Joel 1:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Should we fail to vanquish them in this life, they will bring about our ruin in the next. Indeed, even in this present life, they inflict upon us the harshest of torments. Each passion is ruthless, relentless, insatiable, consuming us day by day, never satisfied. Their teeth are as fierce as those of a lion (Joel 1:6), perhaps even more fearsome. Unlike a lion that departs after its hunger is sated, passions remain perpetually unsatisfied, relentlessly pursuing the soul until it succumbs to the tempter.

This is valid whether we view it as a reference to locusts, caterpillars, or moss, for these creatures are formidable; their assault is nearly unstoppable, obliterating everything in their path—fruits and greenery alike—laying bare the land’s appearance. If we consider this in relation to the cruelty of those who plunder and the utter desolation of the land, it manifests the complete devastation of their nation and the demise of eminent individuals, those who surpass others in renown and wealth, likened therefore to figs and grapes. However, they too faced temptation akin to the sensual grapes when devoured by locusts, which drain the sap from plants, stripping them of their vital essence and leaving them with a faded appearance. Thus, the teeth of the destroyers consumed those esteemed individuals, reducing them to ruin either through deadly force or by enslaving them. Should one choose to understand this in a spiritual sense, it can pertain to sinful individuals whose hearts and minds become infested by evil spirits and various passions, resembling locusts and caterpillars, rendering them unfit and devoid of virtue, devoid of the radiance of piety and lacking in the growth of righteousness. It would be right for them to weep and mourn consistently before God, seeking forgiveness and aid through persistent prayer, that they might eventually, though with difficulty, gain wisdom, strength, and the ability to avoid calamity. Those whose thoughts are naively swayed by those who distort correct doctrine may also endure such suffering. It is accurate to describe such individuals as possessing “teeth like lions’ teeth,” for they embody a godless, deceitful, harmful entity, ensnaring the simple-minded with their own deceptions, leaving no trace of righteousness within. These individuals devastate the Lord's vineyard, stripping the gardens of fig trees and leaving them barren and desolate; their judgment shall not escape (2 Pet. 2:3), but justice will ultimately prevail (Rom. 3:8). Consequently, those who live in ignorance will become prey to locusts, moss, and caterpillars, lacking all beauty, stripped of fertility. Conversely, a wise soul filled with love for God, adorned with the truths of faith, can be likened to one whose heart overflows with fruits of righteousness and is adorned with glorious blossoms. Such a soul can boldly affirm, like the bride in the Song of Songs: “Let my beloved come into his garden and eat the choicest fruits” (Song of Songs 5:1). The fruits of piety and the vegetables of sincere inquiry are pleasing to our Savior, Christ, our brother, who is born of the perfect Lady.

Had it happened, surely Scripture would have recorded it as it does the three-and-a-half-year famine during Elijah's time. The image of the locusts serves as a metaphor for an invasion of foes, whether they be the Assyrians and Babylonians who threatened at that time, the Medes and Persians who followed, the Macedonians who arrived much later, or finally, the Romans mentioned previously. It seems that the Babylonians and Chaldeans, depicted as cruel and fierce adversaries towards God’s people, are primarily in view here, as suggested by certain indications within the prophetic text. The wickedness of these enemies is illustrated through the image of locusts, forming a comparison that causes one to evoke thoughts of the enemies when reading of locusts, and vice versa. A multitude arises from the wilderness, akin to a Chaldean army, strong and innumerable, upon the land of the Lord. For nothing is more numerous or powerful than locusts, which no human force can withstand. Their teeth represent the locusts, understood as fierce as the teeth of a lion, with jaws that reflect the same ferocity, thus aligning the strength and numbers of these foes to the savagery of lions. This people has ravaged my vineyard, which I brought out of Egypt and planted, and it has stripped my fig tree, symbolizing the Jewish people, whom the Savior approached seeking fruit, yet finding none; thus, he cursed it, and it withered eternally. All of this is expressed metaphorically through the devastation caused by locusts, which gnaw at tree bark and leave what is bare, so that once the sap is drained, only white, withered branches remain.

Now that we have addressed the historical significance, let us consider its spiritual implications. The adversaries that come against the soul—a territory belonging to God—are the representatives of the rulers of this age and the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly realms, against whom we are called to contend. It is said, if the spirit of the oppressor rises against you, do not abandon your post. The strength of this people is likened to the teeth of a lion, as noted by the apostle Peter, who states that our adversary the devil prowls like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Their powerful jaws echo that of a lion’s as well, representing those who rebel against God’s order and truth or embody various false teachings. The crushing force of these hidden dangers, which lie concealed like the teeth within a lion's mouth, is a cause for the psalmist's declaration that the Lord will crush the teeth of the lions. If we permit this multitude to approach, they swiftly consume our vineyards, from which we derive the wine that brings joy to the heart, and they strip our fig trees, thus denying us the most precious gifts of the Holy Spirit. They seek not only to dismantle the vineyard and fig tree but to thoroughly scour them, obliterating every trace of vitality within them, leaving behind only lifeless and barren twigs, thereby fulfilling the saying: If they do these things in the green wood, what will become of the dry?

Yet the Prophet outlines what will arise from them, alluding to the ravaged vineyards, the bleached vines, and the fig trees stripped bare, which typically occurs due to the strikes of the rods. That he speaks of these matters not as events of the past, but as occurrences yet to come, is supported by the ongoing context of his message. For it is stated of the Prophet: