In verse 1 we read that the word of The LORD came to him, Joel the son of Pethuel. 835BC would make Joel a pre-exile prophet and only Obadiah prophesied before this time.
He spoke to the southern kingdom of Judah. 835BC wasn’t a good time for Judah. Ten years earlier Athaliah had seized power at the death of her son Ahaziah, who only reigned one year (2 Kings 8:26, 2 Chronicles 22:2). She had killed all her son’s heirs, except one, Josiah who was one year old, had escaped by being hidden in the temple (2 Kings 11:3). Queen Athaliah was wicked and Johoiada, the high priest, overthrew her and set Joash, aged seven, as king. Athaliah came from bad stock – granddaughter of King Omri, therefore daughter or niece of wicked King Ahab. She raised her son Ahaziah in the style of Ahab, brought in Ahab’s counsellors to advise him (2 Chronicles 22). She seized power when Ahaziah was killed in battle, advocating evil, desecrating the temple (2 Chronicles 24:7).
Joel mans ‘Jehovah is God’ and if 835BC is the correct date for his prophecy, it comes towards the end of wicked Queen Athaliah’s reign, therefore, it is little wonder that Joel’s prophecy was so serious.
God’s message through Joel was not pleasant and it was to all. He reminds them of the swarms of locusts, chewing and crawling, devastating the land (v1-4), a plague of real insects.
He calls to the drunkards and drinkers of wine to wake up to see that all the supply of grapes and figs for the wine had been cut off and devastated and stripped white by the locusts with teeth like lions. They had come like an army and laid waste the vines and fig trees, so that those who drank the wine would have no supply (v5-7). The drunkards may have been oblivious to the fact that their supply had been taken away. Therefore, they needed to wake up and recognise the fact that they needed to desist from their constant drinking.
Alcohol is a controller and those who get drunk lose their inhibitions and sense of what they are doing, thus they need to wake up and be sober and take careful note of what is happening, rather than living in a stupor, and making out that everything is alright.
Joel calls them all to repentance, young and old (1:2-3), drunkards (v5), farmers (v11) and priests (v13). It was one thing to have armies attacking them, but this was hoards of insects decimating their crops which would leave them in severe drought. No doubt, sent by God as judgment upon them.
He calls the people to lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth for the husband of her youth (v8). I presume this means a young childless widow mourning the loss of her husband. Because of the devastation to the vines and fig trees, there would even be no grain nor drink offerings to set before The LORD. He called for real confession and repentance, not just a token of it. He told them to wail and mourn because the harvest had perished. He told them that the pomegranate, palm and apple trees and all the trees would fail. They would have nothing, even their joy would be withered away (v8-12). Even their surface worship of God would be affected because they could not bring some offerings. It indicated that their worship (offerings) was probably meaningless.
An attitude of deep, meaningful repentance was called for (v13,14). From the priests, who minister before the altar. They were called to consecrate a fast and call a sacred assembly. To gather the elders and all the inhabitants to God’s house and make their pleas to God. They were to lead the nation in repentance.
Joel mourns he day of The LORD. He warns them that it is at hand, it will bring destruction from Almighty God – lack of food, no joy and gladness from God’s house, shrivelled seed in the ground, storehouses and barns in ruins. Withered grain, animals restless because no pasture, even the flocks suffering punishment. Fire had devoured the pastures, burned the trees, the brooks dried up and the beasts of the field cry out to The LORD (v15-20).
The phrase ‘the day of The LORD’ can be attributed to to several periods of time. In a sense every day is ‘the day of The LORD’. He does judge people for their sins, which is the meaning here, and man’s wrongdoing affects all, even to the crops, flocks and the way one worships God. The ultimate Day of The LORD is when The Lord Jesus returns to judge the earth. All the other judgments are nothing compared to the final judgment when we all must stand before Him. One thing is clear, that we must be ready for it.
The only thing they could do was to cry out to The LORD in their disastrous situation. We must cry out to Him now before it is too late. We do not know when He will come, and to wait until it does, may be too late, so, be ready. ‘Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation’. (See 2 Corinthians 6:2)
