Today, I am reading and commenting on Joel 1-3.

Joel calls on the people of Judah to mourn, fast, and cry out to God in response to the famine brought about by a horde of locusts.  In today’s passage he does not mention what sins led to God bringing His day of judgement upon them.  Instead, he calls them to return to God with fasting, weeping, and mourning.  They are to rend their hearts for their sins and once more consecrate themselves to God.  If, in the wake of devastation, we follow the instructions which Joel gave here, God will show mercy upon us and upon the land.  He will do great things and give us cause to rejoice.  He will pour out His Spirit on all people so that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.  There is one more part of today’s passage, one which we don’t often seen touched on.

For this next part, I am going to write some things which may be a stretch of interpretation, but I need to write them down to see if there is any truth to them.  After telling us that God will pour out His Spirit on all people and that everyone who calls on His name will be saved Joel speaks about some of the nations around Judah, nations which were Judah’s enemies.  It seems to me that Joel is saying that, after God pours out His Spirit on all people, those who do not call in His name in response will be enemies of God’s people.  They will, or perhaps already have, attack God’s people.  In response God will attack them and bring destruction upon them.  So, my reading of this, and other parts of the Bible, is that everyone is faced with a choice.  They will either choose to call upon God’s name, or they will choose to oppose and attack those who do.  If they choose the latter, God will bring desolation upon them.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on  Joel 1-3.

Joel writes about a time when disaster overtook the land of Israel.  Locusts swept over the land, destroying all of the crops.  People who had been prospering were now suffering privation.  As I read it today, it reminded me of the economic situation we are experiencing now.  Which brings me to the message which God gave Joel for the people of Israel:
“Even now,” declares the Lord,
    “return to me with all your heart,
    with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
 Rend your heart
    and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
    for he is gracious and compassionate,…
God does not ask us to pick the right politician, or to change our nations laws.  He asks us to return to Him, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.  Joel goes on from there and tells us to gather, to fast and mourn with our fellows.  Then, perhaps, God may be merciful and restore our fortunes, the fortunes of our land.  Further, God makes a promise that if we do return to Him, He will pour out His Spirit upon us, and everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Joel 1-3.

Joel prophesies at a time when Israel was experiencing, or had just experienced, a plague of locusts which were completely destroying their crops.  In response, Joel calls on the people of Israel to fast and pray, repenting of their sins and turning to God.  As we face economic hard times we should take Joel’s advice.  If we do so, turning to God and mourning the opportunities we lost to our sinfulness, He will repay us for what we lost.  More importantly, in response to our seeking Him, He will pour out His Spirit upon us.  If we truly turn to Him, He will perform marvelous wonders among us; the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will walk, the dead shall be raised, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.  The young will prophesy and see visions, the old will dream dreams.  So, let us mourn, fast, and pray while committing ourselves to turn to God.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Joel 1-3.

My lovely wife married me 22 years ago on the 23rd of this month.  So I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary every day from now until then.

Happy Anniversary, Darling!

There are two aspects to today’s passage, I hope I can write about them in a manner which connects them the way they are connected in the passage.  Unlike other prophets Joel does not specify the sins from which the people should turn in the face of disaster, but he does call on them to turn to God.  He calls on us to turn to God with fasting, weeping, and mourning.  I believe that God’s people are once again in a situation which calls for them to turn to God with fasting, weeping, and mourning.  If we do we will experience the promise which God gave through Joel.  He will pour out His Spirit upon the people and all who call upon His name will be saved.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Joel 1-3.

The prophet Joel describes a terrible plague of locusts which came upon the land of Israel.  He says that this disaster warns that the day of the Lord is near, a day of gloom and darkness.  However, Joel also says that God calls us to return to Him with all of our heart.  If we respond to the dark times by turning to God, by gathering together and confessing our sins, He will relent and lift the judgement He was preparing to pour out upon us.  Instead of pouring out death and destruction upon us, God will pour out His Spirit.  The day of the Lord will still come, we will see the death and destruction, but those who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

I am convinced that we live in a time when Joel’s message should ring fresh in our ears.  Look at what is happening around us.  Gather and pray, fast and mourn, the day of the Lord is near.  We can either call on His name and be saved, or suffer the dire things which He has in store for those who refuse to heed His warnings.  But God will pour out His Spirit upon those who turn to Him.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

In the year 2000, on the 23rd day of this month, my wife married me.  So here we are on day 19 of the 20 days that I am going to wish her Happy Anniversary for 20 years of marriage.  Happy Anniversary Darling!

Today, I am reading and commenting on Joel 1-3.

Joel is the only Old Testament prophet whose sole focus is on a natural disaster.  His description suggests that there were four waves of locusts which completely devastated the food supply of Israel.  The prophet called for the people of Israel to turn to God and dedicate their hearts to Him in the face of a natural disaster.  A call which we should echo and heed when we see similar disasters. Right now, the people of the western United States, where they are experiencing devastating forest fires, should turn to God with fasting, weeping, and mourning.  The rest of the world which is facing the devastation caused in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic should do likewise.  This is not a time for ritualistic mourning, but rather for deep soul searching.  Let us repent of our sins and beg God to pour out His Spirit upon us in the manner which Joel describes.  A dark time is coming, but those who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Joel 1-3.

I have said this before, the Book of Joel is unique.  It is the only one of the prophets who does not prophesy about a foreign nation invading Israel (or Judah).  Instead the inspiration for Joel’s prophecy was a locust swarm which overwhelmed the nation.  Or perhaps, the locust swarm was similar to the insect invasions we sometimes see today where an invasive species appears in one location and spreads out from there.  I am not sure, but perhaps the locusts had swarmed over one portion the land and the people had reason to believe that they would spread from there to completely wipe out the crops throughout the land.  In any case, whether the locusts had devastated the whole land or just a portion, Joel uses this as an opportunity to call the people to repentance, prayer, and fasting.  Christians in the United States do not gather for times of prayer and fasting nearly enough.  I know that I do not do either nearly as much as I should.  

From time to time, I wonder why we do not see God’s miracles more today.  I think the Book of Joel provides an answer to that question.  We will see God’s miracles when He pours out His Spirit on us.  God will pour out His Spirit upon us when we pray and fast in mourning for the sins we have committed and that we see around us.  Let us come to the Lord in prayer and fasting in order to prepare our hearts for His Spirit.