Joel 2:18Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He declared: "I am in your hands, but you have not shown them mercy" (Isaiah 47:6), and similarly to Zechariah, He proclaimed: "Thus says the Lord: I am zealous for Jerusalem and Zion with great zeal, and with great wrath I am angry against the nations that have oppressed them; for I was a little angry, but they helped forward the affliction" (Zechariah 1:14-15). In His jealousy for His people, He promises to grant an overflow of sustenance, blessings that mirror their previous hardships, nourishment to the point of satisfying fullness, along with a firm assurance that they will not be handed over to their adversaries nor live in bondage, suffering in poverty. Additionally, He assures them of the destruction of "that which comes from the north," referring to those who dwell in the northern regions, as their land (the Assyrians) lies predominantly to the east. Should one believe that the locust plague arises from the northern side of Judea, such an interpretation remains valid. Likewise, if anyone experiences spiritual desolation and loss due to assaults from demonic hordes resembling locusts, they ought to engage in weeping, contemplate repentance, and pour out their tears before God, for they will soon receive the gracious words: "Behold, I give you wheat, and wine, and oil," as He transforms their heart into fertile soil, a garden filled with fruitful trees, a splendid vineyard. He will also anoint their heart with oil ("You anoint my head with oil" (Ps. 22:5)), and will drive away from them "that which comes from the north," referring to Satan, who dampens the spirit and prevents those under his influence from living vibrantly. As the Lord has stated, love will grow cold "due to the increase of wickedness" (Matt. 24:12); however, the servants of Christ remain fervent in spirit, never swayed by worldly pleasures, for "they have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Gal. 5:24).

As the priests began to intercede for the people, asking, "Have compassion, O Lord, on Your people, and do not allow Your heritage to be desecrated," the people responded by sanctifying a fast, promoting healing, gathering together, consecrating the Church, appointing elders, and welcoming the young. The bridegroom emerged from his chamber, and the bride from her inner room, as they committed to serving not their fleshly desires but the spirit and sorrow. The Lord was protective of His land, which He had allowed to be ravaged by locusts, but He, in His grace, honored those who repented by responding to them, stating, "Because the locusts, worms, and rye have consumed all your fruits, I will send you wheat and various other provisions as promised, and I will not hand you over to captivity." He would remove the Assyrians and the Chaldeans from the north, of whom it is said, "A people numerous and mighty—before them is a consuming fire, and behind them a flame." Their form resembles that of horses. He will cast them into the wilderness, causing their front to perish in the eastern sea and their rear in the western sea, while evil will arise from them due to their hubris.

It has been noted that the locusts symbolize the invasion of the Chaldeans that befell Judea. The metaphor continues, emphasizing a troubling situation as though locusts were the adversaries themselves. Similarly, we have witnessed swarms of locusts covering Judea, and subsequently, through the mercy of God, and due to the prayers of the priests and people who interceded between the narthex and the altar—the place of crucifixion and resurrection—crying, "Have mercy on Your people," a wind arose to cast away the locusts into the eastern and western seas.

The first sea, near the wilderness, refers to the area where Sodom, Gomorrah, Adam, and Sheboim once stood, now the Dead Sea, devoid of life. The last sea in the west leads to Egypt, bordered by cities like Gaza, Ascalon, Azotus, and Joppa. When both shores are littered with the remnants of dead locusts, the odor becomes so unbearable that it taints the air, causing pestilence among livestock and humans. The discerning reader may wonder when this was literally fulfilled concerning the Chaldeans. Shortly after this prophecy was declared, in Isaiah (chapter 87), we find that one hundred and eighty-five thousand Chaldeans under King Hezekiah were overwhelming destroyed by an angel overnight.

However, on a deeper level, every soul represents the Lord's field, where the master sows seeds. When tares—wild plants that offend the Lord—are produced instead of wheat, and the soul repents, crying for mercy, the Lord becomes protective of His land, bestowing His consolation upon it. He says, "I will send you wheat," which echoes the truth found in John 12:24, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” He offers wine, which gladdens the heart, and oil, which brings joy, turning prior sorrow for sins into the happiness derived from wheat, wine, and oil—symbolizing virtues.

They will experience an abundance of blessings, no longer subjected to the desecration of nations. As the Apostle states, "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Those from the north, about whom Jeremiah says, "Out of the north calamity shall break forth on all the inhabitants of the land," and as Solomon points out, "the north wind brings forth a storm," will be removed and driven into a land empty of the knowledge of God and excluded from the Holy Spirit. His essence will be in the first and last sea, those who succumb to sin, remaining until life's end, and the stench will rise even among those who harbor great hopes but fall through pride, as human weakness is never entirely secure. The more virtuous one becomes, the greater the need to be wary of a potential fall.

Literally, swarms of locusts typically come from the south rather than the north, as they originate from warmer regions. Nevertheless, the prophet likened the Assyrians to locusts from the north, implying that the locusts symbolize the Assyrians and Chaldeans rather than referring to the actual locusts of the south.