LEARNING DAILY

 

Joel 1:2, 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?

 

Israel had always been under the threat of invading armies. Because of experiencing many invasions, as well, they were prepared with their own armies. But Israel was not prepared for an invasion of locusts which swarmed over Judah, completely devastating crops and food supplies. Joel used the invasion of locusts to describe another invasion to come. He warned a spiritually complacent Judah that anything less than total devotion to the one true God would result in an invasion from people from the north. He also told of terrible day of the Lord was coming when He would bring all mankind into an account of their lives and what they had done with their lives. He urged the people to repent, pray and diligently seek God to delay God’s judgment. 

 

Thinking back over the past few years, the United States of America, with the great military capabilities we possess was not prepared for a virus that came to the nation and completely shut down – well, everything. Life as we had known it about stopped and today many businesses have not recovered. God has given us warning of events that would signal the nearness of His return. Like the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah broke covenant with God, the United States and the rest of the world have failed to follow God as He has demanded. Deuteronomy 28 gives the blessings of obedience and the curses brought by disobedience.

 

Joel 2:1 states, “Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord is coming. For it is at hand,”. Here is the warning for Israel: Be alert for an enemy is coming and it is ready to attack! The day of the Lord is near; it is coming! It is God’s final judgment against His enemies. The invasion of locusts was like a sign pointing to the future, the day when He would settle the matter, settle all accounts with Israel and all those who resisted His son and His will. This plague of locusts was real, not a vision which Joel saw as the working of God.

 

You saw how easily a virus shut down businesses, education, travel and emptied shelve in grocery stores. You saw how easily deception spread regarding the spread of the virus and how easily the deception was believed. Was it a warning from the Lord for people to turn to and follow Him in obedience? For Joel returning to the Lord came before He would restore the people. Perhaps the covid problem (only one of many problems) was our “locusts”.

 

Not one of us can recover the bad choices, the time we wasted, the words spoken. But God, can take each of our lives, the time we have, the opportunities before us, our relationships, and use them for His glory. But we must choose to put all the broken pieces of our lives into His hands (paraphrased from the notes in the David Jeremiah study Bible). His forgiveness and His grace puts those pieces back together in a way that He can use us, making an impact on those around us for Him each day!