Joel: The “Loscust” Prophet

Joel 1:1-31 The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. 2 Hear this, you elders, And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land! Has anything like this happened in your days, Or even in the days of your fathers? 3 Tell your children about it, Let your children tell their

children, And their children other generation.

Introduction Joel – We know little about him outside this

book The date – Uncertain, some believe it is early –

about 830 BC This short book deals with the enemies of Israel

Phoenicians Philistines Edomites Egypt

Devastation – Unique What Joel describes had not happened in

their lifetime, or the lifetime of their parents.

It would not happen in the next generation.

(1:3) Tell your children about it, Let your children tell their children, And their children another generation.

Devastation – Nature Locust invasion (1:4) What the chewing locust left, the

swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.

Swarm of Locust

THE CLEAN UP

Devastation – Results 10 The field is wasted, The land mourns; For

the grain is ruined, The new wine is dried up, The oil fails. 11 Be ashamed, you farmers, Wail, you vinedressers, For the wheat and the barley; Because the harvest of the field has perished. 12 The vine has dried up, And the fig tree has withered; The pomegranate tree, The palm tree also, And the apple tree--All the trees of the field are withered; Surely joy has withered away from the sons of men. Joel 1:10-12

Devastation – Results Streams dry up Fires break out Animals hunt water Vineyards, fruit trees dry up and die Grain is not produced Seeds will not germinate in the ground No food now, no store for future

Devastation – Spiritual The grain offering and the drink offering

Have been cut off from the house of the Lord; The priests mourn, who minister to the Lord. Joel 1:9

They could not offer anything to the Lord The priests were “out of business” There was nothing to offer in sacrifice

Devastation – Meaning What was the significance of all this? This was not just an “act of God” - a

natural calamity (tornado, flood, hurricane) God had promised such destruction

Devastation – Meaning 11 And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods,

in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. Deuteronomy 28:11-12

Devastation – Meaning "But it shall come to pass, if you do not

obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: Deuteronomy 8:15

Devastation – Meaning 39 You shall plant vineyards and tend them, but

you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. 40 You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil; for your olives shall drop off. 41 You shall beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours; for they shall go into captivity. 42 Locusts shall consume all your trees and the produce of your land. Deuteronomy 28:39-42

Devastation – Meaning This would not happen if they remained faithful

and obedient to God Israel was ripe for God's judgment against them Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at

hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty. Joel 1:15

Blow 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 is coming, For it is at hand: Joel 2:1

Call to Repentance 13 Gird yourselves and lament, you priests;

Wail, you who minister before the altar; Come, lie all night in sackcloth, You who minister to my God; For the grain offering and the drink offering Are withheld from the house of your God. 14 Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land Into the house of the Lord your God, And cry out to the Lord.

Joel 1:13-14

Call to Repentance 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a

sacred assembly; 16 Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. 17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, "Spare Your people, O Lord, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?' " Joel 2:15-17

Call to Repentance 12 "Now, therefore," says the Lord, "Turn

to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." 13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.

Joel 2:12-13

Important Lessons We see God's covenant faithfulness

He keeps His promises He promised blessings – if faithful He promised curses – if unfaithful God kept all His promises

Important Lessons We see the nature of repentance

God was looking for fasting God was looking for prayer God was looking for weeping God was looking for genuine

repentance God was looking for change in behavior

Important Lessons We see the promise of Pentecost "And it shall come to pass afterward That I

will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. Joel 2:28

Study also Acts 2:16 – But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

Important Lessons We see the only hope of deliverance And it shall come to pass That whoever

calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls. Joel 2:32

See also Romans 10:13

Important Lessons We see the defeat of God's enemies

and the victory of His people And it will come to pass in that day That

the mountains shall drip with new wine, The hills shall flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; A fountain shall flow from the house of the Lord And water the Valley of Acacias. Joel 3:18

Time of Decision

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

Joel 3:14