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Over a century and a half has passed since the return from exile. The temple and city of Jerusalem have been rebuilt, and the small group of Jews, who have little interest in politics, are leading a relatively tranquil life. Then there is an unexpected calamity: a swarm of locusts destroys the crops. Everyone runs to the temple to lament. A prophet, otherwise unknown to us, arises and exhorts the people to true repentance and conversion of heart. In the scourge of the moment he sees a summons from God: the Lord is asking his people to turn to him.
In the first part of the Book, we are in the presence of a liturgy of true repentance. Then the horizons expand; from the present disaster and present hopes, the prophet passes on to the judgment and salvation that the last times will bring. The day of God is near; all are called to judgment. The face of the world will be renewed by the Spirit of the Lord, who must conquer the hearts of his children, regardless of age, sex, and social class. Joel speaks in this community that has come together again in Jerusalem after the Exile; his outlook is still nationalistic, but a Christian reading of his work will give it a universal dimension.
Although Joel cites or repeats the older prophets, he is a poet who is able to cry out his own message in clear language and in lyrical tomes. He is the prophet of Lent and Pentecost. During the weeks before Easter, passages from Joel exhort us to a serious conversion. The story of Pentecost tells that the gifts of the Spirit, which this prophet promises, are poured out on the entire world (Acts 2:17-21).
The Book of Joel may be divided as follows:
I: Mourning and Repentance in Judea (1:1—2:27)
II: The Advent of New Times (3:1—4:21)