Joel 2:21

"But I will remove the northern army far away from you, and will drive it into a barren and desolate land, its front into the eastern sea, and its back into the western sea; and its stench will come up, and its bad smell will rise.” Surely he has done great things."

Key Reflection

Joel 2:21 describes a divine judgment where God promises to remove a foreign army from the land of Israel, driving it into a desolate and barren region. This imagery is rich with symbolic meaning; the army is compared to a swarm of locusts, which were known for their destructive power in ancient times. The vivid description of the army's defeat and its stench rising up emphasizes the completeness of God’s deliverance and the stark contrast between the once-destroying force and the now-barren wasteland it leaves behind. This passage underscores God’s sovereign control over historical events and His ultimate power to restore and bless His people.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Fear not, O land -Before, they were bidden to trembleJoel 2:1, now they are bidden, “fear not;” before, “to turn in weeping, fasting and mourning;” now, “to bound for joy and rejoice;” before, “the land mourned;” now, “the land is bidden to rejoice.” The enemy had “done great things;” now the cause of joy is that God had “done great things;” the Almightiness of God overwhelming and sweeping over the might put forth to destroy.

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