• Download Video
• Download Audio
• Print
• Email
• Save As PDF

"The earth quakes before them"

Text: Joel 2:10

A FURTHER DESCRIPTION OF THE LOCUST SWARM

Joel continued to describe the locusts that would descend on Israel.

“They do not push one another;
Everyone marches in his own column.
Though they lunge between the weapons,
They are not cut down.
They run to and fro in the city,
They run on the wall;
They climb into the houses,
They enter at the windows like a thief.
The earth quakes before them,
The heavens tremble;
The sun and moon grow dark,
And the stars diminish their brightness.”
Joel 2:8-10

1. A marching army

a) They are well-disciplined.

b) They attack but their formation is not adversely affected.

2. They attack the city

a) The home is also attacked.

b) They are compared to well-experienced thieves who break into homes.

3. “The earth quakes before them”

a) This is an expression of fear.

b) The locust swarm causes fear in many hearts.

4. “The heavens tremble”

a) This phrase must be read in conjunction with the earth.

b) “Heaven and earth”

i) An expression that expresses an all-encompassing effect.

ii) All are affected by the severe locust swarm.

iii) This curse was feared as having come from the Lord Himself.

5. “The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness”

a) Another idiomatic expression.

b) A swarm can be so huge that it blocks the sunlight.

c) The sun, moon and stars are affected because of the Lord’s hand involved.