Faith and Suffering:
The Book of Joel
The Lord will bring Judgement and destruction; But God also promises restoration and deliverance.
Joel 1:1-20 The Devastation of the Land by Locusts:
1The 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 another generation. 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. 5 Awake, you drunkards, and weep; And wail, all you drinkers of wine, Because of the new wine, for it has been cut off from your mouth. 6 For a nation has come up against My land, Strong, and without number; His teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he has the fangs of a fierce lion. 7 He has laid waste My vine and ruined My fig tree; He has stripped it bare and thrown it away; Its branches are made white. 8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. 9 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. 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. 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. 15 Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty. 16 Is not the food cut off before our eyes, Joy and gladness from the house of our God? 17 The seed shrivels under the clods, Storehouses are in shambles; Barns are broken down, For the grain has withered. 18 How the animal’s groan! The herds of cattle are restless, because they have no pasture; Even the flocks of sheep suffer punishment. 19 O Lord, to You I cry out; For fire has devoured the open pastures, and a flame has burned all the trees of the field. 20 The beasts of the field also cry out to You, For the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the open pastures.
Everyone saw the locust. Yet Joel saw more; he saw the judgment from God. There are many times that God uses natural disasters to bring judgment. He sent the flood in the time of Noah, the plagues in Egypt and the mighty wind that caused a storm during which Jonah was thrown into the sea. Yes God sometimes uses natural disasters as judgment. But not every natural disaster is a direct judgment either, on the very area that it may strike. Sometimes if a flood, hurricane, plague, or some other disaster strikes one particular area we should be wise to remember that we also live in a world that is infected, in ever level by sin. This is not God necessarily demonstrating his displeasure on the earth with every disaster; but more so because sin is everywhere, and we will eventually pay the price for it. But the locust plague was different in the book of Joel. Though it was terrible and a fierce attack. It wasn’t God’s judgment but instead a warning. And Joel, through the word of the Lord realized it. As bad as the locusts were, they were nothing compared to the wrath that was about to be bestowed on them from the real judgment that was to surely come. If Judah didn’t repent; complete, utter destruction and captivity in the hands of their enemy was to be the price they would pay. The locusts were just a taste. They were a reminder sent of God’s power and the destruction of sin. The locust was the living breathing proof of God and Joels message to the people: REPENT!
Joel 2:1-32
1 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: 2 A Day of darkness and gloominess, A Day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, the like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations. 3 A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely nothing shall escape them. 4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; And like swift steeds, so they run. 5 With a noise like chariots Over mountaintops they leap, Like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble, like a strong people set in battle array. 6 Before them the people writhe in pain; All faces are drained of color. 7 They run like mighty men, they climb the wall like men of war; Everyone marches in formation, and they do not break ranks. 8 They do not push one another; Everyone marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, they are not cut down. 9 They run to and fro in the city, they run on the wall; They climb into the houses, they enter at the windows like a thief. 10 The earthquakes before them, the heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish their brightness. 11 The Lord gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?
The Mercy of the LORD
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. 14 Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him-- A grain offering and a drink offering For the Lord your God? 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?' " 18 Then the Lord will be zealous for His land and pity His people. 19 The Lord will answer and say to His people, "Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations. 20 "But I will remove far from you the northern army and will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, with his face toward the eastern sea And his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things." 21 Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the Lord has done marvelous things! 22 Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength. 23 Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you-- The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month. 24 The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. 25 "So, I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, my great army which I sent among you. 26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame. 27 Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.
The Outpouring of God's Spirit
28 "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. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. 30 "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 32 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.
From the first words Joel speaks in chapter 2 verse 17. The outlook of the whole story seems gloomy and downright nasty. From locust and judgment to battles and earthquakes. We can’t help but wonder if there is anything good in this book. But then suddenly jumping out of the page like a bolt of lightning. “The lord will be zealous for his land and pity his people.” See God would not abandon his people of his promises. Yes he will punish, yes he will judge, yes he would have delivered them to their enemies. But no God will never turn his back on his people. Not only that but everything that was used for punishment would become undone. Grain and oil would be sent to satisfy them. The enemies would be driven away, and God would restore the years that the locust had devoured. Now its one thing to return the land to harvest as well as remove our enemies, But God also has the power to give back the years we lost. What an amazing blessing. But wait there’s more.
“And it shall come to pass that afterwards that I will pour my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.”
Do you see that this wasn’t just a promise to the people in the Old Testament or even in the New Testament. It was a promise given to us! US! The people of today, the people to come in the next generation and the generations after that. God made his spirit available to ALL men and women. For us all to speak the word. For all young and old to have an anointing of the spirit on their lives. We are no longer Jews or Gentiles, but all one flesh, all righteous who are all founded in God by our faith in Christ. Because “whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” V-32
Joel 3:1-21 The LORD's Judgment on the Nations:
1 "For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land. 3 They have cast lots for My people, have given a boy as payment for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink. 4 "Indeed, what have you to do with Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia? Will you retaliate against Me? But if you retaliate against Me, Swiftly and speedily I will return your retaliation upon your own head; 5 Because you have taken My silver and My gold and have carried into your temples My prized possessions. 6 Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem You have sold to the Greeks, that you may remove them far from their borders. 7 "Behold, I will raise them Out of the place to which you have sold them and will return your retaliation upon your own head. 8 I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off; For the Lord has spoken." 9 Proclaim this among the nations: "Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. 10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, 'I am strong.' " 11 Assemble and come, all you nations, and gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. 12 "Let the nations be wakened and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, the vats overflow-- For their wickedness is great." 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness.
The Deliverance of Judah:
16 The Lord also will roar from Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel. 17 "So, you shall know that I am the Lord your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, and no aliens shall ever pass through her again." 18 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. 19 "Egypt shall be a desolation, And Edom a desolate wilderness, Because of violence against the people of Judah, for they have shed innocent blood in their land. 20 But Judah shall abide forever, And Jerusalem from generation to generation. 21 For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted; For the Lord dwells in Zion."
There is a war coming! Do you see it?
Now the end of the book of Joel comes to a full cycle; from the judgment that was prophesied through the locust, to the judgment that was fulfilled in the enemies, to the restoration of repentance, and last but not least the ultimate judgment of God against those who never choose to believe. We can see here in the end of Joel that God is going to enact judgment on the very wicked nations and evil people that he allowed for a time to conquer over his people. However, because these nations never acknowledged God, they will soon realize they’re fighting a loosing battle. The people were warned to prepare, and they were also told to take their tools for agriculture and beat them into weapons of war. But even if they did, in reality it wouldn’t help them or work in the long run. Because as it states in Verses 15. And 16 “The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will diminish in their brightness. The Lord will roar from Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem.”
Nothing and no one can stand against the Lord. Every enemy of God will fall, but even so God will not forget his people and his promises. In proof he will prove himself to be the God of Israel and the ultimate conqueror. Sometimes the near-amiss might just scare you straight. You’ve probably even been there recently. For instance, maybe you were carelessly doing something else when you should have been focused on driving, and suddenly you ran off the road. You may not have hit anything or caused any damage, and after a few moments of shaking and panting you were able to continue on your way. As your heart rate begins to slow down you realize that the experience that you just encountered was a warning to start paying attention. And immediately you start to become a better driver. Now take that experience and compare it to the book of Joel. That’s exactly what this book in intended to be; a warning, a prophesy, a message that the damage done to God’s people was just a taste of what was coming, if they didn’t start to wake up and pay attention to his word. As we saw in the first half of this book, Joel records disaster on top of destruction. A locust swarm had obviously made a drastic, dramatic, and devastating impact on Judah. And Joel uses that fresh, vivid, horrific picture to point out what would come if the Israelites continued in their current mind set of disobedience to God. The punishment would be complete and utter destruction at the hands of their enemies, and a plague much worse than a few swarms of locust, But Joel wasn’t out to just preach impending doom upon the Israelites. He also gives instruction as how to turn back to God, and hopefully advert God’s coming judgment. As we can see the Israelites are in a bad situation. But wait Joel jumps the tracks and shouts out an encouragement not just to the Israelites but to us also. He says that God will not let his people go. He has a plan for restoration, whether it comes sooner or later. So, the ball is in place for the Israelites. But what about you? What about this generation? Will you do what it takes to change your life? There is one key phrase in the book of Joel, as well as in many other books in the bible that state, “The day of the Lord.” Joel uses this phrase five times to describe God stepping into our world to bring judgement but also to bring deliverance. Granted, God od the Lord of all time and every person. So, we as believers should consider every day a day of the Lord. The reference by Joel and many other prophet’s points to specific periods were God makes his judgment evident through a mighty display of complete destruction. And yes even sometimes God uses his people to enact judgement as well. But then there are other times that his judgment is actually brought down upon his people on account of their disobedience. Now with our 20/20 insight from reading Joel we know what happened to the nation of Israel: They were conquered by their enemies, carried off to distant lands, and basically lost all identity for many years. The day of the Lord for them was very real. We can see that, and I hope that we can understand what’s actually going on here. So, why do we really need to know and consider what Joel said? Because we as Christians often reflect the Israelites in the Old Testament. We react and flow in our own obedience. We find our security in God, but then go about our separate merry ways without so much as a thought about God or his will, or our responsibility, or even our responses to him. Most of us live like the world, one because we live in it, and two because we can. It is said that we will become our environment the longer we stay in it. The longer we stay the more it will affect us. To be honest we truly only turn to God in honest repentance when our situation is so bad, and we just can’t take it anymore. See this is the near miss, our warning. Now go back and reread Joel, and pretend he was writing directly to you. Take heed to these words from him to heart. And ask the Lord to show you the way to him and how to obey. Deliverance is a promise, but repentance is required.
The Lords Faithful Servant,
Tinisha B.
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