Who was Yo’el?

The only things we know about Yo’el for sure are written in this prophecy. He was ‘the son of Pe’tu’el’ (1:1). There are twelve people in the Bible called ‘Yo’el’, but none can be identified as our prophet with any certainty. We know nothing about his father, either. Judah and Yerushalayim are referred to several times in his prophecy (2:32; 3:1, 6, 8, 16–20), it is reasonable to assume that Yo’el and his family lived and worked in that area. The name ‘Yo’el’ means ‘the Lord is God’. He may well have been a priest, because he spoke about ritual fasting and prayer and referred to the elders and priests as essential leaders in the community.

The book does not provide any specific information about its writing. Although no identifiable historical events are mentioned, Greece (3:6) and Egypt (3:19) were obviously powerful nations at the time. Like the other prophets, Yo’el was concerned about ‘the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord’ (2:31). One of the signs that this day was drawing nearer was the arrival of a massive plague of locusts and the subsequent severe drought that afflicted the land of Judah.

Yo’el warns a spiritually ambivalent Judah that anything less than total devotion to the one true God will result in punishment. He further warns that the day of the Lord is coming, when God will bring mankind to an ultimate accounting of their lives and deeds. He further urges to pray, fast, and repent to avoid God’s judgment.

Preface

¹ The word of Adonai that came to Yo’el the son of P’tu’el:

Devastations by Locusts

² “Hear this, you leaders! Listen, all who live in the land! Has anything like this ever happened in your days, or in your ancestors’ days? ³ Tell your children about it, and have them tell it to theirs, and have them tell the next generation.

Everyone knew about this plague because it affected everyone. God first called Yo’el to summon the elders of the people to ‘Hear this’ (1:2) because God was going to speak pointedly and with force. The leaders of God’s people have a very special responsibility to listen to the Word of God. Indeed, pastors and elders today must take note of national and local events, but, more importantly, they must listen to the message of God’s Word and act upon it. They should not merely delight in God’s Word of blessing for their own benefit; they also have a duty to pass it on and explain it to others.

God’s voice was not just for the elders; all who live in the land had to heed God’s words. They were reminded that nothing like this had happened before in their own day or in the times of their forefathers. Furthermore, they were told to tell their children of these events so that they, in turn, could pass this message on to those who came after them (v. 3). Although the effect of these locusts was bad news, it paved the way for the good news that repentance would lead to salvation.

⁴ What the cutter-worms left, the locusts ate; what the locusts left, the grasshoppers ate; what the grasshoppers left, the shearer-worms ate.

The plague of locusts is like the ‘text’ for this prophecy, yet they are only mentioned directly twice, in 1:4 and 2:25. However, their effect was a powerful sign of God’s severe disapproval of the people’s sin.

 ⁵ Wake up, drunkards, and weep! wail, all you who drink wine, because the juice of the grape will be withheld from your mouth.

There are times in our lives when we need a wake-up call. Too easily, we become settled, take our luxuries for granted, and behave as though it is our right to do whatever we want. Yo’el 1:5 begins with these startling words: ‘Wake up.’ Perhaps when we were children, our schoolteachers needed to say this to us, as our minds had drifted off during the lesson.

⁶ For a mighty and numberless nation has invaded my land. His teeth are lion’s teeth; his fangs are those of a lioness. ⁷ He has reduced my vines to waste, my fig trees to splinters – he plucked them bare, stripped their bark and left their branches white.

To demonstrate the disastrous effect of these locust swarms, Yo’el likened their invasions to attacks by wild animals (v. 6). Those comparatively small locusts wrought so much havoc that it was as though a lioness (the vicious hunter among a pride of lions) had attacked and murdered the people with her powerful fangs. This was immediately followed by the proud male lion, which advanced and, with its sharp teeth, consumed the choicest part of the meat, leaving it bare, physically and morally. This, indicated Yo’el, is what God had made happen to the disobedient people of Judah.

⁸ Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth for the husband of her youth! ⁹ Grain offering and drink offering are cut off from the house of Adonai. The cohanim are mourning, those who are serving Adonai. ¹⁰ The fields are ruined, the ground is grieving; for the grain is ruined, the new wine dried up, and the olive oil is wretched. ¹¹ Despair, you farmers; lament, vinedressers, over the wheat and the barley – the harvest from the fields is lost. ¹² The vines have withered, the fig trees wilted, also the pomegranate, date-palm, and apple tree – all the trees in the fields have withered, and the people’s joy has withered away. [1]

Trouble in a family affects more than just the immediate household; its repercussions reach neighbors and friends. Similarly, when a nation is attacked, those who suffer are not just those living in the immediate area; the consequences spread like ripples on a lake after a stone is thrown into it.

When the plagues of locusts ravaged Judah, it was not only the drunkards who felt the effect; everyone suffered. Although the drunkards wept and wailed because they were soon going to be deprived of their drink, others suffered because the fields were ruined.

This section of Yo’el is written in the present tense. Judah is urged to mourn like a bereaved virgin. Then Yo’el lists disastrous things happening in the land (‘Grain offerings … are cut off’, ‘The fields are ruined’, etc.). These things will lead to much mourning, despair, and no joy.

If you feel overwhelmed by daily life, much like the devastation depicted in Yo’el 1:1-12, make a conscious effort to set aside ‘Sabbath time’ each week. Dedicate one designated day, or even just a few hours, to unplug from daily routines and focus on rest, prayer, and reflection. Encourage your family to join you in this practice, allowing everyone to recharge spiritually and emotionally. This intentional pause can help restore peace and refresh your spirit amidst chaos.

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[1] Yo’el 1:1–12.