1
The word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel.
2
Hear this, you elders,
give ear, all you inhabitants of the land!
Has such a thing happened in your days,
or in the days of your fathers?
3
Tell it to your children,
and let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the generation that follows.
4
What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten;
what the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten;
and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.
5
Awake, you drunkards, and weep!
Wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the new wine,
for it has been taken from your mouth.
6
For a nation has come up against my land,
strong and without number;
its teeth are like the teeth of a lion,
and it has the fangs of a lioness.
7
It has made my vine a waste,
and my fig tree a stump;
it has stripped it bare and cast it away,
so that its branches are made white.
8
Lament like a virgin clothed in 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;
and the priests, the ministers of the LORD, mourn.
10
The field is laid waste,
the ground mourns,
for the grain is laid waste,
the new wine is dried up,
the oil fails.
11
Be ashamed, you farmers;
wail, you vinedressers,
because of the wheat and because of the barley,
for the harvest of the field has perished.
12
The vine has dried up,
and the fig tree languishes;
the pomegranate tree, the palm tree, and the apple tree,
all the trees of the field are dried up.
Surely joy has withered away from among the children of men.
13
Gird yourselves with sackcloth and lament, you priests;
wail, you ministers of the altar;
come in, lie all night in sackcloth,
you ministers of my God,
for the grain offering and the drink offering are withheld from the house of your God.
14
Sanctify a fast,
proclaim a solemn assembly;
gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the LORD your God,
and cry out to the LORD.
15
Alas for the day!
For the day of the LORD is near,
and it comes as destruction from the Almighty.
16
Is not food cut off before our eyes,
joy and gladness from the house of our God?
17
The seeds shrivel under their clods,
the storehouses are laid desolate,
the granaries are broken down,
for the grain has withered.
18
How the beasts groan!
The herds of cattle are perplexed,
because there is no pasture for them;
yes, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.
19
To You, O LORD, I cry out,
for fire has devoured
pastures of the wilderness,
and flame has burned up
all the trees of the field.
20
Even the beasts of the field cry out to You,
for the wadis are dried up,
and fire has devoured
pastures of the wilderness.
🪳🔥🌾 Summary of Joel 1 – Locusts, Drought, and a Call to Repentance
Joel 1 describes the total devastation that has come upon Judah because of sin. God allows a plague of locusts to ruin the fields, vineyards, and staple food of the nation. The prophet Joel does not only describe a physical disaster, but also a spiritual crisis. This is an early warning of the coming “Day of the LORD” — a greater day of judgment if the people do not repent.
📌 1. An Unprecedented Disaster (verses 1–4)
- The LORD speaks through Joel:
“Has this happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers?”
- Four kinds of locusts are named in sequence, symbolizing gradual and complete destruction:
“What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten…”
🎯 This is not merely an agricultural disaster — it is a sign that God is speaking through suffering.
📌 2. The Response That Must Be Made (verses 5–12)
- Drunkards are told to wake up, because the wine is gone (verse 5).
- Farmers and vineyard owners must lament, because the harvest has perished (verse 11).
- The land is dry, the produce is gone, joy has vanished from God’s people (verse 12).
🎯 When the produce of the land is lost, joy also fades away — this is the time to reflect and return to the LORD.
📌 3. A Call to the Priests and the People (verses 13–14)
- The priests are commanded:
“Put on sackcloth… fast… proclaim a solemn assembly!”
- Joel calls all the people and the leaders to:
fasting, gathering together, and crying out to the Lord in national repentance.
🎯 True repentance is not only a feeling — but a real action, including prayer, fasting, and fellowship.
📌 4. The Day of the Lord Draws Near (verses 15–20)
- Joel warns:
“Alas, that day! For the day of the Lord is near…” (verse 15)
- This crisis is only the beginning of God’s greater judgment.
- Even the animals groan, because the fields are dry and the water is gone (verses 18–20).
🎯 Even creation cries out — all creation bears the consequences of human sin.
📖 Main Teaching
- God can speak through disaster — to awaken a sleeping heart.
- Every layer of society is called to repent, from priest to farmer.
- Physical ruin reflects spiritual ruin — when joy disappears, it means the Lord has been forsaken.
- The Day of the Lord is not merely future, but has already begun when the people reject the Lord.
- True repentance demands a collective response and humility.
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“We know that until now the whole creation has been groaning together…”
“If My people humble themselves… and turn from their evil ways…”
“But unless you repent, you will all perish…”
🎯 Joel reminds us not to wait for a greater crisis — repent today, before the “Day of the Lord” fully comes.
“Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!” – Joel 1:5
“All joy has vanished from among the children of men.” – Joel 1:12
“Declare a sacred assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land… and cry out to the Lord.” – Joel 1:14
“Alas for that day! For the day of the Lord is near…” – Joel 1:15
