A catastrophic locust plague becomes the occasion for Joel to summon all of Judah to urgent lament, using the devastation as a sign of the greater, cosmic Day of the LORD still to come.
Old Testament
Joel
The book identifies its prophetic voice as Joel son of Pethuel, but gives no king, foreign ruler, or datable event. Its date therefore remains disputed: proposals range from Judah's monarchy to the postexilic Persian period, with many scholars favoring a setting after the exile. Addressing elders, priests, and all Judah within Jerusalem's temple-centered life, Joel interprets a devastating locust plague and drought as a summons to communal repentance before the "day of the LORD." He promises restored harvests, God's presence, judgment on hostile nations, and God's Spirit poured out broadly. Its setting may connect either with Kings–Chronicles or with the restored community of Ezra–Nehemiah.
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God answers Judah's lament with a promise of material and spiritual restoration culminating in the outpouring of his Spirit on all flesh, the judgment of the nations, and the permanent dwelling of the LORD in Zion.