The Pulpit Commentary — Joel — Section 12

light, roeorted in t~ dq, of their diffio1JUy ,he bark of the 6g tree i1 of e. silvery whlte- and dist.ren We read <>f it on many ooca- neBIJ, the whole orcluuds, thu■ rifled of their eion•; for example, by King Je'.boshe.phe.t green veils, spread abroad their braocho■ in prospect. of e. hostile atte.ck by the allied ~ lllllde white' in melancholy µakednea1 to nrrnies of Moah, Ammon, and Edom ; again the burning sun." He then. refers to the in the reign of Jehoiakim; also by EZTII. in e:rclamatlon in ver. 15, and t.o that in Lhe the day of danger.; &nd by the people of words before us, "le not the meat cut oft" :!'iini·veh in oow,equence of the preaching bofore our eye•?" e.nd thon prooeed1, " 'l'hi1 of Jone.h. ie most elllphatically true. I saw under my \" er. J.5.-Ala■ for the d&y ! for the 4ay of own eye not only a large vineyard loaded the Lord iA at baacl, a.11d u a delltnletion wi.th young grapes, but whole fiolda oC 001n, from the Almighty ■hall it oome. Somo di11Bppear aa if by mo.gic, and the hope Qf unden,tand ih88e -..orde M snggeeted by the the husbandman vanish like emoke." Yea, prophet to the people, that they might use jo:, a.nd gladne■1 from the honae of onr tiod. thc·m in their eolemn and sorrowful appeal Not only he.d the food necessary for the to the Almighty. This is favoured by the support of daily lifo perished-" The·food of Syriac, which adds, "and say,n 8.11 if the tho sinners," says Jerome," perishes before prophet prescribed to them the eubstance their eyes, since the crops they .looked for of their nddrees. We prefer taking them are llllBtched away from their hands, and ae the prnphct'11 own words, which he em- the locust anticipates the reapcr,''-hut the ploys t.o justify the urgency of the appeal offerings used in Divine worship had ceased. contained in the two preceding Vel't!CB t.o the Owing . to, the destruction of the ~ops, the ministers of religion, the priests, to the tlrstfruite, as a matter of course, failed ; the magistrates, the eldcl'II, and to all the mem- thank offerings could not be procured. Con- bers of the community, even all the inha- sequently, the joy that usually accompanied bit.ants of the land. The day referred "to is the presentation of these ancl. other offerings thu time of the judgment that:wae commg wae also cut oft". When the Hebrews of on the land through the locnata. The da.y old brought their bumt.oft"erings, sacrifices, of the Lord, tirst mentioned, it is said, by tithes, heave offerings, vows, free-will offer- Joel, iB the day when be inflict& judgments ings, and firetlings of herds and flocks, it was or, sinners, 88 in the present instance; it a joyful season, a time of rejoicing before may be a presage of that judgment that the Lord, as we leam from Dent. xii. 7, brought ruin on their city, temple,aod nation. "There ye shall eat before the Lord yoor It may be e.n emblem of the.t jndgment that God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put wound up their nation by the destruction of your band unto, ye o.nd your households." their capital, or even of the :tlnal jndgment All this joy o.nd gladness, eo gracio1lllly asso- when God shall destroy impenitent. sinners ci.e.ted with the worship of Jehovah, were and deliver hie 11Bintll. 3. This day of the now things of the past. The seed (margin, Lord comes BUddeoly, secretly, end irresist- grains)is rotten under their olods, the gamers ibly; and, wbOll it eomes, it is e. destruction are laid desolate, the barns are broken dori·; from the Almighty, or, e.ccord.ing to the for the oorn is withered. Thie. we.a a fear~nl Hebrew paronoma.sio., k<shod mi6shaddai, aggravation of their calamity. Their present c,,quive.lent to "ruin from the Resi.stlees." distress thns prolonged itself into the future, TIie day of God's anger e.gainllt Judah is as there was no prospect of a crop in the a presage of that day when, 88 Judge of all, following year to cheer them. The rotting Jew and Gentile, he will take vengeance on of the seed that had been sown and care- hi£ rnemies. Joel's prophetic gla.oce reached fully covered in the earth was occusionecl by onward and forward, not only to the closa of the drought. The visitation of locUBts, BI tLe Jewish, but to the conclusion of the St.anley so.ye, •• came,. like all such visita- Christian, dispensation. tions, in the see.son of uowrue,l drought-'°' Vero. IG-18.-Tbese verses contain mani- drought which passed over the country like fest proofs tl:at the day of the Lord was flames of fire.'' The rotting of the seed, and coming, and coming as a destruction fram the withering of the corn, if the mouldering tli,:,Almighty. I1notthemeatcut 011:'before seed germinated and put forth a blade at oor eyes l The food for daily s1lllten.aoee, all, rendered be.ms useless, and granaries, and the food for Divine service-the com and or the larger ,storehoOBes, unnecC11sary. The wine e.ud oil, &B mentioned in ver. 10-had barns were left to decay and tumble d9wn: vani;,hed while they beheld the prooees of ·s.nd the granaries were deBOle.te, and deetructien, but could not hinder it. "ThC18 so there was no further use for them. lOOW!t.i,," sa}'II Thomson, in • The Land a.ad Several diffi.eult expressions occur in this the Book,'" at once strip the vines of every verse. P'1'udoth is from parad, to scatter leaf and clUllter of gre.pee, and of every green a.bout, or to 60W broadcast, and hence signi• twig. I uleo ~aw many large fig orchards ties" sco.ttered thing1,"-seed or grain sown. • clt::an La:r,,' raot a leaf remaining; and, u l?l=!l_l is to dry up, moulder, witho1'; o.nd ia orr. 1. 1-20.J 'fHE HOOK OF ,JOEL. 7