The Scripture: Joel 1:1-14
Skipping verse one, which we discussed in the introduction, we move to the next verses. In verses 2-3, Joel addresses the old men, who were traditionally responsible for passing the historical and cultural stories down to the next generations in Middle Eastern countries at that time. He asks them if they knew or had seen any of the things he was about to tell them. His prophecy was going to point to a new thing; something unlike anything mankind has ever experienced. Then, he admonishes them to pass this story down to multiple generations.
The reason being, that parts of it (the Babylonian conquest of Judah) would take place in just a couple of generations... but, other parts (the "day of the Lord") would take thousands of years before it will transpire. Fortunately for us, others paid heed and preserved the writings of Joel, and we are able to add his words to our knowledge of end-of-this-age prophecies. And just like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, we have to move the pieces in his writings around a bit, and try them in various combinations to find where they fit. Let's see what we can discover.
In the Hebrew, verse 4, reads much more succinctly: Gnawer's remnant, Swarmer eats; Swarmer's remnant, Devourer eats; Devourer's remnant, Consumer eats. The point being, there is going to be complete and total devastation of Judah and Jerusalem. It is going to come at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. In verses 5-14, Joel uses numerous images to convey to Israel the attitude of repentance and the preparation they need, in order to withstand the judgment that is about to fall on them.
Verses 5-7 gives Israel a strong wake-up call. Their sin has caused them to be unaware of the threat of Babylon. They are like a drunk man unwilling to cope with reality, who suddenly realizes there is no more alcohol with which to numb himself, and the reality of his calamity is now upon him. All that is left is to weep and howl. There is no salvation. The nation of Babylon is rising against them with a huge army, too large to count. They are likened to a voracious and powerful lion, with powerful teeth. This army is going to destroy their crops and remove the bark from their fig trees, causing them to die.
In Verses 8-10, Joel tells them to lament like a young woman who has just lost her husband. There will be no more sacrifices in the temple. The crops are going to be destroyed. These are more images of future grief for Joel's countrymen.
Verses 11-12 further projects the images of despair - grapes, wheat, barley; fig, pomegranate, palm, and apple trees (and, in fact, all domestic trees) will wither. And why? Because joy will have withered away from the hearts of those who care for them. If they are not captured and taken away, they will be so distraught over the defeat of their nation, that they will fail to maintain the animals and crops. Crops that are not destroyed or taken by the advancing army, will just wither and die from neglect.
Finally, Joel reminds the priests what will happen to them in (verses 13-14). They depend on the sacrifices of the nation to feed them, since a portion goes to them and a portion is retained by those offering the sacrifices. When that source of supply dries up, they will starve. They have developed no other skill sets, other than to care for the things of the temple. They did not live in a society, like ours, that allowed for easy transition from one line of work to another. Bleak times are going to come! Fast! Pray! Call a solemn assembly! Gather the nation and cry out to God!
The hope was for Judah to awaken and repent and God would stay his judgment. But, as we know, this did not happen. The 10 northern tribes of Israel had already been captured by the Assyrian Empire. Dates vary widely for this among historians, but range from 710 BC to maybe 734 BC. The Babylonian conquest of the 2 southern tribes, referred to as, "Judah", had not yet happened. Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Jerusalem in 605 BC is generally consider the time of Judah's fall. Joel was writing between these two events. You would think they would have woken up! You would think, America could see the next prophetic event will affect us and we would wake up as well! What would Joel recommend we do?