Daily Devotions
Joel
"The word of the LORD that came to Joel"
Text: Joel 1:1
THE PRECIOUS WORD OF GOD
The word of the LORD deserves far more attention and regard than it has been given.
“The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.
Hear this, you elders,
And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land!
Has anything like this happened in your days,
Or even in the days of your fathers?”
Joel 1:1-2
1. “The word of the LORD that came to Joel”
a) This was deemed significant on the national front.
b) This word was of great and immediate relevance.
c) It was also of great importance personally.
2. A crisis that had befallen Israel
a) This was a national crisis.
b) Joel dispensed with the usual formality.
i) Of stating the historical period of time that he was living in.
ii) Thus, he did not name the kings who were ruling.
c) The word of the LORD was an urgent one that had to be proclaimed.
3. “Hear this, you elders”
a) Joel addressed the elders of the land.
b) These were the respected personages living in the local community.
4. “And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land”
a) This word was to be proclaimed to all who lived in Israel.
b) This crisis affected all in the land.
5. “Has anything like this happened in your days”
a) The calamity was huge.
b) It cannot be ignored or brushed aside.
6. “Or even in the days of your fathers”
a) This was a rhetorical question.
b) Nothing like this had occurred in living recent memory.
THE WORD OF THE LORD
Joel had a word from the LORD that he must proclaim. Nothing was more important than to hear the Lord’s word amidst the devastating calamity that had just occurred!