Joel Chapter 1 The Disaster of the Land Treasures From the Book of Joel
Joel 1: [1]
The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. [2]
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? [3] Tell ye your
children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children
another generation.
[4] 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.
1. The Description of Devastation 1-4
The Word of the Lord came unto Joel.
The
name Joel means Jehovah is God.
Joel was the son of Pethuel.
Joel lived in Jerusalem and he spoke the Word the Lord to
the S. Kingdom (Judah).
Joel prophesied somewhere around 835BC.
In verse 1-4, Joel describes the devastation caused by a
current plague of locusts.
God had warned His people about the consequences of
disobedience, Deut 28:15,38-42.
Deuteronomy
28:15, 38-42
[15] But it shall come to pass, if thou
wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his
commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these
curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
[38] Thou shalt
carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather
but little in; for the locust shall consume it.
[39] Thou shalt
plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither
drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
[40] Thou shalt
have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt
not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive
shall cast his fruit.
[41] Thou shalt
beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy
them; for they shall go into captivity.
[42] All thy trees and fruit of
thy land shall the locust consume.
If Judah would not heed the Word of the Lord, then God
promised to send judgment.
Historically Israel has been a long time in sin and for
this God sends a sore plague of locusts.
According to 2 Kings chapter’s 11 & 12, King Ahaziah was killed in battle.
His mother Athaliah saw an
opportunity to seize control.
Athaliah began to kill all of
the royal heirs, when Ahaziah’s sister took Ahaziahs son Joash and hid him.
Joash was about 1 year of age
when he was hidden in the Temple.
Athaliah reigned in wickedness
for 6 years until she was overthrown by the High Priest.
The High Priest Jehoiada
installed Joash as king at the age of 7.
For many years the High Priest instructed Joash and Joash became one of
Israel’s greatest kings.
According to 2 Chronicles 24:15-22, upon the High Priest’s death, Joash listened to false counselors.
God sent a prophet to preach to him, but Joash had the prophet stoned.
It believe it was right around here
that God, in His mercy, sent this great plague of locusts upon the land.
These locusts have swarmed the land in great clouds
causing the land to be covered in darkness.
Each female locust lays
around 150 eggs every 11 days. They live 4 months and that’s over 1500 eggs
each.
A
locust can grow up to 6 inches in length. A locust can eat its own weight daily
about 2 grams.
There
are 80 million in one large swarm. 453.59 grams/lb. One swarm eats 352,741
pounds per day.
One large
swarm can eat up to 176 tons of vegetation per day.
One
large swarm of 80 million could reproduce to 12 billion in about 4 months.
In verse 2, Joel asks the people of the land if they have
ever seen or heard of such devastation.
In verse 3, Joel commands the people to tell their
children and subsequent generations.
This devastation is something that Judah should not ever
forget.
·
Can you remember
12-7-41 (Pearl Harbor), 11-22-63 (JFK) or 9-11-01 (the attack on Trade Center)?
In
verse 4, Joel speaks of the palmerworm, the locust, the cankerworm and the
caterpillar.
While
this could be the description of the locust in 4 stages of development I
believe it to be 4 swarms of locusts.
The
palmerworm is the locust when it is first hatched and is gnawing.
The
locust is the second stage as it sprouts wings to fly and swarms.
The
cankerworm is the third stage where it creeps upon the earth.
The
caterpillar is the fourth stage where it reaches full growth and strips the
land devouring everything in its path.
But again, when one reads the text it makes you think
that this is 4 separate swarms or bands of locusts.
No doubt the land of Judah was in sheer devastation.
Proverbs 30:27
[27] The locusts have no king, yet go
they forth all of them by bands;
Joel 1: [5]
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. [6] 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. [7] 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. [8] Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of
her youth. [9] The meat offering
and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD's ministers, mourn. [10] The field is wasted, the land mourneth;
for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.
[11] Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen;
howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest
of the field is perished. [12]
The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth;
the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the
trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of
men.
2. Disciplined by Disaster 5-12
God has allowed this devastation to come in order to
bring chastisement and discipline upon Judah.
In verse 5, Joel cries “Awake, ye drunkards, and weep.”
Joel
cries for the people to awake. How can they sleep through this plague of
locusts?
Judah’s senses are dulled to the reality of God’s
discipline. They seem unaware of sin and it’s
judgment.
Isaiah 5:20-25
[20] Woe unto them that call evil good,
and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put
bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! [21] Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in
their own sight! [22] Woe unto
them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
[23] Which
justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous
from him! [24] Therefore as the
fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness,
and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of
the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. [25] Therefore is the anger of the LORD
kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them,
and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases
were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned
away, but his hand is stretched out still.
The nation must awake and repent of their sin or the
nation will suffer utter destruction.
. The nation must sober up for their intoxications have been
devoured by the locusts.
In verse 6, the locusts are as devastating as any
invading army.
These little bitty insects are without number but are so
powerful as to cause sheer destruction.
God is reminding Judah of their dependence on God.
Judah is powerless to stop the advancements of the
locusts, unless they repent.
·
Just as the
locust is destroying the land, sin is destroying the nation.
·
The appetite of
the locust is never satisfied neither is the appetite for sin satisfied.
God
says the locust is devouring “my land.” Israel and Judah belonged
to God.
In
verse 7, God says the locusts have laid “my vine” and “my fig tree” waste.
The vine
and the fig tree are always symbols of peace; but they are now destroyed.
Israel
is many times symbolized by the vine and the fig tree.
It
is Israel that lies in waste. It is Israel that is debarked and exposed the
shame of their sin.
In verse 8, Joel says that Judah must “lament.”
A lament is an utter cry of sorrow.
Judah should lament like an espoused virgin bride whose
husband has been killed.
This virgin bride would be overwhelmed by tragedy and
Judah should act as such.
Judah must not weep over the devastation of the locusts,
but they should weep over their sins.
Judah must repent.
In
verse 9, the priests, the Lord’s ministers are mourning.
Because
of the devastation there are no more offerings to be offered at God’s
House.
The
offerings are no longer available. There is neither drink nor food available.
In
verse 10, the crops are destroyed. There will be no wine of grapes, olives, or
corn.
The
scripture says “the land mourneth.”
In
verse 11, the farmers are ashamed and the vinedressers are howling for their
great loses.
The
suffering of the land, the beasts and the suffering of men is great. The
economy is in ruins.
In
verse 12, the fruit trees are destroyed.
The
things that caused men to be joyous, has withered away.
Just
as their joy in the Lord God had previously withered away, the things they
valued on earth is gone.
Joel 1: [13]
Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come,
lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God:
for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden
from the house of your God. [14]
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,
3. The Directions for a Decision 13-14
In
verse 13, Joel tells the priests to gird themselves. That is to prepare for
repentance.
These
ministers should lie all night in sackcloth.
In
verse 14, Joel says God commands that you “sanctify ye a fast.”
God
never gave Israel a fast day until they plunged into sin.
This
fasting would focus their attention on God and demonstrate their change of
heart.
No
longer desiring the things of earth; the men of God are now
desiring the things of God.
We
must remember how dependent we are on the Lord.
Joel
says God commands that you “call a solemn assembly.”
God
wants the people to come together solemnly in reverence.
Joel
says God commands that you “gather the elders and the inhabitants of the
land into the house of the Lord.”
The
House of the Lord is the place where God will meet with His people.
Joel
says God commands that you “cry unto the Lord.”
The
people must repent and cry out to God for forgiveness, in repentance and seek
the mercy of God.
Joel 1: [15]
Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand,
and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. [16] Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness
from the house of our God? [17]
The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered. [18] How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no
pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. [19] O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the
pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned
all the trees of the field.
[20] The beasts of the field cry
also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath
devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
4. Discerning the Day of the Lord 15-20
Joel prophesies the destruction of the locust plague is a
foretaste of the coming day of the Lord.
The Day of the Lord will be the final judgment of God
upon sin.
God will pour out His fierce wrath upon sin.
The locust plague is a drop in the bucket when compared
to the Day of the Lord.
The Lord will rapture home His church and the Tribulation
will begin.
Just like the 4 swarms of locusts, the 4 horsemen of the
Apocalypse will be revealed.
·
The Horseman of
Deception will be the anti-Christ coming in the name of peace deceiving men.
·
The Horseman of
Destruction will be warfare and bloodshed across all the earth.
·
The Horseman of
Desolation will be famine and disease across all the earth.
·
The Horseman of
Devastation will be one fourth of all men dying.
The
locust plague was just a warning of the coming greater disaster at the Day of
the Lord.
In
verse 16, Joel asks the people, did God warn us? Yes, and it happened just as
God said.
In
verse 17, Joel considers the rotting seed, the empty garners, the broken barns
and the withered corn.
In
verse 18, Joel considers the bellowing cattle and the bleating sheep.
Since
this Day of judgment has come upon Judah, as God said,
surely the Day of the Lord will come to pass.
In
verse 19, Joel says I will not wait, I will cry out to the Lord!
Joel
also considers that drought has come.
Judah
thought to escape to the wilderness for safety and for pasture.
Judah
discovered that a severed drought has caused the pastures to be burned up.
The
trees and forests are burnt.
In
verse 20, the animals cry to the Lord for they have no water for the rivers and
streams are dried up.
The
animals of the field have nothing to graze upon. Why? Because
of sin.
Surely
the Day of the Lord will be greater.
2 Peter 3:9-10
[9] The Lord is not slack concerning
his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
[10] But the day of the Lord
will come as a thief in the night; in the which the
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Concl: Friend without God destruction is sure.
Listen how Solomon interceded for the people should
judgment come and they repent.
1 Kings 8:37-40
[37] If there be in the land famine, if
there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of
their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be;
[38] What prayer and
supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy
people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and
spread forth his hands toward this house:
[39] Then hear thou in heaven
thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his
ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou
only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)
[40] That they may fear thee all
the days that they live in the land which thou gavest
unto our fathers.
If
Solomon prayed as such; a greater than Solomon is here. Jesus
ever liveth to make intercession.
Oh
how we must repent and turn to the Lord.