Wednesday 20 December 2023

Psalm 150

Background

Joel is one of those books of the Bible that scholars have had problems with, in terms of agreeing when it was written and who by. It is dated anywhere between the 9th and 2nd centuries BC and it’s put forward as a set of visions. These take the form of a mixture of prophecy and poetry which, while grouped together as one book, might be a compilation of writings by a range of different people. Some people argue strongly it is one book, others say it is two separate collections (with one ending at 2:27 and the second starting at 2:28). All this means that it is difficult to put it fully in context.

The book of Joel is an example of eschatological literature, which simply means writing about the end of time and God’s judgement.

In this vision, which is similar in some ways to many big budget films now, the culmination of history is a big battle and this proclamation is telling everybody to get ready for it. It is telling people that they need to get ready for this battle by turning everyday objects such as  into weapons: "Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears" (v. 10).

God steps into the middle of this huge battle which happens in 'the valley of decision'. God is the judge, deciding who will win and who will lose. God's decision casts Israel as the winners, because God offers them refuge from the battle.

To Ponder:

• What do you think about the idea that God is a judge, who will judge people at the end of time?
• What visions do you have? What do you see your future as?