs 19.)
      2).
  • Chapter 14:3:
    • FruitsV.18: There will be joy and happiness after we receive the Holy Spirit. The dry mountains are now dripping with wine (wine is a symbol of Joy in the repentanceBible).
    • V.1-3:The Human'sBook roleends with a message of hope and joy in repentance
    • V.4-9:seeing God's rolework in sanctificationHis Church.
    • Egypt and Edom: symbols of sin. Sin and violence will end, and God will reign forever (V.20)

  Review/recap questions:
  **Servant may add more questions

  1. WhatWhom aredo the meaningslocusts of these names: Hosea, Jezreel, Lo-Ruhamah, Lo-Ammi?
  2. Why did God ask Hosea to take for himself a wife of harlotry?
  3. Why did God say to the House of Israel “You are not My people and I will not by your God"?represent?
  4. What didis Godmeant promiseby the day of the Lord?
  5. Who quoted the prophet Joel in the NT?
  6. How can the people ofescape Israel?this invasion?
  7. FindWhat ado prophecyverses is28-29 in thischapter book2 andprophesy when it was fulfilled. Give verses.about?

  Homework:
  **Servant may add more questions

  1. Hosea’sJoel wifeasked wasthe calledpriests _________.to a) Consecrate a fast b) Call a sacred assembly c) cry out to the LORD d) all of those
  2. TheTo numberwhom should the beasts of the childrenfield ofcry Israelout? shall be as:
     a) theeach starsother b) the sand of the seaLord c) the waveshunters ofd) the oceanJoelan