A. Through His Spirit (2:28-32)
In this pericope Joel reaches the pinnacle of his prophetic message. As important as material blessings are to him and the people, the spiritual and moral blessings are of even more significance. To Joel the process of achieving God’s intended destiny for his people is in place. They have been punished severely for their sins. Repentance has turned away the wrath of God, and the land is experiencing rejuvenation. As has already been shown, all of this has caused the prophet to see these events as harbingers of the Day of the Lord. Now that the immediate consequences have been dealt with, he looks at the long-range and ultimate consequences. He is forced to conclude that God is, indeed, in control of history. In fact, all historical events from the past through the future are an expression of the activity of God in the affairs of men.
To show the truth of this conviction Joel affirms first that God will pour out [his] Spirit on all people (lit. “all flesh”). The list of those who are to be the recipients of this outpouring shows that Joel envisions that all categories of persons will receive the Spirit.
The Spirit of God in the OT performs a number of functions. He is the vital power of God in creation and is the Sustainer of life (Ge 1:2; Job 33:4; Ps 104:30). It is because of the presence of the Spirit of God that certain persons exhibit unusual abilities and perform unusual tasks (see, e.g., Ge 41:38; Ex 31:3; Nu 11:17; 1Sa 11:6; 16:13; Ps 51:10, 11; Isa 11:2; 63:11; Mic 3:8; Hag 2:3-5). The Spirit of God is the source of inspiration for the prophets. Although Jeremiah does not use the term, we may conclude that a similar kind of experience is referred to by Jeremiah when he says the word of the Lord comes to him. In Joel the hope expressed by Moses as recorded in Nu 11:29, “I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” is promised (for more on this, cf. Driver, 66).
Accompanying or following the outpouring of the Spirit will be remarkable portents giving warning to the faithful that the day of the Lord is at hand. These signs will include marvelous and terrifying wonders in the heavens. Blood and fire and darkness will obscure the sun and moon. When these things occur it is a sign of the onslaught of judgment. However, those who understand and know the significance of these events may call upon the Lord. Safety and deliverance for them will be found in Zion (vv.30-32). Although the context of the promise to everyone who calls on the name of the Lord indicates that Joel is speaking to his own countrymen, this is the point at which he is most universal (see also 2:28). Indeed Paul reads him so, just as did Peter on the Day of Pentecost (see Ro 10:13). In any event, the promise is to those who call upon the Lord. Provision is made for the sovereign acts of God in this process when Joel includes among the survivors (lit. “the remnants”) those whom the Lord calls (v.32). It is obvious that Joel is thinking eschatologically at this point, seeing the pattern unfolding of God’s ultimate control of history and the created order.