Joel 1

Joel was a prophet of Judah.  We really know very little about him.  For example he was the son of Pethuel (1:1) of whom the Bible says nothing.  That he prophesied in Judah is consistent with references to the sanctuary in 1:9,13,14 and 2:15.  That he was a prophet early in Judah’s history stems partly from the absence of dealing with idolatry.  

You saw in today’s reading Joel referred to a locust plague.  These happened often in Israel and this one was evidently very difficult.  Some think this plague is an allegory, actually referring to an invading nation.  But we see no reason to think this way but take the description as literal.  It is, however, an illustration of the sweeping judgments of the day of the LORD which is the subject of Joel 2-3.  In essence Joel is saying: the locust plague is terrible but if there is no repentance the coming judgments will be even worse.  

(As I write this the United States has just suffered a terrible destruction from hurricane Harvey in the Houston area.  As a nation we need to hear a call to repentance in these events.  As Jesus said, it is not that the people of south Texas were worse than everyone else; yet, if we do not repent we will all likewise perish [Luke 13:1-5].)

The plague of locusts was very severe.  Charles Feinberg noted that locusts were often called the incarnation of hunger.  They leave nothing behind as they sweep over an area.  That is the point of 1:4: these are not 4 types of locusts but rather indicate that what one left the next got, and what he left the next, etc.  

There are calls to people to mourn the plague, calls to the drunkards who will lose their drinks (1:5-7), the virgin who must gird herself in sackcloth (1:8), the priests who have no offerings to offer (1:9-10), the farmers and vinedressers who have no harvest (1:11-12). Ultimately everyone, because they dwell in and depend on the land, should be called to mourn (1:13-14).

In 1:15-20 Joel is still speaking of the locust plague.  That event qualifies as the day of the LORD.  In other words, for Israel, it is God’s judgment.  To understand this read Deut. 28 and the promises of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience.  The curses grow progressively worse as God’s people continue to disobey.  In Deut. 28:38-42 a locust plague is one of those judgments from God.  And continued disobedience would lead to the land being invaded by an enemy nation who would devour her produce like a plague of locusts (28:49-57) and then the LORD would cause the people to be carried away captive (28:64-68).  These further punishments are the subject of Joel 2-3.

The day of the LORD is when God seeks to set things right among His people.  God uses affliction show men there need for God and their need to turn to the Lord.  Can we not see God’s grace in this?  If a locust plague turns our hearts to the Lord it saves us a more severe judgment in the future.  Let us learn to listen!