Book of Joel Quiz: Locusts, the Day of the LORD, and Pentecost

1. What crisis opens the book of Joel, and how is it described?

1. A devastating locust plague — described in four waves of locusts that stripped the land bare, leaving vines without bark, fig trees without fruit, and grain and drink offerings cut off from the temple
2. A drought had dried up all the rivers — Joel calls this an unprecedented water shortage never seen in Israel's history
3. A military invasion by the Assyrians — the enemy army is compared to locusts in their destructiveness
4. A plague of disease — Joel describes a pestilence that killed livestock and left the fields untended

2. What did Joel call the people to do in response to the locust plague?

1. 'Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Gather the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD'
2. To fight the locusts — Joel gave practical instructions for burning fields to create firebreaks against the advancing swarms
3. To offer special agricultural tithes — the shortage meant they must plant more and trust God to multiply the harvest
4. To pray individually — Joel told each household to make a private confession before God in their own home

3. What is the famous call to repentance in Joel 2:12-13?

1. 'Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow'
2. 'If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven'
3. 'Return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity'
4. 'Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways'

4. What is the famous promise in Joel 2:28-29 that Peter quotes at Pentecost?

1. 'Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance'
2. 'I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days'
3. 'I will send you grain, new wine and olive oil... I will drive the northern horde far from you... I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten'
4. Both options 1 and 3 are quoted by Peter at Pentecost

5. What does Joel describe in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and what is its significance?

1. 'Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors!... Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe... for their wickedness is great.' God will gather all nations for final judgment in the Valley of Jehoshaphat ('the LORD judges')
2. A historical battle in which Jehoshaphat had defeated the Moabites through worship — Joel uses it as a model for spiritual warfare
3. The Valley of Jehoshaphat was a place of exile — Joel predicts that the scattered Jews would be gathered there before their return to Zion
4. The valley was the site of the locust plague — Joel is reflecting on the specific location where the disaster began and using it as a geographical reference for his prophecy

6. What is the 'Day of the LORD' in Joel, and how does the locust plague relate to it?

1. The Day of the LORD exclusively refers to blessing for Israel — it is the day when God will reverse all Israel's suffering and punish all enemies
2. The Day of the LORD is an annual festival day — Joel is calling Israel to observe it more faithfully rather than letting commercial concerns override it
3. The Day of the LORD is the climactic day of divine intervention in history — both in judgment (against Israel's enemies) and in purification (of Israel herself). The locust plague is a foretaste and warning of this greater day — a partial judgment that calls for repentance before the fuller judgment arrives
4. The Day of the LORD was a specific historical date — Joel predicts the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon and calls that event 'the Day of the LORD'

7. What does Joel 2:25 promise about restoration after the locust devastation?

1. 'I will bring back your captives, Judah and Jerusalem, as I brought back the captives of Job'
2. 'I will replant the cedars of Lebanon and the vines of Carmel — your agricultural heritage will be fully restored to its Solomonic glory'
3. 'I will restore the years the locusts have eaten — the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm — my great army that I sent among you'
4. 'I will send rain in its season — both the early and late rains — and the threshing floors will be filled with grain'

8. What is Joel's contribution to OT theology and its significance in the NT?

1. Joel's primary contribution is agricultural — his detailed description of locust plagues provides the most accurate entomological data in the ancient Near East
2. Joel's primary contribution is eschatological map-making — his precise description of the final battle locations (Valley of Jehoshaphat) has shaped all subsequent end-times prophecy
3. Joel's primary contribution is the doctrine of original sin — his description of Israel's inherent tendency to stray provides the basis for Paul's argument in Romans 1-3
4. Joel's primary theological contributions are: the expectation of the Spirit's universal outpouring across all social categories (quoted at Pentecost), the 'Day of the LORD' developed in both its threatening and hopeful dimensions, and 'everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved' (2:32 — quoted in Romans 10:13)