If Prophecy Was Country Music? A Book of Joel Ten Commandments’ Moment

To My Email Readers: I apologize for the prior incomplete post. My dog hit the publish key!

Country Music walks a line. On one side, there is brilliant lyric of “exes living in Texas” to “the time i get to Phoenix” to the roads with “Mountain Mamas”. These country songs paint pictures rivaling those working on a canvas medium. Country music, on the otherside, has failings. We hear what rhymes with “pick up trucks” and “shots of whiskey”. These lesser country are liken to those who work with a velvet medium to paint. With this, we have visions of Elvis in a jumpsuit or a bunch of dogs playing five card draw.

The Hebrew Bible Prophets’ creativity was challenged. Like Country Songs, there was a risk involved. Seemingly monotonous material would not shake souls. Poetry and Prophesy need innovation. The Prophets soaring words could be grounded by the repetition familiar trope.

With Joel, which is located in the Book of the Twelve Prophets, we have the poetry of mountains. Unlike Deborah- the Judge and Poet- who referenced Mt. Sinai, Judge 5:5, Joel, as well, references another holy mountain.

“Blow the shofar of Zion and sound the trumpet on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord has come; it is near- a day of darkness and thick darkness, a day of cloud and thick cloud, spreading over the mountains like the day- a numerous and mighty people, its like has not been from eternity, and after it there will never again be; until the years of generations after generation.” Joel 2:1

Joel’s words embracing Jerusalem connects with allusions towards Mt. Sinai. As the Ten Commandments were housed in the Jerusalem Temple, the holiness of Mt. Sinai arguably spread to this new location. This assertion, however, must also consider that Jerusalem’s holiness is tied to the notion that it is the location of Mt. Moriah; the site upon which the binding of Isaac occurred. Thus, the mountain’s holiness is connected to these three events. The Prophet Joel brilliantly ties everything together with the blowing of a Shofar, a ram’s horn. A ram’s horn was also blown Mt. Sinai. Exodus 19. Further, the shofar is symbolic of Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac in that it was a ram who was found and sacrificed in lieu of Isaac.

In sum, it is fair that say that Joel walked the line and offered a moment of great poetry and prophesy. He painted words with a scene of shofars blowing, trembling, clouds and masses of people captured the moment. He emotionally connected to his audience like the Country greats of Johnny Cash, George Strait, Glenn Campbell and John Denver.

Be well!!

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