Events like the locust plague described in the book of Joel are often classified as “natural disasters.” But natural disasters often lead us to ask questions: Why did this happen? Where was God when this happened? Why did this happen here and now? Why did it happen to those people, or to us? Have we done something to offend God? Is God trying to get our attention in some way? Joel framed his answer using the phrase, “the day of the LORD,” five times in three chapters. What did Joel mean by that phrase, and why should it still be important to us in our own day and time? Just how does the prophetic book of Joel apply to us today? Is it about eschatological predictions, eschatological promises, or both?
