Joel 2:25-27

I know the title sounds like something from a Chinese restaurant. In 1889 in the area around the Red Sea a plague of locusts devastated the area. 3200 square miles were ravaged. It was estimated that for each ½ mile there were 300 million locusts. Australia in 2010, 3100 sq. miles were devastated by locusts. How large would 3100 square miles be? Visualize the country of Spain. A few days ago, a man asked me if I thought the earthquakes and wildfires were a sign of the end times. I told him I did, but they haven’t gotten nearly as bad as they will in the future. Today, I want to write a little about the Old Testament prophet Joel. His name means “The Lord is God.” He most likely ministered in Jerusalem and in Judah. If you read the whole book of Joel you’ll quickly see that he has an interest in agriculture. In verse 1:10 he references corn, grapes and olives.

The great theme of Joel is “The Day of the Lord.” It is used 5 or 6 times in three chapters. It speaks of a time of judgment. The prophet is warning Judah to repent because judgment is coming. The text tells us about judgment. There is a difference of opinion as to when Joel prophesied. Some think he preached during the time of Joash, the seven-year old king that had been hidden by the priests because his grandmother Athaliah was killing the heirs to the throne. This would be around 835 B.C. Others place the writing about twenty-five years before Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C.

Two great themes stand out in this little book. One, there is a call for the nation to repent (2:13-14). The sin of the nation was bringing about the judgmental hand of God. I know that the nation referenced in this book is Israel but I can’t help but think about our own nation. We have been blessed of God as no other nation in history, yet on a daily basis we sin with impunity. We care nothing as a nation for God, His Word, or His church. Thank God there is a remnant that still follow the Lord. To illustrate how warped our thinking is take a look at Harvard, the “great” institution of higher learning, has now installed a man as the head of its chaplain corps that describes himself as a “self-avowed, devout, atheist.” Harvard was begun by the Puritans. They had a desire that their ministers would be educated men. In 1636, John Harvard began the institution. It was an institution that loved God and loved the Bible. For the first 70 years every president was a minister. The devil is sly. Jude speaks about “certain men that creep in unawares.” That’s a single example of many that could be cited. Why bring this up? Why talk about earthquakes and fires? Because “the Day of the Lord” will be here before you know it.

I love the imagery that Joel uses. Look with me at verse 1:2. “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?” Have you ever seen anything like this? Talk with your children about what is coming. Talk with other family members about what is coming. He then begins with vivid word pictures to describe the coming devastation. The judgment of the locusts (1:4) is total. Everything is consumed. Notice the progression to having nothing left. The palmerworm eats first, then the cankerworm eats what the palmerworm left. The caterpillar then comes along and eat what the cankerworm left. It will be so devastating that even the bark on the trees will be eaten and the wood of the tree laid bare to die. The symbolism of these insects is seen by a great many Christians and scholars. Assyria, Babylon, Greece, and Rome all devastated Israel at various times in history. There is another devastation coming, the Day of the Lord. Do we know when that will be? If we take the Bible literally then it seems to be at the end of the great Tribulation. During those awful seven years the heavy hand of judgment will be everywhere. Israel is being troubled because God is calling Israel to Christ.

Is there hope? You bet. With God there is always hope. An outline for Joel could be as follows. Chapter 1: The Pain of Sin. Chapter 2: The Promise of Renewal. Chapter 3: The Prosperity and Blessing because of the King. Notice 2:25, “And I will restore to you the years.” Lost years can never be reclaimed. Once past they’re gone. However, think about this. The locusts didn’t eat the years, they ate the “fruit of the years.” They ate the crops, trees, bark off the trees and the food in the storehouses. You can’t have the time back, but you can have the blessings and the fruit back. God can make it as though the locust never came at all.

Let me ask you three questions:

  1. What is a year of the locusts? Personally, it could be a hard, difficult period of time you can’t wait to finished. Nationally, I get a little anxious in these Post-modern days. What about our church? I believe the Lord will bless those that truly seek to honor and live for him. The last year and a half in some ways has been the year of the locusts.
  2. When will the year end? Look at verses 1:14; 2:15-18
  3. How will God restore the year? By changing the circumstances in our lives because of our repentance. By changing the circumstances in our nation because of repentance. II Chronicles 11:14. By changing the circumstances in our church. If we’ll repent of complacency, God will bring us to a place of great blessing. How was God going to restore their blessings? Materially: Locusts are gone; grape vines start to flourish; Olive trees begin to bloom; Fig trees begin to produce; Cattle are producing and healthy; Sheep folds would become large once more; Rain was in abundance; Even the wild beasts were flourishing for hunting. Pay close attention to the highlighted words in the next part. Spiritually: 2:21… “be glad the Lord will do great things.” 2:23 “be glad then ye children and rejoice in the Lord your God.” 2:26 “you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord for he has dealt wonderfully with you…”