Joel 1 Repentance 

It is interesting to note: No other writer both NT or OT mentions this person, Joel. It appears that he lived among and ministered to the southern kingdom of Judah. Dr. Patterson notes: ““Joel was a man of vitality and spiritual maturity. A keen discerner of the times, he delivered God’s message to the people of Judah in a vivid and impassioned style, with a precision and originality of thought that served as a veritable quarry out of which many subsequent prophetic building stones were to be hewn.” When we read statements such as this, we praise God for His choice of this prophet but also makes us want to join him in understanding the times in which he lived. 

As with other OT prophets, Joel wrote to warn the people of God of impending disaster due to their sin. And, like the other prophets, his message fell on fallow ground. However, we have his words so we might reflect and see God at work even now. The warning signs then are the same warning signs now. Will we listen or do we have to reap the harvest of poor judgment. Do we have to experience the wave of locusts in our land because of the hardness of our hearts? Joel reminds the people: “Wail, you who minister at the altar.Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you servants of my God,” Are we doing that in our time frame? 

Repentance is what God desires. May we be a repentant people today.