_The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel._ JOEL Great as is the variety in the works of nature, it is no less so in the treasury of God’s Word. The “prophets” are quite unlike the rest of the books; and between the prophets themselves there is a marked distinction of character. Th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Awake, ye drunkards, and weep._ THE INSENSIBILITY AND MISERY OF THE DRUNKARD The prophet now endeavours to awaken certain characters in the nation to an earnest sense of the woe that has overtaken them, and to deep repentance, that it may be averted. His first warning cry is to the drunkard. The... [ Continue Reading ]
_Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth._ The meat-offering and the drink-offering is cut off from the house of the Lord. THE WORSHIP OF GOD SADLY NEGLECTED THROUGH THE ALLURE OF TEMPORAL RESOURCE I. That a neglected worship is often consequent upon the failure of... [ Continue Reading ]
_The harvest of the field is perished._ THE DESTRUCTIVE NATURE OF SIN The prophet still lingers on the theme of his solemn and faithful discourses and urges all classes to attend to him that their sin and sorrow may be removed. He did not seek new or pleasing themes on which to address the nation.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar._ MINISTERIAL DUTY IN THE TIME OF DIRE NATIONAL CALAMITY The prophet now directs his message to the priests of Judah, and intimates that the calamity which had befallen their nation had a deep moral significance to which the... [ Continue Reading ]
_Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come._ THE DAY OF THE LORD The prophet intimates that the destruction caused by the flight of the locusts over the land of Judah was but the commencement of calamity, and that it was a type of ju... [ Continue Reading ]
_Is not the meat cut off before our eyes._ SIN A GREAT DEPRIVATION I. That sin deprives man of his cherished hope. “Is not the meat cut off before our eyes?” 1. This deprivation was unexpected. The ripe crops were seen by the people of Judah, who were rejoicing in the prospect of a safe harvest,... [ Continue Reading ]
_Is not the meat cut off before our eyes._ SIN A GREAT DEPRIVATION I. That sin deprives man of his cherished hope. “Is not the meat cut off before our eyes?” 1. This deprivation was unexpected. The ripe crops were seen by the people of Judah, who were rejoicing in the prospect of a safe harvest,... [ Continue Reading ]
_O Lord, to Thee will I cry._ ADDING PRAYERS TO COMPLAINTS Turn thy complaint into prayer, or else it is but a murmuring against God. It is by prayer we make our sorrowful hearts known to God. The reasons of this doctrine are-- 1. Because God forgetteth not the complaints of the poor; _i.e., _of... [ Continue Reading ]