Joel 1 Commentary
There is an attack of locusts in the land. Verse 20 suggests the presence of a problem bigger than the locust attack: a drought and consequently a famine.
Through the great prophet Jeremiah, the LORD included natural disasters and plagues on the list of punishments for Judah’s idolatry. It is little wonder that Joel links this disaster to the day of the LORD.
But who cares?
The people seem oblivious; they care less about the interpretation of these events. But the prophet reads into these events and knows the LORD is speaking. Probably the prophet’s reference to the people’s drunkenness means the people are blind like drunken men and cannot see things right in front of them.
Let the people respond by prayer and fasting in the presence of the LORD!
It takes the grace of God to know when the LORD is speaking! Who stops to think about the ‘judgments’ mentioned in the scripture when they look around their own world today? How much of it is God’s disaster? Aren’t we living in a world where creation created itself? Natural disasters are an enemy of humanity and must be overcome with technology and advanced cooperation. No Creator God in the picture; less still, no devil. It is always us in the natural environment – us enjoying nature’s gift.
Sober up you drunks! Get in touch with reality – and weep.
The ‘day of the LORD’ often means the final day when the LORD Jesus Christ appears in glory. But here and in a couple of other places in the Old Testament, it may mean any day when the LORD visits His people. The prophet wants us to know that the LORD has visited His people but with a whip!
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