Jo'el 1
1:1 The word of the LORD that came to Jo'el the son of Pethuel
Let me start out by telling you that my youngest Grandson has the same name as this great prophet. According to his father the correct enunciation for his name is Jo 'el broken into two syllables. In researching this name, because of my grandson, I read somewhere that his name means God's Joy. Now on to this book:
Would you, or could you, imagine what you would feel like if the Lord spoke directly to you? I would be very excited I am sure; but then the other boot hit the floor. This was not a message to be excited about, but Jo'el was suppose to declare to his fellow country men that God was not happy with them.
He starts out by speaking to the old men in verse:
2; Hear this, ye old men, and give ear.
: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 caterpillar eaten.
In researching these types of worms, it appears that these are the four stages of maturity of the same worm. That is to say there was to be no end of the destruction that was about to come into this Former Land of Promise.
: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.
I cannot speak from experience but after having numerous conversations with men that have been a drinker this had to have been a nightmare to those men. They had become accustomed to having all of the drink they wanted. Now those days are done.
: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.
Another prophecy of a terrible destruction!
:7 He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree.
Have you ever seen a "barked tree?" It is where the bark is removed around the trunk in a circle. This is one reason why the Koala bear is not loved in Australia because they will eat the bark all the way around in a circle; this kills the tree.
:8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.
If you can, get the full impact of this scene. You have a young virgin, not a bride. She is lamenting the loss of her husband, not one that she had any relationship with just the one that she was engaged to. Talk about a picture of real sorrow and hurt.
All of the keepers of the field are told to lament, to howl, to weep. Not just because there was nothing to eat, but because there was no employment or source of income for them or their families.
: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.
When a destruction hits a nation, it affects every level of humanity. Those even in the highest position of authority will feel the impact of such a judgment. These were from the keepers of the field to the priests and ministers. In those days the priests were the judicial judges as well as the keepers of the church.
: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,
I don't know how you feel about the day in which we are living, but as for my wife and I, we can tell you that the "heavy hand of the Lord's judgment" seems to be setting on the United States of America. We have become a land that has forsaken the basic principles of what this former great country was founded on. Almost every day I read in the paper or on the internet where some force or power is trying to remove every sense or inclination of God, who He is and what He purchased for us.
:19 O LORD, to thee will I cry:
I don't have any words of strengthening or encouragement from this particular chapter; but knowing how the book reads, I am sure that by the time chapter 3 comes along we will be shouting and rejoicing. But there are times when we must be brought up short to keep in mind that we live in the last days of judgment before the LORD's return to catch His bride away. All I can say at this point is to fast, pray, howl to the LORD. It is time to spread the Word to anyone who we can share it with. John 3:16 says that God so loved the world, so we are instructed to do the same. Above all of that, it is the best time in the history of mankind to "Trust in the Lord with all of thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding." Prov. 3:5
As REAL Men, we must learn that there are times when we must be talked to straight. The Lord started with the Old men in verse 2 with instructions for them to teach their children on down to the fourth generation. We have some here in our own assembly that have two, and in some cases three, generations of the same family. The message is the same whether old or young, God is in control. We must trust Him and obey His word.
David DeTar
