1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.

2Hear 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?

3Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.

4That 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.

5Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.

6For 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.

7He 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.

8Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.

9The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD's ministers, mourn.

10The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.

11Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.

12The 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.

13Gird 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.

14Sanctify 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,

15Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

16Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?

17The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.

18How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

19O 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.

20The 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.

COMMENTARY by Dr. Dave Burnette

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Joel

Date Penned: BC 835-796

Overview: To Warn Judah of God's Judgement (c 1-3)

Theme: The Day of Locusts (c 1-2)

Message: Joel Predicts a Plague of Locusts (v 1-14)

Joel 1 Commentary

(1:1) Joel was a prophet to the nation of Judah, also known as the Southern Kingdom, The book does not mention when he lived, but is is likely he prophesied during the reign of King Joash (735-796 BC) This book comes with a timeless message: Sin brings God's judgement, yet with God's justice there is also great mercy.

(1:3) God urged adults to pass their History down to their children, telling them over and over the important lessons they learned. In making application we should share our faith, victories, and failures with our children.

(1:4) A locust plague can be as devastating as an invading army. The locusts gather in swarms too great to count and fly several feet above the ground, seeming to darken the sun as they pass by. When they land, they devour almost every piece of vegetation, invading everything in their path. Joel's point was that God would punish the people because of their sin. Joel calls this judgement the "Day of the Lord"

(1:5) The people's physical and moral senses were dulled, making them oblivious to sin. Joel called them to awaken from their complacency and admit their sin before it was too late. Otherwise, everything would be destroyed, even the Grapes and wine that caused their drunkenness. Our times of peace and prosperity can lull us to sleep. We must never let material abundance hinder our spiritual readiness.

(1:14) A fast was a period when no food was eaten and people approached God with humility, sorrow for sin, and urgent prayer. In the Old Testament, people would often fast during times of calamity in order to focus their attention on God and to demonstrate their change of heart and true devotion. (Judges 20, 1 Kings 21, Ezra 8, Jonah 3)

(1:15) The "Day of the Lord" is a common phrase in the Old Testament and in the book of Joel it always refers to an extraordinary happening, whether a present event (like locust) or a future event (the destruction of Jerusalem) or the final period of history when God will defeat all the forces of evil

(1:16-19) Without the Lord devastation is sure. Those who have not personally accepted God's Love and forgiveness will stand before him with no appeal. Be sure to call upon the Lord while there is an opportunity so you can experience his forgiveness, love, and mercy.

LIFE APPLICATION by Dr. Dave Burnette

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we start the Book of Joel with Chapter 1. In our text today we see Joel is a prophet of God in the reign of King Joash some 800 years before Christ. His message is timeless pronouncing that sin brings God's judgement with a plague of locusts. In making application we see how sin devours our life just like the locust so when we choose to sin we are choosing to bring destruction our way. Today many believe their are no consequences to sin but the truth is sin always complicates and robs us of God's best for our lives. How about you? Do you see the consequences of sin? Let us learn from our text today and the words of Joel who reminds us that sin is like a locust in our life that will devour God's best for your life.