Bible Journaling: The Book of Joel

In this book of Joel, we will dive deeper into the Minor Prophets category to discover what God spoke through the prophet Joel. As we journal through this book, keep in mind how this is distinct from the other prophetic books. What makes this book unique? For a broader view of this book of the Bible, we encourage you to watch this video: 

Bible journaling tip: 

We can find a lot of beautiful examples of how God created the whole creation to live when we spend time outdoors. When you see a pattern in nature that also can be applied to your own life, bring it into your Bible. For example: Pick up an autumn leaf, and paint on it the following words: I also need seasons of rest and letting go. Pray and ask God to remind you of a place in the Bible where it speaks about a similar topic.

LOOK UP (information): encounter God through the Scripture 

Author:

Joel writes an ecologically conscious version of the day of the Lord. Note that when he speaks about the ‘Day of the Lord’ it points backwards at God’s past faithfulness, and also forward at God’s coming reign. Mark all the nature references throughout this book by drawing a small leaf in the margin of your Bible next to the verses. 

Audience:

God gave Joel this message to bring to a people who have turned away from God. Often, in Biblical times, people turned from God by physically worshipping other gods. Today, it is likely that you will say “I am not worshipping a different God” - but are you placing anything above God? Are you choosing to spend time on other things instead of with Him? Are there areas of your life that you are keeping hidden from Him? 

History:

The author Joel refers to many of the other Old Testament books in his writing. Make a list of all the references that you can find throughout this book where he points to a different book. This means that he assumes that his readers have read these books… What are the implications of that? What is Joel not saying because he assumes you already know it? Read the other books to find out! 

Genre:

This book is part of the minor prophets - it is prophetic literature that is full of beautiful imagery about creation being made new. Can you find any places where these images link with other events in the history of the Israelites? Where else did we read about a swarm of locusts and the sun becoming dark?

LOOK IN (revelation): contemplate / reflect on our own lives

Key verse:

Joel 2:21-22 NIV

Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things! Do not be afraid, you wild animals, for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.

Inspiration:

The prophet Joel spoke a lot about the new Kingdom coming to all of creation. How does this link with what God says about people’s mandate in Genesis to care for the earth? Does the Bible actually ever say that heaven will be on a different planet - or does it say that this earth will be made new? What does this tell you about the God we serve?

LOOK OUT (transformation): respond with creative worship action  

Drawing prompt:

Draw the cosmic renewal that Joel writes about in 3:17-21. For further inspiration, you can read Isaiah 35, Ezekiel 47, Zechariah 14, and in the book of Revelation. You can write a heading: A New Eden, and then draw all the elements from these passages. 

A fountain / river flowing from a city, the new Jerusalem, placed on a hill / mountain. Gladness and joy. True communion with God. A throneroom where people from all nations worship and rejoice. 

How is this image different from what the world thinks heaven will be like? Think of babies with wings playing harps on clouds… What does this true image of the new Jerusalem say about God? 

Bible Journey with JournalOwl:

Here are some questions / prompts provided by the JournalOwl community. 

• What was significant about the coming Day of the Lord, according to the first eleven verses? (Joel 2:1-11)
• What did God promise to do immediately, in response to real repentance in these verses? (Joel 2:18-27)

Follow this link to dive into this book with an online Bible Study group.

Writing prompt:

Read Joel 2:27-32. What Spirit is Joel speaking about here? As our writing prompt for this book we will focus on the Holy Spirit. Draw a mindmap and write down everything that you know about the Holy Spirit on a page. Now, dive into the Bible to find other features of the Spirit that you might not have known about or maybe forgotten. 

This writing prompt will become a big mindmap that summarizes everything that we know about the Holy Spirit. How do we get the Spirit? What does the Spirit do? Is the Spirit passive? Can the Spirit speak?

Prayer:

God, I want to thank you for the book of Joel. Help me to see the earth, your beautiful creation, through the same eyes as Joel did. Give me the understanding to have a holistic view of your coming Kingdom. You are amazing, God, and I love that there is always something new to learn and discover about you. Let my response to this text be worship unto you!