World Changing Words Devotional-Day 37

JOEL 1: 6-7, 10 | ⁶ For a nation has invaded my land, powerful and innumerable; its teeth are lions’ teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness. ⁷ It has laid waste my vines, and splintered my fig trees; it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down; their branches have turned white.

 ¹⁰ The fields are devastated, the ground mourns; for the grain is destroyed, the wine dries up, the oil fails.

 Joel, in Chapters 1-2:17, employs the vivid image of a locust infestation to draw a picture of the “Day of the Lord” when Judah is judged by the awful destruction of an overpowering enemy. The prophet knows how intimately human life and flourishing are tied to the cultivation of the natural world. War means the land itself is devastated—the grain, grape, and olive crops fail and the wheat and barley are destroyed, along with the fig harvest. Husbandry also suffers so cattle herds and sheep are decimated. Problems in society and conflicts between societies can impact nature. Problems in nature can hurt and undermine social life. And the two things together are a picture of the way spiritual apostasy will lead to disaster for the nation.

 When did you first realize human life was deeply connected to the natural world?

 How do you picture judgement?

Tags: nature, nation