The salvation-restoration oracle in Joel 1 and 2 depicts the four phases of a spiritual cycle that has economic consequences: backsliding causes Yahweh to progressively remove His blessing, thus creating economic “recession”; disobedience (i.e. deliberate, blatant sin) leads to “depression”; true, heart-felt repentance causes Yahweh to reinstate His blessing, which kick-starts the process of “recovery”; and increasing levels of obedience lead ultimately to full blessing, resulting in “prosperity”. In particular, Joel 2:28 suggests that the outpouring of economic blessing will either precede or occur in close proximity to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And since the apostle Peter used this passage to introduce his Pentecost sermon, I would argue that, when the devout Jews in his audience were hearing about Jesus, they were also thinking about Joel; or, to be more precise, the promises of economic transformation outlined in that book. Furthermore, the early chapters of Acts contain sufficient evidence to suggest that the economic prosperity promised in the OT salvation-restoration oracles was actually experienced by the Primitive Church in the post-Pentecost period. Consequently, it is possible that the persecution experienced by the Hellenistae was motivated primarily by economic factors, although doctrinal issues obviously provided a convenient excuse.
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Hearing about Jesus, but thinking about Joel: exploring the biblical and historical relationship between spiritual and economic transformation
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