Reading: Joel
Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten. Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth. For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white (Joel 1:2-7).
Little is known about the prophet Joel. We can’t even determine with 100% accuracy the period in which he served because there are no dates, known events, or names of (previously dated) prophets or kings mentioned in the three chapters of his recorded prophecy. After analyzing his message and references to Judah, most Biblical scholars place the opening of his ministry around 835 BC during the early years of the reign of King Joash of Judah. This would make Joel one of the earliest prophets to minister to the nation of Judah.
Joel’s ministry began on the heels of a devastating natural disaster the likes of which Judah had never before seen. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. The nation had been overrun by a swarm of locusts that had laid waste to every green or growing thing. Crops, trees, vineyards—all were consumed. Their flocks and herds were decimated due to a lack of food (Joel 1:18-20), and the people were left with nothing, not even enough to make sacrifices to God. The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, the Lord’s ministers, mourn (1:9).
It was in the midst of this devastation that Joel rose to speak to the people. But instead of the words of encouragement or comfort that one might have expected from a messenger of God in the face of so much suffering, Joel brought a stern warning. Basically, he told his neighbors, “You think this is bad? You haven’t seen anything yet! This is nothing compared to what’s coming if you don’t repent and repair your relationship with God.” Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand (2:1).
Some in the time of Joel likely recognized the locust plague as a fulfillment of God’s warning promise to their ancestors (Deut. 28:38-39). Others may have viewed it as an attack from evil or even a naturally occurring disaster. Regardless of what they believed the root cause to be, however, there was only one possible correct response. Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord (Joel 1:14). Only by humbly and openly reaching out to God would they be able to find their way through.
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer (Rom. 12:12).
Thought for Today: Only solid faith can weather the storms of worldly life.
Christ Revealed:As the One who said: I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh (people) (Joel 2:28) – fulfilled in part on the Day of Pentecost and still being fulfilled today (Acts 2:16-18).
Word Studies:1:12 languisheth = withers away; 1:16 meat = food; 1:17 garners = storehouses, granaries; 2:6 gather blackness = turn pale with terror.
Pray for Bible Pathway Printer: Pollock Printing, Nashville TN• Government Officials: Rep David Trone (MD), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA) • Country: Canada (34,834,84)English, French • Religious Freedom • 40.5% Catholic; 20.5% Protestant; 6.3% Other Christian; 3.2% Muslim; 1.5% Hindu; 1.4% Sikh; 1.1% Buddhist; 1% Jewish; 0.6% Other; 23.9% None • Prayer Suggestion: Confess your sins and ask the Lord to restore the joy of your salvation (Ps. 51:1-3,12).