The Book of the twelve for Lent 2016 - Joel (2)
The Book of the Twelve for Lent 2016 The Day of the Lord - Joel (2) Lent 7 One scholar calls Joel the “literary anchor” of the book of the Twelve. Another calls it a collection of texts about the “Day of the Lord,” which it introduces in to the book of the Twelve (eleven times) and emphasizes more than the others eleven books. So the “Day of the Lord” stands out as the center of the message of Joel, one that sets a horizon within which we read the books that come later. Though the phrase “Day of the Lord” tends to make contemporary western readers think of Jesus’ “second coming” when he will return to finally, fully, and forever establish God’s kingdom. But the “Day of the Lord” in the Old Testament, though it can refer to that time of God’s final intervention, often refers to other historical events in which God intervenes to judge and/or restore Israel o...