◄ Joel Devotional Commentary ►

Joel 1:13

The book of Joel begins with his deep lament over the formerly fruitful land of Israel. The prophet visualises progressive swarms of locusts invading the beautiful land and devastating the vineyard and fig-groves. He understood this to be a warning to God's people that their gross apostasy and rebellion against the Lord would not go unpunished. This warning lament from Joel was partially fulfilled when the nation went into Babylonian captivity, but there are read more...

Joel 2:1

Israel were God's chosen people. They were promised blessings if they would trust and obey the Lord, but were warned of judgement and punishment if they became rebellious and disobedient. Scripture identifies 'the Day of the Lord' as a time when God not only punishes His people but also brings reconciliation.

In Old Testament times, we read of past judgement on the northern kingdom of read more...

Joel 2:12

Joel is the prophet who compares the coming Day of the Lord with a succession of locust invasions, which sequentially devour every crop and all vegetation in an unrelenting, progressive destruction.

Both grain and fruit harvests fail due to the devastating onslaught of this four-pronged locust infestation. The total destruction of Israel's wheat and barley crops, along with the failure of the entire fruit harvest, causes farmers read more...

Joel 2:28

The book of Joel was written to the Jews in exile. Joel likened some of the past terrors that Israel had experienced in their dispersion, to a plague of locusts. Much of his prophecy was future, and looked ahead to the coming 'Day of the Lord' when the devastating effects of the many plagues of locusts Joel described would be reversed, and the years which the locusts had eaten would be fully restored to Israel.

Like all the read more...

Joel 2:32

This passage is talking about the great and terrible 'Day of the Lord' which starts with the 70th week of Daniel and continues throughout the entire 1000-year-long reign of Christ.

Though it is still future, the 'Day of the Lord' will begin with the 7-year Tribulation, when the world will experience the full force of God's wrath being poured out on a Christ-rejecting, God-hating, sinful world. But it will continue throughout read more...

Joel 3:1

The short, prophetic book of Joel is packed with parallelism and metaphors, contrasts and similes, pictures and portraits, which contribute to it its compelling content. It begins with vivid descriptions of desolation and destruction, brought about by successive swarms of different types of destructive locusts.

At the start of the book, these pernicious insects symbolise an all-pervasive and relentless enemy attack on God's read more...

Joel 3:1

Because of the apostasy of priests and people alike, Joel prophesied of a plague of locusts of exceptional severity that would come on God's people. It was meant to be a harbinger of judgement if they did not repent. Though the book of Joel is brief in length, it gives a detailed account of the coming 'Day of the Lord', which will be a time of devastating destruction when God's beautiful land will become a desolate wasteland.

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