Joel 1–3 (Hebrew 1–4)

Joel writes his prophecy to the southern kingdom of Judah, in order to expose Israel’s covenant unfaithfulness, using the illustration of the locust plague, to warn Israel against future judgment in the coming day of the LORD, so that they will repent, turn to the LORD, and be restored. 

The LORD had big plans for Israel. They were His seghola. His treasured possession. They were to be a kingdom of priests for the nations. The LORD had so much good He wanted to do for them. If they would only listen to His voice, keep His covenant, and follow His commands. They would experience all the blessings of the covenant He had made with them. He would bring them into the land. He would be an Enemy to their enemies and an Adversary to their adversaries. He would fight for them. And they would live securely in the land in peace. They would be a spectacle to the world for all the good that the LORD did for them. He would be their God, and they would be His people.

Unfortunately, they did not listen to His voice. They did not keep His covenant. They did not follow His commands. And so, the LORD, being true to His word, has brought the curses of the covenant on them in the form of the plague of locusts. But there’s still time to repent before things get worse. Before the LORD drives them out of the land. Before He becomes their Enemy. Before the day of the LORD comes, and they become a different kind of spectacle…a horror and a curse…to the world for all the evil that the LORD does to them. If only they would turn back to the LORD.

Maybe that’s where you are today. You’ve strayed far from the LORD. Maybe intentionally. Maybe it’s been a slow drift. But here you are. I think most of us have been there at some point. So, what do you do? It reminds me of the prodigal son. Stuck in the muck. Longing to eat what the pigs are eating. That’s pretty low. But then he came to his senses and remembered his Father’s house, and he turned to come back. And he discovered the most beautifully unexpected thing. The Father had been waiting for him all along and met him with open arms, celebrating His son who had been lost and now was found. That’s just like the LORD, “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and faithfulness, relenting of evil, who knows whether He might turn and relent and leave a blessing instead?”

If you don’t know the LORD, you can come to know Him today. It’s as simple as recognizing that you are a sinner in need of a Savior and believing that Jesus is the Savior whom God promised. He lived a perfect life and died a sacrificial death. He was raised to life on the third day, proving that He had conquered both sin and death, so that by believing in Him, you can be saved—not because of anything that you have done, but because of what Jesus did. The Innocent who died for the guilty so that the guilty could be declared innocent.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our Book of the Twelve series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.