Joel

There are quite a few lines in the book of Joel that really strike me. Some of them are beautiful, others are gloomy but yet they still stand out. This minor prophet has a wonderful style of writing that really captures his feelings and his emotions in his writing. You can literally feel his sadness and a mixture of fear and other emotions when you read this book. "The land is like the garden of Eden before them But a desolate wilderness behind them". This is a wonderful line in the book of Joel, because the description is phenominal. In my opinion, one cannot get more descriptive as describing something so beautiful as the garden of Eden then going all the way to the opposite end of saying that there is a desolate wilderness behind them. This is a short sentence as well, and this is surprising, because it is so very descriptive and it paints the picture so vividly. "Like the crackling of a flame of fire consuming the stubble, Like a mighty people arranged for battle. Before them the people are in anguish". This is another series of lines that is absolutely amazing, because the descriptions are so vivid. Joel does not use extravagant wording to make his point, but he paints a picture in the readers mind. "Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions".  This is a very famous and popular series of lines in the book of Joel as God promises His outpouring of the Holy Spirit. However, reading it as a poem or literature sense shows me hope and joy in these lines. I mean, look at the lines! Old men will dream dreams! Young men will see visions! That is full of hope and joy and a bright future in times of trouble and sorrow for Israel. That line moves me now, but i can only imagine how beautiful it must have been for Israel while they were in exile and in trouble. "Let the weak say, I am a might man!". Here is another powerful and hopeful line, in which the weak will say i am strong. This just brings more hope and light to the darkness of the times. "The LORD roars from Zion", this is a beautiful line. This displays that we serve a mighty and a powerful God as Joel is talking about the Day of the Lord. He then follows that with a statement that says, the heavens and the earth tremble. This displays the power of God and that Israel is at His mercy. This is so beautiful, as throughout this whole book, Joel does an amazing job in displaying his point so vividly, without using many words. This is an extremely short book in the bible, however it is so powerful, because of the message, and the way it was composed. It turns out, I thought i was doing a literature homework assignment, however i was doing a devotion! I loved it.