Joel 1 - 3
In Sunday’s
Bible account, God called Joel to prophesy to the Southern Kingdom of Judah in
the middle of a crisis. Judah was experiencing an invasion of locusts, on top
of a drought. Joel made it clear that the people were not undergoing bad
luck—God was judging them for their sin.
In Deuteronomy 28, God told His people
that if they did not obey Him, “You will sow much seed in the field but harvest
little, because locusts will devour it” (vv. 15, 38). That is exactly what
happened. These disasters were a wake-up call. Joel told the people to repent.
He told them to fast. He told them to cry out to God and ask Him to show them
mercy. Then Joel looked ahead to the future. The Day of the Lord was coming, a
day when God would show His strength through an invading army. God’s power
would be against those who were not right with God. So Joel implored them,
“Return to the Lord your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to
anger, rich in faithful love, and He relents from sending disaster.”
God would rather forgive His people than
punish them. God used locusts and drought to get Judah's attention. They had
turned from God, and the prophet Joel called them to repent. Like Joel, Jesus
calls sinners to repent. Jesus died and was resurrected so that those who
repent can experience forgiveness. (Luke 24:46-47)
Thank you for continuing this journey of
The Gospel Project® for Kids!
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