JOEL+—An Illustrated Summary of Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible by G. Campbell Morgan

"On every page of the God-breathed writings are many thoughts that stretch out like long, clear arms of light across the darkness, discovering things otherwise hidden and illuminating wider areas than those of the immediate context. They are searchlights. I have selected one in each chapter of Scripture, for at least one central thought in every chapter should arrest the mind and affect the life," wrote G. Campbell Morgan, a skilled, wise, warm-hearted Bible teacher who conducted a classic 3-year study called Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible. Here is the fruit of that research—summarized, illustrated, and amplified with useful details—on all 66 books of the Bible.

GENESIS, EXODUS, LEVITICUS, NUMBERS, 

DEUTERONOMY, JOSHUA, JUDGES, RUTH, 

1 SAMUEL, 2 SAMUEL, 1 KINGS,  2 KINGS, 

1 CHRONICLES, 2 CHRONICLES, EZRA, 

NEHEMIAH, ESTHER, JOB, PSALMS, 

PROVERBS, ECCLESIASTES, 

SONG OF SOLOMON,  ISAIAH, JEREMIAH,

 LAMENTATIONS, EZEKIEL, DANIEL, 

HOSEA, JOEL, AMOS, OBADIAH, JONAH, 

MICAH, NAHUM, HABAKKUK, ZEPHANIAH,  

HAGGAI, ZECHARIAH, MALACHI,

 MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, JOHN, 

ACTS, ROMANS, 1 CORINTHIANS,

2 CORINTHIANS, GALATIANS, EPHESIANS, 

PHILIPPIANS, COLOSSIANS, 1 THESSALONIANS,

2 THESSALONIANS, 1 TIMOTHY,  2 TIMOTHY, TITUS,

PHILEMON, HEBREWS, JAMES, 1 PETER, 2 PETER,

1 JOHN, 2 JOHN, 3 JOHN, JUDE, REVELATION

Joel 1:15 "Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand." The prophet Joel has one message centered on one event: the desolation of Judah by a locust plague. From his detailed description in this chapter, we understand why the people were tempted to brood on their calamities. Then Joel speaks, interpreting the situation from God's perspective: the coming of the locusts was no accident. They came in ranks, in order, to bring about God's will. Joel calls on people and priests to humble themselves before Him, referring repeatedly throughout his prophecy to the day of the Lord, which always underscores divine government and activity in human affairs. The first thing Joel wants his audience to realize is the day of the Lord is at hand—that it is near, not in the sense of approaching, but as actual and immediate activity. The day of the Lord is here and now. God is reigning today. The disasters we experience in this world are all under His control. Instead of mourning over sorrow, we do better to mourn honestly over sin and turn to the Lord. As God Himself says, "Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning." Joel concludes, "So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm" (verses 12-13). There is more to understand about the day of the Lord, but this is where we must begin.

Joel 2:1 "The day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand." In that sentence "for" has the sense of "because," meaning that the day of the Lord is not only present but also continuing. Joel declares that the day of the Lord is not over: other experiences of divine judgment were yet to come. Under the figure of the locust plague, he describes the imminent invasion of an enemy that would bring far more terrible desolations to the people. Therefore he again calls the nation to repentance, showing the way to change the character of the divine government to mercy, healing, and restoration. Here again is a matter for our careful attention: the day of the Lord is not only present; it is always coming. It is not always negative, but also positive. When some great activity of God has ended, His government never ceases. He proceeds upon His way without intermission. If people refuse one manifestation of His power and majesty, they will experience other means more terrible than those already experienced. God will make Himself known. This is the story of humanity and will continue until "the great and awesome day of the Lord" (verse 31), which is His final judgment of evil and full establishment of His Kingdom according to the grace of His heart.

Joel 3:14 "The day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision." This points to the third and final aspect of the day of the Lord, which is far beyond immediate circumstances, such as the locust plague in Joel's day. The people back then listened to Joel and were blessed.  As the Lord Himself said, "I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten....  You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you" (Joel 2:25-26). "Afterward," He continues, comes a prophecy that begins to be fulfilled hundreds of years later on the Day of Pentecost, as described in Acts 2 from the New Testament: "This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:  'In the last days,' says God, 'I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.... I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath ... before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.... Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved'" (verses 16-21). The final part of Joel's message is about the ultimate day of the Lord, which is a day of decision. In that day God will deal finally with evil, rescue all those who trust Him with saving faith, and establish His Kingdom in righteousness forever. To Joel was given the plan of the ages. He saw the day of the Lord in its present, imminent, and ultimate aspects, representing the  persistent, powerful, and complete realization of God's holy purposes. For nearly 2,000 years we have lived in the unmeasured age of the Spirit and do not know when it will end, but will find confidence walking in the light of the already and not-yet aspects of God's Kingdom.

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