Joel 1:15-20
15 Woe for the day!
For the day of the Lord is near,
And it will come as destruction from the Almighty.
16 Has food not been cut off before our eyes, and
Joy and rejoicing from the house of our God?
17 The seeds have dried up under their shovels;
The storehouses have become desolate,
The grain silos are ruined,
Because the grain has dried up.
18 How the animals have groaned!
The herds of cattle have wandered aimlessly
Because there is no pasture for them;
Even the flocks of sheep have suffered.
19 To You, Lord, I cry out;
For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness,
And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field.
20 Even the animals of the field pant for You;
For the stream beds of water are dried up,
And fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
The Day of the Lord is Near
The second great disaster
What Joel is prophesying in today’s passage is a great disaster that will occur in the future (a second great disaster, not the locust plague). Only the result of that great disaster is foretold here. The cause of the great disaster is described in 2:1-11. (1) Joel, who in the previous passage urged fasting and the holding of a sacred assembly, senses an approaching, even greater crisis and cries out, “Woe for the day! For the day of the Lord is near.” “The day of the Lord” is a term that refers to the Great Tribulation, the period most frequently mentioned in the Old Testament. Joel uses the expression “the day of the Lord” five times in this book, and verse 15 is the first occurrence. (2) That day will come like destruction from the Almighty. As a result, food will be cut off, joy and gladness will disappear from the house of God, and the grain will shrivel even to the seed. Furthermore, even the livestock will despair.
The great disaster of fire
The first great disaster that had already occurred was caused by “the invasion of locusts.” Because the locusts consumed the crops and the trees, the land was devastated. In contrast, the second great disaster will be brought about by “fire” and “flames.” As a result, the pastures and all the trees of the field will be burned up. Even the wild animals will suffer and will seek God’s help. The phrase “even the animals of the field pant for You” is a personification. Such will be the severity of the situation. Very severe circumstances are about to come upon our country and also upon the entire world. Are you sensing a spiritual thirst right now? Is this not the very time when we should pant after God? “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, God” (Ps. 42:1). Today, let us pray this prayer as our own and receive the water of life from the Lord.
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, I am thirsty now. Please give me the water of the Holy Spirit. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.