The Persuaded Prophet
Joel 1:1. Joel means “Jehovah is God.” There is not much mention about who Joel was as much as a referendum on what he was, a prophet of the Lord. And oh, what a beginning statement. “The Word of the Lord came to Joel.” It is the true demarcation of the prophet of God. He hears from God. He heralds what he heard to man. And he hopes what is shared will be heeded.
The Word of the Lord is more than a human premonition, educated prognostication, or clever behavioral analysis to gain religious advantage. Joel heard from God. He didn’t get his source material from the grandest libraries of his day or by huddling with the wisest Rabbis around. He heard from God. His father’s name Pethuel means “persuaded of God”. [1] Put the two generations together, Joel and Pethuel, and you have one who is persuaded that Jehovah is God. One need only think of Paul’s admiring observation of Faithful Abraham in that he was “fully persuaded that, what he (God) had promised, he was able also to perform.” Romans 4:21 And then again Paul shares his own enthusiastic devotion to truth by declaring, “for I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
Perpetuating Prophecies
Joe 1:2 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?
Joe 1:3 Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.
On one hand what had transpired in conquered Israel had never been seen before; and on the other hand, the things that had been witnessed should and could never be forgotten. They must be perpetuated to every generation. And as we examine our own times in the mirror of scriptural honesty, we know that His “truth endureth to all generations.” Psalm 100:5 Enduring truth outwits convenient theology. God’s Word doesn’t degrade over time or need to be readjusted to fit cultural ideologies or demands. Each generation must learn these things about truth:
- Truth is not for sale. “Buy the truth, and sell it not.” (Proverbs 23:23) Once you’ve made the investment of doctrine, scriptural principles, godly character and Biblical integrity you must be determined to hold to it eternally.
- Truth is already settled. “Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.” (Psalm 119:89) The Word of God is an eternal foundation. It doesn’t move. Its harmony with the character and mind of God is unquestioned and its hold on world systems is without Biblical debate. Since His Word is settled every generation that discovers a personal relationship with God should be settled. Settled in peace. Founded in grace. Established in trust.
- Truth is the ultimate satisfaction. Paul instructed the Colossian church that God would one day reconcile Gentile nations and believers to eternal honor if “ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel…” (Colossians 1:23) So, walking in the truth will lead to the deliverance from the world and a destination of everlasting joy and peace. Don’t settle for Esau’s bean when you have a better blessing. In other words, the inheritance of eternal life far exceeds any earthly pleasure on the scale of human opportunity. Don’t waste treasure for meaningless substitutes.
[1] Albert Barnes