Joel: Prophet of the Coming Day of the Lord

Welwyn Commentary #29

by O. Palmer Robertson

For such a short book the prophecy of Joel deals with weighty matters that continue to have significance even today. The certainty and severity of God's judgements that are to fall first on God's own people and then on all the nations of the world, and the prominence of the Day of the Lord in the purposes and plans of God, all display the lordship of God in human history. Joel reminds the people of the divine summons to heartfelt repentance and the glorious truth of the consummate blessing of the Lord in the renewal of the earth by the outpouring of his Spirit on men and women, young and old, Jew and Gentile.

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Owen Palmer Robertson (born August 31, 1937) is an American Christian theologian and biblical scholar. He taught at Reformed Theological Seminary, Westminster Theological Seminary, Covenant Theological Seminary, Knox Theological Seminary as well as at the African Bible Colleges of Malawi and Uganda. He also served as principal of the latter institution.

Robertson is perhaps best known for his book The Christ of the Covenants. His definition of a biblical covenant being "a bond in blood, sovereignly administered" has been widely discussed.

In 2008, a Festschrift was published in his honor. The Hope Fulfilled: Essays in Honor of O. Palmer Robertson included contributions by Bruce Waltke, Richard Gaffin, Robert L. Reymond and George W. Knight III.

Reviews

[Nathanael Barr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply excellent. A wonderful exposition. Robertson’s commentary is so helpful in clarifying the hard things about this Minor Prophet, and the applications drawn out are clear, sound, and beneficial. If you want to study the book of Joel, get a copy of this.

[Samuel Parkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Palmer Robertson is always worth reading, and so is this - especially on a book like Joel, where there is so little good stuff available. It reads as a book of sermons rather than a commentary, but it's a good one.
It lost the final star for some odd emphases - e.g. more time telling us what the spirit poured out in the last days doesn't mean, than what it does mean - and that generally slightly erratic feel of sermons that may have been right for a particular place, rather than the core message of the book. Some of the lines of application seemed a little sketchy.
But nonetheless, a helpful little book.

[Vitor Cortial · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eu me sinto mal por dar uma nota abaixo de 5 para Dr. Robertson. Este comentário tem muitos insights e entendimentos preciosos (principalmente no tocante ao pacto), mas não é consistente. Pobre demais em umas partes, e rico em outras.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fine introductory commentary on the prophet Joel. It is not technical, but it has some helpful applications. His comments on the outpouring of the Spirit in 2:28-32 and of the Day of the Lord made the book worth picking up. It's hard to go wrong with O. Palmer Robertson.