Introduction

The Book of Joel is one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament. Chapter 1 begins with a vivid and dire description of a calamity—a locust plague that devastates the land of Judah. This chapter sets the stage for the themes of judgment, repentance, and restoration, which dominate the book. Joel’s prophecy combines poetic imagery with a call to action, urging the people to recognize the seriousness of their situation and turn to God in repentance. While its historical context may focus on a specific disaster, Joel 1 also carries a timeless spiritual message.

Key Points

• Main Point: Calamity is a sign of God’s impending judgment that provokes communal repentance.
• Purpose: Repent from spiritual slumber and cry out to the LORD.

Joel 1:1

The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel…

God had chosen Israel to be a blessing to the nations (Gen 12:1–3), but their idolatry led to judgment, culminating in exile (Deut 28:15–68; 2 Kings 17:7–20). Though some Israelites returned to their land (Ezra 1–2), they now faced another calamity. Joel, speaking to these post-exilic Jews, declares God’s message amid their distress.

Joel 1:2–3

Hear this, you elders; give ear, all inhabitants of the land!
Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers?
Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation.

Joel urgently proclaims an unprecedented disaster, calling everyone to recognize its magnitude and pass down its lessons (Deut 28:46). The prophet details the destruction (1:4), urging the people to mourn (1:5–13), repent (1:14), and acknowledge God’s hand in the calamity (1:15–20). God permits suffering to awaken His people, drawing them into repentance and deeper dependence on Him.

Joel 1:4

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.

The four locusts symbolize total devastation (1:4; 2:25), echoing the covenant curses for disobedience (Deut 28:38). Even after returning from exile, the people still experienced judgment. Why? Because external restoration without true repentance does not exempt anyone from the effects of sin. Even God’s people experience the brokenness of a fallen world (Gen 3). True hope lies in trusting His goodness, even amid suffering.

Joel 1:5–7

Awake, you drunkards, and weep, and wail, all you drinkers of wine,
because of the sweet wine, for it is cut off from your mouth.
For a nation has come up against my land, powerful and beyond number;
its teeth are lions’ teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness.
It has laid waste my vine and splintered my fig tree;
it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down; their branches are made white.

Drunkards, once numbed by excess, now face scarcity and sorrow (1:5; Deut 28:39). The invading locusts, described as a powerful nation (1:6), leave behind utter destruction (1:7). When God strips away material pleasures, it is an invitation to wake up spiritually (Job 33:15–18; 1 Thess 5:6–7).

Joel 1:8–10

Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth for the bridegroom of her youth.
The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the LORD.
The priests mourn, the ministers of the LORD.
The fields are destroyed, the ground mourns,
because the grain is destroyed, the wine dries up, the oil languishes.

The destruction affects worship itself—grain, wine, and oil, essential for offerings (Lev 2:1–16; Deut 12:6–7), are gone. The priests mourn, for there is no means of thanksgiving (1:9). Like a bride whose groom has died, Israel grieves deeply. Spiritual sorrow is real. When our communion with God is disrupted by loss and hardship, it should drive us to lament—yet with hope in His restoration (Lam 3:19–42).

Joel 1:11–12

Be ashamed, O tillers of the soil; wail, O vinedressers,
for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished.
The vine dries up; the fig tree languishes.
Pomegranate, palm, and apple, all the trees of the field are dried up,
and gladness dries up from the children of man.

Farmers, once secure in their work, now see their labor wasted (1:11). The vine, fig, pomegranate, and palm—symbols of prosperity—wither, mirroring the joy that has dried up (1:12; Deut 28:42). Work and wealth are not ultimate. When they fail, they expose our misplaced dependence on them (Matt 6:19; 1 Tim 6:17).

Joel 1:13

Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar.
Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God!
Because grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God.

The priests, unable to offer sacrifices due to the famine (Deut 28:45–48), are called to repentance. But God’s call extends beyond leadership; the whole community must seek Him together (1:14). True reform begins with leaders, but all believers must turn to God. Pray for our leaders to walk in humility and lead us in repentance.

Joel 1:14

Consecrate a fast; call 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.

Joel calls for national repentance through fasting and prayer, as commanded in times of crisis (Deut 30:1–3; 1 Kings 21:27–29). Spiritual renewal is a collective effort. Corporate prayer and fasting deepen our dependence on God and align our hearts with His will.

Joel 1:15–16

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 identifies the locust plague as part of “the day of the LORD”—God’s intervention in judgment (Isa 13:6, 9). While this is not yet final judgment (Joel 2:30–32), it is a foreshadowing of God’s justice. God is just and will punish sin. The call to repentance is urgent—seek Him before the final judgment comes (Joel 2:12–13; Deut 6:4–5).

Joel 1:17–18

The seed shrivels under the clods; the storehouses are desolate;
the granaries are torn down because the grain has dried up.
How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed
because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep suffer.

The catastrophe affects not just people but animals, underscoring the totality of God’s judgment. God’s power extends over all creation. His judgment is so complete that even nature groans under its weight (Rom 8:22).

Joel 1:19–20

To you, O LORD, I call. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness,
and flame has burned all the trees of the field.
Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up,
and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Joel doesn’t merely call others to repentance—he himself turns to God in prayer. He acknowledges the suffering but seeks the Lord’s mercy. Repentance is both personal and communal. Our sin affects not just ourselves but the body of Christ. We must seek God’s mercy not just for our sake, but for His people as a whole.

Conclusion

Joel 1 serves as a poignant reminder of the consequences of rebelling against God and the necessity of turning to Him in crisis. The chapter’s vivid description of the locust plague underscores the urgency of repentance and reliance on divine mercy. While it addresses a specific historical event, its message transcends time, urging every generation to heed God’s warnings and seek restoration through repentance and prayer.

Summary

1. Joel 1 begins with a description of a devastating locust plague, symbolizing God’s judgment (1:2–4).
2. The destruction affects every facet of life, from agriculture to worship (1:5–12).
3. Joel calls all societal groups to lament and repent, emphasizing collective responsibility (1:13–14).
4. The “Day of the Lord” refers to a future time of divine judgment (1:15–18).
5. The overarching message is a call to turn back to God amidst calamity, seeking restoration through repentance and faith (1:19–20).