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JOEL

INTRODUCTION
The exact date of the book of Joel is difficult to know, since it does not refer to the reign of any particular king. The specific occasion of the book, however, is very clear and Joel uses this occasion to deliver a powerful spiritual message.

The book begins by graphically describing how a swarm of locusts has overrun the land of Judah and eaten everything in sight. After calling for the people to repent in response to this disaster, the book offers a detailed description of the locust swarm itself. The locusts are like an invading army, with God at their head. Joel asserts that the day of the Lord—a day of judgment—has come. He renews his call for repentance through fasting, community prayer and heartfelt contrition. In response, he promises that God will not only drive the locusts away, but restore more than they have devoured. He foretells God’s defeat of all the nations that oppose his people, and how God will pour out his Spirit on the survivors in Judah. If the people return to the Lord with all of their hearts, they will see the return of their prosperity when the day of the Lord arrives.

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Joel 1 (ESV)

1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel:

An Invasion of Locusts

² Hear this, you elders;
give ear, all inhabitants of the land!
Has such a thing happened in your days,
or in the days of your fathers?
³ Tell your children of it,
and let your children tell their children,
and their children to another generation.

⁴ What the cutting locust left,
the swarming locust has eaten.
What the swarming locust left,
the hopping locust has eaten,
and what the hopping locust left,
the destroying locust has eaten.

⁵ Awake, you drunkards, and weep,
and wail, all you drinkers of wine,
because of the sweet wine,
for it is cut off from your mouth.
⁶ For a nation has come up against my land,
powerful and beyond number;
its teeth are lions’ teeth,
and it has the fangs of a lioness.
⁷ It has laid waste my vine
and splintered my fig tree;
it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down;
their branches are made white.

REFLECTION:

• The revelation of God comes to the prophet, so the words of the prophet are the words of God. The people should “hear” and “give ear” to the warning words of the prophet (1): The plague of locusts is approaching, which means that God’s judgment is coming, and the people should humble and repent and turn to God!
• God exhorts parents to pass on the history of their own nation to their descendants, and tell them the lessons they have learned to their children and grandchildren over and over again (3). For the younger generation, the life experience of the elders is the most precious asset. It can help them retake the success of their predecessors and avoid repeating failures.
• Joel’s detailed description has led many people to believe that he was referring to a locust disaster that has occurred or is about to occur (4); another opinion believes that locusts symbolize invading enemy forces. In fact, both are predictable. The locust represents destruction, and Joel intended to point out that God would punish people for their sins. He called this judgment “the day of the Lord.”
• The people’s body and moral will have declined, and they have no sense of sin (5). Joel urged them to awaken from their selfishness and confess their past as soon as possible; otherwise, everything will be destroyed, and even the grapes that make them drunk will be destroyed. Today, a comfortable and rich life can make us lose our vigilance. Therefore, we must not allow material abundance to hinder our spiritual renewal.

PRAYER:

Lord! Please remind me to exercise self-discipline, not to give up the opportunity to listen to the Lord, and to be close to You spiritually every day. Help me to always be vigilant not to be tempted by lust and money to sin against You, incurring Your trial.

HYMN:

Just a Closer Walk with Thee – youtu.be/Y6Ks49apflE