JOEL 1

DESTRUCTION IS COMING UPON JERUSALEM 

The prophet Joel warns the Israelites of the coming “Day of the Lord,” a time when God will intervene to bring judgment and justice to the Earth. In this warning, Joel vividly describes a locust swarm invading and attacking Israel. The description of this infestation uses similar language as Exodus 10, when a plague of locusts was sent upon Israel’s oppressors, the Egyptians.

Through Joel, God warns that a great swarm of locusts will cause devastation to the land, comparing the locusts to an attacking army. To explain the total destruction that would occur, Joel describes the vines being stripped and the fig trees withering due to the locusts. Although it is possible that these are literal locusts, it is likely that this imagery is used to describe an army or foreign nation swarming into Jerusalem.

Because of this agricultural upheaval, the people will not have any food or crops to provide for their families or for offerings to God. Everyone in Jerusalem will suffer from this impending judgment. Joel calls for lamenting among the nation as a sign of repentance and mourning.