Book of Joel Chapter 1 Vs. 19

The day of the Lord

 

O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. Joel 1:19

O Lord, to... As the first to call to repentance, the prophet had to be the first to heed the warning. He had to lead by example and motivate the people to respond. In the midst of proclaiming judgment, God’s prophets often led in intercessory prayer for mercy and forgiveness (Exo. 32:11-14; Jer. 42:1-4; Dan. 9:1-19; Amos 7:1-6).

This is the same problem we read about in Isaiah. There was a drought. There was fire that burned what did spring up, and there were swords which killed, as well. It seems that all of nature was in opposition to them. The truth is that God has sent a curse upon man, and beast, and the crops of the field. The day of the Lord is approaching.

The prophet, who clearly identified with his suffering nation (cf. “my” which occurs three times in Joel 1:6-7), cried out to the Lord in his anguish. He compared the locusts to a fire (in both Joel 1:19 and 1:20) which destroys everything in its path.