Joel 1:1-9

The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. 2 Hear this, you elders, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land!  Has anything like this happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? 3 Tell your children about it, let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. 4 What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; and what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten. 5 Awake, you drunkards, and weep; and wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the new wine, for it has been cut off from your mouth.  6 For a nation has come up against My land, strong, and without number; his teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he has the fangs of a fierce lion. 7 He has laid waste My vine, and ruined My fig tree; he has stripped it bare and thrown it away; its branches are made white. 8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. 9 The grain offering and the drink offering have been cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests mourn, who minister to the Lord.

In chapter 1 of Joel we have a description of a calamity that is coming upon the land of Judah.  The Prophet Joel explains that this devastation that is coming cannot be compared with any that has come before it.  Next, all types of people are described and are called upon to lament.  The chapter concludes with the leaders being directed to look up to God in their lamentations, and to humble themselves before Him. 

What stands out to me today is how the Prophet is warning the people about their physical and moral decay.  Joel called them to awaken from their complacency and admit their sins before it was too late. Otherwise, everything would be destroyed, even the grapes that caused their drunkenness. 

I trust you are able to see that this is really a fresh reminder to this present generation that our times of peace and prosperity can lull us to sleep.  We must never let material abundance hinder our spiritual readiness.  The truth is God judges all people for their sins, but He is merciful to those who turn to Him. 

Let me close with setting the record straight, without God, destruction is sure.  Those who have not personally accepted God's love and forgiveness will stand before Him with no appeal.  Be sure to call on God's love and mercy while you have the opportunity.  AND TELL OTHERS BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!

I pray that you would be reminded how God urged parents to pass God's warnings and admonishes down from generation to generation.  We must never forget what God has delivered us from and what the enemy of our soul would like to accomplish.

Loving His Word,

Alan J. Schrader

Joel 2:28-32

"And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. 30 "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke.  31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.  32 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.  For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls.

In chapter 2 of Joel we have a further account of the judgment of the locusts and caterpillars, or those who are designed by them.  The prophet sounds the alarm of a dreadful calamity, the description of which has never been nor will there ever be after.  The Jews are called to repentance, humiliation, and fasting, that the divine judgments may be averted.  Next, the Prophet Joel will give a promise that, upon their repentance, God would remove the judgment and restore provision to His people.  The chapter concludes with a Prophetic Word about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all flesh.

What stands out to me today, is how after describing the physical blessings that would come upon his generation if they would repent, Joel describes the spiritual blessings that God would bestow upon His people in the future. This passage was quoted by Peter on the Day of Pentecost (see Acts 2:16-21).  In is interesting to note that while in the past, God's Spirit seemed available to kings, prophets, and judges, Joel envisioned a time when the Spirit would be available to every believer. Ezekiel also spoke of an outpouring of the Spirit (Ezekiel 39:28-29). God's Spirit is available now to anyone who calls on the Lord (Joel 2:32).

Again, this chapter should be a fresh reminder to us that the call to repentance is really a gift from God.   Take time to rejoice in His provision.

I close with a wonderful promise from Acts 3:19 (KJV) "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;"

Blessings,

Alan J. Schrader