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1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel:
An Invasion of Locusts
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?
Tell your children of it,
and let your children tell their children,
and their children to another generation.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth
for the bridegroom of her youth.
The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off
from the house of the LORD.
The priests mourn,
the ministers of the LORD.
The fields are destroyed,
the ground mourns,
because the grain is destroyed,
the wine dries up,
the oil languishes.
Be ashamed, O tillers of the soil;
wail, O vinedressers,
for the wheat and the barley,
because the harvest of the field has perished.
The vine dries up;
the fig tree languishes.
Pomegranate, palm, and apple,
all the trees of the field are dried up,
and gladness dries up
from the children of man.
A Call to Repentance
Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests;
wail, O ministers of the altar.
Go in, pass the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God!
Because grain offering and drink offering
are withheld from the house of your God.
Consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly.
Gather the elders
and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the LORD your God,
and cry out to the LORD.
Alas for the day!
For the day of the LORD is near,
and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.
Is not the food cut off
before our eyes,
joy and gladness
from the house of our God?
The seed shrivels under the clods;
the storehouses are desolate;
the granaries are torn down
because the grain has dried up.
How the beasts groan!
The herds of cattle are perplexed
because there is no pasture for them;
even the flocks of sheep suffer.
To you, O LORD, I call.
For fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness,
and flame has burned
all the trees of the field.
Even the beasts of the field pant for you
because the water brooks are dried up,
and fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness.
(ESV)
Joel 1 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
The book of Joel centers around The Day of the Lord. Here is a brief synopsis of what that entails…
The Day of the Lord
- Though it probably refers to future events, it is not a requirement (as seen in Ezekiel 13:5). It is common for prophecy to speak to a historical event (in the near future) and eschatological (end times) events as well.
- This phrase is closely connected with natural disasters. It is linked to earthquakes, severe weather, dark clouds, plagues, and spiritual upheaval.
- However, the phrase also is connected to fruitfulness, blessing, and justice. It is the fulfillment of God’s promise to punish evil.
Woe because of that day! For the Day of the LORD is near and will come as devastation from the Almighty.
Joel 1:15 HCSB
In Joel 1, The Day of the Lord is a future judgment that is foreshadowed by a locust plague. It is natural to read these passages and get overwhelmed with terror. There should be a healthy fear, but there should also be rejoicing for those who know Jesus. In the end, humanity will have had its time, and we have seen what it has led to. The Day of the Lord is God’s day. He is coming and bringing His justice with Him.
In a sense, the judgment that Judah experienced with locusts was a lesser form of this day. It symbolized His power and control over all things and His promise to punish evil in the end. Those who know Jesus can celebrate with Him as He sets in motion the complete destruction of evil and suffering.