By O. Palmer Robertson
Evangelical Press. 126 pages. £
ISBN 0 85234 335 3
All too often the Minor Prophets have either been neglected or misunderstood by the Church. Hence their enormous usefulness has been left untapped. The arrival of this latest commentary in the Welwyn series goes a long way towards rescuing Joel from that fate.
The content, structure and style of the commentary are the same as we have grown accustomed to in this valuable series. An eleven page introduction gives the necessary background to the book and draws attention to the covenantal character of some of the Hebrew terms which are used, thus highlighting their significance both for the translation and interpretation of the book. He goes on to divide the book into five sections and deal with it in five corresponding chapters.
He brings the prominence of the theme of covenant, not just for Joel, but the entire message of the Bible, into sharp focus, saying: 'The well-being of the world hinges on man's covenantal relationship with his Creator.' (page 39). Dr. Robertson has written extensively on this theme elsewhere and demonstrates its importance in understanding the flow of Redemptive History. The wider significance of this in his treatment of Joel is to show that the message of this particular book cannot be isolated from the message of the whole Bible.
Other themes are highlighted and shown to have rich contemporary relevance. On the issue of spiritual renewal he says: 'Repentance is God's way of revival.' (page 79). He talks about materialism and its effect on spirituality. He picks up as well on the issues of tongues and prophecy (since Joel's prophecy is linked by Peter to the events of Pentecost) and comments carefully on how these are viewed today. He makes allusion to the theory of prophecy propounded by Wayne Grudem and offers a useful evaluation (page 86). The book ends with a very helpful annotated bibliography which gives scope for further study. All in all, it is one of those books which not only draws the reader into itself, but ultimately into the Word!
