This morning I drove
to Bonnyville to visit a member of our church.
Looking at the hills filled with poplar trees gave me some hope. About three weeks ago they were nearly bare. You see this species called the malacosoma
disstria has
been decimating our trees, crawling through our yards and adjoining themselves
to our houses. The caterpillars feed as
a colony until they leave the trees to pupate. But today I saw a greenish tinge returning
to the woods. The poplar leaves were
coming back. It caused me to think of Joel
2:25
(NIV),
25 “I
will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the
young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm— my great army that I sent
among you.
"Joel
calls all the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem to lament and return to the
Lord during a time of national calamity. This crisis is precipitated in the
first instance by a locust plague that has destroyed both wine (1:5, 7, 12) and
grain (1:10) and therefore threatens the ability of the people of God to
present offerings in the temple (1:9, 13, 16)."[1]
The major thought through this prophecy is the call of God to this
nation to repent and return to Him. "When
locusts were understood as an instrument of divine punishment, repentance was
the appropriate response (Deut. 28:38; Amos 7:1; Is. 33:4)."[2]
Those
who respond to the Lord in repentance after the chastening judgment of the
locusts are promised blessings. "Specifically, four blessings are named:
he answers their prayer; he satisfies their desires; he removes their reproach;
he destroys their enemies."[3]
"The promised restoration reverses the economic devastation from
the locust invasion."[4]
As
Matthew Henry comments, "Though, in justice, he distrained upon them,
and did them no wrong, yet, in compassion, he makes restitution; as the father
of the prodigal, upon his return, made up all he had lost by his sin and folly,
and took him into his family, as in his former estate."[5]
What an
amazingly merciful and loving response by our heavenly Father is portrayed for
us who will repent and return to Him:
““But the father said to his servants,
‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and
sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast
and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost
and is found.’ So they began to celebrate” (Luke 15:22–24, NIV).
With such a welcome, who would not wish to
run back home and be restored to our Father, through Christ, by grace. “Then you will know that I am in Israel,
that I am the Lord your God, and
that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed” (Joel 2:27,
NIV). "The restored fellowship
would be attested by God's renewed designation of them as "my
people." They need never again "be humiliated," whether by
locusts (1:11) among the heathen (2:17), or before the whole world (cf. Isa
29:22; 49:22-23; 54:4). No, never again! Best of all, his people would know
experientially the abiding presence of God himself, dwelling in their midst
(cf. 2:17; 3:17, 21; Hos 11:9; cf. also Ezek 48:35)."[6]
As you see the poplars regaining their
greenery remember the promise of our God: "I will repay you for the years
the locusts have eaten." [7] Repent and be restored.
[1] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1644). Wheaton,
IL: Crossway Bibles.
[2] Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B.
K., & Silva, M. (1995). The
Reformation study Bible: bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture:
New King James Version (Joe 1:4). Nashville: T. Nelson.
[3] Robertson, O. P. (1995). Prophet of the Coming Day of the Lord: The
Message of Joel (p. 61). Darlington, England: Evangelical Press.
[4] Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M.,
Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife
Study Bible (Joe 2:18–3:21). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[5] Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged
in one volume (p. 1499). Peabody: Hendrickson.
[6] Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis
CD-ROM:Joel/Exposition of Joel/I. Joel's Present Instructions: Based on the
Locust Plague (1:1-2:27)/B. The Instructions: Based on the Locust Plague
(1:5-2:27)/2. Warnings in the light of the coming conflict (2:1-27)/b. Joel's plea
and prescription (2:12-27)/(2) The call to implore the God of grace
(2:15-27)/(b) The response of God (2:18-27), Book Version: 4.0.2
[7] The
New International Version. (2011). (Joe 2:25). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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