Joel 2:3
Fire devours before them,
and behind them a flame burns.
The land is like the garden of Eden before them,
but behind them a desolate wilderness,
and nothing escapes them.
Truth: Discipline from God is devastating
The prophet Joel can easily be outlined as follows:
1. The devastation - by locust (1:1-13)
2. The devastation - by drought and starvation (1:14-20)
3. The devastation - by wicked army (2:1-17)
4. The deliverance of the remnant - (2:18-29)
5. Deliverance promised (2:18-27)
6. Spirit promised (2:28-29)
7. The devastation - by the Day of the Lord (2:30-3:17)
8. The deliverance of the remnant - (3:18-21)
The prophet is speaking to Judah and giving them the reason that they are about to be taken captive by Babylon, the subject of the above verse. God is going to devastate the nation for their disobedience to His Word and their chasing after other gods. We ought to learn a lesson from Joel. God's devastation is complete and catastrophic. Notice what is stated in the above passage: "The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them the desolate wilderness." We can think that things are so good (like the Garden of Eden) but within just a moment God can make it "a desolate wilderness." Since Romans 8:1 tells believers we have no fear of condemnation, we can rejoice that this devastation of God will no apply to us. Christ paid for our sin, canceling the debt that stood agains us, with its legal demands and nailed it to the cross (Colossians 2:14-15). But, we should be in deep prayer for family, friends and even enemies who stand in the way of God's wrath. God is a judge. He does not take sin lightly. God's discipline is out of love, but it is still discipline. When God chooses to correct those who don't walk with Him you can be assured that God's discipline is devastating.
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