Joel (prophet): life, prophecy, interpretation. Prayer and Akathist to the Prophet Joel

In the 5th century BC, the prophet Joel was born in the territory of present-day Palestine - one of the twelve "small" prophets of Israel. Such a name these God's chosen received not for the insignificance of their deeds, but only for the limited amount of records left behind. Joel was the first in their turn. It is his prophecies that have come down to us in writing.

The Wrath of God in the People of Israel

According to the Old Testament texts, a prophet was born in the Zaordan region, in the ancient city of Veforon. When he reached adulthood, terrible misfortunes fell upon the kingdom of Judah. There was a terrible drought, from which a significant part of the crop was killed, and what was saved was destroyed by countless flocks of locusts, which flew in such quantity that they blocked the sunlight.

Throughout the Promised Land, people died in the thousands, and where laughter was heard before, only groans and sobs were heard from now on. The people did not know what to do and how to get rid of the misfortune that has come. At this desperate time, Joel the prophet addressed them with words that were inspired by the breath of God.

Call to prayer for salvation

He urged his compatriots to leave for a time all earthly care and turn their soul to the Almighty. These events, described in the Old Testament, occurred five centuries before the descent into the world of our Savior Jesus Christ, so his name is not mentioned in the text. Joel also refers to the Lord as it was accepted in that era by the ancient Jews, Jehovah.

Joel the prophet urged his countrymen to offer prayers for salvation to Jehovah - the only one in whose power it was to give life to the creations of His hands or to take it away. Endowed with the sacred gift of providence, he speaks of the coming "day of the Lord," bearing in himself the punishment for those transgressions that people committed, departing from their commandments. Everything that happened then in Judea and despised the people was, in his words, only a small part of the future troubles. Nothing and no one will save people from the coming wrath of God, except for a deep and sincere prayer, full of humility and repentance.

Rid of the Wrath of God

The day is near when the sun will be darkened, the earth will shake and Jehovah will appear, accompanied by an innumerable army, from which none of those who live on earth can hide. The day of vengeance is already coming, and therefore there is no time to lose. Joel (the prophet) urged all, without exception, immediately to take over the post and gather in the temple. There the priests on behalf of the whole people will have to cry out to the Lord, asking for the deliverance from His wrath.

The Jewish people showed prudence and did everything as the elect of God had said to them. As a result, the Lord changed his anger to mercy, sending abundant rain to the earth and scattering the locust swarms. On top of everything, He spoke to the inhabitants of the kingdom of Judah, and with his mouth was Joel the prophet. Through him, Jehovah announced that he relieved people of death only by the prayers they had taken up. He promised his people that he would continue to protect him from all pains in the future. It will take away from people drought, disease and invasion of foreigners, but subject to the observance of the commandments given through the prophet Moses.

And further through the prophet Joel the Most High again announced the intimacy of the "day of the Lord", in which only those who call on His name will be saved. Pagans, who worship man-made idols, await the imminent and terrible death. Thus said Jehovah, and so the prophet Joel conveyed his words to the people. His prophecies gave hope to God's chosen people that the Lord would not abandon him, whatever misfortunes might happen.

The Interpretation of Joel's Prophecies

Much of what Joel's prophecies contain was later interpreted as a prediction of events that had already occurred in New Testament times. In particular, the word that God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh will be taken as a promise of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, a confirmation of which can be found in the pages of the New Testament. In detail studying his statements, theologians of the whole world see in them also prophecies about the coming manifestation of the people of the Lord in the flesh.

Today among the Old Testament saints, who opened the way to the Son of God, the special place is occupied by the prophet Joel. His life is not rich in details about the earthly path, but is full of predictions, which largely predetermined the historical path of Israel. The memory of the saint is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on November 1 each year. On this day, the troparion of the prophet Joel, the Akathist, is heard in the temples, and prayers are prayed for his intercession before the Throne of God.