INTRODUCTION:

The name "Joel" means "Yahweh is God." Parents often give their children names that indicate their faith in God.

This prophet spoke from the Lord during the time that Joash was king of Judah (835-796BC).

Joel's prophecy was brought on by a severe drought and an invasion of a tremendous swarm of locusts. God showed Joel that these were as punishment to the nation for their sins.

Joel's prophecy is that the locusts are a symbol of a future military campaign in "The Day of the Lord."

The "Day of the Lord" is the theme of Joel. This is yet another place where we learn that God is Sovereign over the affairs of the world.

The "Day of the Lord" refers to the visitation of God for deliverance or punishment. The encouragement here is to live FOR the Lord so that when He visits for judgment one shall be delivered rather than punished.

The "Day of the Lord" is surely coming. In "that day" the Lord will be exalted, His people will be exonerated, and His enemies will be sent to an everlasting place of torment. It will be a day when terror will strike the hearts of lost sinners, and joy shall fill the hearts of believers.

CHAPTER 1

1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.

The prophecy comes from a man who's name means "Yahweh is God." He was born in a place named PETHUEL, which means "persuaded of God."

The prophet begins with identification of himself. He is a believer in God alone as God. And he beleives that the word he is writing and preaching is a true word from God.

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. 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.

Joel uses the calamity of the nation at the present time to point to the "visitation" of the Lord. He calls upon all the people to repent and turn to God. He also calls them to TELL this to their children so that they will know about it.

According to their memories, as history has been handed down from generation to generation, this calamity had never happened before (vss 2-3).

The land was laid waste! Verse 4 tells how the crops were totally ruined. They were stripped, made bare, cleaned of all leaves and fruit.

Joel's call to "drunkards" to "howl" (verse 5)is symbolic of calling to those who are incensed with worldly ways to REPENT!

The REASON to repent is that a strong nation (verse 6) is coming upon the land to totally lay it bare.

The people are called upon to "lament" because their is no offering for the Lord (verses 7-10). The "husbandmen" (famers) are called upon to be "ashamed."

The people had been used to living in luxury. Now the entire crops for the year had been destroyed. Joel takes the occasion to warn of a future event, when a "strong nation" shall come upon the land and destroy not crops but people!

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, 15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

The priests are to dress in "sackcloth." (verse 13) Dressing in sackcloth showed a state of mourning. They are called upon to "lie all night" praying and pleading with God.

Two things are requested for the people (verse 14): "fast," and "solemn assembly."

Fasting is to deprive oneself of worldly food in order to draw closer to God. This is something Christians seldom practice today, but should practice more. When one is deprived of food, the belly begins to growl. Each time the growling occurs, one is reminded to pray.

The "solemn assembly" means to come before the Lord earnestly and in full repentance. It is also a call for ALL PEOPLE ("elders" and public officials alike) to come and participate in seeking the Lord.

The REASON for this solemn fasting and repentance is because the "day of the Lord is at hand" (verse 15). "At hand" means NEARBY!

My friends, no one knows when the final day will come. No one knows when God shall appear and require all men to stand before Him in judgment.

The time to approach God in repentence is NOW!!

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.

These verses are clear indication that God has ALREADY visited in a form of the "day of the Lord." He has ALREADY brought destruction that is noticeable. He has ALREADY shown that He is SOVEREIGN. He has ALREADY shown that men need to repent.

Today we read of earthquakes, hurricanes, volcano eruptions, and even "Tsunamis" where thousands of people are killed. Is it not a CLEAR CALL from God to REPENT?

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.

Joel was already crying out to God and acknowledging His sovereignty over the world and the affairs of the world.

The "beasts of the field" were already calling out to God because of the destruction and their need for water and food.

Should not WE call unto the Lord for the destruction that IS at hand? And should we not even MORE call unto the Lord for the awful destruction that is to COME?

PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US IN BIBLE STUDY TOMORROW.