John Calvin Commentary Joel 2:28

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:" — Joel 2:28 (ASV)

We have explained why the Prophet began with earthly blessings. One may indeed think that this order is not proper; for Christ does not in vain remind us that the kingdom of God ought to be sought first, and that other things will be added in their place (Matthew 6); for food, and everything that belongs to this frail life, are, as it were, additions to the spiritual life.

But the Prophet deliberately mentioned first the evidence of God’s favor in outward benefits, for we see how slow people's perceptions are, and how slothful they are in seeking spiritual life. Since, then, people rise to things above with so much difficulty, the Prophet uses the best aids; and we must indeed be dealt with as we usually deal with children.

For as there is not enough discernment in them to be influenced by reasons, we set before them what is suitable to their weak and simple comprehension; so the Prophet did. He first showed that God would be kind to the Jews in providing food for the body, and having used this as an aid, he then added, Afterwards I will pour my Spirit upon all flesh.

By these words, the Prophet reminds us that people act absurdly when they are satisfied with vanishing things, when they ask of God nothing more excellent than to be pampered like brute animals. For in what do the children of God differ from donkeys and dogs, unless they aspire after spiritual life?

The Prophet, then, after having set before them lower things, as though they were children, now brings before them a more solid doctrine (for this is how they were to be led) and offers them a taste of God's favor in its external signs.

“Ascend, then, now,” he says, “to spiritual life, for the fountain is one and the same; though when earthly benefits occupy and engross your attention, you no doubt pollute them. But God feeds you, not to fill and pamper you, for He would not have you be like brute animals. Therefore, know that your bodies are fed and that God gives support to you so that you may aspire after spiritual life; for He leads you to this as by the hand. Let this then be your object.”

We now, then, understand why the Prophet did not at first speak of the spiritual grace of God, but comes to it now. He began with temporal benefits, for it was necessary that an untutored people should be led in this way by degrees. On account of their weakness, sluggishness, and dullness, they might thus make better progress, until they understood that God would, for this end, be a Father to them.

And it shall be, that I shall afterwards pour my Spirit upon all flesh, and prophesy shall your sons and your daughters and your old men shall dreams dream, and your young men shall visions see. We mentioned in our last lecture why the Prophet finally speaks of the spiritual grace of God, having previously spoken of earthly blessings.

The order may indeed seem irregular, but it can be easily explained. The Prophet first said that God, being reconciled to the people, would openly manifest this by external proofs, by restoring an abundance of wine and grain. For since the people being almost worn out by famine and want was evidence of God’s vengeance, the Prophet made the testimony of reconciliation to be in tokens of a contrary kind.

But as the restoration of the Church consists neither in the fruitfulness of the land nor in the abundance of provisions, the Prophet now raises the thoughts of the godly higher and makes them look for the spiritual grace of God. Hence he says, I shall afterwards pour my Spirit upon all flesh.

The Prophet, no doubt, promises here something greater than what the fathers under the Law had experienced. The gift of the Spirit, we know, was enjoyed even by the ancients. However, the Prophet does not promise what the faithful had experienced before but, as we have said, something greater.

This may easily be gathered from the word used here, “pour out”; for שפך shephek means not to dispense in small drops, but to pour forth in great abundance. God did not pour out His Holy Spirit so abundantly and so largely under the Law as He did after the manifestation of Christ.

Since, then, the gift of the Spirit was more copiously given to the Church after the advent of Christ, the Prophet here uses an unusual expression—that God would pour out His Spirit.

Another circumstance is added: upon all flesh. Though the Prophets, as we know, formerly had their colleges, yet they were few in number. Since, then, the gift of prophecy was rare among the Jews, the Prophet, to show that God would deal more bountifully with His new Church when restored, says that He would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh.

He then intimates that all alike would be partakers of the gift of the Spirit and of its rich abundance, while under the Law a few had only a sparing taste of it. We now, therefore, perceive the Prophet's design; it was to make a clear difference between the state of the ancient people and the state of the new Church, whose restoration he now discusses.

The comparison is that God would not only endow a few with His Spirit, but the whole mass of the people, and then that He would enrich His faithful with all kinds of gifts, so that the Spirit would seem to be poured forth in full abundance: I will then pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.

From this we learn how absurdly the Greek interpreter has rendered this: “I will pour out from my Spirit.” For he diminishes this promise by saying, “From my Spirit,” as though God promised here some small portion of His Spirit, while, on the contrary, the Prophet speaks of abundance and intended to express it.

It follows, Prophesy shall your sons and your daughters. The Prophet now proceeds to explain what he had said, explaining in detail what he meant by the expression “upon all flesh.” This was that the whole people would prophesy, or that the gift of prophecy would be common and prevail everywhere among all the Jews, in a new and unusual manner. The ancients also had Prophets, though few in number; but now the Prophet extends this gift and favor to all classes. Prophesy then shall your sons and your daughters, he says, so that he does not exclude women.

He afterwards mentions two kinds of prophesying: Your old men shall dreams dream, and your young men shall visions see. “Young men” literally means “chosen,” בחורים bechurim. But as strength prevails most in a person during middle age, those who possess vigor and judgment, and still retain their strength, are called “chosen.” Hence by “chosen” he means those of mature age.

When God manifested Himself to the Prophets, it was usually done, we know, by dreams and visions, as it is said in Numbers 12; this was, we might say, the ordinary method.

The Prophet now refers to these two modes of communication and says that the gift of prophecy would be common to men and women, to the old and those of middle age. We now perceive the meaning of this verse. There is, then, no essential difference between dreams and visions; the Prophet only mentions these two kinds so that readers might better understand that what he had previously stated in general terms would be common to all.

But I have already said that this prophecy must be referred to the advent of Christ, for we know that what is described here was not fulfilled until after Christ appeared in the world. The Prophet now preaches about the new restoration of the Church, which, we know, was suspended until the Gospel was proclaimed.

Let us now see whether God, after Christ was revealed, performed what He had spoken by His Prophet. Peter, in Acts 2, says that this prophecy was fulfilled when the Spirit was sent. But it may be objected that not all were endowed with the gift of prophecy, even when God opened all the treasures of His grace; Paul says that they were not all prophets even when the Church especially flourished, and experience proves the same.

How then could Peter say that this—that God would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh—was fulfilled? To answer this is not difficult: let us only remember that the Prophet speaks comparatively, as Scripture is accustomed to do. He does not affirm in express terms that all would be partakers of this gift, but that in comparison with the ancient Church, this gift would be, as it were, common; and that it was so is well known.

For if anyone compares the ancient Church with the abundance that God bestowed upon His people after Christ’s advent, he will certainly find true what I say: that the Spirit of God, who was given to only a few under the Law, was poured out upon all flesh. What the Prophet says is true, then, provided this contrast is understood: that God was much more bountiful towards His new Church than formerly towards the fathers. For the Prophets then were not many, but they were many under the gospel.

We must also remember that the Prophet hyperbolically extols the grace of God. For such is our stupidity and dullness that we can never sufficiently comprehend the grace of God unless it is set forth to us in hyperbolical language. Nor is there indeed any exaggeration in the thing itself, if we take a right view of it.

But as we hardly understand the hundredth part of God’s gifts when He presents them before our eyes, it was necessary to add a commendation calculated to elevate our thoughts. The Spirit of God is then constrained to speak hyperbolically on account of our torpor or rather carelessness.

However, we need not fear that our thoughts should go beyond the words; for when God would carry us above the heavens, we can hardly ascend two or three feet.

We now perceive why the Prophet mentions all flesh without exception. First, as I have said, there were more Prophets under the gospel than under the Law; hence, the comparison is very suitable.

Secondly, the Prophet does not speak here of the public office of teaching, for he calls those Prophets who had not been called to teach but who were endowed with so much of the light of truth that they might be compared with the Prophets. Certainly, the knowledge that flourished in the primitive Church was such that even the humblest were in many respects equal to the ancient Prophets.

For what did God confer on the ancient Prophets except the power of foretelling something to come? It was a special gift, and very limited. Besides, these predictions are hardly worthy to be compared with the celestial wisdom made known in the gospel. Faith, then, after the coming of Christ, if rightly estimated according to its value, far excels the gift of prophecy.

And so the Prophet here, not without reason, dignifies with such an honorable name those who were private individuals and who were not entrusted with the office of teaching among the people, but who were only illuminated. For their light was much superior to the gift of prophecy in many of those who lived under the Law. We now understand what the Prophet means when he makes the Spirit of God common, without distinction, to all the godly, so that they possess what excels the gift of prophesying.

Regarding the two kinds of gifts mentioned here, it must be observed that the Prophet spoke according to what was commonly understood among the people. For as the Jews were accustomed to dreams and visions, the Prophet therefore used these terms. This manner of speaking occurs often in the Prophets, and we ought to bear this in mind.

When they speak of the worship of God, they mention sacrifices: They shall come and bring frankincense and gold; they shall lead camels laden with the wealth of the land. In short, in their prophecies they raise altars and build a temple.

And yet no such things were seen after Christ appeared, for the Gentiles did not come to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices. Indeed, shortly after the temple was destroyed, there was no altar among them, and the whole legal worship ceased.

What then is to be understood by such expressions as people coming from all places to sacrifice together? Simply this: they set forth the spiritual worship of God under a visible form. It is the same in this passage; as it was the usual way among the ancients for God to manifest Himself by dreams and visions to the Prophets, so he says, your old men shall dreams dream, and your young men shall visions see. But the Prophet no doubt sets forth under these forms of speech that light of knowledge in which the new Church excelled after Christ appeared. He indeed compares the light of faith to prophecy, as we have already stated, but he adapts his manner of speaking or his discourse to the comprehension of his people, for he knew whom he addressed.

All the Prophets have followed the same rule. There shall be offered a sacrifice, says Malachi, from the rising to the setting of the sun. What is this sacrifice? The Papists take this for the mass: “Then under the kingdom of Christ there is to be some sacrifice; and we do not now offer to God sheep and calves; it therefore follows that there is to be the sacrifice of bread and wine.” This is said as though the Prophet had thus subtly philosophized on the word “sacrifice,” while he was teaching an untutored people according to what they could bear. But what he meant was that the worship of God would be universal among all nations. The same thing is intended by Joel when he says, I shall pour forth my Spirit upon all flesh: your old men shall dreams dream, and your young men shall visions see. We now see the Prophet's whole meaning.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that since we need so many aids while in this frail life, and as it is a shadowy life, we cannot pass a moment unless You continually, and at all times, supply through Your bounty what is necessary—O grant that we may so profit by Your many benefits that we may learn to raise our minds upwards and ever aspire after celestial life, to which by Your gospel You invite us so kindly and sweetly every day, so that being gathered into Your celestial kingdom, we may enjoy that perfect felicity which has been procured for us by the blood of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.