Joel opens with a question for the oldest people in the land: had anything like this ever happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Swarm after swarm had come, and each one ate what the last one left behind.
The vines were bare, the fields were wasted, and even the offerings at the house of the LORD had stopped. Joel did not tell the people to wait it out. He told them to gather, to fast, and to turn to God – and then he brought them one of the most hopeful promises in the prophets.
The Story of Joel and the Locusts
The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel began with a call to listen: Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. They were to tell their children about it, and their children another generation. What had happened was this: That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.
Joel describes the swarm as a nation, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion. He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree. The field is wasted, the land mourneth. The vine was dried up, and the pomegranate, the palm and the apple trees were withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men. Even worship was affected – the meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD, and the priests, the LORD’s ministers, mourn.
So Joel called the priests to lead: Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests. Then he told them what to do. Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD. Joel cried out himself: O LORD, to thee will I cry, for the fire had devoured the pastures, and even the beasts of the field cry also unto thee.
Chapter 2 sounds the alarm again. Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, for the day of the LORD cometh. Joel pictures a great people and a strong advancing like an army. The land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness. They run like mighty men, they climb the wall, they enter in at the windows like a thief. And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army, for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
Then comes the turn. Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments. Tearing clothes was the outward sign of grief; God wanted the grief to be real on the inside. The reason to come was God himself: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness. Everyone was to be called, from the elders to the children, and the priests were to weep between the porch and the altar and pray, Spare thy people, O LORD.
Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. He promised corn, and wine, and oil, the former rain and the latter rain, floors full of wheat and vats overflowing. And then the words the book is known for: I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. Ye shall eat in plenty, God said, and my people shall never be ashamed.
The promise reached even further. It shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered. On the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter stood up in Jerusalem and said, this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel, and quoted these verses (Acts 2:16-21).
Key Verses
“That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten” Joel 1:4
“Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly” Joel 1:14
“Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God” Joel 2:13
“I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten” Joel 2:25
“I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh” Joel 2:28
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), a public-domain translation.
What the Story of Joel and the Locusts Teaches Us
Hard times are meant to be remembered and passed on. Joel told the old men to tell their children, and their children another generation. The locusts were not just a disaster to survive but a lesson for families to talk about together.
God cares more about the heart than the outward show. The people were to fast and weep and mourn, but the center of it was rend your heart, and not your garments. Real repentance means turning back to the LORD with all your heart, trusting that he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness.
God can restore what was lost. He promised to remove the northern army and said, I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, and then promised to pour out his spirit upon all flesh. The same God who allowed the loss also promised plenty, and the promise of his Spirit was fulfilled at Pentecost.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Joel in the Bible?
Joel was a prophet, the son of Pethuel (Joel 1:1). His book describes a devastating locust plague and calls the people to return to the LORD.
What are the four insects in Joel 1:4?
The palmerworm, the locust, the cankerworm and the caterpiller. Each one ate what the one before it had left (Joel 1:4).
What does rend your heart, and not your garments mean?
Tearing one’s clothes was an outward sign of grief. In Joel 2:13 God asks for inward sorrow instead – a heart that truly turns unto the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful.
What does I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten mean?
It is God’s promise in Joel 2:25 to make up for what the locust swarms destroyed. He promised plenty of corn, wine and oil, and said, my people shall never be ashamed (Joel 2:19-26).
Where does Peter quote Joel in the New Testament?
In Acts 2:16-21, on the day of Pentecost, Peter said, this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel, and quoted the promise that God would pour out his Spirit upon all flesh from Joel 2:28-32.
Where is the story of Joel and the locusts in the Bible?
It is in Joel 1-2. Chapter 1 describes the locusts and the call to fast, and chapter 2 gives the call to repent and God’s promise to restore.