Our daily reflections follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, designed for those who want to read the whole Bible in one year. Each reflection focuses on one of the chapters from that day's readings. Darllenwch rhain yn Gymraeg.
Lord, open my ears to hear what you have to say to me; open my heart to love your word, and open my mind to understand your truth.
We don’t know much about the prophet Joel and can’t say exactly when he was writing. But it seems the ‘word of the LORD’ came to him (verse 1) at a time of national disaster. Verses 4–12 and 17–20 vividly describe the devastation caused by swarm after swarm of locusts – the worst nightmare for an agricultural society.
The grapevines are destroyed, the fig trees splintered and stripped of their bark. The harvest has been completely wiped out. The ground has dried up – nothing’s going to grow in it. The stores are empty and can’t be replenished. There’s no grain, oil or wine to offer in the temple and no food to eat. The people are suffering and staring death in the face.
What does it mean and what should they do? ‘Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes’ (verse 15) says Joel, making a direct connection between the events and Israel’s need to repent.
We might be wary of speculating on the causes of disasters today, but it wouldn’t have seemed strange to Joel’s audience. In Deuteronomy 28, Moses urged the Israelites to be faithful to God, outlining the blessings they could expect if they obeyed God’s law and the consequences (including plagues of locusts, military invasion and exile) if they didn’t.
‘Wake up and weep’ (verse 5) Joel cries, calling on all the inhabitants of the land to gather at the house of the LORD their God, and ‘cry out to the LORD’ (verse 14).
How do we respond to national disaster? Whatever the cause, desperate situations should ultimately point us to the Lord, our saviour and ultimate source of hope.
Lord God, we’re sorry for the ways we’ve sinned against you. Shake us out of complacency and forgive us as we cry out to you with all our hearts. Restore us and use us as powerful witnesses of your mercy, compassion and love to the people around us who don’t yet know you.
This reflection was written by Esther King, Digital Communications Officer at Bible Society
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