THE SPIRIT FOR PARTICULAR TASKS - God promises to pour out the Spirit, on "all flesh," much like one pours out a liquid, although the context indicates that only those in Judah are meant. The Spirit of God throughout the OT was a gifvt of power, given in order that the recipient might do a particular job for God (Ex. 31:2-5, Judg 6:34, Mic. 3:8, Hag. 1:14). It is this understanding that Acts 2:4 adopts: The disciples are given the Holy Spirit in order that they may be witnesses to Christ "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8, 2:4). [1]

WHOEVER CALLS UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD- This phase which appears elsewhere in the Hebrew Scriptures and is carried over into the Christian Scriptures means in its original context, to tell others what God has done (Ps. 105:1; Isa. 12:4). That is, such are to be witnesses of a worldview that sees everything in the context of God’s deeds and character. We can announce that God reigns and that all is offered salvation on the day of the Lord. [2]

THOSE WHO ARE FAR AWAY-THAT’S US-The message of Joel is no longer limited to Judeans. Acts 2 is the counterpart that requires a reading whenever this passage in Joel is quoted. For Acts 2 breaks through boundaries of limitations that were originally in place at the writing of Joel. The promise is for us and for our children and even for those "who are far away"-that’s the Gentiles-from every place, economic order, and cultural/racial/religious background. [3]

connections

God promises to pour out his Spirit on all people, an event that would signify a new era in the advancement of God’s kingdom. Joel’s prophecy is fulfilled when the Holy Spirit is poured out on the disciples gathered in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit reveals God’s will, renews our energy, redeems us, restores the covenant relationship and removes our fear. Recall a Pentecost experience in your own life. How are you experiencing the gift of the Holy Spirit? [4]

gambits

The book of Joel begins with deep lament at the devastation done to the land-"What the cutting locust, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten." Such lament cannot be brushed aside nor reduced; many of us know what this kind of grief and lament feels like.

Joel next moves toward repentance and prayer - a move not unlike Americans experienced in the aftermath of the bombing of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the deliberate crashing of four hijacked airliners. Across the country Americans held prayer vigils; such response was also shared by many countries in the global community. We gathered to pray and listen deeply to our own lives-discerning where and how we might have compromised our lives.

The third movement in this diminutive book is where our lesson begins. Here, Joel holds a promise before us: a prosperous, glorious season is approaching. God says, "I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten." God acts to restore and renew the earth that lies in devastation. But God isn’t just interested in renewing the earth, but also in renewing the people of the earth. "I will pour out my spirit on all flesh."

The final movement is once again an ominous apocalyptic portent of divine judgment against the nations of the world. [5]

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[1] The New Interpreter’s Bible VII (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996), page 328.
[2] Ibid, page 328.
[3] Ibid, page 327.
[4] From Spiritual Formation Bible (Zondervan, 1999), page 1200.
[5] The NRSV titles the fourth movement as “Judgment in the Valley of Jehoshaphat.”