Joel 1
Prepare for the Day!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, August 28.
The prophetic work of Joel is famous for the imagery of the locust army, which has captured the imagination of people ever since. The menacing locusts are introduced in Joel 1:4, “What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; and what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten; and what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten.” The locust horde brought utter devastation to the Promised Land, and then, in a masterful use of poetic metaphor, the prophet connected this agricultural disaster to an invading army as a warning of God’s wrath against Israel in Joel 1:6, “For a nation has invaded my land, mighty and without number” (cf. Joel 2:2-11). While there is very little debate about the prophetic message itself, there is speculation about when Joel gave it. The three historical settings that it seemingly fits are the time of: 1. The Assyrian Empire before the destruction of the northern ten tribes of Israel; 2. The Babylonian Empire before the exile and destruction of Solomon’s Temple; or 3. The Persian Empire during the postexilic times of Zerubbabel’s Temple.
Regardless of when Joel’s ministry happened, his warning about the coming judgment comes with the same choice regardless of the time (ancient or contemporary) or place (over there or right here). The leaders of the nation are to call for a sacred gathering, leading the people in a time of corporate repentance, in accordance with Joel 1:14-15, “Consecrate 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. Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty” (cf. Joel 2:15-17).
Seize the moment and prepare for the day of the Lord (Matthew 24-25; 2 Peter 3:3-18).
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
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