One of the challenges with Joel is, we don’t know when it was written.
Scholars estimate (based on clues in the text) that, it was either written some time in the 800’s BC, (which would make him one of the earliest prophets), or the 500’s BC (possibly around the time of Jeremiah and Ezekiel). Those are educated guesses only.
We know nothing about the prophet Joel except that he was “the son of Pethuel.” There is no mention of “in such-and-such year of King So-and-so the Word of the Lord came to the prophet Joel of… wherever.”
None of that.
But at least one of the prophecies of Joel we know to have been fulfilled in the New Testament on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:16-21).
Much of this short book is concerned with “the Day of the Lord.” We have encountered this term before. And we have noted that the “Day of the Lord” in the prophets pointed to the coming desolation of Jerusalem and the nation. We also noted that it is used as a kind of microcosm of the future “Day of the Lord” spoken of by John in The Revelation.
The Army of Locusts 🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗
You may want to start with this 3.5min video clip from BBC Earth on locust plagues. And then, you might imagine Sir David Attenborough reading this verse…
“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.” Joel 1:4 ESV
“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 caterpiller eaten.” Joel 1:4 KJV
“What the caterpillars have left is eaten by the grasshopper, and what the grasshoppers have left is eaten by the locusts, and what the locusts have left is infected with red blight.” Joel 1:4 Septuagint
There are 4 distinct specimens here.
- Gazam (gaz-zawm) – to devour
- Arbeh – locust, grasshopper, increasing
- Yeleq (yah-leck)- to lick up, young locust
- Chaciyl (khaw-seel) – the ravager, to consume
It’s like Joel plundered the Thesaurus for all the synonyms for “eating”.
It’s very likely that Joel was prophesying an actual locust plague as part of God’s judgment on the land. There is great poetic irony in this. Israel has come to the same end as Egypt from which they escaped. Egypt’s idolatry and brutal oppression was judged. And now Israel has become what their captors were, idolatrous and brutally oppressive.
God sent the plague of locusts on Egypt to set Israel free from bondage. And now, Israel has the plague of locusts sent upon them as part of the judgment that will send them back into bondage.
There is a little bit of uncertainty over what the four Hebrew words above refer to. Some scholars believe that they may refer to 4 different types of insect, while others think it may refer to 4 different stages in the lifecycle of the locust. There is not enough clear evidence to be adamant either way.
Another compelling idea is that this 4-fold locust army (whether literal or figurative), is prophetic of the 4 kingdoms that would ravage the land of Israel between the collapse of the nation and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit foretold in Joel 2.
- Babylon
- Persia
- Greece
- Rome
If you are a student of Bible prophecy, you will no doubt recognize those empires as the 4 metals in the statue Nebuchadnezzar dreamt about in Daniel 2 and also the 4 beasts Daniel dreamed about in chapter 7.
Let’s look at each one briefly. Watch how the locust army grows into a swarm and then a plague.
The Neo-Babylonian empire certainly hatched with an appetite to “devour” nations. They chewed down Assyria and feasted on Judah with Nebuchadnezzar at the helm. Its borders followed the Fertile Crescent. Then came Persia…
The Hebrew word arbeh means “increasing.” That’s exactly what Persia did after conquering Babylon.
Alexander the Great was a “young locust.” He became king at age 20. He led an ambitious military campaign against the vast Persian Empire at age 22 and had conquered all of Persia’s lands by age 30. He died at only 32 years old.
I find it interesting that the Septuagint translates the fourth plague as “red blight,” considering that Ancient Rome used the color red for their military uniforms.
Further, if “red blight” is the correct understanding of the Hebrew chaciyl, and if the 4-fold plague is foretelling Israel’s future at that time, then it agrees with Daniel’s prophecy concerning Rome.
“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.”
Daniel 7:7 ESV
It’s like that song on Sesame Street, “One of these things is not like the others.” In the Septuagint translation of Joel 1:4 we have insect, insect, insect, red blight.
The Roman Empire stood far longer than the previous 3 put together. It was nothing if not a “consumer” society. It’s 2000 years later and we still remark on Rome’s “bread-and-circuses” culture. And we are still very much like them in our consumption.
Another interesting thought about this Day-of-the-Lord locust army is how it seems to stand parallel with the strange demon-locust army that comes from the Abyss in Rev. 9.
😐 I’ll be sure to add “demon-locust army” to my end-times bingo card.
One final comment on the locust army… And it won’t mean much of anything to you unless you are well-versed in old Charismatic teaching.
There have been Charismatic preachers who would claim that “Joel’s Army” (as it is called) is an end-times army of believers who (I guess) conquer the world for Jesus.
It’s a gross mishandling of the text. This army is sent by God, yes, but it is destroying the land as a form of judgment. That’s not something Christians are called to do.
Joel calls the priests and elders to repent, lament, and fast to at least TRY to turn away this impending doom.
Unlike other prophets, Joel’s message does not list the sins for which they are to repent. This call to repentance feels like a Hail Mary play to me. No specific sins named. Just PLEASE repent of anything you can think of!
“Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes. Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God?”
Joel 1:15-16 ESV
It’s easy to think of the world like this:
- God only does good, nice things.
- The Devil only does destructive bad things.
This kind of thinking will get you in trouble.
Let’s use wisdom when facing personal hardship or considering world events. Let’s not assume offhand that a positive event must mean that God did it, and that negative events must be authored by Satan.
The Almighty has sent (and will send again) terrible destruction on planet earth if the prophecies of Revelation tell us anything.
The forces of evil are only too ready to “bless” with wealth and favor and power. Every good trap needs compelling bait.
The LORD has allowed suffering for the purpose of growth in the lives of His saints in all of history. There is no reason to suppose that this has changed. When we are fully glorified and no longer in need of growth, there will be no longer a need for suffering and God will wipe away all tears.
In the next reading, we will finish the rest of the short book of Joel. It gets more mysteriously apocalyptic and also… more hopeful.
To The Reader 