““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”.”
What is a locust? “A large, mainly tropical grasshopper with strong powers of flight. It is usually solitary, but from time to time there is a population explosion and it migrates in vast swarms, which causes extensive damage to vegetation” (English Oxford Living Dictionaries)
When I study the word of God, I most often, pause and look for its practical application around me. This particular verse in Joel 1:4 draws my attention to years ago as a little kid when we woke up one day, the green vegetation was all gone; grasses in the fields, crops in the farms, trees, and every plant around that was green were all eaten up by the creature called locust. Reflecting back, it looked like the trees in the U.S at the end of the fall season. Nothing green could be seen except branches on the trees. I cannot remember what I thought of at that time because I was very young and my family were only church goers then. When I reflect back, I can only imagine how scarce food was at that time.
Locust is a very destructive insect. Can you imagine an insect being that destructive?
This word in Joel 1:4 describes different types of Locust. What is interesting to me is that it’s still locust at the end of the day. Looking back on the infestation of the swam of locust in Cameroon, one would ask was God trying to send a warning message to the nation? I will leave you to decide.
The word of God is so real and true. I think most often people read the word of God and just wants to focus on “Abraham blessings are mine”. The Bible is balance; God is love, He loves righteousness and justice, and He is faithful. Psalm 89:14 says “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you”.
What does this Joel 1:4 really mean and how does it apply to us today?
This represents one of God’s ways that He uses to warn his people, his church. It is a sign that we are not following his commands. Locust is a destroying creature, it moves in a swarm, and when it comes, it destroys everything green on its way. This implies there will be a period of famine; no food. Why will a good loving God judge His people He loves so dearly? When we sin, God warns us. If we do not listen, He uses such things to help us think about our actions. Sometimes we are so blinded that we do not see anything wrong with our actions.
In this verse of Joel 1:4, we see four stages of warning represented by the different types of locust. One can only imagine that when the first type of locust begins to consume it is a warning sign that we need to check our salvation and ensures we are still standing (2 Corinthians 13:5). How many times do we try to stop and examine our walk with God? This is similar to the destruction in Egypt, God warned Pharaoh several times but he did not pay attention until everything about him was consumed at the Red Sea. Amos 4:9 says “Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, destroying them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the LORD.
Why wait until it’s too late to turn back to God in repentance? Remember the locust eats up all the greens. Let’s look at the way the psalmist describes true believers in psalm 92:12-14. He says “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green”. Remember the reference is for the righteous palm tree and cedar of Lebanon that remains planted in the house of God, such can endure locust attack. They are strong with God but have no strength without God.
The locust can destroy our relationship with God. It eats up our spiritual life; bible study time, relationships, fellowships, prayer life etc. It pushes us to a place of famine and this becomes worse because the glory of God departs. 1 Samuel 4:22 She says, “The Glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been capture”. Why wait till this time? When this happens the enemy sets in and brings more confusion. The glory of God is all we need, we cannot walk with God without His glory else we are walking on our own. The devil knows this and loves it when we fall short of His glory. May God grant us the grace to reflect and change our ways.
Prayers Guide:
Set a date with the Holy Spirit and ask for assistance to examine your heart and write down the list of issues that needs to be addressed.
Go before the throne room by the blood of Jesus asking for forgiveness and mercy.
Ask the Holy Spirit again for help on how you are going to change practically, write them down.
Ask for grace to remain steadfast in your walk with God.
Pray as the Holy Spirit guides you.
“God is always waiting for us while it is still day. Do not wait until the door is closed”.
Blessings
Ennette Heaggans