In the last blog, we stopped our study of Yoel (Joel) in the middle of chapter two. And there we saw that HaShem told the people that even at the last moment, teshuvah could save them from the judgment coming to Judah and Jerusalem.
The famous statement from Yoel, which may be the most important statement we have about teshuvah in the entire Trei Asar (the 12 minor prophets), is found in Joel 2:12–13:
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.
Here’s the bottom line: If you understand this powerful text, you understand Yoel! His big idea is that teshuvah (the Hebrew word for “repent” or “return”) must involve the whole person.
“Return to me with all your heart…rend your hearts and not your garments.”
And according to Yoel and the other Neviim, when the nation of Israel collectively has this same heart, it can do wonders. Literally! Beginning in Joel 2:18, Yoel gives us a prophetic glimpse of what things can look like when the nation, together, returns to HaShem with all of its heart.
Now, as we go through Yoel, I think it’s very significant that there is almost nothing here about the details of Torah observance or the particulars of halacha (the Hebrew word for Jewish law). Of course, we know from other biblical texts that mitzvot and halacha are extremely important. And this is affirmed by Moses, the prophets, Yeshua, and the Apostles. But Yoel makes something very clear: Teshuvah does not begin by giving more careful attention to the details of religious observance.
Returning to God begins with the heart. And it is a heart that is broken and determined to change its ways that leads to blessing for the Jewish people. I believe that path of blessing still holds true for the world today.
So let’s look at what happens when Israel collectively turns its heart toward HaShem.
Joel 2:18–19 says:
“Then the Lord became jealous for his land and had pity on his people. The Lord answered and said to his people, ‘Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.’”
So in this prophetic vision here in chapter 2, the people have done teshuvah, and now HaShem responds. From this point until the end of the book, Yoel gives us a prophetic vision of the Acharit HaYamim, the “End of Days,” or what we might also call the Messianic Age or the fullness of God’s Kingdom.
Of course, the Neviim reveal many different aspects of the Messianic Age. But Yoel gives us two big features as he looks ahead to this time. First, there is the manifestation of the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit, among regular people. Second, Israel’s enemies are judged. Let’s start with the incredible promises Yoel reveals about the Ruach HaKodesh.
Most of us are aware that the Ruach HaKodesh is present in the Tanach (aka “the Old Testament). But how much? Personally, I would not consider the Ruach HaKodesh one of the primary concepts emphasized throughout the Tanach. Certainly, the Holy Spirit is there. And the Ruach is clearly active in the Neviim. But often in the Tanach, the Ruach HaKodesh is associated with a future reality and is more characteristic of the End Times. And that is certainly the way Yoel talks about it.
Joel 2:28–29 says:
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.”
So according to Yoel, one of the characteristics of the future Kingdom is HaShem pouring out His Spirit on all flesh. And, of course, followers of Yeshua know exactly where this text reappears later in the Bible. Famously, this passage from Joel 2 is quoted in Acts 2 at the Shavuot/Pentecost experience of Yeshua’s disciples. According to Acts, the disciples, and Peter in particular, believed that the realities Yoel spoke about were, on some level, manifesting before them on the first Shavuot after Yeshua’s death.
Now, because this text from Joel is quoted at such a memorable moment in Acts 2, it tends to be the primary way followers of Yeshua understand what the prophets anticipated regarding the Holy Spirit. Yoel’s vision emphasizes widespread prophecy, visions, and dreams at all levels of society. But at this point, I think we need to highlight something that is important. Other prophets associated the future manifestation of the Spirit with some other very important things that complement what Yoel says. Ezekiel is a great example.
When Ezekiel spoke about the future outpouring of the Ruach HaKodesh, he said nothing about widespread prophecy, visions, or dreams. Rather, Ezekiel associated the pouring out of the Spirit with widespread adherence to Torah.
Ezekiel 36:26–27 says:
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you…And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
So Ezekiel clearly associates the work of the Ruach with a massive increase in mitzvot! Now, I don’t want to deemphasize Yoel’s beautiful text about the Ruach at all! But I do think we need to make sure Ezekiel gets proper attention as we think about the manifestation of the Holy Spirit according to the prophets. And this is important for followers of Yeshua today. Many followers of Yeshua tend to conceptualize the Spirit and Torah as opposites, or perhaps even think of the Spirit as replacing Torah. But that’s not the picture we get from the prophets.
There is also a way of thinking among some followers of Yeshua that seems to recognize the supernatural work of God’s Spirit mainly when there is prophecy, visions, dreams, speaking in tongues, or some other dramatic spiritual sign. But here is a key point:
Walking in God’s statutes and obeying His ways is just as much a manifestation of God’s Spirit as prophecy is.
I’ll acknowledge that visions from the Spirit sound a lot more interesting than an act of generosity toward your neighbor! But I don’t think the Spirit is working more in one situation than the other. In other words, in the vision of the prophets, and Ezekiel in particular, Torah and Spirit work together. And I think this is what Paul had in mind in Romans 8:3–4 when he says that God acted:
“…in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
For Paul, Torah and Spirit are not opposites. Rather, they work together!
Now, let’s move on and highlight the second major thing Yoel discusses as part of this future blessing when Israel does teshuva: the judgment of the nations.
And this raises an interesting question: According to the prophets, what happens to the nations at the end? In other words, what role, if any, do the Gentiles have in the Kingdom?
Well, there is not such a neat answer to that question. As we continue through the Trei Asar, we’re going to see the prophets say some hopeful things about the Gentiles…and some dreadful things. In antiquity, Judaism tended to answer this question in several different ways depending on which prophetic texts were given priority. Gentiles could be envisioned as being destroyed, converted, or having some share in the Kingdom if they turned away from their idols. When it comes to Yoel, his vision of the nations is mostly on the dreadful side. He says:
“I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land.” (Joel 3:2)
I’ve heard some people use this text to argue that God’s judgment of the Gentile nations is based entirely on how they treat Israel. How should we think about that? Well, I think this passage certainly serves as evidence that God judges nations that become enemies of Israel. But I don’t think it follows that every country in history is judged exclusively according to how it treats Israel. What do we do, for example, with ancient nations that never even heard of Israel? So I think Yoel’s negativity toward the Gentiles here is specifically directed toward Israel’s enemies. And interestingly, Yoel himself gives us a hint that there is a place for Gentiles in the Kingdom. Back in chapter two, he says:
“And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Joel 2:32)
And guess who quotes that verse? Paul does! While writing to a Gentile audience, Paul writes the following in Romans 10:12–13:
“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
How interesting that Paul quotes Yoel to support his point that the riches of God’s Kingdom are available to both Jew and Greek because of and through Yeshua. In other words, Paul understood Yoel’s message to mean that the blessings of teshuvah ultimately extend beyond Israel and to the nations as well.
