Joel

Restoration

Joel is a point of controversy among Bible scholars as to when he prophesied.  He makes no references to the kings under which he served and provides scant clues to who his contemporaries were.  Many believe he live around the time of Elijah and Elisha and during the reign of Jeroboam, but none of this is certain by the scriptures.  In either case, his message is profound.

The land was severely plagued with locusts. The King James version identifies four stages: palmerworm, locusts, cankerworm, caterpillar.  The NLT identifies them as cutting locusts, swarming locust, hopping locusts, and stripping locusts. Suffice it to say, most scholars agree that these are four stages of the same insect.  Their ability to completely strip the land of everything is horrifying and told in great detail in chapter one.

Chapter two describes the encounter like an invading army.  The locusts swarm everywhere and nothing can stop them. The completely eat all vegetation, trees, crops, grain, etc done to a stump. The populace is left with no means to food themselves and are open to disease and famine.

But, the Lord promises in chapter 2, verse 25 to restore.  The Word repeats the stages in reverse order stating that the destruction caused by each stage of the locust will be restored.  In verse 28, the prophets gives a message pointing to the day of Pentecost in the book of Acts. "I will pour out of my Spirit..."

Thus, the Lord allowed the locust to bring Judah and Israel to their knees and repentance, and them promised a complete restoration.