Joel 1:1-4 – When Nature Attacks – Bible study

Joel 1:1-4 When Nature Attacks Joel was a prophet called to preach in a difficult people. I am going for forego an introduction and settle for a message and a conclusion. I. \#Joel 1:1-4\ Mother Nature Seems Angry A. A plague of locusts had come upon Israel. B. \#4\ The names of four bugs are used. 1. There are many differing opinions about these creatures. In the Hebrew, all four names are different but some feel they are all different species of the locusts. 2. There are also differing views on the timing, but whether they all came in one year or came one year after the next, the results would be devastating for years to come. 3. But two things are certain. a. All was lost. Joel 1:7 He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white. Joel 1:12 The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men. b. It would take years to recover. Joel 2:25 And 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. C. Mother Nature seems angry with America. 1. Things are happening that I have never heard of and; to be honest, if it werent verified by so many sources, I would think some of what I read was a Hollywood horror movie. a. New bacteria have begun to attack us. (1) CNN reported on June 27 that a 12-year-old girl contracted a flesh-eating bacteria while swimming and playing on a Florida beach. https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/27/us/florida-girl-flesh-eating-bacteria- trnd/index.html (2) A Newsweek article, dated 6/29/2019 and written by Brenda Cole, a woman died from flesh-eating bacteria after just walking along a Florida beach. https://www.newsweek.com/florida-necrotizing-fasciitis-flesh-eating- coquina-beach-1446671 b. Wildfires have become a major plague in California and Washington State, in part because of a seven year drought that just ended this last March. Both the largest and the most deadly fires occurred last year. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/15/california- drought-free-after-7-years-dry-conditions-remain/3168753002/ (1) The biggest wildfire in Californias modern- history started last year when a rancher who is highly allergic to wasps found an under-ground nest and closed the hole by driving a metal stake into it. Unbeknown to him, a spark from the hammer striking the stake flew to the ground, igniting a fire storm. More than 130 homes, 400,000 acres (625 sq miles), and one firefighter were lost in the flames. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/11/us/california-ranch-wildfire- wasp-nest.html https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/9675690-181/spark-from-hammer- metal-stake (2) During the same year, California also experienced its most deadly fire, killing at least 85 people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Fire_(2018) c. While part of our country is dealing with drought, other parts are dealing with floods. (1) This year had some of the worst flooding in more than 50 years, especially across the Midwestern states. (2) The Missouri River, the Mississippi, and the Ohio Rivers have flooded because of heavier than normal rainfall amounts, heavier snow fall in Canada, and warmer temperatures which have caused additional snow melting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Midwestern_U.S._floods https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disaster/2019-u-s-spring-floods/ (3) States affected have been Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, North Carolina, South Dakota, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska. https://www.vox.com/2019/6/11/18659676/flood-midwest-nebraska-iowa- forecast d. Then there is Alabamas biggest fear, tornadoes. (1) According to Wikipedia, the US has already had 1088 reports of tornadoes in 2019 with 818 confirmed. (2) In a 12 day period, over 200 tornadoes swept across the Midwest. https://www.vox.com/2019/5/29/18643166/tornado-2019-ohio-kansas- missouri https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornadoes_of_2019 2. I could list more, but I simply want to point out that it appears Mother Nature is angry. II. There is no Mother Nature. It is all Father God. A. The term "Mother Nature" is a non-religious term used to describe the normal workings of God in the affairs of our planet. 1. When we speak of Mother Nature getting angry, we are simply saying that things are not going according to the normal laws of nature. They are worse! 2. However there is no Mother Nature. B. God was making it very clear in the book of Joel that it was not Mother Nature who was angry. It was Him. 1. \#Joel 2:11\ God called these bugs "His army." 2. Interestingly, the Bible says all of the plagues which have been hitting our country are under Gods control. Psalm 148:8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word: Psalms 147:18 He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow. C. Many Christians laugh at the notion of climate change. I dont think we should for several reasons. 1. The Bible makes it very clear that God had and will judge the earth through the forces of nature. a. We have all heard of the Weather Channel. b. Have you heard Weather Chapter? Revelation 16 describes three weather related plagues caused by God in the future. Revelation 16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. Revelation 16:10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, Revelation 16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great. 2. I fully understand the abundance of false news and conclusion jumping that is common among the news outlets today, but consider what is going on. a. Scientists are saying is that something bad is happening, something that is not natural. b. Apparently, they have data that tells them soand I dont doubt that they might. c. The problem is they are guessing at the cause. (1) They think it is caused by man. (2) What if it is being caused by God? (3) What if we are seeing the beginning of a judgment which the Bible is prophesying in Revelation 16? III. \#1:5-2:1\ Gods Message – God sent the plague of bugs to get Israels attention. In Joel, He had it and told the people what He wanted them to do. I do not believe God has Americas attention yet; but if He ever gets it, this is what He will want us to do. A. \#1:5\ Awake the slumbering! Joel 1:5 Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth. 1. By this command, God was hinting that the attack had already begun.. a. I am not speaking of the bugs. Believe it or not, they were just Gods method of waking up the people (His alarm clock). b. I am not speaking of the Assyrian army. They will be the judgment. c. The attack had begun before the judgment and the alarm were even necessary. d. The attack was the attack of sin! (1) Israel had been attacked and was being defeated by sin. (2) What sins? (a) Pretty much the same ones attacking America today. (b) Denying Gods existence, blaspheming God, lying, stealing, violence, fornication, perversion. 2. God had sent the bugs to wake Israel up to the attack they were sleeping through. If they did not wake up, they would sleep through their own destruction. B. \#1:11\ Be Ashamed – God wanted the people to feel something. Joel 1:11 Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. 1. Look at the commands of emotion that God gives to the people: a. \#5\ "Awake, ye drunkards, and weep" b. \#8\ "Lament like a virgin girded" c. \#9\ mourn d. \#11\ "Be ye ashamed!" e. \#13\ "lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar" 2. Israel was incapable of feeling shame, which meant they could not feel remorse, or sorrow, or conviction! 3. I am convinced that America is in the same condition. a. I believe America has shut itself down to feeling of shame, remorse, sorrow, and conviction. b. A lesson I learned a long time ago is that whenever we deaden ourselves to one emotion, we deaden ourselves to all emotions. c. While America believes it is a loving nation today, our nation no more feels love than it does shame; no more feels compassion than it does remorse; no more feels joy than it does sorrow. (1) Our people can complain about the separation of parents from their children at the border while signing laws to slay babies. (2) They can boast of medical care for all while stealing the food out of the mouths of middle class workers. (3) And they can denounce Gods Old Testament judgments on sinners while promoting a religion that rapes, sells, beheads, and burns alive those who stand in its way. 4. God commanded His people to open their hearts and fell some shame. I believe it would do us all some good to do that today. C. \#1:14\ Assemble! Joel 1:14 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, 1. The solution to Israels impending destruction was not to fortify their armaments. a. The solution was to get back in the house of God and to cry unto the Lord. (1) To assemble in the house of God means to WORSHIP God. (2) To cry unto the Lord means to PRAY to God. b. \#13\ The priests, their preachers, had some additional commands. (1) They were to put on sackcloth (2) pray all night (3) "howl" out loud to the Lord. 2. These are not new commandments. God a. Why are they being given? (1) Because the people quit worshipping God and when worship stops obedience stops. (2) God was not calling the people to fight for Him. He was calling the people to worship Him. b. God is not against weapons and armies, but they will not save a nation that God does not favor! Psalm 33:16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. 17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. 18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; 19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Back to the title and the missing introduction. The title is "When Nature Attacks." What does it mean when Mother Nature attacks us. It means God is angry and is attacking us. Friends, wake up. Where America is going is where Israel has been, and it is to destruction. The alarm clock is ringing. Wake up and repent.