Minor Prophets II E-Book

Dr. Brian J. Bailey

• Herausgeber: Zion Christian Publishers
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

In this second volume on the Minor Prophets, Dr. Bailey discusses the books of Joel to Zephaniah. Through studying this beautiful exposition on each of these eight books, you will gain understanding of the historical events and the countless precious spiritual applications and prophetic utterances that apply to the church today. You will be challenged and encouraged to be one who is firmly established in His Word, with your feet set firmly upon His path so that you will be ready to meet the Lord at His glorious coming.

Leseprobe

MINOR PROPHETS

II

Joel – Zephaniah

“Minor Prophets II: Joel - Zephaniah”

© 1999 by Brian J. Bailey

Design of Front Cover:

 © 2005 Zion Fellowship, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

Version 1.1

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles or reviews.

All Scripture quotations in this book are taken from the

King James Version Bible unless otherwise stated.

Revised May 2017 and Published as an e-book on July 2017

in the United States of America

E-book ISBN 1-59665-678-6

For more information, please contact:

Zion Christian Publishers

A Zion Fellowship ® Ministry

P.O. Box 70

Waverly, New York 14892

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Editorial team: Carla Borges, Mary Humphreys, David Kropf, Justin Kropf, Lois Kropf, and Caroline Tham.

We wish to extend our thanks to these dear ones for without their many hours of invaluable assistance, this book would not have been possible. We are truly grateful for their diligence, creativity, and excellence in the compilation of this book for the glory of God.

INTRODUCTION TO THE MINOR PROPHETS

The Minor Prophets are composed of 12 books from Hosea to Malachi. This portion of the Word of God was named “The Minor Prophets” by Saint Augustine to differentiate it from another group of prophets called “The Major Prophets.” The Major Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. The difference between the Major and Minor Prophets is not the quality or importance, but rather the content. The Major Prophets are simply larger than the Minor Prophets.

These 12 books have been grouped in the following order by the Jews:

1. Pre-Exilic - Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, and Nahum

2. Just Prior to the Exile - Habakkuk and Zephaniah

3. Post-Exilic - Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi

Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, and Nahum dealt with the threat from Assyria. Habakkuk and Zephaniah dealt with the threat from Babylon.

Those who compiled the Holy Scriptures have arranged these 12 books so that those of the pre-exilic times come first—Hosea to Nahum. Then follow those of the Babylonian period—Habakkuk and Zephaniah. Lastly are the three prophets of the post-exilic period—Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. However, the chronological order is not strictly preserved within the groups. So here is an accepted list of the Minor Prophets and their approximate times of prophesying.

1. Obadiah prophesied during the reign of Jehoram, king of Judah, in the early 9th century B.C. – 848-841 B.C.

2. Joel prophesied possibly during the reign of Joash of Judah – 810-750 B.C.

3. Jonah prophesied during the early reign of Jeroboam II of Israel – 785-782 B.C.

4. Amos prophesied during the reigns of Jeroboam II, king of Israel, and Uzziah, king of Judah – 765-760 B.C.

5. Hosea prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah–kings of Judah; and also during the reign of Jeroboam II, king of Israel – 790-725 B.C.

6. Micah prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah – 750-710 B.C.

7. Nahum prophesied during the second half of the reign of Hezekiah – 663-612 BC.

8. Habakkuk prophesied possibly during the last part of the reign of Manasseh and the first part of the reign of Josiah – 650-628 B.C.

9. Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah – 628-623 B.C.

10. Haggai prophesied during the second year of Darius Hystaspes – 520 B.C.

11. Zechariah prophesied during the second year of Darius Hystaspes – 520 B.C.

12. Malachi prophesied during the reign of the Persian king Artaxerxes I – 433-424 B.C.

* All dates are approximate

THE MAP OF ISRAEL

THE BOOK OF JOEL

Introduction

Joel is generally believed to be the oldest of the Minor Prophets after Obadiah. It is thought that Joel prophesied during the early years of the reign of King Joash, between 835-796 B.C. or 810-750 B.C. This is something that we are not absolutely positive about because the book itself does not tell us when he prophesied, but 810-750 B.C. seems like the more probable date.

The book of Joel is a prophetic book. Therefore, we must not be close-minded when we consider this book, as certain verses are very clear-cut and have definite interpretations, while others are open to various applications.

The judgments in the book of Joel can have several interpretations. Some theologians believe that the plague of locusts was strictly literal. Others believe that the plague applies to the Babylonians, and others to the Assyrians. In addition, there are some who believe that the locusts can also be likened to the Church of the Last Days, which will be a great and mighty army.

We have to realise that the Holy Spirit can quicken any given verse in a number of different ways to various people. All Scripture is profitable for doctrine and instruction in righteousness. Although a verse may have been fulfilled thousands of years ago, it can have a present-day application for our lives and in specific circumstances, agreeing, of course, with the whole tenor of Scripture and godliness.

Outline

Part 1 The Destruction of Successive Plagues and Locusts (1:1 12)

Part 2 A Call to Repentance and Its Consequences (1:13 2:27)

Part 3 The Outpouring of the Spirit upon the Church (2:28 32)

Part 4 Final Judgments upon the Nations that Come Against Israel in the End Times (3:1-21)

Part One

The Destruction of Successive Plagues and Locusts

1:1-12

1:1 -“The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.” Very little is known about the prophet Joel, whose name means “Jehovah is God,” except that he was the son of Pethuel, which means “enlarged of God.” The important thing to know is that the Lord anointed him to declare prophetic messages.

1:2-4 -“Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.”

This is speaking of a tremendous plague, which was very clearly natural and literal. Although this plague can have other interpretations, its first interpretation is literal. It was God’s judgment upon the people. There are four plagues mentioned here:

1. A plague of palmerworms

2. A plague of locusts

3. A plague of cankerworms

4. A plague of caterpillars

There have been many different interpretations for the plague of locusts. One interpretation is that there are four distinct kinds of locusts. Another is that there are four generations of locusts. We have a problem with these interpretations because in natural history those terms (four different kinds and four different generations) are not used.

In addition to being literal plagues, I believe that they represent four successive judgments, as in Jeremiah 15:3, which says, “And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.” Ezekiel 14:21 also speaks of four successive destructive judgments. However, I am very open to other interpretations that the Holy Spirit might quicken.

The nation of Israel was terribly backslidden at this time. As a result, many judgments came upon them. Part of their judgment was that other nations rose against them. Under Rehoboam’s rule, Judah was invaded by Shishak, the king of Egypt (1 Ki. 14:25-26). Edom invaded Jerusalem during Jehoram’s reign from 848-841 B.C. (2 Ki. 8:20-22; 2 Chr. 21:8-20). The point that I am trying to bring out is that when Joel was prophesying, the situation in the land was desperate. God had sent plagues of locusts to devour all their agricultural products and had also sent many nations to punish them.

1:5 -“Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.” The sin of drunkenness was prevalent in Israel at this time. The prophet was saying that the drunkards were going to weep because the locusts would destroy the vines, and there would be no more wine for them to drink.

1:6-7 -“For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.”

These two verses have dual interpretations. Naturally and literally, they referred to the plagues of locusts that devastated the land, including the fig trees and vines. However, these verses are also figurative. In Scripture, Israel is often portrayed as a vine (cf. Isa. 5, Ps. 80:8-19, Jer. 2:21, Hos. 10:1). The prophet Joel was also prophesying concerning future judgments upon Israel, when Assyria and Babylon would devour the Israelites.

1:8 -“Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.” The sorrows in Israel would be like the terrible lamentation of a virgin who has lost the husband of her youth. To understand this verse, we must understand the marriage customs of Israel. When a girl was given to a man, there was an engagement period that lasted usually about a year. This engagement period was legally binding and they were considered married, even though they were not living together yet.

During this year of engagement, the virgin bride was betrothed to her husband. He was called her husband and she was called his wife. If her husband died during that year before they got married, one can only imagine the sorrow and anguish of the betrothed girl. She would put on sackcloth and weep bitterly for her deceased husband. This is how the prophet described the lamentation that was going to come upon Israel when they were judged.

1:9 -“The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, the Lord’s ministers, mourn.” The meat and drink offerings would cease because the land would be destroyed. There was no meat or drink offering to offer unto the Lord, and the priests mourned because they could not fulfil their priestly duties.

1:10-11 -“The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.” Israel had been a prosperous agricultural nation. They had been blessed with corn, wine, wheat, and barley. Nonetheless, the prophet is saying that there would come a time when their harvest would perish.

1:12 -“The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.” This verse has a spiritual application along with its natural interpretation. All of these trees and fruits have a spiritual significance. Wine (the vine) speaks of joy. The fig tree speaks of kindness and sweetness. The pomegranate speaks of love (cf. Song 4:12-14, Gal. 5:22-23). The palm tree speaks of righteousness (Jer. 10:5). The apple tree speaks of communion with Christ (Song 2:3; 8:5). All the trees and fruits had dried up, as had all these spiritual virtues from the lives of the people.

How can we prevent these fruits from drying up in our lives as they did in the lives of the Israelites? Verse 12 gives us the answer: “All the trees of the field are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.” When the joy of the Lord is missing from a person’s life, everything else dries up, resulting in natural disasters. A person without the joy of the Lord will literally dry up. Many illnesses can be induced by sadness and depression.

Part Two

A Call to Repentance and Its Consequences

1:13 – 2:27

1:13 -“Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.” The Lord said that the economic dearth in the country could be changed if they would mourn and repent of their wicked ways.

1:14 -“Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord.” The Lord instructed His priests and ministers to call a national assembly and fast in the house of God, for a time of national repentance and prayer.

When a church is facing major obstacles, it is very fruitful to have corporate prayer meetings at the church. If possible, it is good to set up a 24-hour prayer chain. It is important for the whole congregation to be involved, because there is strength in numbers. Jesus emphasised this when He said, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt. 18:20).

1:15 -“Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.” Throughout Scripture, “the Day of the Lord” is the day of judgment and reckoning. This is seen in Amos 5:18, “Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.”

Zephaniah 1:14-15 says, “The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness.”

In the ultimate sense, the Day of the Lord refers to the judgments around the time of the Lord’s Second Coming, but historically, it also refers to many severe judgments upon Israel. “The day of the Lord” could describe the destruction of Samaria in 722 B.C., the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., and also the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 by the Roman army.

1:16 -“Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?” Joy and gladness were cut off from the house of God. The presence of the Lord is basically three things: love, joy, and peace. As pastors, you must make sure that the presence of the Lord, accompanied by these three fruits of the Spirit, is in your churches. They create a very healthy atmosphere in a church. When that atmosphere is missing from a church, everything else will go wrong.

1:17-20 -“The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered. How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. O Lord, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.”

This is a graphic picture of the complete devastation that came upon Israel. There were tremendous economic difficulties in Israel. They were devastated not only by natural disasters, but also by nations that overran them. Edom and Egypt had afflicted Israel in the past, and Assyria and Babylon rose up against Israel after this prophecy.

CHAPTER 2

2:1 -“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.” Joel is speaking specifically of Jerusalem and Zion. When the Lord says, “It is nigh at hand,” we must understand that for Him it might be coming soon, but usually it is a long period of time by our standards. The Lord says this judgment is nigh at hand, but it actually took place several decades later.

2:2 -“A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.” This can only apply to two nations, Assyria and Babylon, which are essentially one people. These nations were very cruel and completely overran Israel and Judah. Assyria and Babylon are basically modern-day Iraq. The cruelty of the Saddam Hussein regime epitomises them.

2:3 -“A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.” The Assyrians and Babylonians were very cruel and violent, without mercy. They destroyed the land of Israel, which before was like the Garden of Eden. This is similar to Iraq’s attack on Kuwait. They burned the oil wells and devastated the country.

2:4-6 -“The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.” The phrase in verse 5, “like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains,” is taken by many people to refer to the locusts, but I believe it is speaking of Babylon.

2:7-9 -“They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.” The literal interpretation of these verses, as seen from the context, refers to the Babylonian army that God would raise up to punish Israel. However, it can also be applied spiritually to the Church of the Last days, which will be a mighty army.

2:10-11 -“The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide in it?” Verse 11 says, “the Lord shall utter his voice before his army.” Some people believe that this can only refer to the Church, the Lord’s Army, and not to a heathen nation, but that is not necessarily true.

We see that the Lord called Nebuchadnezzar “His servant” in Jeremiah 43:10, “... Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them” (cf. Jer. 25:9, 27:6). Therefore, Joel chapter 2 is clearly speaking prophetically of the Babylonians.

Years ago when my wife and I were preaching at a pastors’ seminar in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, all the ministers at the seminar were very afraid that Thailand was going to fall to Communism. Vietnam and Cambodia were being overrun at that time by the Communists. Every morning before the seminar started the pastors would read the newspaper to find out where the Communists were.

Then God spoke to me and said, “I am controlling the Communists, and I am not going to bring them against Thailand at this time.” When I announced that, all the ministers stopped reading the newspapers, and we continued with the seminar. God has proven that word to be true. He did not bring the Communists into Thailand at that time.

My point is that it is God who controls the nations, and He was with the Babylonians. He gave them the directive to come against Jerusalem. God used the Babylonians to punish the Israelites for their sins. Therefore, it is very clear that the great army of Joel 2 was prophetic of the Babylonian army.

However, I also believe that these verses can be applied to the Church of the Last days; but we must not spiritualise away the literal interpretation. Also, we must be very careful when we apply these verses to the Church. Many people have erred because of this. They give people a false sense of security, teaching that the Church is going to be totally triumphant in the last days and usher in the Millennium.

The Word of God makes it very clear that although the Church will be triumphant in the end, it will be greatly persecuted and overcome by the Antichrist for a time. Revelation 13:7 says of the Antichrist, “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” Daniel 7:21 confirms this, “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them.” The Church will experience revival and persecution at the same time.

Likewise, Israel will be totally overrun by the enemy in the last days. I have seen the destruction of Israel in a vision. I saw the land of Israel divided, as prophesied in Joel chapter 3. Christ will return again at the very moment when Israel is about to be totally wiped out.

2:12 -“Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.” God keeps emphasising that the key to being spared from judgment is prayer, fasting, and repentance. That is what Hezekiah did when the Assyrians came against Jerusalem (2 Ki. 19:1,14-19).

 2:13 -And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”

The prophet says that if they will rend their hearts, not their garments—an internal repentance rather than an external one—God would not bring evil upon them. The Israelites were accustomed to rending their garments and going through the outward motions of “repentance,” putting on sackcloth and so forth. However, God wanted them to repent from their hearts. Only a real change from their hearts could save them.

2:14 -“Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord our God?” This is an amazing verse. Joel says that even if the Israelites repented, they could not assume that God would forgive and bless them. This is a grave mistake that too many people make. They think that they can repent any time they want and that God will automatically accept them back and restore them. Repentance is a gift from God, and He shows mercy on those to whom He decides to show mercy.

2:15-16 -“Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly.Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.” The Lord tells the leaders to call a national assembly of prayer and gather everyone (men, women, and children) to seek the Lord. Even newborn babies and newlyweds are included in this call to repentance.

2:17 -“Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?” This can only be speaking of another nation as a threat to Israel. The Israelites are instructed to cry out to God that He will not permit a heathen nation to rule over them.

2:18-20 -“Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people. Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen: But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.”

Often, in the Word of God, things can have many fulfilments. This is seen in Ezekiel 38, where the judgments against Gog and Magog have more than one fulfilment. Joel’s prophecies likewise have many fulfilments.

These verses are referring historically to the Assyrians in the time of Hezekiah, when they encamped around Jerusalem and God slew 185,000 of them through the angel of the Lord, as recorded in Isaiah 37:36. However, the futuristic and final fulfilment will be when God defeats Israel’s enemies in Armageddon.

2:21-22 -“Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.” This is the same message of all the prophets—“There is nothing too difficult for God; so be glad and rejoice, and fear not.”

2:23 -“Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.” Joel is speaking of the outpouring of rain upon Israel, but he also is speaking prophetically of the outpouring of the Spirit of God in the Church Age. Israel had two rainy seasons: the former rain to soften the ground, and the latter rains, which were much greater, to bring the crop to maturity.

Spiritually, the former rain represents the outpouring of the Spirit of God on the day of Pentecost. The “former rain moderately” typifies the Charismatic movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s. The Charismatic movement had everything they had in the Early Church revival, but in moderation. The promise for the last days is that the Church will experience the former rain and the latter rain at the same time.

What was the Early Church revival like? The Word of God says that the followers of Jesus turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). Three thousand people were saved in one day. They converted whole cities to the Lord. Just the shadow of Peter passing by caused people to be healed (Acts 5:15). The cloths that were placed upon the body of Paul were taken to other cities and people were healed by them.

Well then, what can we expect to see in this last day revival, which will be much greater? I have seen glimpses of it in visions, and I can tell you that it will be glorious—far more glorious than the Early Church revival!

2:24 -“And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.” Naturally, after God turned the captivity of Israel, they experienced great economic prosperity. However, this verse also has a spiritual significance. Wheat speaks of the Word of God. Wine speaks of joy. Oil represents the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, in the last days there is going to be a feasting upon the Word of God. God’s Word is going to be opened in a new way. There will be great joy and a mighty anointing of the Holy Spirit.

2:25 -“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.” This is speaking of the time when the Lord completely devastated the land through the plagues that He sent, as well as His judgments through the Assyrians and Babylonians. God promised to restore all the years that were “eaten” away or wasted.

Therefore, it appears that the Church will go through a very rough time in the last days, and then will come into revival. Ministers from all over the world have told me that these last few years have been the hardest times they have ever experienced. The Lord is going to make up for all the years we have suffered. God is a faithful rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6). If He brings judgment, leanness, and barrenness, then after a time He will bring tremendous blessing. We are going to experience the greatest revival ever.