Tell Your Children of It

The first words of Joel give this invitation: “Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land.  Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?  Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation” (Joel 1:2-3).  It’s likely that what the people were supposed to “tell” their children had to do with the great desolation that Joel was prophesying about, when “destruction from the Almighty” was coming because of the wickedness of the House of Israel.  But I’d like to think this invitation to teach our children can be viewed more broadly to cover all of the teachings of Joel in the short three chapters we have.  There is much taught by Joel in these few pages that is of great worth to those who must face the challenges of the coming days. 

                One of the messages of Joel is the fact that in the last days there will be great wars and difficulties.  He wrote of how “the vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth” and “joy is withered away from the sons of men” (Joel 1:12).  It’s likely that he was speaking of both events in his day as well as those of our day, and we know that great difficulties await us in the last days.  He also told specifically of a great war in the winding up scene when “all nations” would be gathered “into the valley of Jehoshaphat” (likely the Kidron Valley in Jerusalem) as part of a great war (Joel 3:2).  He warned, “Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up” (Joel 3:9).  It will surely be a frightening time for all the world, and so a knowledge that these kind of events will take place will help prepare our children to not lose hope when they do.  As Dante Alighieri said, “The arrow seen before, cometh less rudely.”

                Another important message from Joel is that in these difficulties we must turn to the Lord for strength.  In conjunction with the coming destruction described in chapter 1 he said, “Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord, Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come” (Joel 1:14-15).  When difficulties come we should come to the Lord, fast, and cry unto Him.  In the next chapter he said, “Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God” (Joel 2:12-13).  Our strength to get through the difficulties Joel described will be found as we turn to the Lord in prayer and righteous living.  “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call” (Joel 2:32). 

                In a similar vein, Joel’s writings teach us that the Lord will indeed help and deliver and bless us as we come unto Him in the last days.  Joel said, “He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness” (Joel 2:12-13).  He invited us with these words,“Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things” (Joel 2:21).  Joel prophesied of a future date saying, “And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.  And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed” (Joel 2:26-27).  In the two most famous verse of Joel we read further how the Lord will help us in the last days:“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit” (Joel 2:28-29).  In other words, through the Holy Ghost the young and the old can all have His spirit and receive revelation, and that will certainly be crucial for our children to make it through the last days safely.  Perhaps the most important thing that our children need to know from the writings of Joel is this:“The Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.  So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain” (Joel 3:16-17).  The Lord is our hope and our strength, and no matter what challenges we face we know that through His help we can make is safely through—that testimony alone is important enough to “tell your children of it.”