In the beginning of the book there is this depiction of locust swarming all around and devouring everything in site. I can see this beautiful land becoming desolate and barren in only a matter of minutes. I get this beautiful picture of luscious grapes. Purple and ripe, so colorful and then all of a sudden they wither up and turn to black shriveled pieces of nothingness. Most of this book is full of pictures of once alive and vibrant objects now dead and no longer full of the life they once had. Joel is writing to an audience that like the grapes that I have described, they have fallen away and are so far from the Lord's desire for their lives. The scenes change in chapter 2 verse 12. He is now beckoning His people with a plead for them to turn back to Him. I can in these passages see parents calling out for their little girl that has gone missing and the cries of their heart are heard all around them. In these verses He is not showing His wrath and rightfully deserved anger but He is showing His heart that is full of love.
The picture that is painted in Joel can almost be one that is found in an illustrated novel. When I read Joel and mediate on the words I can close my eyes and I am there."The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining." These lines, although tragic, are painting a clear a precise picture. I can visually imagine the earth trembling( much like the hearts of those who are hearing these words). The sun and moon are darkened, what a sad day it would be without a sky full of stars.
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