10/5/2024

Joel 1:15-20 

Intro:  The Book of Joel was likely written between 835 and 800 B.C.  Judah, the setting for the book, is devastated by a vast horde of locusts. This invasion of locusts destroys everything—the fields of grain, the vineyards, the gardens and the trees. Joel symbolically describes the locusts as a marching human army and views all of this as divine judgment coming against the nation for her sins. The book is highlighted by two major events. One is the invasion of locusts and the other the outpouring of the Spirit. The initial fulfillment of this is quoted by Peter in Acts 2 as having taken place at Pentecost.

The overriding theme of the Book of Joel is the Day of the Lord, a day of God’s wrath and judgment. This is the Day in which God reveals His attributes of wrath, power, and holiness, and it is a terrifying day to His enemies. In the first chapter, the Day of the Lord is experienced historically by the plague of locusts upon the land. 

The book of Joel is one of the twelve Minor Prophets. It was written by the prophet Joel. The book opens with the statement that “Joel, son of Pethuel” is the author. Little is known of Joel beyond his background as the son of Pethuel. However, his focus on Jerusalem and his prophecies concerning Judah suggest that he was a prophet from the southern kingdom of Judah.