From the Pulpit...

We read about the circumstances surrounding the time period in which Joel may have prophesied. The high places (man-made idols elevated in high places) violated the divine mandate of a single sanctuary. Because Israel had only one God, He was to be worshiped in only one sanctuary. God blessed and honored the king's efforts to put God's house in proper order and repair... the temple. Joash's career did not end as grandly as it began. Once a God-fearing young ruler, he died a disappointment. The writer says only that Joash traded treasure from the Lord's temple to rescue Jerusalem from the attack by Hazael, king of Syria. The Lord allowed the Aramean army to attack Jerusalem as an act of judgement upon His people for forsaking Him. We also study in the book of Joel how God judged the people of Israel by locusts and judgement by drought.