The Book of Joel
Joel is the second of the twelve Minor Prophets. The book of Joel is set in the early eighth century BC in a time of great prosperity for Judah.2 Joel uses three easily identifiable formulas to convey his message to the people. What struck me about the book of Joel is his vivid writing style that includes the vivid use of simile and metaphor and the use of repetition and summary to reiterate his message. The main message of Joel is God’s offer of hope despite the present locust situation and if Israel repented there would be a coming day of God’s blessing.3
Joel is the second of the twelve Minor Prophets and was the son of Pethuel. Not much is known about Joel as a person other than what is contained in the three chapters of text, but it is believed he prophesied in Judah and was a contemporary of Amos and Isaiah.4 There is no date in the heading of the book, nor is any date in the body of the book, but the known data suggests the early eighth century B.C.5
The book of Joel is set in a time of great prosperity for Judah during the reign of Uzziah, the tenth king of the southern kingdom. The people were unaware
that Israel was suffering both physically and spiritually. This era seems very similar to our era of today and was one of great expansion militarily, administratively, commercially, and economically. People were enjoying great success and taking it for granted. The book of Joel takes place when a great plague of locusts and a drought, like the drought experienced in Texas but much longer, came upon the people of Judah and affected all aspects of society.
Joel’s writing style is significant and easily followed. It is very smooth, understandable, and identifiable. He ...
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“Blow the trumpet in Zion, sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all who
dwell in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; Yes, it is near, a
day of darkness and of gloom, a day of clouds and somberness! Like dawn
spreading over the mountains, a people numerous and mighty! Their like has
not been from of old, nor will it be after them, even to the years of distant
generations.”
Bibliography:
Bibliography
Patterson, Richard D., Joel, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 7, ed. Frank E.
Gaebelein. Zondervan. Publishing House, 1985.
http://www.mb-soft.com/believe/index.html.
Trimiew, Anna. Bible Almanac. Lincolnwood. IL: Publications International, 1997.
Heyford, Jack W. Twelve Voices For Truth: Minor Prophets. Nashville, TN: Thomas
Nelson, Inc, 1995.
Not only does the book relate to the movement of the Israelites, but also to the legendary man who lead them: Moses. Christians, Jews, and Muslims consider Moses a great prophet. One reference to Moses comes when Uncle John puts Rose of Sharon’s baby in the river. This is much like the life of Moses, when he is sent down the Nile River as a child.
Moses is characterized as a hard-working man who is very kind and intimate with nature. He is the last worker out in the fields on many days and he is extremely comfortable outside in nature. In Edward P. Jones’ excerpt from The Known World, the character of Moses is developed through the imagery that is used, the third person point of view, and the details that Jones chooses to use.
This essay will attempt to exegete, the passage of Jonah chapter one. This is a common passage in the Old Testament known as the call of Jonah to Nineveh. It is widely believed that Jonah was a prophet of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, in about the 8th century BC . The available evidence seems fair to suggest that Jonah is the main character in the book named by his name. First thing to remember is that Johan’ popularity is based on his story for being swallowed by a fish. Hayes holds the view that he was born in 009BC in Gath-Hepher a few miles north of Nazareth. He was the son of the prophet Amittai. It traditionally believed that God revealed to Jonah that he will allow Israel to add a great expanse of territory to its borders.
There are those of the thought that Jonah is postexilic period literature. One reason for this theory is the assumption that Jonah depends on Jeremiah and Joel. Jonah and Jeremiah share similar concepts. Jonah and Joel use similar words. Garland and Longman does not mention this theory. Sasson, Stuart, and Trible reject this theory. Similar concepts do not constitute “dependency of concepts.” There are similar concepts throughout the Old Testament. Likewise, the use of similar words is not an indication of Jonah’s dependency on Joel. There are a few scholars who propose Jonah was a source for
The book of 1 Samuel, a part of the Old Testament, sparks the dawn of the United Kingdom of Israel by telling of its first king, Saul. Samuel is one of the first talked about pre-literary prophets in the bible perhaps because he anointed the first king of the United Kingdom. He is a prophet by definition because he possessed the ability to converse with the almighty Yahweh. Samuel and Saul are key players to the rise of the kingdom but Saul runs into trouble and disobeys God, which leads him to his own inevitable demise.
Chapter 7 is the earliest of the visions as it identifies with the genre of 8-12 while through language and content it reverts to Daniel chapter 2. The linguistic breakdown is not as neat as the literary divide in that, Dan. 2:4b-7:28 was written in Aramaic, while other portions of the book are written in Hebrew. The timeline is altered in the first verse of Dan. 7 serves as the opening to the four visions of the remainder of Daniel.
that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
In the eleventh century BCE Israel is divided into twelve tribes. The prophet Samuel is called upon to bring the people under one ruler or king and lead Israel into a monarchy. However this brings a major split and for the first time we find a military and political leader, the King, along with a spiritual leader, or the prophet. The prophet played the role of moral keeper and would make sure that the King was ruling justly and keeping the Law of God.
Ezekiel lived in a time of international crisis and conflict. Assyria was the world power in the area under the rule of Tiglath-pilesar III. In 724 B.C Israel raged war upon Assyria, and Israel was no match for Assyria. In 627 B.C the last of the able Assyrian ruler, Ashurbanipal died. Right after the death of Ashurbanipal, Babylon under Nabopolassar wanted independence from Assyria. In 612 B.C the Assyrians under Nineveh surrendered to the rising Babylonians. In 605 B.C the Babylonians were at war against the Egyptians. The Babylonians won and they established themselves as the leading power in the area. During all of this Judea allied with the Babylonians and with this Judea kept her independence. During the last century before Judea was destroyed it was ruled by four rulers and of those rulers, all but Josiah were wicked. Josiah was committed to God and led Judea to him. All the others did not heed the warnings of Ezekiel and Jeremiah from God, and the rulers of Judea chose to rebel against God. God punished Judea by sending Nebuchadnezzar’s army to crush the nation of Judea and flatten the city of Jerusalem.
The book of Hebrews is directed at Christians, but it places an emphasis on those that come from Jewish descendants. This part of the Bible was written after the ascension of Christ at about A.D. 30 and before the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70. It is believed Hebrews was written before the destruction of the Jerusalem because it does not include a mention of that event. This estimation in terms of when Hebrews was written based on the content. Hebrews is written in a form similar to a letter. The author of Hebrews has never been established for certain, but it has been referenced as The Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews (McCruden, 2013).
The Book of Exodus begins hundreds of years later once Joseph and his brothers have all died. This leaves a void in leadership over Israel and is eventually subdued to Moses. He is a Hebrew boy who starts off as a slave, and eventually encounters God through the burning bush where he is convinced to assume his role as leader of the Israelites. With the help of his brother Aaron, they face controversy with the Pharaoh of Egypt trying to rid their people and lead them to a land full of prosperity, which God has promised. It is through Moses' leadership that they find freedom and religious conformity as a community.
Samuel, a prophet anointed to speak of God’s word to the nation, represents one way of governing. God works through the prophet’s words to remind the people of Israel to be faithful to the terms of the Covenant. A second ...
...suffering from harsh treatment and facing eradication, they had hope and faith for a better life. A life which Moses helped to bring them following his command from God.
New Testament. Vol. 2. Edited by Gerhard Kittel. Translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1964.
The Book of Jonah is dated between 783 and 745 B.C. and takes place in an ancient Assyrian city, Nineveh. During this particular time, the Assyrians were aggressive and often had internal conflicts which had a bit of a change in its rulers. However time after time, the Assyrians nevertheless “retrenched itself in its old evil ways” (Judisch 154). The Assyrians would intimidate and fear the Israelites, making it easier for Jonah to not care about the city of Nineveh when God instructed him to help preach to the Assyrians. Nineveh was accused of evils and the Ninevites were ...