Joel Chapter 1
Introduction to the Book of Joel
The Book of Joel is one of the twelve Minor Prophets, yet its message is weighty and prophetic in nature. The prophet Joel, whose name means “Yahweh is God,” delivers a message centered on the coming judgment and ultimate restoration of Israel. Very little biographical information is given about Joel except that he is identified as the son of Pethuel, which suggests his audience likely already knew who he was. The book does not contain direct markers that identify its historical setting with certainty, but most conservative scholars place Joel either during the early reign of King Joash of Judah (around 835–796 BC) or after the Babylonian exile. The early date is supported by Joel’s emphasis on the priests and the temple instead of kings, as well as the purity of worship still being preserved.
The central theme of Joel’s prophecy is the “Day of the Lord.” This phrase appears repeatedly throughout the book and refers to a time when God intervenes directly in human history to judge sin and vindicate His righteousness. Joel presents the Day of the Lord in both its near fulfillment, through a devastating locust plague and drought, and its far future fulfillment in the tribulation and millennial reign of Christ. Joel begins with the description of a catastrophic locust invasion that devastated the land of Judah. This judgment serves as a divine warning, calling the people to repentance and paving the way for a future hope if they return to the Lord with sincere hearts.
One of the most well-known passages in Joel is found in Joel 2:28–29, which promises the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh. This prophecy was partially fulfilled at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, when Peter declared that this was what Joel had spoken of. However, the ultimate and complete fulfillment will occur in the last days during the millennial kingdom when Israel is restored and the Spirit is poured out upon the nation in its fullness. Joel’s message moves from suffering and judgment to hope, offering the promise of restoration if God’s people will repent. He writes, “So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm.” (Joel 2:13). This call emphasizes that God desires sincere repentance, not empty ritual.
Joel concludes with the assurance that God will judge the nations who have oppressed Israel and will dwell in the midst of His people. The land will be restored, the mountains will drip with new wine, and Jerusalem will be holy. The tone shifts from warning to triumph as God establishes His presence among His people in Zion. The book, though short, is rich in prophetic significance. It connects to other prophetic books such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Revelation, especially in relation to end-time judgment, the gathering of nations, and the Lord’s reign from Jerusalem.
The Book of Joel teaches that calamity and hardship are often divine alarms meant to awaken the hearts of God’s people. It declares both the terror and triumph of the Day of the Lord, reminding us that God judges sin but also restores the repentant. It points forward to the final outpouring of the Spirit, the return of Christ, and the millennial reign where He will dwell in Zion. Though written to ancient Judah, its message reaches into the future and speaks directly into the prophetic timeline concerning Israel, the tribulation period, and the Kingdom of Christ.
The Day of the LORD Brings Judah Low
A. Locusts Devastate the Land of Judah
1. Joel 1:1–4 — The remarkable plague of locusts upon Judah
“The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.
Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?
Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.
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 begins by establishing the divine origin of his prophecy. This is not a political message or personal reflection; it is “the word of the LORD” given to Joel, the son of Pethuel. The prophet addresses the elders and all inhabitants of the land, demanding their attention with urgency. He asks a piercing question: has anything like this ever happened before? This question emphasizes how unprecedented and catastrophic the situation truly is. The event was so severe that it must not be forgotten but taught to future generations. The devastation was caused by a series of locust plagues so destructive that each successive swarm consumed what the previous one left behind. The KJV uses different terms — palmerworm, locust, cankerworm, caterpiller — describing either different species or different stages of the same insect. The emphasis is total loss. Nothing was spared.
Joel’s name means “Jehovah is God,” a declaration within itself. Unlike prophets who addressed both kingdoms, Joel focuses solely on Judah. He gives no reference to kings or rulers, and this silence on kings has led many conservative scholars to date his ministry to around 835 B.C. This would place his prophecy shortly after the wicked reign of Athaliah and at the beginning of King Joash’s reign. If this dating is correct, Joel was one of the earliest writing prophets, possibly only after Obadiah. During Athaliah’s six-year reign, idolatry, temple desecration, and wickedness flourished. She attempted to wipe out the royal line of David, but Joash was hidden in the temple by the priest Jehoiada. It was a dark and spiritually corrupt season in Judah. If Joel ministered during this time, it explains why judgment fell so severely upon the land.
The plague of locusts Joel describes is not metaphorical at this point — it is literal. Judah was already experiencing it. Vineyards, figs, grain fields, and pastures were stripped bare. This was an agricultural society, so the locusts brought famine, economic collapse, and despair. Joel is not warning about a future plague; he is declaring the meaning of a present disaster. God’s judgment was not theoretical — it was visible in every barren field and empty barn.
Joel emphasizes that this judgment must be remembered: “Tell ye your children of it.” This is covenantal language. In Israel’s history, great acts of God — such as the Exodus — were to be taught to future generations. Here, however, it is not a story of deliverance but a story of discipline. Yet even God’s discipline is meant to bring repentance and restoration.
Modern accounts remind us how destructive locust plagues can be. In 1915, a swarm struck the land of Israel. Witnesses reported clouds of locusts so dense they blocked the sun. The ground was filled with tens of thousands of eggs in every square yard. When they hatched, the young locusts crawled and devoured everything green — leaves, crops, bark, vines, even wooden tools and fences. They advanced hundreds of feet every day, leaving behind a wasteland. This gives a modern reader a glimpse of the horror Joel’s audience witnessed firsthand.
Spiritually, this disaster was not random. It was not “just nature.” Joel wants Judah to understand: this was “the word of the LORD” in action. It was divine judgment meant to call a sinful nation to repentance. God was speaking through the locusts. They were His army. Israel had broken covenant; now God was reminding them of the consequences.
2. Joel 1:5–7 — An Army of Locusts Against Judah
“Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.
For a nation is come up upon My land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.
He hath laid My vine waste, and barked My fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.”
Joel now directs his rebuke to a specific group in Judah — the drunkards. He tells them to awake, to weep, and to howl. These were men who lived for pleasure, who numbed themselves with wine, ignoring spiritual truth and moral responsibility. Yet even they are now forced to face reality because the “new wine” has been cut off from their mouths. There is no harvest, no grapes, no joy. Sin had lulled them to sleep, but judgment has shaken them awake. This shows that God sometimes removes comfort so that people will confront their spiritual condition. The prophet demands repentance not just from priests or leaders, but from ordinary people who have grown careless and indulgent.
Joel then reveals that this plague of locusts is not merely a natural disaster. He describes it as a nation that has come up against “My land.” God calls Judah “My land,” reminding them that the land does not belong to kings, farmers, or governments, but to Him alone. This “nation” is strong and without number, like an army that cannot be resisted. Its teeth are like a lion’s, symbolizing destructive power. The locusts come with unstoppable force, devouring everything in their path. The imagery of lion’s teeth emphasizes total ruin — when a lion tears prey, nothing remains but bones. In the same way, the locusts left behind nothing but a barren landscape.
God continues by saying, “He hath laid My vine waste, and barked My fig tree.” God calls the vine and fig tree “My vine” and “My fig tree.” These trees were symbols of Israel’s blessing, prosperity, and covenant relationship with God. To say they belong to Him shows His ownership, His care, and also His right to discipline. The locusts have stripped the trees bare, tearing off bark and leaves until the branches appear white and lifeless. What was once fruitful and flourishing now looks like death and desolation. In Scripture, the vine and fig tree also represent Israel herself. Therefore, the physical destruction of crops mirrors the spiritual condition of the people — stripped, barren, and spiritually lifeless.
This judgment is not accidental or impersonal. It is deliberate. God says, “My land… My vine… My fig tree.” He is not absent from the disaster; He is actively involved. He used the locusts as His army to awaken a backslidden nation. The joy of wine is gone, the prosperity of fields is gone, and the comfort of daily life is gone — because God has removed them to call His people to repentance.
The passage also shows the mercy of God in judgment. He does not destroy them without warning. Instead, He speaks through catastrophe and calls them to respond: “Awake.” His goal is not simply to punish, but to bring His people back to Himself in sincerity and humility.
3. Joel 1:8–12 — Judah Mourns Because of the Locusts’ Destruction
“Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.
The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD’S ministers, mourn.
The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.
Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.
The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.”
Joel now calls the people to respond with deep, heartfelt grief. He says, “Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.” The image is of a young bride who has just been betrothed or newly married, yet her husband dies before the marriage is fully lived. Her dreams, future, and joy are ripped away in a moment. That is the kind of sorrow Joel says Judah must feel — not a cold, ceremonial sadness, but raw, personal grief. Sackcloth was rough, uncomfortable clothing worn in times of mourning and repentance. The prophet is urging the people not to shrug off this judgment, not to pretend to be strong, but to tremble before God in humility.
Judgment has reached the temple itself. Joel says, “The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD.” These offerings required grain, oil, and wine, but now the land is so devastated that there is nothing left to present to God. This is significant, because the daily offerings in the temple were not only acts of worship, but reminders of Israel’s covenant relationship with God. When sacrifices stopped, it symbolized that fellowship between God and His people was hindered. Even in Athaliah’s wicked reign, temple rituals continued. Yet here, God Himself allowed worship to cease — not because He rejected sacrifice, but because there was nothing left to sacrifice.
The priests mourn because their service before God has been interrupted. The fields are wasted, the land itself is described as mourning. All three essential agricultural blessings — grain, new wine, and oil — are gone. These were staples of life in Israel, symbols of prosperity, and repeatedly mentioned in Scripture as marks of God’s blessing. Now they are dried up. God touches their economy, their worship, and their daily provision all at once.
Joel then addresses the farmers and vinedressers directly: “Be ye ashamed… howl… because the harvest of the field is perished.” They are not rebuked because they caused the disaster, but because they must feel the weight of it. The vine is dried up, the fig tree languishes, and the pomegranate, palm, and apple trees are withered. These trees provided food, shade, beauty, and income. To lose them was to lose stability and joy. Joel concludes with a tragic statement: “Surely joy is withered away from the sons of men.” What once brought gladness now brings grief. The land is silent. The winepresses do not echo. The temple no longer smells of offerings. Joy itself has dried up like the fields.
This passage reveals that sin leads not only to spiritual consequences but to physical, economic, and emotional collapse. God is not indifferent. He uses loss to awaken hearts. The purpose of this devastation is not to destroy Judah completely but to drive her back to covenant faithfulness. The only right response is repentance, mourning, and returning to the LORD.
B. Drought Devastates the Land of Judah
1. Joel 1:13–14 — A Call to Repentance
“Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.
Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD.”
Joel turns from describing the devastation to commanding a response from God’s people. He begins with the priests, the spiritual leaders of the nation, and calls them to lead by example in repentance. “Gird yourselves, and lament” means to tie up loose garments in preparation for difficult work — the work of humble repentance. They are commanded to weep, to wail, and to lie all night in sackcloth. Sackcloth was rough, coarse clothing worn during mourning or deep sorrow. This was not casual religion or routine ceremony; this was a call to brokenness before God. The priests, who typically stood and ministered at the altar, are now told to lie prostrate all night before the Lord, weeping over the sin of the nation and the judgment that has come.
Joel explains the reason for this mourning: “for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.” Because drought and locusts have stripped the land of grain, wine, and oil, the daily offerings at the temple have ceased. This is a shocking image. The temple, the heart of national worship, is silent. No grain touches the altar, no wine is poured as a drink offering, no fragrance of worship ascends to God. The priests cannot perform their sacred duties. This is not only economic loss; it is spiritual crisis. The covenant fellowship between God and His people is disrupted, not because God abandoned them, but because their sin and the land’s barrenness have made worship impossible.
In verse 14, Joel declares the proper response: “Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly.” The people must stop everything. Eating must stop. Normal life must stop. A national fast is commanded, meaning that seeking God is more urgent than food, work, or daily routine. A “solemn assembly” is a sacred gathering for worship, confession, and prayer. Joel says not only priests, but also elders — civic and tribal leaders — must come. And not just leaders, but “all the inhabitants of the land.” No one is exempt, because no one is untouched by this judgment. Everyone is to gather “into the house of the LORD your God.” This shows the center of repentance must be in God’s presence, where His name dwells. They are to “cry unto the LORD,” not with ritual words, but with desperate, heartfelt pleas for mercy.
Joel does not call Israel to political reform, military defense, or agricultural solutions. He calls them to repent before God. This shows that the root of their crisis was not economic, environmental, or political, but spiritual. The drought, the locusts, the loss of offerings — all of it was God’s discipline to draw His people back to Himself. Therefore, the only cure was repentance.
This passage reminds us that when worship has ceased and joy is gone, the answer is not to adjust religion to culture but to return to God in humility. True repentance begins with the leaders, spreads to the people, and moves toward the presence of God. And when God’s people cry out with sincerity, He is faithful to respond with mercy.
2. Joel 1:15–20 — The Day of the LORD Against Judah in Drought
“Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?
The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.
How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.
O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.
The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.”
Joel now identifies the deeper meaning behind the locust plague and drought. He declares, “The day of the LORD is at hand.” The “day of the LORD” refers to a time when God directly intervenes in human history to bring judgment and correction. Though the ultimate fulfillment will be in the future during the Tribulation and Second Coming of Christ, Joel shows that even this present calamity is a lesser manifestation of that day. It is God’s day — not man’s — and His judgments are not random disasters but deliberate acts calling His people to repentance. He describes it as “destruction from the Almighty,” emphasizing that the devastation is not merely natural, but divine.
Joel continues, “Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?” The grain and drink offerings in the temple have ceased because there is no grain, no wine, no oil. As a result, joy and gladness have disappeared from worship. When fellowship with God is broken, joy is the first thing to die. The seed shrivels in the ground, the storehouses collapse from emptiness, and the barns are silent because there is no harvest to store. What once was full is now desolate.
He then describes the suffering of the animals: “How do the beasts groan!” The cattle wander restlessly because there is no pasture. Sheep, known for their ability to survive in difficult terrain, are suffering as well. Creation itself is groaning. The drought is so severe that it affects not only the people but also the animals — innocent creatures who suffer because of human sin. Their cries rise as a testimony that the land is under judgment.
Joel responds personally: “O LORD, to thee will I cry.” When human effort fails, when every field is burnt, every brook is dry, and every animal is starving, there is only one place left to turn — to God. Joel does not offer political solutions or earthly strategies. He does what the nation must do — cry out to the LORD. He describes fire devouring pastures and burning trees, perhaps literal wildfires sparked by the extreme heat and dryness. Rivers and streams have dried up. The land looks like a desert consumed by flame. Even the beasts of the field cry to God, instinctively looking upward because there is no water below.
This final section of the chapter teaches that God sometimes brings people to the end of all human resources so they will finally look to Him alone. Joel’s message is not despair, but direction — cry out to the LORD. True repentance is not only about emotion but about dependence. Just as Jesus said in Luke 13:1–5, the right question is not “Why did this happen to them?” but “Am I ready to stand before God when judgment comes?” The suffering in Joel’s time is a warning and a call to readiness, repentance, and restoration.
