I go to this lecture for no other reason than that the Word may dwell abundantly among us and that God may be praised with hymns and psalms. I want to help as much as I can so that there is an abundance and richness of the Word.
1) This prophet is a contemporary of Hosea and prophesies against the same people, against the kingdom of Ephraim, although he does not use this word, likewise about the same future calamity as Hosea. God uses to send his prophets beforehand and messengers to convert the hearts of some when he wants to do something. So also today. Since the desolation of Israel was imminent, God did not refrain from admonishing the people and calling them back to Himself; but as it is now, so it was also then with the word: few are with the same, and those who are despised, are
1) Luther tied the following introduction to the words of the first verse, therefore in the original the keyword is already here: Verba, which is however later wieverholt.
blasphemed, rebuked, ridiculed. Thus the word was ridiculed at that time, yes, the prophets were killed. Such is the course of the Word. We see an example of it today. Summa: [the task of the prophet is] to punish the people and to call them to repentance, because of the future disturbance of the people. He prophesies at a time when everything was in the highest bloom, which tends to be especially detrimental to the word 2c. In the [second] Book of Kings [Cap. 14, 25.] we read of the happy successes of Jeroboam, who was a great-grandson of Jehu. With this people [it went thus]: the prosperity of their kingdom beguiled them, as it is said in Proverbs [Cap. 1, 32.], ["The reprobate's fortune] killeth them." They did not recognize the mercy of GOD, but remained in their godless nature. They are hopeful. Therefore, he prophesies at a very inauspicious time because they were times of prosperity 2c. At a time of prosperity they are admonished to be afflicted, and again 2c.
*In the first relation of the prophet Joel the necessary information is given about the things which can serve as introduction to this writing. Therefore it remains only that we prove here the location of our writing in the editions. First, the same is printed in the Erlangen edition opp., tom. XXV, p. 315, then in the Weimar edition, vol. XIII, p. 125. A translation of it has not been available so far. We translate according to the Weimar edition.