襲擊猶大的蝗災正像一支狂暴的侵略大軍，吞噬了整個農作物，一夕之間把原本青蔥翠綠的鄉間變成毫無生氣的荒漠：五榖不登，葡萄樹乾枯、果樹和花園都被掃蕩踐踏。先知約珥把握這個機會，向猶大傳講上帝的信息，眼前的災禍只是個警告而已，還有一個更嚴重的災害正在等候那些生活在罪中、不知道悔改的人！審判之日就要到了，只有真心悔改，歸向上帝的人才能從上帝公義之怒的恐怖中脫險。

        問題：下列三個活動有什麼共通點：翱翔天際不帶降落傘，蒙起眼睛橫跨高速公路，輕忽上帝的法律。
        雖然約珥不諳開飛機或走高速公路，但他却全然知道輕忽上帝誡命的危險是什麼，可怕的蝗蟲之災為即將到來的烈怒審判寫下了最好的實例──也是約珥警告同胞最佳時機。雖然要逃避蝗蟲的侵襲為時已晚，却仍有時間逃避上帝懲罰的手。
        記取蝗蟲的教訓！你的日子是否沒有與上帝緊密的聯繫就匆匆而過了？你的生命中的「小罪」已不再困擾你了嗎？你是否悄悄的刪除每日靈修及每主日的崇拜（你聽到嗡嗡作響的蝗蟲聲嗎？）危機是真實的，然而避難所就在天父「永久的臂膀」裡（申33：27），那豈不是個安憩的好所在嗎？

不同凡響的日子
        這兒有一些經文能幫助你研究「耶和華的日子」（約珥書提到九次，聖經中別處尚有二十五次），請看以賽亞書二章十二節；十三章六至九節；西番雅書一章十四節；彼得後書三章十到十四節，看完後，和別人分享你得到的亮光。

滿天飛舞的蝗蟲就像許多小小的罪，比一隻壯碩的牛更能危害田地。

English

        A plague of locusts hits Judah with the fury of an invading army, destroying vegetation and turning the usually verdant countryside into a lifeless desert. Fields of grain disappear, grapevines are stripped bare, fruit trees and gardens are wiped clean. The prophet Joel seizes the occasion to preach God's message to Judah; The present calamity is only a warning. An even greater devastation awaits those who continue to live in sin and rebellion. The day of judgment is coming, and only those who sincerely repent and return to God will be sheltered from the terrible force of His righteous wrath.

        Question: What do these three activities have in common: skydiving without a parachute, walking blindfolded across the freeway, and disregarding God's laws?
        Answer: They are all activities that, while perhaps momentarily exhilarating, lead to inescapable—and deadly—consequences.
        Though he knew nothing about skydiving or freeways, Joel knew full well the danger of disregarding God's commandments. The terrible scourge of locusts became the perfect illustration of wrathful judgment to come—and the perfect occasion for Joel to warn his countrymen. Although it was too late to escape the bite of the locust, there was still time to escape the "bite" of God's chastening hand.
Learn a lesson from the locusts! Do your days pass without prayerful contact with God? Have your "little sins" ceased to bother you? Have you slipped away from daily study and regular weekly worship? (Can you hear the buzzing locusts?) The danger is real, but shelter is as near as your Father's "everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27). Wouldn't that be a good place to rest ... right now?

A Day Like No Other —
        For some helpful research on "the day of the LORD" (mentioned 9 times in Joel and 25 other times in Scripture), look up Isaiah 2;12; 13:6—9; Zephaniah 1:14; and 2 Peter 3:10-14. Then share the insights you gain with one other person.

A swarm of locusts, like "little sins," can do more damage to afield than a full-grown cow.