Joel 2:29

And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. AND ALSO - And even. UPON THE SERVANTS AND UPON THE HANDMAIDS IN THOSE DAYS WILL I POUR OUT MY SPIRIT. The very slaves, the UPON THE SERVANTS AND UPON THE HANDMAIDS IN THOSE DAYS WILL I POUR OUT MY SPIRIT. The very slaves, the most degraded and despised of men, by becoming the Lord's servants are His freemen, (, "He that is called in the Lord, being a servant (slave), is the Lord's freeman;" ; ; , "(Onesimus) not now as a servant (slave), but above a servant, a brother beloved, specialty to me," etc....

As the particle גם _gam _amplifies in Hebrew, it seems singular that the Prophet now limits to a few a gift common to all; for he had previously said, “Upon all flesh will I pour out my Spirit;” and now, “Upon servants and handmaids;” and he puts down “Also”. If he had simply said “Upon servants and handmaids will I pour out my Spirit,” there would have been no inconsistency, for it would have been the explanation of his former statement; for we know that what the Prophet says of all men must be taken with exception, inasmuch as many who were unbelievers were without this gift, and even those who before excelled in some sort of divine knowledge; we indeed know that the Jews were blinded, and we also know that not all among the common people were partakers of this excellent gift. There is no doubt, therefore, but that this which is said of “all flesh,” must be limited to the Church. It wo...

28-32 The promise began to be fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out, and it was continued in the converting grace and miraculous gifts conferred on both Jews and Gentiles. The judgments of God upon a sinful world, only go before the judgment of the world in the last day. Calling on God supposes knowledge of him, faith in him, desire toward him, dependence on him, and, as evidence of the sincerity of all this, conscientious obedience to him. Those only shall be delivered in the great day, who are now effectually called from sin to God, from self to Christ, from things below to things above....

Verse 29. _AND ALSO UPON THE SERVANTS AND UPON THE HANDMAIDS_] The gifts of teaching and instructing men shall not be _restricted_ to any one _class_ or _order_ of people. He shall call and qualify the men of his own choice; and shall take such out of all _ranks,_ _orders, degrees_, and offices in society. And he will pour out his Spirit upon them; and they shall be endowed with all the gifts and graces necessary to convert sinners, and build up the Church of Christ on its most holy faith. And this God _has done_, and is _still doing_. He left the _line of_ _Aaron_, and took his _apostles_ indiscriminately from _any tribe_. He passed by the _regular order_ of the _priesthood_, and the _public_ _schools_ of the most celebrated doctors, and took his _evangelists_ from among _fishermen, tent-makers_, and even the _Roman_ _tax-gatherers_. And he, lastly, passed by

AND ALSO UPON THE SERVANTS - God tells beforehand that he would be no respecter of persons. He had said, that He would endow every age and sex. He adds here, and every condition, even that of slaves, both male and female. He does not add here, that they shall prophesy. Under the law, God had provided for slaves, that, even if aliens, they should by circumcision be enrolled in His family and people; that they should have the rest and the devotion of the sabbath; and share the joy of their great festivals, going up with their masters and mistresses to the place which God appointed. They were included in one common ordinance of joy; “Ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye and your sons and your daughters, and (literally) your men slaves and your women slaves, and the Levite which is within your gates” Genesis 17:23,...

EXPOSITION JOEL 2:1 These verses contain a further description of the calamity occasioned by the locusts and the appearance presented by them; the calling of a congregational meeting for penitence and prayer; the reason assigned in the coming of the day of the Lord. JOEL 2:1 BLOW YE THE TRUMPET (margin, cornet) in Zion, AND SOUND AN ALARM (or, cause it to sound) IN MY HOLY MOUNTAIN. The _shophar_, or far-sounding horn, and probably the _chatsoterah_,_ _the _hazar_ or silver trumpet, were called into requisition. The priests are urged with great vehemence, as _tiqu shophar _and _hariu _imply, to apprise the people that the day of Jehovah's terrible judgment was near

AND ALSO UPON THE SERVANTS AND UPON THE HANDMAIDS IN THOSE DAYS WILL I POUR MY SPIRIT. Men servants and maidservants should partake of the gifts and grace of the Spirit in great, abundance; and many of them were effectually called by grace, through the ministry of the word; and some servants became ministers of it; all which appears from 1 Corinthians 7:21; for that is not true what the Jews p say, the Shechinah or divine Majesty does not rest but upon a wise man, and one mighty and rich; or prophecy, as Maimonides q has it. p T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 92. 1. q Moreh Nevochim, par. 2. c. 32....

II. THE COMING DAY OF THE LORD: THE REPENTANCE AND RESTORATION OF ISRAEL CHAPTER 2 _ 1. The alarm sounded and the day at hand (Joel 2:1) _ 2. The invading army from the north (Joel 2:3) 3. The repentance of the people and cry for help (Joel 2:12) 4. “Then.” The great change (Joel 2:18) 5. Promises of restoration, and the early and latter rain (Joel 2:19) 6. The outpouring of the Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28) 7. Deliverance in Mount Zion

THE PORTENTS OF THE DAY OF YAHWEH. The deliverance from the locusts is but a harbinger of the time coming when Yahweh will impart His spirit to all Jews for to such the context evidently restricts all flesh so that without distinction of age, sex, or social position, they shall have the ecstatic vision and utterance which mark the prophetall Yahweh's people shall be prophets. The earth shall be filled with the bloodshed of war, and from burning cities shall columns of smoke ascend; the very luminaries shall be dark and lurid at the approach of the dread Day of Yahweh. But from its terrors all the worshippers of Yahweh shall escape. JOEL 2:28. SPIRIT: the divine life-energy. For the conception _cf._ Numbers 11:29....

SERVANTS, &c. Any whom God might call. Elisha was. ploughman, Amos. herdsman....