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"The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. Hear this, you elders, And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land! Has anything like this happened in your days, Or even in the days of your fathers? Tell your children about it, Let your children tell their children, And their children another generation. What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten. Awake, you drunkards, and weep; And wail [howl; KJV], all you drinkers of wine, Because of the new wine, For it has been cut off from your mouth." (Joel 1.1-5).

The mission of Joel is not explicitly stated but it is easily deduced by reading his message to dwellers in the land of promise. He wanted no one left out! None were exempt from the plague that was to come upon them and none were such that repentance would not be in order. Because of this, Joel called upon the elders, older and wiser men, to heed his message; likewise he also pleaded for "…all you inhabitants of the land!" Not only were the old to hear so were the young; the lessons were too precious to be spent only on one age group. But, Joel went much farther than that; he wanted his message to go to the current generation, to their children, and to their children’s children, and even perpetuate it yet another generation. It is clear that Joel was a man of great passion for truth in that he wished the message of God to ring out to any and all who would listen, both then and in future generations.

Joel’s passion is also reflected in the fact that he began his message by crying out, "Awake, you drunkards…" These are certainly not words of endearment nor are they words whereby one will win friends and influence people. However, they were the words that needed to be spoken and Joel had the passion to speak them without flinching. No one likes to be called a drunkard; that is too harsh a term. Maybe alcoholic, or party animal, or social drinker – but not drunkard! Yet reality is reality and Joel was man enough not to shrink from the truth; he like other great prophets spoke the truth without fear of favor.

And what were the drunkards to do after they rose from their drunken stupor? Joel instructed them to weep and wail/howl. The drunkards were not the only ones to receive such instructions; so were the farmers and priests instructed to act in similar fashions (see Joel 1.11,13). In this it is clear that Joel favored no one in his ministry. He was not about currying favor with the religious elite or with the common man; he was about speaking the truth with a view toward obtaining the repentance and restoration of his countrymen. All, according to Joel’s preaching, had reason to repent and to be sorrowful – no exceptions!

When it came to truth, Joel had no room for those who were willing to compromise nor did he deviate one jot or tittle from that which God commissioned him to speak. His passion for God was stronger than any political, religious, social, or national interest!

Questions:

1. Why did Joel want his message to receive such wide circulation?

2. What was the impending danger that Joel predicted in chapter 1?

3. Though the destruction Joel prophesied was effected by tiny beings of the animal kingdom, to whom did Joel ascribe the actual calamity?

4. How can we know that Joel’s passion for God was greater than his association with his countrymen?

"Today's Little Lift" from Jim Bullington

Comfort, A Gospel Staple (12-28-10)