Joel 1:2-5
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Joel 1:2
"Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land. Has
anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your forefathers?"
Here, in verse 2, Joel commands the hearing of the elders and the people
who live in the land. The king, Joash, and his court are not mentioned
because Joash is an infant, and the elders "appear in the book of Joel
in 1:14 (cf. 2:16; 3:1) as the real leadership group." [1]
The elders, then, are functioning as regents for Joash. Additionally, Joel
demands that those who live in the land also listen to his words. And the
'land' refers to Judah and Jerusalem.
From the initial question "has anything like this ever happened?",
Joel cites the incredible phenomena of the locust induced famines.
Joel 1:3
"Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their
children, and their children to the next generation."
Joel instructs the Jews to teach their children, etc., about not only the
locust plagues but about his prophecies concerning the Assryians and the
Tribulational King of the North.
To know it, it must be taught.
The concept of prophecy includes dual fulfillment of prophecy: near fulfillment
and far fulfillment. Thus prophecy includes the prediction of future events
and prediction was a definite part of the prophet's intent, but prophecy
also includes the aspects of the present and the past. It can been seen,
then, that the prophet is not only a foreteller but a forthteller. He speaks
for, or in behalf of God. [2]
Joel 1:4
"What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what
the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young
locusts have left other locusts have eaten."
Here, in verse 4, Joel lists four literal locust infestations, each of which
caused total economic/agricultural devastation. And Joel, in a prophetic
(foretelling) sense, will equate each infestation with a future Assyrian
king.
The Locusts [3]
Four different types of locusts are mentioned by Joel in verse 4, chapter
1:
1. GAZAM, which means 'to cut off,' and refers to the locusts
that eat the tops off the stalks of plants. This type of locust has been
called the 'gnawing locust,' or 'the devourer,' and has no wings. The eschatological
(future) reference is to Tiglath-pileser III, also known as Pul, the Assyrian
king.
2. ARBEH, which means 'to increase;' this type of locust eats the stalks
of the plants. It has been called 'the swarming' locust. The eschatological
reference is to Sargon II, an aristocrat unlike his predecessor, Tiglath-pileser
III, who was a commoner. Sargon II founded the Sargonid Dynasty.
3. YELEK, which means 'to lick up,' and designates the locust that eats
the stub of the stalk. The eschatological reference is to the Assyrian
king Sennachrib.
4. CHASIL, which means 'to devour,' and denotes the locust that eats the
root of the plant. And eschatologically, the term refers to Esar-haddon.
[4]
Locusts belong to the order called Orthoptera, and include grasshoppers.
True locusts, or jumping grasshoppers are migratory and belong to the family
Acrididae. There are 23,000 different species of locusts. And they cause
great damage to crops wherever they swarm. Modern control measures include
poison bait, the plowing under of locust eggs, airplane sprayed insecticides
and truck-mounted poisonous mist blowers. When locusts swarm, the numbers
are estimated to be in the hundreds of millions.
A few Scripture references are: "They came up with their livestock
and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the
men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it." Judges
6:5.
"They will chop down her forest,' declares the Lord, 'dense though
it be. They are more numerous than locusts, they cannot be counted.'"
Jeremiah 46:23
"Locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks.: Proverbs
30:27
To demonstrate how destructive locust infestations can be, Gustaf Dalman
wrote: [5] "In Jerusalem the locusts appeared at that time in flights
lasting for hours, like clouds from the northeast and south, from the 22nd
to the 27th of March.....At the end of May and the beginning of Jude the
first hatching of eggs, deposited by them into the ground, appeared as wingless
larvae..., which wander about and eat up everything green that they encounter.
Wild growth, grain, the leaves of fig trees, vines, even olive trees, everything
disappears where they move along. They cover the walls of houses, penetrate
to the inside through doors and windows, just as Exodus 10:5f assumes.
Following a sixfold shedding, the wings appear after approximately two months,
and twenty days later they fly on..., to invade other regions."
Joel 1:5
"Wake up you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you drinkers of wine;
wail because of the wine, for it has been snatched from your lips."
This is the wine of the new vintage that has not yet been put in containers.
And Judah is a nation of alcoholics in Joel's day. The result of the locust
infestations is the destruction of all crops and vegetation. There is no
more beer, no more wine, no more grain-based alcohols. These Jews were
not interested in God's word; they were bored, their lives were tedious.
Through lack of God's word in their souls they had no capacity for life.
Indeed, boredom and frustration caused them seek escape through alcohol.
When these people awaken from the ignorance of their drunken stupors they
will "weep and wail" because there is no more wine. They will
no longer be able to evade reality.
Verse five brings up two concepts: drinking and crying. These will be
briefly covered now, because the topics occur throughout the book of Joel,
and for that matter, throughout the Old Testament.
Drinking and Drunkenness
Drunkenness is a sin according to Scripture: Proverbs 20:1, 23:20, Isaiah
5:11,22, 28:7-8, Romans 13:13, I Corinthians 5:11, Ephesians 5:18. And
the following professions are singled out for specific and special warning
against drunkenness: Kings or government leaders, Proverbs 31:4,5; Pastors
or priests, I Timothy 3:3, Titus 1:7; Deacons, I Timothy 3:8.
Examples of drunkenness and the harmful results therefrom are found in:
Genesis 9:21, which is the story of Noah. I Samuel 25:36,37, which relates
the story of Nabal. Ephraim's drunkenness is narrated in Isaiah 28:1, and
the depravity of Lot is attributable to drunkenness in Genesis 19:32-36.
Scripture does, however, allow drinking in moderation. In fact the following
medical benefits are ascribed to small amounts of alcohol by Scripture:
the brain and nervous system are relaxed by alcohol; alcohol is described
as good for the stomach and the appetite; and red wine is recommended to
improve circulation (the cardio-vascular system). Citations are: Proverbs
31:6,7, and I Timothy 5:23.
When abused, alcohol has very detrimental effects. Abuse leads to impulsive
and violent behavior, and it removes normal inhibitions and clouds ratiocinative
capabilities. Too much alcohol may cause the following diseases: Wernicke's
disease, Marchiafava-Bignani's disease, Cirrohosis, Delirium tremens, and
Korsakoff's psychosis.
In John 2:1-11, our Lord turned water into wine. Many would cite this passage
as support for drinking; however, it neither condones nor condemns drinking.
All it does is report a miracle. And the miracle was intended to demonstrate
the power and Person of the Son of God, i.e., that He was the God-Man, the
unique Person of the universe. Additionally, the miracle portrayed the
power of the "water of the word" in the life of the believer,
Ephesians 5:26, and also depicts the true soul happiness that the "water
of the word" produces, just as wine produces a giddy feeling in the
mind, Judges 9:13 and Psalm 104:15.
The books of Joel and Isaiah assert that extensive misuse of alcohol in
a nation brings about not only natural consequences, but also discipline
from God. Joel 1:4 relates alcoholism to economic disaster, while Joel
1:5 relates alcohol to individual failure, yearning and rage. And both
Joel 1:6 and Isaiah 28:1,7-9 relate alcoholism to national failure and foreign
domination.
The Law of Love, the Law of Expediency, and the Law of Supreme Sacrifice,
all of which are mentioned in I Cor. 8:1-10, provide direction that drinking
should be curtailed under certain conditions: when offending other believers,
when evangelizing unbelievers, and when any bona fide ministry might be
disadvantaged.
Jeremiah 13, verses 12 through 17, make the remarkable statement that drunkenness
is associated with apostasy. How and why? Because drunkenness is a violation
of God's word, and such a violation may be indicative of insufficient love
for God.
Thus, partaking of alcoholic beverages should be accompanied by large amounts
of common sense, such as: teenagers should avoid all alcohol as maturity
is necessary for restraint; women should avoid alcohol when in the company
of strangers; alcohol should be avoided when one is irritated or worried;
and the old adage "never drink alone" is still true; and alcohol
should be avoided while working, hunting, fishing, firing weapons, driving,
flying, or operating machinery and, in any unusual circumstances. [6]
Tears and Lamentations
In our passage in Joel, wailing is indicative of confusion and distraction
from God and God's word. It is a symptom of soul misery and self-pity.
However, Scripture sanctions crying and weeping in certain conditions.
The chief example of justifiable tears is found in the tears of our Lord.
Scripture records three instances in which He wept:
1. John 11:35, here our Lord wept at the tomb of Lazarus.
These were tears of loss, love and compassion.
2. Luke 19:41, where our Lord cried for the city of Jerusalem because He
knew that it would be destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. His tears were
those of compassion and love.
3. Hebrews 5:7, which says, "During the days of Jesus' life on earth,
he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one
who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent
submission." This is a reference to His crying on the Cross because
of the intense pain He felt, a pain that we will never feel -- the pain
of bearing our sins.
Thus, weeping is sanctioned as an expression of sorrow, I Thess. 4:13; because
of compassion, John 11:35; as an expression of faith in God, Psalm 30:5;
anguish over one's nation, Jeremiah 9:1; and as the result of physical pain,
Revelation 21:4.
Nevertheless, weeping is not justified according to Scripture under other
conditions: because of personal failure, II Samuel 14:24,28, 18:33, 19:1-4,
where David not only had sorrow (which is acceptable) but regrets; because
of devastation, I Samuel 30:4, Joel 1:5; because of embarrassment and arrogance,
Ezra 3:12,13; or because of obstacles, Numbers 14:1.
According to Matthew 8:12, 25:30, and Luke 13:28, unbelievers will weep
and gnash their teeth at the last judgment. And I Corinthians 14:32, states
that pastors should not cry in the pulpit. They are to be in control of
themselves.
Weeping because of extreme soul happiness, i.e., love, weddings, faith,
is classified as "private" or "secret" weeping and is
permissible. Psalm 30:5, Luke 7:38.
Finally, Revelation 21:4 and Isaiah 30:19, declare that there will be no
crying, weeping or wailing in heaven, in eternity. [6]
[1] Wolff, Hans Walter. Joel and Amos; page 25.
[2] Thieme, Robert. Joel; from notes. Paraphrase of principles propounded
by Robert Thieme.
[3] Thieme, Robert. Joel; from notes. The designation and definition of
these terms was originally posed by Robert Thieme.
[4] Isaiah 7-11 speak specifically of Tiglath-pileser III; Isaiah 20:1 speaks
of Sargon II; and Isaiah 36-39 and II Kings 18 speak of Sennachrib. Esar-haddon
is mentioned in Ezra 4:2.
[5] Dalman, Gustaf. Arbeit 1/2, 393f (based on Israel Aharoni's description
of the locust plague of 1915-16).
[6] Thieme, Robert. Doubtful Things In Corinth; page 35, 1974. Revised
and altered by R.E. Radic.
[7] Thieme, Robert. Crying in Scripture; from notes, 1970; revised and
altered by R.E. Radic.
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