Readings:
Joel 1-3

Joel 1-3

Today will be another one day for a whole book, like yesterday. The prophet Joel shows up nowhere else in scripture, but his writings are either alluded to or directly quoted by a couple other Old Testament prophets and by Saints Peter and Paul.

The dating of this book is unknown because there’s no mention of an easily dateable event or person. No “in the 5th year of king ____’s reign…” like Isaiah, or mentioning the exile like Daniel. He’s likely a contemporary of Jonah or slightly earlier, some say in the 800s BC, because of the enemies mentioned and the enemies not mentioned.

Joel’s entire book is focused on something called “the day of the Lord” and this is multifaceted like many prophetic phrases. Often it is a coming judgement, and may here mean multiple judgements. If Joel was written before the exile, then it’s surely having the destruction of the northern and southern kingdoms in mind, or it could be the coming destruction of the rebuilt temple by the Romans half a millennium in the future. But the ultimate “day of the Lord” that would be the final fulfillment of these prophecies is the end of the age, when God will raise the dead and recreate the world.

The message is that even in the midst of all this destruction, those who call on the name of the lord, and turn to him will be saved. Even to the last moment, God is constantly reaching out and seeking reconciliation with the lost.

Another theme is the final defeat of the enemies of God‘s people. This can be interpreted as the defeat of Assyria and Babylon by the Persians, who have a much better relationship with the Hebrews and send them home to Jerusalem. Or it could be referring to the ultimate defeat of the enemies of the Church, as we are the new “Israel of God” according to Saint Paul. I’d like to think it’s a reference to both events.

Tomorrow’s Readings:
Amos 1-2
John 11:17-57