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Commentary on Joel 2 verses 18–27
See how ready God is to succour and relieve his people, how he waits to be gracious; as soon as ever they humble themselves under this hand, and pray, and seek his face, he immediately meets them with his favours. They prayed that God would spare them, and see here with what good words and comfortable words he answered them; for God's promises are real answers to the prayers of faith, because with him saying and doing are not two things. Now observe,
I. Whence this mercy promised shall take rise (Joe 2:18): God will be jealous for his land and pity his people. He will have an eye, 1. To his own honour, and the reputation of his covenant with Israel, by which he had conveyed to them that good land and had given in the value of it very high; now he will not suffer it to be despised nor disparaged, but will be jealous for the credit of his land, and the inhabitants of it, who had been praised as a happy people and therefore must not lie open to reproach as a miserable people. 2. To their distress: He will pity his people, and, in pity to them, he will restore them their forfeited comforts. God's compassion is a great encouragement to those that come humbly to him as penitents and as petitioners.
II. What his mercy shall be, in several instances: - 1. The destroying army shall be dispersed and defeated (Joe 2:20): "I will remove far off from you the northern army, that army of locusts and caterpillars that invaded you from the north, brought in upon the wings of a north wind, an army which you could put no stop to the progress of; but, when you have made your peace with God, he will ease you of these soldiers that are quartered upon you and will drive them into a land barren and desolate, into that vast howling wilderness that Israel wandered in, where, after having surfeited upon the plenty of Canaan, they shall perish for want of sustenance. Those that have their face to the east sea (the Dead Sea, which lay east of Judea) shall perish in that, and the rear of the army shall be lost in the Great Sea," called here the utmost sea. They had made the land barren and desolate, and now God will cast them into a land barren and desolate. Thus those whom God employs for the correction of his people come afterwards to be themselves reckoned with; and the rod is thrown into the fire. Nothing shall remain of these swarms of insects but the ill savour of them. When Egypt was eased of the plague of locusts they were carried away to the Red Sea, Exo 10:19. Note, When an affliction has done its work it shall be removed in mercy, as the locusts of Canaan were from a penitent people, not as the locusts of Egypt were removed, in wrath, from an impenitent prince, only to make room for another plague. Many interpreters, by this northern army, understand that of Sennacherib, which was dispersed when God by it had accomplished his whole work upon Mount Zion and upon Jerusalem, Isa 10:12. This enemy shall be driven away, because he has done great things, has done a great deal of mischief, and has magnified to do it, has done it in the pride of his heart; therefore it follows (Joe 2:21), The Lord will do great things for his people, as the enemy has done great things against them, to convince them that wherein they deal proudly he is, and will be, above them, that, what great things soever they did, they did no more than God commissioned them to do; and as, when he said to them, Go, they went, so, when he said to them, Come, they came, to show that they were soldiers under him. 2. The destroyed land shall be watered and made fruitful. When the army is scattered, yet what shall we do if the desolation they have made continue? It is therefore promised (Joe 2:22) that the pastures of the wilderness, the pastures which the locusts had left as bare as the wilderness, shall again spring and the trees shall again bear their fruit, particularly the fig-tree and the vine. But, when we see how the country is wasted, we are tempted to say, Can these dry bones live? If the Lord should make windows in heaven, it cannot be; but it shall be, for (Joe 2:23) the Lord has given and will give you the former rain and the latter rain, and, if he give them in mercy, he will give them moderately, so that the rain shall not turn into a judgment, and he will give them in due season, the latter rain in the first month, when it was wanted and expected. It would make it comfortable to them to see it coming from the hand of God, and ordered by his wisdom, for then we are sure it is well ordered. He has given you a teacher of righteousness, (so the margin reads it, for the same word that signifies the rain signifies a teacher. and that which we translate moderately is according to righteousness), and this teacher of righteousness, says one of the rabbin, is the King Messias, and of him many others understand this; for he is a teacher come from God, and he shows us the way of righteousness. But others understand it of any prophet that instructs unto righteousness, and some of Hezekiah particularly, others of Isaiah. Note, It is a good sign that God has mercy in store for a people when he sends them teachers of righteousness, pastors after his own heart. 3. All their losses shall be repaired (Joe 2:25): "I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten; you shall be comforted according to the time that you have been afflicted, and shall have years of plenty to balance the years of famine." Thus does it repent the Lord concerning his servants, when they repent, and, to show how perfectly he is reconciled to them, he makes good the damage they have sustained by his judgments, and, like the jailer, washes their stripes. Though, in justice, he distrained upon them, and did them no wrong, yet, in compassion, he makes restitution; as the father of the prodigal, upon his return, made up all he had lost by his sin and folly, and took him into his family, as in his former estate. The locusts and caterpillars are here called God's great army which he sent among them, and he will repair what they had devoured because they were his army. 4. They shall have great abundance of all good things. The earth shall yield her increase, and they shall enjoy it. Look into the stores where they lay up, and you shall find the floors full of wheat, and the fats overflowing with wine and oil (Joe 2:24), whereas, in the day of their distress, the wine and oil languished and the barns were broken down, Joe 1:10, Joe 1:17. Look upon their tables, where they lay out what they have laid up, and you shall find that they eat in plenty and are satisfied, Joe 2:26. They do not eat to excess, nor are surfeited; we hope the drunkards are cured by the late affliction of their inordinate love of wine and strong drink, for, though they were brought in howling for their scarcity (Joe 1:5), they are now brought in again here singing for the plenty of it; but now all shall have enough, and shall known when they have enough, for God will make their food nourishing and give them to be content with it.
These are the mercies promised, and in these God does great things (Joe 2:21), He deals wondrously with his people, Joe 2:26. Herein he glorifies his power, and shows that he can relieve his people though their distress be ever so great, and glorifies his goodness, that he will do it upon their repentance though their provocations were ever so great. Note, When God deals graciously with poor sinners that return to him it must be acknowledged that he deals wondrously and does great things. Some expositors understand these promises figuratively, as pointing at gospel-grace, and having their accomplishment in the abundant comforts that are treasured up for believers in the covenant of grace and the satisfaction of soul they have therein. When God sends us his promises to be the matter of our comfort, his graces to be the grounds of it, and his Spirit to be the author of it, we may well own that he has sent us (according to his promise here, Joe 2:19) corn, and wine, and oil, or that which is unspeakably better, and we have reason to be satisfied therewith.
III. What use shall be made of these returns of God's mercy to them and the good account they shall turn to.
1.God shall have the glory thereof, for they shall rejoice in the Lord their God (Joe 2:23), and what is the matter of their rejoicing shall be the matter of their thanksgiving; they shall praise the name of the Lord their God (Joe 2:26) and not praise their idols, nor call their corn and wine the rewards that their lovers had given them. Note, The plenty of our creature-comforts is a mercy indeed to us when by them our hearts are enlarged in love and thankfulness to God, who gives us all things richly to enjoy, though we serve him but poorly. When God restores to us plenty after we have known scarcity, as it is doubly pleasant to us, so it should make us the more thankful to God. When Israel comes out of a wilderness into a Canaan, and there eats and is full, surely he will then bless the Lord, with a very sensible pleasure, for that good land which he has given him, Deu 8:10.
2.They shall have the credit, and comfort, and spiritual benefit, thereof. When God gives them plenty again, and gives them to be satisfied with it, (1.) Their reputation shall be retrieved; they and their God shall be no more reflected upon as unfaithful to one another when they have returned to him in a way of duty and he to them in a way of mercy (Joe 2:19): "I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen, that triumphed in your calamities and insulted over you;" and Joe 2:26, Joe 2:27, "My people shall never be ashamed, as they have been, of their good land which they used to boast of, but shall again and ever have the same occasion to boast of it." Note, It redounds much to the honour of God when he does that which saves the honour of his people; and those that are his people indeed, though they may be for a time, shall not be always, a reproach among the heathens; if we be rightly ashamed of our sins against God, we shall never be ashamed of our glorying in God. (2.) Their joys shall be revived (Joe 2:23): Be glad and rejoice, O land! and all the inhabitants of it. Times of plenty are commonly times of joy; yet the favour of God puts gladness into the heart more than those who have corn, and wine, and oil increase. But especially be glad them, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, Joe 2:23. They mourned in Zion (Joe 2:15), and therefore there in a particular manner they shall rejoice; for those that sow in penitential tears shall certainly reap in thankful joys. The children of Zion, who led the rest in fasting, must lead the rest in rejoicing. But observe, They shall rejoice in the Lord their God, not so much in the good themselves that are given them as in the good hand that gives them and in the return of his favour to them, as theirs in covenant, which these good things are the tokens and pledges of. The joy of harvest and the joy of a feast must both terminate in God, whose love we should taste in all the gifts of his bounty, that we may make him our chief joy, as he is our chief good, and the fountain of all good to us. (3.) Their faith in God shall be confirmed and increased. When temporal mercies are made by the grace of God to be of spiritual advantage to us, and plenty for the body is so far from being an enemy (as with many it proves) that it becomes a friend to the prosperity of the soul, then they are mercies indeed to us. This is promised here (Joe 2:27): You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, the Holy One in the midst of thee (Hos 11:9), and that I am the Lord your God, and none else. As it proves that the Lord is God, and there is none other, because he wounds and he heals, he forms light and darkness, he does good and evil (Isa 45:7; Deu 32:39), so it proves him to be God of Israel, a God in covenant with his people and a father to them, that as a father he both corrects them when they offend and comforts them when they repent. It was the burden of the threatenings in Ezekiel's prophecy, Such and such evils I will bring upon you, and you shall know that I am the Lord; and the same is here made the crown of the promises: You shall eat, and be satisfied, and rejoice, and thus you shall know that I am the Lord. Note, We should labour to grow in our acquaintance with God by all providences, both merciful and afflictive. When God gives to his people plenty, and peace, and joy, upon their return to him, he thereby gives them to understand that he is pleased with their repentance, that he has pardoned their sins, and that he is theirs as much as ever - that they are taken into the same covenant with him, for he is the Lord their God, and into the same communion, for he is in the midst of them, nigh unto them in all that they call upon him for, and, as the sun in the centre of the worlds, so in the midst of them as to diffuse his benign influences to all the parts of his land.
3.Even the inferior creatures shall share therein and be made easy thereby: Fear not, O land! Joe 2:21. Be not afraid, you beasts of the field, Joe 2:22. They had suffered for the sin of man, and for God's quarrel with him; and now they shall fare the better for man's repentance and God's reconciliation to him. Nay, the beasts were said to cry unto God (Joe 1:20); and now that cry is answered, and they are directed not to be afraid, for they shall have plenty of all that which their nature craves. God, in sparing Nineveh, had an eye to the cattle (Jon 4:11), for the cattle had fasted, Joe 3:8. This may lead us to think of the restitution of all things, when the creature, that is now made subject to vanity and groans under it, shall be brought, though not into the glorious joy, yet into the glorious liberty, of the children of God, Rom 8:21.
(Verse 18 and following) The Lord was zealous for His land, and spared His people. And the Lord answered and said to His people: Behold, I will send you grain and wine and oil, and you will be filled with them, and I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations. And I will remove him who is from the north far away from you, and I will drive him into a dry and desolate land: his face will be towards the eastern sea, and his end towards the western sea. And his stench will rise up, and his rottenness, for he has acted arrogantly. LXX: And the Lord was jealous for his land and spared his people and the Lord answered and said to his people: Behold, I will send you grain and wine and oil, and you will be filled with them, and I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations, and I will drive away the one from the north and bring him into a land that is without water, and I will destroy his face in the first sea and his hind parts in the last sea: and his stench will rise, and his decay will rise, because his works are magnified. After the priests prayed for the people and said: Spare, Lord, your people, and do not give your inheritance into reproach, and the people did what was commanded, to sanctify the fast, to preach healing, to gather (or compel) the multitude, to sanctify the Church, to choose the old men, to gather the little ones and those suckling at the breast, and for the bridegroom to go forth from his bed, and the bride from her chamber, and to serve not the flesh and pleasure, but the soul and tears. The Lord was zealous for his land, which he had previously treated as if it were foreign, and he had allowed the locusts to devastate it. He had spared the repentant ones so much that he made them worthy of his response and said, 'Because the locusts, the cankerworm, and the mildew have destroyed all your crops, I will give you grain and everything else that the prophet has described, and I will not deliver you to captivity again. I will also keep the Assyrians and the Chaldeans from the north, especially those from Babylon, far away from you.' As it is written, 'A numerous and mighty people, with fire devouring before them and flames burning behind them, like the appearance of horses.' And I will cast him into a land of solitude, says he, and his former parts shall fall into the Eastern Sea, and his latter parts into the Western Sea, and his stench shall ascend, that is, the one from the North, and his decay, because he has acted arrogantly. Often I have heard it said under the figure of the flight of locusts to describe the assault of the Chaldeans, by which Judaea was laid waste. Therefore, he keeps the metaphor in the remaining parts, and he speaks in this way, according to the location of the province, as if he seems to refer not to enemies, but to locusts. Even in our times, we have seen swarms of locusts cover the land of Judea, which later, with the mercy of the Lord, were driven by the wind into the sea, between the vestibule and the altar, that is, between the place of the cross and the resurrection, while the priests and the people were praying to the Lord and saying: Spare your people. The first and the last were cast into the sea. Understand the first sea that is near the desert and faces the East, which is the place where there were once Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which is now called the Dead Sea because no living creatures exist there." } But the western sea, which leads to Egypt, has on its shore Gaza, Ascalon, Azotus, Joppa, Caesarea, and other coastal cities. And when the shores of both seas were filled with heaps of dead locusts disgorged by the waters, the stench and decay of them was so harmful that it corrupted the air, and a pestilence arose affecting both animals and humans. The learned reader may inquire where this was done literally regarding the Chaldeans. Not long after these prophecies were made, as we read in Isaiah, one hundred eighty-five thousand Chaldeans were struck down by a raging angel in one night under the reign of King Hezekiah (Isa. XXXVII). This we will say according to history. However, according to allegory, every soul is the Lord's earth, in which the father of a family sows his seed, which when it grows among the wheat produces weeds, that is, oats and darnel, and offends its Lord. But afterwards it repents, and with weeping says: Spare, O Lord, your people. The Lord is zealous for his earth, and he will spare it, which he had previously despised, and he addresses it with his own words, saying: I will send you grain, of which it is written: Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces many fruits (John XII): and wine that gladdens the heart of man, and oil that makes the face shine, so that the old sorrow of sins may be tempered by the joy of wheat and wine and oil, that is, the joy of virtues, and they will have such an abundance of all good things that they will be filled and satisfied. And when they have achieved this, they will never be handed over as a reproach to the nations about whom the Apostle speaks: Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers and powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual wickedness in the celestial places (Ephesians 6:12). Also, the one who is from the north (about whom Jeremiah speaks: From the north evil will be kindled on all the inhabitants of the earth (Jeremiah 1:14): about whom Solomon also writes: The north wind is extremely harsh). I will remove him far away from you, and I will expel him into an uninhabited and deserted land, which has no knowledge of God, in which the Holy Spirit does not dwell. And his appearance will be in the first and last sea, among those who have opened the door of sin for him, and with whom he will remain until the end of his life, and its stench and decay even rises against those who promise great things to themselves, and they fall because of their pride: for human frailty is never secure, and the more we grow in virtues, the more we ought to fear falling from the heights. According to the letter, the swarms of locusts are more often brought by the south wind than the north wind, that is, they do not come from cold, but from heat: but since he was speaking about the Assyrians, putting the similitude of locusts, he included the north wind, so that we understand not a true locust, which usually comes from the south, but under the locust we understand the Assyrians and Chaldeans.
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SUMMARY
Joel 2:18 marks a profound turning point in the prophetic book, shifting from a vivid portrayal of divine judgment and an urgent call to national repentance to a powerful declaration of the LORD's compassionate response. Following Judah's genuine contrition and humble return to Him, this verse promises God's zealous intervention on behalf of His land and His people, signaling the cessation of the devastating plague and the commencement of a glorious era of restoration and blessing.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Joel 2:18 stands as a pivotal hinge between the severe pronouncements of judgment and the subsequent promises of restoration. The preceding verses (Joel 1:1-2:11) graphically describe a catastrophic locust plague and accompanying drought, interpreted by Joel as a direct manifestation of divine judgment, a "day of the LORD" (e.g., Joel 1:15). This dire situation culminates in Joel's impassioned plea for the people of Judah to return to the LORD with sincere repentance, not merely outward show, but with "rending your hearts and not your garments" (Joel 2:12-17). The call includes fasting, weeping, mourning, and a solemn assembly, even involving infants, to implore God's mercy. Joel 2:18 then introduces God's immediate and gracious response to this heartfelt turning, signifying that the divine anger has subsided and His covenant faithfulness is reasserted.
Historical & Cultural Context: The book of Joel addresses the kingdom of Judah, likely during a period of agricultural devastation caused by a severe locust infestation and drought. While some scholars debate whether the locust plague was literal or an allegorical representation of an invading army, the text strongly emphasizes a literal, devastating natural disaster that served as a divine warning. In ancient Israelite culture, such calamities were often interpreted as divine judgment for covenant unfaithfulness. The concept of God's "jealousy" (qanna) was deeply embedded in their understanding of the covenant, signifying His exclusive claim over His people and land, and His righteous indignation against anything that defiled or threatened this relationship. His "pity" (chamal) reflects His covenantal love and compassion, a characteristic frequently celebrated in Israel's history, demonstrating His willingness to relent from judgment when His people repented (Exodus 34:6-7).
Key Themes: Joel 2:18 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within the book of Joel and the broader prophetic tradition. Firstly, it highlights Divine Sovereignty and Responsiveness, demonstrating that God is not a distant deity but one who actively intervenes in the affairs of His creation and responds directly to the spiritual condition of His people. Secondly, it underscores the Efficacy of Repentance, showing that genuine contrition, humility, and turning back to God can indeed avert divine wrath and trigger a reversal of fortune, moving from judgment to blessing. This is a foundational principle of the covenant relationship. Thirdly, the verse emphasizes God's Covenantal Faithfulness and Protective Zeal. His "jealousy for his land" and "pity his people" are expressions of His unwavering commitment to His chosen people and the territory He promised them, reflecting His holy determination to defend His honor and His inheritance against all threats, whether natural disaster or foreign invasion (Deuteronomy 4:24).
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several powerful literary devices. Anthropomorphism is evident in the attribution of human emotions—"jealousy" and "pity"—to God. While these terms are used to help humans understand divine attributes, they are purified of any negative human connotations, conveying God's holy zeal and profound compassion. The phrase "jealous for his land" and "pity his people" also demonstrates a form of Parallelism, specifically Synthetic Parallelism, where the second line expands upon or completes the thought of the first, emphasizing God's dual concern for both His physical inheritance and His chosen people. There is also a strong sense of Contrast in the verse, marking a sharp turning point from the preceding descriptions of judgment and devastation to the promise of divine favor and restoration. This dramatic shift highlights the transformative power of repentance.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Joel 2:18 is a profound theological statement on the character of God and the nature of His relationship with humanity. It reveals a God who is both just in His judgments and infinitely merciful in His responses to repentance. His "jealousy" is not a flaw but a holy attribute, signifying His unwavering commitment to His covenant and His righteous indignation against anything that would usurp His rightful place or harm His people. His "pity" underscores His deep compassion, demonstrating that His ultimate desire is not to destroy but to redeem and restore. This verse assures us that even in the direst circumstances, God remains faithful to His promises, and genuine turning to Him will always evoke His merciful intervention, leading to restoration and blessing.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Joel 2:18 offers timeless hope and a powerful reminder of God's character for believers today. It teaches us that no matter how severe the consequences of our actions, or how dire our personal or communal circumstances, God's heart is always open to genuine repentance. His "jealousy" for His people means He passionately cares for our well-being and honor, and His "pity" assures us of His boundless compassion when we humble ourselves before Him. This verse encourages us to never despair, but to always turn to God with contrite hearts, trusting that He is a God of restoration who can reverse the trajectory of judgment and bring healing, renewal, and blessing even out of brokenness. It calls us to cultivate a deep and sincere relationship with Him, knowing that He is ever ready to respond with mercy to those who seek Him wholeheartedly.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does God's "jealousy" in Joel 2:18 mean He has human-like flaws or negative emotions?
Answer: No, God's "jealousy" (Hebrew: qânâʼ) in this context does not imply a negative human emotion like envy or insecurity. Instead, when applied to God, it signifies His holy zeal, His exclusive claim over His people and His land, and His righteous indignation against anything that threatens His honor, His covenant, or His beloved creation. It is a protective, passionate love that moves Him to act on behalf of His own, ensuring their well-being and His glory. This divine jealousy is a positive attribute, demonstrating His unwavering faithfulness and commitment, as seen in passages like Exodus 34:14.
How does Joel 2:18 relate to the concept of God's justice and mercy?
Answer: Joel 2:18 beautifully illustrates the interplay between God's justice and mercy. The preceding chapters detail a severe judgment (the locust plague) as a consequence of the people's sin, demonstrating God's justice. However, upon their sincere repentance (Joel 2:12-17), God's mercy is immediately activated. His "jealousy for his land" and "pity his people" show that while He is just in punishing sin, He is also abundantly merciful and quick to restore those who turn to Him. This verse highlights that God's ultimate desire is not condemnation but reconciliation and restoration, perfectly balancing His righteous demands with His compassionate nature.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Joel 2:18 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The LORD's "jealousy for his land" and "pity his people" are perfectly embodied in Christ, who is the full revelation of God's character. Jesus demonstrated divine zeal when He cleansed the temple, declaring His Father's house should not be a den of thieves (John 2:17, referencing Psalm 69:9), showing His holy passion for God's honor and the purity of His dwelling among His people. Even more profoundly, Jesus perfectly manifested God's "pity" through His ministry of healing, teaching, and ultimately, His atoning sacrifice. He was "moved with compassion" for the crowds who were like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36), for the sick, and for sinners. His death on the cross is the ultimate act of divine pity, where God spared us by not sparing His own Son (Romans 8:32). Through Christ's sacrifice and resurrection, the promised restoration after repentance is fully realized, not merely for a physical land or a single nation, but for all who believe, ushering in a new covenant where God's Spirit is poured out (Acts 2:17-21), and eternal life and reconciliation are offered to a people gathered from every tribe and tongue (Revelation 7:9-10).