Joel

Joel was a prophet to God’s people in Judah. At this time, the nation of Israel had split after King Solomon’s death into two kingdoms—Israel, the Northern Kingdom, and Judah, the Southern Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was led by a series of evil kings. God sent prophets to warn Israel of its wrongdoing, but the people did not listen. After years of disobedience, God allowed the Assyrians to deport the people of Israel, and the Northern Kingdom was destroyed.

The Southern Kingdom of Judah was led by several kings; some of them were good, and some of them were evil. The people struggled to be faithful to God. God sent prophets to warn Judah of God’s coming judgment. The prophets called the people to repent and gave hope to those who would turn back to God.