Joel 1:1-12 (New International Version)
1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel son of Pethuel.
2 Hear this, you elders;
listen, all who live in the land.
Has anything like this ever happened in your days
or in the days of your ancestors?
3 Tell it to your children,
and let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the next generation.
4 What the locust swarm has left
the great locusts have eaten;
what the great locusts have left
the young locusts have eaten;
what the young locusts have left
other locusts have eaten.
5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!
Wail, all you drinkers of wine;
wail because of the new wine,
for it has been snatched from your lips.
6 A nation has invaded my land,
a mighty army without number;
it has the teeth of a lion,
the fangs of a lioness.
7 It has laid waste my vines
and ruined my fig trees.
It has stripped off their bark
and thrown it away,
leaving their branches white.
8 Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth
grieving for the betrothed of her youth.
9 Grain offerings and drink offerings
are cut off from the house of the Lord.
The priests are in mourning,
those who minister before the Lord.
10 The fields are ruined,
the ground is dried up;
the grain is destroyed,
the new wine is dried up,
the olive oil fails.
11 Despair, you farmers,
wail, you vine growers;
grieve for the wheat and the barley,
because the harvest of the field is destroyed.
12 The vine is dried up
and the fig tree is withered;
the pomegranate, the palm and the apple[b] tree—
all the trees of the field—are dried up.
Surely the people’s joy
is withered away.
I. The How of Back to the Basics (vv. 1-3)
• A key part of love is doing
• The word of the Lord comes to us prophetically in two ways: a
• Leaders are not called to a
•
•
II. The Why of Back to the Basics (vv. 4-8)
• A biblical curse is God’s removal of
• Heaven
•
• Yesterday is
• Jesus’ sacrifice cleanses us from sin (
III. The When of Back to the Basics (vv. 9-12)
• Sin hinders God’s
•
• Oil and wine are symbols for the
• God
• Sin hinders God’s
TAKE OFF
Have you ever experienced a natural disaster like a flood, blizzard, or tornado? Share your story.
TEXT
1. What thoughts or feelings did you have during this week’s sermon?
2. Who is Joel and what do we learn about him in verse 1? The book of Joel is a prophetic book. How should prophecy be used today?
3. What does Joel mean when he calls on the “elders” and “all who live in the land” to listen (v. 2)? Discuss the differences between the words “hear,” “listen,” and “tell.” How do you feel after someone has truly listened to you? For what reasons do you tell things to others?
4. How does the economic impact of the locust invasion affect the people in verses 9-12? How does this correlate with the effects of unrepentant sin in our lives? In what ways can sin destroy not just ourselves but others?
TAKE AWAY
Is there an area of your life where you are feeling dryness and despair? Take time to pray about this with your group and over the next week.