Week 1 - The LORD is God!

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Memory Verse:
“Worthy are You, our LORD and our God, to receive glory and
honor and power; for You created all things, and because of
Your will they existed, and were created.” Revelation 4:11
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Welcome to our brief study on the book of Joel. This first week we will lay
the foundation for the Bible study by examining the big picture (who, what, when,
where, why) of Joel. We will be introducing some Old Testament concepts to help
lay the groundwork. We are thankful for you and pray that as you study God’s
Word your spiritual eyes will SEE something new and glorious. We pray that
through the knowledge of the Good News spoken in the Bible and by the power of
the Holy Spirit we will each be changed even more into the image of Christ. We
hope your world will be shook up, turned upside down, and around for the glory of
God!

Day 1: The LORD is GOD!

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The name Joel means “Jehovah is GOD”. The LORD IS GOD! Names were very
important in Old Testament time and Joel’s parents very likely were God-fearing worshipers.
Joel’s father’s name was Pethuel which means “vision of God.” Throughout this prophetic,
poetic, and historical writing Joel’s vision of God proclaimed and reminded the people that
“The LORD is GOD”! The LORD is God and He alone is worthy of all of our praise. We see
the ALMIGHTY God reigning over nature and the nations. He is the all- powerful, all-knowing,
and ever-present One who is in total control of all things. The LORD is GOD! There is none
like Him. He holds all things together and He will bring to completion in Revelation what He
began in Genesis.
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 As we begin today, take a moment right now to pray. Ask God to quiet your soul so you
can hear Him speak...
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“Cease striving and know that I AM God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be
exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

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“Know that the LORD, He is God. It is He who made us and we are His.” Psalm 100:3

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Before we read Joel, let’s take a big picture view of the major events in the Old
Testament that lead us to this three-chapter book in the Bible.
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In the beginning...
Creation - God created all things and created man in His image so that we could have
relationship and life in HIM. The first man and woman, Adam and Eve, lived together in
perfect relationship with God. They were cared for by God and given dominion over the land
and animals. All was good and there was perfect peace. (Genesis 1-2)
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The Fall - Sin entered the world through Adam and Eve by their disobedience as they
doubted God’s goodness and were deceived by Satan. From that point forward all of creation
and mankind has been cursed and each human is born with a sin nature. (Genesis 3;
Romans 3) It doesn’t take long before we see a pattern develop in which man sins, man has
consequences, and then God redeems. Man was so evil and wicked in the days of Noah,
a righteous man who walked with God, that God sent a flood as judgment to wipe out all of
mankind. Noah’s family alone was rescued along with a male and female of each of the
animal species. (Genesis 6-10) Remember the pattern - man disobeys, man faces
consequences, God rescues. In Genesis 11 we see the human race gathered in Babel trying
to make a name for themselves. People sinned in their hearts and as a consequence God
confused their languages. They were therefore scattered across the known region, separated
by language barriers. We see God’s plan of redemption brewing as He calls a man named
Abram (changed to Abraham).
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God’s Covenant with Abraham- God’s plan to rescue and redeem the world from sin
continues as He calls Abraham. Abraham goes forth in obedience and leaves his homeland to
go to an unknown land. (Genesis 12) God makes a covenant with Abraham (a sign of this
 covenant was male circumcision) and promises to bless him and all nations through him (the
promise of the Messiah). God promised to Abraham his descendants would be more
numerous than all the stars in the sky. By faith Abraham obeyed and by faith Abraham
trusted God for a child to fulfill this promise even though they were old. Abraham was the
father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, is the
father of the 12 tribes of Israel. Jacob has a son named Joseph and through a long series of
tragic events Joseph is rescued and put second in command next to the Pharaoh in Egypt. A
drought comes and Jacob (Israel) and his whole family comes to reside in Egypt under
Joseph’s care. (Genesis 12-50)
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The Exodus and Redemption - Through time Joseph is forgotten and the Hebrew people,
Israel, are enslaved and treated harshly for 400 years. God hears the cries of the people and
remembers His covenant with Abraham. God continues His rescue plan and calls a man
named Moses to lead His people out of slavery and into the “promise land”. Through a series
of courageous acts of obedience and scary plagues God sends the final blow to Pharaoh so he
will release the captives. The angel of death is sent and every first born is killed unless their
door post is covered with the blood of a perfect lamb. All of those who obeyed God were
saved. We see the first Passover which foreshadows the greatest Passover - Christ’s blood
sprinkled on our hearts covers and redeems us from the wrath of God! God rescues the
people from slavery and makes them His very own nation named Israel. They are to be set
apart from the world, a city on a hill that shines forth the light and truth of God.
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Moses/ Ten Commandments - In the wilderness, God makes a covenant with Moses and
this Nation giving them the 10 Commandments. In Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy we can see in detail God’s law, order, and guidelines for His holy nation. The
law reveals our sinfulness and points to our need for a Savior. Blood sacrifices were made to
atone for sin.It is repentance and a contrite heart that open the way to a restored relationship
with the Holy God.
We see the pattern continue in which man sins, man has consequences, and God
redeems. The rescued people of God continue to complain and grumble and ultimately
they refuse to trust and obey God. As a consequence they are left in the desert for 40 years!
After Moses dies, a courageous warrior and faithful worshiper of God named Joshua is called
up and arises to lead the Nation into the promised land. God’s favor and sovereign plans
grant them victory after victory.
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The Judges, The Kings, The Prophets - Over time the people forgot God and did what
was right in their own eyes. God sent Judges, Prophets, and even the godly Kings to proclaim
 His truth, law, and to keep His order. There is a long line of Judges that ends with Samuel
who is also a Prophet. God calls Samuel to appoint a King for Israel. God was their KING,
but the people were not satisfied and were crying out for a King to reign over them. They
rejected God in their hearts as King. They grumbled as they looked around at the other
nations who had Kings. They did not see their blessings and how they were set apart, holy,
and beautifully different than the other Nations. The people of God desired what they didn’t
have instead of being thankful for what they did have and for who they were. Sound
familiar? Remember Adam and Eve? Does this sound like us sometimes too?
The first King appointed was King Saul. He did not honor God and was disobedient and was
soon replaced by King David, from the tribe of Judah. He is said to be a man after God’s
own heart. King David is the line which the Messiah would come through as prophesied
throughout the Bible. Throughout the Old Testament we see Kings who lead the people into
sin and destruction and Kings who honored God and were blessed. The Kings were suppose
to rule on God’s behalf and the prophets were called to keep the King’s power in check,
reminding and showing them that God is the true King.
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As you read through the Bible you can see the pattern, the
people sin, God judges and consequences come, and through
repentance God redeems.
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This leads us to the book of Joel. Joel was a prophet chosen by God to deliver a special message
to the chosen people of God. No King is mentioned in Joel, scholars believe that it is either
because the King was King Joash (835-796BC), a child King at this time, or the time was at the
end of Israel’s reigning Kings in the 300 BC’s. Either way, the message’s value does not change.
Joel’s message was a warning of coming judgement from God on His people. If the
people did not repent and return to Him with all their hearts devastating consequences would
take place. It is not clear what specific sins the people had committed but we can gather that their
priorities were out of order. What about us today? The people had gotten off track somewhere
along the way and needed to be reminded of who they were as God’s holy, chosen, and beloved
people. Let’s examine and be reminded of the calling we have in Christ as God’s holy, chosen,
and beloved people as well…
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1) Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (*Bonus -read Deuteronomy 5 and 6*). What is our
number one priority and purpose to be? Give examples of what we are to do
with God’s Word?
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2) How did Jesus sum up the Ten Commandments and the law in Matthew
22:37-40? Any other verses come to mind? Examine your heart. Are you loving
God well? How do you know?
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3) How well do you love your enemy? Remember that all people are created in the
image of God and that our true enemy is Satan (John 10:10; Ephesians 6:10).
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4) Read Matthew 5: 43-48. How can you, by God’s power, genuinely love the
difficult people in your life? How can you love those who seem to be your
enemy? Pray and ask God to show you where you need to obey this command.
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 Day 2: The Valley of Decision
Let the nations stir themselves up
and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
for there I will sit to judge
all the surrounding nations. Joel 3:12
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One of the place mentioned in the book of Joel is the Valley of Jehoshaphat. The term itself
means “Adonai judges”. The concept is that it is a valley of decision. According to Jewish
tradition, the Valley of Jehoshaphat is that part of the Kidron Valley lying between the Temple
Mount and the Mount of Olives 1. The Temple Mount is where the temple was built in
Jerusalem, a most holy place. It is the place that Jesus refers to when he said he would destroy it
and rebuild it in three days (see John 2:19). The Mount of Olives has always been an important
feature in Jerusalem's landscape. From the 3rd millennium B.C. until the present, this 2900-foot
hill has served as one of the main burial grounds for the city 2. At the bottom of the hill you can
find the garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed and was arrested (John 18). The term,
"Valley of Jehoshaphat" is a term that acquired its name from King Jehoshaphat, an ancient
King of Judah. (Bonus read all of 2 Chronicles 20)
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1) Read 2 Chronicles 20:1-4
What is going on? What is the king calling for?
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2) Read 2 Chronicles 20: 13-19
What is promised to them? What is the king’s response?
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1 bibleplaces.com
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3) Read 2 Chronicles 20: 20-24
Did the Israelites have to fight? What lesson can you take home? What will be your
choice next time you find yourself in a valley of decision?
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Day 3: Read Joel 1-3: The Day of The LORD
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“The day of the LORD” is the main theme in the book of Joel. We see this phrase in the Old
Testament written about 19 times and 4 times in the New Testament. Joel contains most of the
phrases with “the day of the LORD” written out 5 times in its short three chapters. So, what
exactly is this “day of the LORD”?
The day of the Lord is a day of darkness and terrible judgement. This phrase can refer to
temporal events in which God uses nature to bring judgment or one nation destroys another in
battle or it can refer to the ultimate “day of the LORD” in which God draws all the nations to
the valley of decision where He sits as the righteous judge. It is the final judgment day in which
recompense is given and the end of the world comes. This final Armageddon day is described
throughout the Bible as a terrible dark day in which life as we know it is wiped out.
Prophecies in the Old Testament can sometimes be difficult to interpret. One way to think of
them is like a far off mountain range. As one approaches the mountain range he notices that
what looked like one mountain is actually two. There is one mountain in front of the other with a
a valley separating the two. In relation to prophecies, a prophet’s message could on one hand
relate to the present day battles but also there may be a valley of time before the second end-time
prophecy.
In Joel we see there are both warnings for immediate danger and visions of the end time
judgment day when God would bring all nations to the valley of decision to reward or punish for
everyone’s deeds.
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 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the
land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and
their constellations will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises and the
moon will not shed its light. Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their
iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of
the ruthless. Isaiah 13:9-11

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1) Read Joel 1-3. As you read through Joel underline or highlight each time you see
the phrase “the day of the LORD”.
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2) What stuck out to you? What other verses in the Bible can you find referring to
“the day of the LORD”?
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3) Pray and ask God to do a new thing in you and a new thing in the lives of those
He puts on your heart to pray for. Today commit to studying and reading the
Bible daily and praying for those God has put in your life that do not KNOW
HIM yet.
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 Day 4: Repentance
Teshuvah means return or repentance in Hebrew. The traditional 40-day repentance period
starts in Elul (Jewish summer month that correspond to August or September) and finishes with
Yom Kippur. According to Jewish tradition the month of Elul represents the time that Moses
spent on Mount Sinai to get the second set of tablets. He returned 40 days later.
The term Teshuvah or repentance means a turning back to God. It is a practical turning away
from evil and turning toward the good. It is never too late to turn back to God (see Exodus 34:6).
Even though sin is bad, it is difficult to give up sinful activities. The process is therefore both
painful and healing (see Psalm 119:71).
The process is painful and a lifelong commitment but it is the only way to have reconciliation
with God and complete fellowship with Jesus. We must recognize sin as sin, confess, cease from
the sin, show remorse for the sin and resolve to live in a new way (see Ephesians 4:30).
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1) Read Joel 1-3. Circle words, ideas, and phrases that have to do with repentance
and the call to seek and return to God.
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2) Read 2 Chronicles 7:11-22
What stuck out to you? Do you see any parallel between this passage and the
prophecy of Joel? What are God’s warnings? What do we need to do to be blessed
and see His presence?
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3) Commit yourself during this study to “humble yourself ”, “pray and seek His
face” and turn from sin. It is a decision you will NEVER regret.
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 Day 5: Choose this day whom you will serve
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Joshua has his own book in the Bible. He is an Old Testament hero and a person whose example
we should follow. We encounter Joshua for the first time in Exodus 17 as the Israelites are fighting
King Amalek. You can read about this battle in Exodus 17:8-16. He becomes the one in charge
after Moses dies and is the hero that takes the Israelites in to the promise land. Joshua 1:9 might
have been one of your memory verses: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.
Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you
go.”
1) Read Joshua 1:1-9
How many times does God command Joshua to be strong and courageous? What
promise is He making to Joshua? What is He asking of Joshua?
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2) One of the songs you might have sung in children church is “Joshua fought the
battle of Jericho”. What happened before that battle is a great example of whose
leadership Joshua was following. Read Joshua 5:13-15.
What does Joshua ask the “man”? What is the “man’s” answer? What is Joshua’s
response? What does that tell you about his character?
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3) Choose this day whom you will serve. Make a commitment. Write it down. Tell it
to your accountability partner. And pray first, pray last, pray always, pray without
ceasing. (1 Thess. 5:17)

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 Prepare the Way of the Lord
“I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘make straight the way for the Lord.’” John 1:23
John the Baptist prepared the way for the first coming of Jesus Christ the Messiah. He called the
people of God to repent and be baptized to prepare their hearts for the kingdom of God that was
coming and in their midst.
Jesus also preached peace and repentance calling His followers to baptism. He commanded His
followers to make disciples to the end of the earth! (Matt 28:18-20)
We then see the disciples starting with Peter in Acts 2 :38-39 proclaiming this call through out the
book of Acts and the New Testament.
Today we can prepare the way for the second coming as we prepare our own hearts by continually
humble ourselves through repentance and holy living.. As we proclaim him through our words and
deeds we can help others in preparing their hearts as well.
Each week you will have an opportunity to do so.

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Prepare your heart by reading and meditating on Psalm 23. Psalm 23 is much more a song for
life than for death. Let the commands and truths of this psalm bring you peace.
How can you prepare your heart for His return? Write down what you need to do. Share it with
your accountability partner and pray together.
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How can you better Prepare others? Who can you pray for today?
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Prayer: Almighty God, Worthy are you to receive all honor and glory in my life. When I look to
you, follow, and trust you - I shall not want. If I have wandered from You God, please put my feet
back on a firm foundation. Open my eyes to your truth and my ears to what You want me to
hear. May You be glorified in me, in my home, family, and in this Nation! Come Lord Jesus.
Amen.

“HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO
COME.” Rev 4:8