By the time Joel was called to minister to Judah, the Southern Kingdom had been in a state of disarray and decline for years, both economically and spiritually.
Rival nations and city states such as Tyre, Sidon, and Philistia had made frequent incursions into Israel, and a recent locust plague and drought had devastated Judah’s economy (Joel 1:4). Needless to say, Judah was weak from the inside out. It was a time of national mourning, where, as Joel writes, “all the trees of the field dry up. Indeed, rejoicing dries up from the sons of men” (Joel 1:12).
Like many biblical prophets, Joel was sent by God to get the people’s attention in a time of depression and decline. However, unlike many prophets, Joel does not address specific sin or idolatry on the part of the Judah. Rather, he uses the recent calamity of the locust plague to teach a prophetic lesson.
Speaking to the elders of Judah, Joel calls all members of society to take seriously the current locust plague. Because as bad as this calamity was, it was nothing in comparison to what was to come from God if the people did not repent and turn back to Him.
Looking back at the economic hardship brought on by the locust plague was intended to encourage the people to look forward to the great and terrible Day of the Lord, a phrase mentioned nineteen times by eight different Bible prophets, including Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Obadiah, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Malachi, and Joel.