Overview Article
When disaster strikes, we usually respond in one of two ways. We either turn to God and enter a renewed relationship with him shaped by a fuller understanding of his nature and character, or we turn away from God and blame him or others for our troubles. Some even deny God’s existence. The people of ancient Israel experienced disaster and were faced with this same decision. Would they turn away from God in their time of trouble or turn to him and seek his blessings?
Key People, Places, and Terms
Places 11
- Zion 12
- Jerusalem 12
- Valley of Jehoshaphat 8
- Valley of Shittim 4
- Garden of Eden 2
- Edom 2
- Philistia 2
- Tyre 2
- Egypt 1
- MountZion 1
See all (11)
Themes
See all (19)
Temple Worship 2 In the ancient Near East, kings had to provide for their nation's temple. King David, who started the family line (dynasty) of Judah's kings, made Jerusalem the capital of Israel ( 2 Samuel 5:4–10 ). He also made it t... Zion 2 Zion is the Hebrew name for the mountain in Jerusalem where the temple was located ( 2 Samuel 5:7 ; see also 2 Chronicles 3:1 ). Over time, people began using the name Zion to refer to all of Jerusalem. Zion can refer... Darkness and Light 2 Darkness means there is no light. There was no light until God commanded it to appear. He then separated light from darkness ( Genesis 1:2 , 4–5 , 18 ). The ninth plague he sent against Egypt was three days of deep da... Famine 2 Famine happened early in the lives of the patriarchs Abraham and Isaac ( Genesis 12:10 ; 26:1 ). When the patriarch Jacob’s family experienced famine, God had already placed his son Joseph in Egypt to help God's peopl... God’s Change of Mind 2 The Old Testament describes God 34 times as “changing his mind” or “being sorry” (the Hebrew word nakham ). What does this mean? Does God relent, feel pity, experience sorrow, or grieve? One thing is clear: God never... God’s Justice 2 God is just ( Psalm 9:7–8 ). He hates sin and fairly rewards people and nations based on what they do ( Psalm 67:4 ; Isaiah 1:27 ; Jeremiah 46:28 ; Joel 3:1–8 ; Acts 17:31 ). God has complete control over the natural... Apostasy and Renewal 1 During the time of Israel's divided kingdom, people often considered the northern kingdom of Israel as unfaithful and the southern kingdom of Judah as faithful. When Jeroboam started the northern kingdom, many righteo... Holy War 1 The Israelites’ total destruction of their enemies raises difficult questions about right and wrong. What reasons made Israel invade, conquer, and destroy Canaan and its people? From a human perspective, Israel's aggr... Retribution 1 God gave humans the task of having children and taking care of the world ( Genesis 1:28 ). Yet, as the population increased, so did spiritual evil, violence, and murder ( 4:8 , 23 ; 6:5 , 11–13 ). This led to a corrup... Spirit Empowerment 1 Throughout the Bible, when needed, God gives special abilities to those committed to serving him. The story of Moses and the seventy elders is an early example. It shows that God has acted in special ways among his pe... The Coming of God’s Kingdom 1 A key part of Jesus' message was that God's kingdom had come. The people of Israel eagerly awaited this reality. It would fulfill God's many promises that had not yet become a reality: The Holy Spirit would return, as... The Coming of the Spirit of God 1 In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God sometimes "came upon" people to give them power for God's work and to prophesy ( Numbers 24:2 ; Judges 3:10 ; 1 Samuel 10:10 ; 16:13 ; Ezekiel 11:5 ). During Jesus' time, many p... The Gift of Prophecy 1 As the apostle Peter stated on the day of Pentecost, prophecy was a result of God's Holy Spirit poured out ( Acts 2:17–21 ; see Joel 2:28–32 ). The book of Acts mentions a few Christian prophets ( Acts 11:27–28 ; 13:1... The Holy Spirit’s Presence 1 The book of Acts emphasizes the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Before the Spirit came, Jesus spoke about the Spirit's influence on his followers ( 1:8 ; see John 14:15–17 , 26 ; 15:26 ; 16:7–15 ). The Spirit c... The Promise of a Second Exodus 1 God brought the people of Israel back to their homeland from Babylon, just as he had brought them out of Egypt many years before ( Isaiah 48:20–21 ). (This first rescue from Egypt is called the exodus.) This time, whe... The Return of God’s Presence with His People 1 The descriptions of the Israelite exile include the terrible reality that, as part of his judgment, God removed his presence from his people and from the holy city of Jerusalem. This idea is most obviously present in... The Spirit’s Presence 1 In the Old Testament, the Spirit of the Lord came to people or groups when God gave them a task or chose them for a role. The Spirit empowered judges like Othniel, Gideon, and Jephthah for their duties ( Judges 3:10 ;... Worship in Jerusalem 1 The Old Testament prophets understood that true worship requires knowing God and his expectations. God decided that the temple in Jerusalem would be the main place for his people's worship. The Lord's voice came from...
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Outline
Use of Joel in the New Testament
Quoted 6 times across 2 New Testament books
Total quotations 6
Connected books 2
Most-connected book Acts 5